Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i7-14700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 8th out of 1,702 tested combos in Barony, placing it in the 99.5th percentile of all systems evaluated. The pairing of a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake CPU with NVIDIA's flagship Blackwell 2.0 GPU produces frame rates that are exceptional across all tested resolutions, though the data reveals interesting scaling characteristics between CPU and GPU workloads in this roguelike title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's 8th-place finish out of 1,702 tested configurations puts it at the very top of the competitive field. Only seven other system pairings deliver higher average frame rates in Barony, which is a demanding position given the sheer number of combinations tested. The data indicates that this CPU-GPU pairing is nearly optimal for this game, with the RTX 5090's raw compute capabilities being the primary driver of the high ranking.

What makes this ranking particularly notable is the balance between the components. The i7-14700K sits at the 96th percentile among all CPUs in the database, while the RTX 5090 achieves the 94th percentile among all GPUs. When paired together, they achieve a combined result that exceeds either component's individual percentile ranking, suggesting strong synergy in Barony's workload distribution. The GPU's performance is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU's single-thread capabilities become more relevant at lower resolutions where frame rates climb into the hundreds.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 brings formidable specifications to this pairing, with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's 21,760 shading units operate at a base clock of 2017 MHz and boost to 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). These specifications translate into a PassMark G3D score of 39,650 and a PassMark GPU compute score of 26,756, placing the card at the 94th percentile among all tested GPUs.

In Barony specifically, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 3840x2160, the frame rate drops by roughly 39% when moving from High settings (142.8 FPS) to Ultra settings (105.1 FPS), while the jump from Low (230 FPS) to Ultra represents a 54% reduction. This scaling pattern is consistent with a game that becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions and quality presets. The RTX 5090's nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 D (0.1% higher average score), RTX 5050 Mobile (0.2% higher), and AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (1.3% higher), though these comparisons reflect synthetic benchmarks rather than in-game performance.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,411 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 380,114 further indicate strong compute performance. Notably, the card's passmark DirectX 11 score of 341 versus DirectX 12 score of 185 suggests Barony's rendering pipeline may be more efficient on older API paths, which could explain the unexpectedly high frame rates at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K provides 20 cores and 28 threads across its Raptor Lake architecture, with base and boost clocks of 3.40 GHz and 5.60 GHz respectively. The CPU's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help feed the GPU at high frame rates. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,534 and single-core score of 6,287 demonstrate strong throughput, while the PassMark single-thread score of 4,472 indicates excellent per-core performance.

In Barony, the CPU's influence is most visible at 1920x1080 where frame rates reach 687.7 FPS on Low settings. At this resolution, the GPU has less work per frame, and the CPU's ability to feed draw calls becomes the determining factor. The i7-14700K's nearest rivals include the i7-14700KF (0% delta), AMD EPYC 9115 (0.3% higher score), AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (0.5% higher), and Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (1.4% higher), though these are synthetic averages rather than game-specific measurements.

The CPU's 125W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide flexibility, though the 10nm process node and 257 mm² die size are noteworthy for thermal considerations. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but plays no role in this discrete-GPU configuration. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 52,392 and Geekbench multi-core score of 18,896 indicate that even when the GPU is not the bottleneck, the processor has ample headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5090 delivers 142.8 FPS on High settings, 230 FPS on Low, 168.5 FPS on Medium, and 105.1 FPS on Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is 124.9 FPS, representing a 54% performance drop at maximum quality. The step from Medium to High costs 25.7 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 37.7 FPS, indicating diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, frame rates scale significantly higher: 277 FPS on High, 437.1 FPS on Low, 323.5 FPS on Medium, and 201.9 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 235.2 FPS (54% reduction), mirroring the 4K scaling pattern but with higher absolute values. The Medium-to-High transition costs 46.5 FPS, while High-to-Ultra costs 75.1 FPS.

At 1920x1080, performance becomes exceptional: 439.3 FPS on High, 687.7 FPS on Low, 508.8 FPS on Medium, and 314 FPS on Ultra. The Low-to-Ultra drop is 373.7 FPS (54%), consistent with other resolutions. However, the absolute numbers suggest that at 1080p, the system is approaching CPU limitations on Low settings, where the 20-core processor's single-thread performance becomes the bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Barony?

A: This combination ranks 8th out of 1,702 tested combos, placing it in the top 0.5% of all configurations evaluated for this game.

Q: What is the highest frame rate achieved in testing?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 687.7 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded?

A: The lowest average FPS is 105.1 FPS, measured at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 84,306. Its closest rival, the RTX 5090 D, scores 84,241 (0.1% higher), while the RTX 5050 Mobile scores 84,171 (0.2% higher).

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 437.1 FPS while Ultra produces 201.9 FPS, a difference of 235.2 FPS representing a 54% reduction in frame rate.

Q: How does the i7-14700K compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 70,074. The i7-14700KF scores 70,104 (0% delta), while the AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69,887 (0.3% higher) and the Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70,420 (0.5% higher).

Settings Recommendations

For players with high-refresh-rate 1080p displays, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 (508.8 FPS) provides a strong balance between visual quality and performance, offering over 500 FPS while maintaining reasonable graphical fidelity. The High preset at 439.3 FPS is also viable for 240Hz and 360Hz monitors, though the 69.5 FPS difference between Medium and High may be noticeable in fast-moving roguelike gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the High preset (277 FPS) is the recommended choice for 240Hz displays, as it delivers sufficient frame rates while preserving visual detail. The Medium preset (323.5 FPS) offers additional headroom for 360Hz panels, but the visual sacrifice may not be worthwhile for most players. Ultra at 201.9 FPS remains playable on 144Hz monitors but does not take full advantage of higher refresh rates.

For 3840x2160 displays, the High preset (142.8 FPS) is the best all-around option, providing smooth gameplay on 144Hz monitors while maintaining visual quality. The Medium preset (168.5 FPS) is preferable for 165Hz panels, while the Ultra preset (105.1 FPS) is suitable for 100Hz displays or players prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate. The Low preset at 4K (230 FPS) is excessive for most displays and sacrifices too much visual quality for marginal competitive advantage in this roguelike genre.