Barony

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an extreme high-end pairing, and the measured frame rates in Barony reflect that. This roguelike, released in 2015, is not graphically demanding by modern standards, so the RTX 4090 is rarely the bottleneck. Instead, the data shows a system that is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU only starting to flex its muscles at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings to show exactly where the limits lie.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the changing balance between CPU and GPU load. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 667.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 418.4 FPS, a reduction of about 37%, and then to 4K Low it falls to 222 FPS, which is another 47% drop from 1440p. This steep decline at lower settings indicates that the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p; the GPU is so fast that it is waiting on the processor to feed it data.

The picture changes when we look at the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 302.4 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 191.9 FPS (a 36% decrease), and at 4K Ultra it falls to 101.7 FPS (a 47% decrease from 1440p). The percentage drops are remarkably similar between Low and Ultra settings when scaling from 1440p to 4K, suggesting that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at that resolution, regardless of the visual load. The data indicates that the i7-14700K’s 20 cores and 28 threads are more than enough to keep up with the RTX 4090 at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the GPU’s rendering workload takes over as the primary constraint.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest refresh rates, the data shows that the Low preset at 1080p yields a staggering 667.7 FPS, which is far beyond what any current display can show. Even at 1440p, the Low preset provides 418.4 FPS. These numbers suggest that for competitive play or high-refresh monitors, the Low preset is overkill in terms of performance headroom.

The more practical recommendation lies in the High preset. At 1080p, High settings deliver 421.9 FPS, which is still an enormous frame rate. At 1440p, High settings produce 266.3 FPS, comfortably above the 240Hz refresh rate that many high-end monitors offer. Even at 4K, the High preset maintains 142.6 FPS, which is well above the 120Hz threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset sits between Low and High, offering 496.2 FPS at 1080p and 312 FPS at 1440p, but the visual improvement from Medium to High is often worth the performance trade-off.

The Ultra preset, while visually impressive, shows the most significant performance cost. It drops to 101.7 FPS at 4K, which is still playable but represents a 29% reduction compared to the High preset’s 142.6 FPS at the same resolution. Given that Barony is a roguelike with less emphasis on graphical fidelity, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions, providing over 140 FPS even at 4K.

FAQ

*Q: Is the RTX 4090 overkill for Barony?*

A: The data strongly suggests yes. At 1080p High, the system produces 421.9 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of any consumer monitor. Even at 4K Ultra, it maintains 101.7 FPS, indicating the GPU is rarely stressed by this title.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The 1440p High preset (266.3 FPS) is the sweet spot, offering an excellent balance of image quality and frame rate. 4K High (142.6 FPS) is also viable for those preferring higher pixel density.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at 1080p?

A: The Core i7-14700K’s 20 cores and 28 threads are a major factor. At 1080p Low, the system hits 667.7 FPS, a number so high that it indicates the CPU is the primary limiter, not the GPU.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using?

A: The performance cost is steep. At 4K, Ultra (101.7 FPS) is 29% slower than High (142.6 FPS). Given the visual nature of a roguelike, the High preset provides significantly better frame pacing for a marginal visual difference.

Q: Can this system hit 240 FPS at 4K?

A: Based on the measured data, no. The highest 4K result is 222 FPS on Low settings. The High preset at 4K produces 142.6 FPS, which is below the 240 FPS target.

Q: How does the performance scale from 1080p to 4K?

A: The frame rate roughly halves when moving from 1080p to 4K on the same settings. For example, High settings drop from 421.9 FPS at 1080p to 142.6 FPS at 4K, a 66% reduction.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 31st out of 1702 tested combos for Barony. That places it in the top 2% of all systems in the database for this game. The high ranking is expected given the individual components: the CPU holds a 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs, and the GPU sits in the 91st percentile against all GPUs.

The combo’s rank is impressive but not the absolute top, which suggests that other combinations of newer or more specialized hardware may yield slightly higher frame rates in this specific title. However, the data shows that this pairing is already capable of exceeding 400 FPS at 1080p High, so the practical difference between rank 31 and rank 1 is likely negligible for real-world gameplay. The system’s performance is firmly in the enthusiast tier, with the only other comparable systems being those with similar top-tier components.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. In Barony, this CPU proves to be a formidable partner for the RTX 4090. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p, the system is almost certainly CPU-bound, as evidenced by the 667.7 FPS result on Low settings. This indicates that the CPU’s high single-core boost clock of 5.60 GHz is critical for feeding the GPU at lower resolutions.

The processor’s large 33 MB shared L3 cache also contributes to its strong performance in games that rely on rapid data access. While Barony is not a multi-threaded powerhouse, the 20 cores ensure that background tasks and game logic never cause a bottleneck. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 and single-core score of 6287 reflect its capability, but in this game, the single-core performance is what drives the massive frame rates at 1080p. The data confirms that the i7-14700K is not the limiting factor in this pairing; instead, it provides the headroom needed to fully unlock the RTX 4090’s potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce 667.7 FPS, Medium yields 496.2 FPS, High reaches 421.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 302.4 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 55% reduction in frame rate, which is substantial but expected given the visual workload increase.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain extremely high. Low settings hit 418.4 FPS, Medium produces 312 FPS, High achieves 266.3 FPS, and Ultra maintains 191.9 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, averaging around a 35-37% reduction, which points to a balanced scaling between CPU and GPU load.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates, though the GPU workload becomes more apparent. Low settings produce 222 FPS, Medium hits 166 FPS, High manages 142.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 101.7 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 4K is significant, with the Low preset dropping from 667.7 to 222 FPS (a 67% reduction) and the Ultra preset dropping from 302.4 to 101.7 FPS (a 66% reduction). This consistent percentage drop across all settings confirms that the RTX 4090 is the limiting factor at 4K, as the CPU’s performance headroom is no longer sufficient to hide the GPU’s rendering cost.