Barony

Barony, a roguelike from 2015, presents an interesting case study in hardware scaling when paired with the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT. The measured data reveals a configuration that is heavily optimized for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, while still delivering playable 4K performance. The combination of a 20-core, 28-thread processor with a 12 GB RDNA 2.0 graphics card creates a system where the GPU is almost certainly the primary constraint at higher resolutions, but the CPU's immense power ensures that frame rates remain exceptionally high at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a predictable yet dramatic decline as resolution increases, but the shape of that decline is telling. At the "Low" settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 360.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 229.4 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 36%. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 119.9 FPS, which represents a 67% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep curve at low settings strongly suggests that while the CPU has enough headroom to push massive frame rates at lower resolutions, the GPU's rendering throughput becomes the dominant factor as the pixel count increases.

The pattern shifts when examining the "Ultra" preset. Here, the average FPS at 1080p is 167.7, which drops to 102.3 FPS at 1440p and then to 52.9 FPS at 4K. The relative drop between 1080p and 4K is about 68%, which is remarkably similar to the 67% drop seen at Low settings. This consistency implies that the RX 6750 XT is the limiting factor across the board, as the scaling is proportional to the pixel throughput required. The data reveals that the CPU is not a bottleneck even at 4K Ultra, as the frame rate is still high enough to suggest the GPU is saturated.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens significantly as resolution decreases. At 4K, the difference between Low (119.9 FPS) and Ultra (52.9 FPS) is 67 FPS, while at 1080p the gap is a massive 193.2 FPS (360.9 vs. 167.7). This indicates that at lower resolutions, the system has enough computational headroom that the CPU can feed the GPU faster, allowing the graphical settings to have a more pronounced impact on the final frame rate. At 4K, the GPU is working so hard on pixel shading that the difference in settings becomes less impactful in absolute terms, though still significant.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured rows, the "High" preset at 2560x1440 stands out as the sweet spot for this configuration, delivering an average of 148 FPS. This is nearly double the 77.2 FPS achieved at 4K High, and it remains far above the 60 FPS threshold that most users consider playable. The jump from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 45.7 FPS (from 148 to 102.3), which is a substantial performance penalty for what is likely a marginal visual improvement in a game like Barony, which has a stylized roguelike aesthetic.

For users with 1080p monitors, the "Medium" preset at 271.1 FPS or even "High" at 231.9 FPS are excellent choices, both providing well over 200 FPS for competitive or fast-paced play. The "Ultra" preset at 1080p still delivers 167.7 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display, but the data suggests that the extra visual fidelity comes at a significant cost compared to High. At 4K, the "Medium" preset at 87.4 FPS is the most balanced choice, as it offers a playable experience without the steep drop to 52.9 FPS seen at Ultra.

The data strongly implies that "High" is the optimal preset for this GPU, as it provides a 78% performance uplift over Ultra at 1440p (148 vs. 102.3 FPS) while likely retaining most of the visual quality. The jump from Medium to High at 1440p is only 20.7 FPS (from 168.7 to 148), which is a smaller relative cost than the jump from High to Ultra, making High the most efficient setting for the measured data.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, operating at a boost clock of 2600 MHz. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a substantial pool for a game from 2015. Barony is not known for requiring massive VRAM capacity, so the 12 GB is likely not a limiting factor at any of the tested settings; the bottleneck is more likely the raw compute throughput of the GPU itself.

The card's FP32 performance of 13.31 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 416.0 GTexel/s are the key metrics that explain the FPS results. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is rendering 8.3 million pixels per frame, and the average of 52.9 FPS indicates that it is being pushed to its limits. The fact that the same card can achieve 360.9 FPS at 1080p Low shows that the architecture is well-suited for high frame rates when pixel count is low, but the ROPs and shading units become the primary constraint as resolution scales up.

The GPU's percentile rank of 79 among all GPUs, with its average benchmark score of 35327, places it in the upper mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, which has an average score of 35787, a delta of -1.3%, meaning the RX 6750 XT is only 1.3% slower in aggregate benchmarks. This close performance parity suggests that the card's 12 GB buffer and RDNA 2.0 efficiency are well-matched for this generation of games, and the measured FPS data in Barony reflects a card that is neither over- nor under-powered for the task.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers its highest frame rates. The "Low" preset averages 360.9 FPS, which is an extraordinary figure that indicates the CPU and GPU are both operating well within their limits. The "Medium" preset averages 271.1 FPS, while "High" averages 231.9 FPS. The "Ultra" preset drops to 167.7 FPS, which is still remarkably high and shows that even the most demanding settings at 1080p cannot stress this combination enough to cause any perceptible stutter.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. "Low" averages 229.4 FPS, "Medium" averages 168.7 FPS, and "High" averages 148 FPS. The "Ultra" preset at 1440p averages 102.3 FPS, which is a 39% reduction from the 1080p Ultra figure, but still well above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. This resolution appears to be the practical limit for 144Hz+ displays with this GPU, as the High preset nearly hits that mark.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops to more moderate levels. "Low" averages 119.9 FPS, which is still excellent for 4K. "Medium" averages 87.4 FPS, and "High" averages 77.2 FPS. The "Ultra" preset averages 52.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and would likely require adjustments to settings or resolution scaling for a smooth experience. The data shows a clear progression: 4K is playable at Medium and High, but Ultra is reserved for those who prioritize visuals over frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 813 out of 1702 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 48th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning it outperforms roughly half of the systems in the database. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the high individual benchmark scores of both components, but it reflects the fact that Barony is a game that can be run on much weaker hardware, and many tested combos may include more powerful GPUs or CPUs.

The CPU itself has a percentile rank of 96 among all CPUs, indicating it is in the top 4% of processors. Its average benchmark score of 70104 places it just 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115 and 1.3% ahead of the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270. The GPU's rank of 79 places it in the top 21% of graphics cards, but its average score of 35327 is only 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600M, a mobile chip, and 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. This suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier part, the GPU is more mid-range in the context of the database, which likely drags the combo's overall rank down in a game that is more GPU-bound at higher settings.

The rank of 813 out of 1702 implies that there are many combos with more balanced or higher-performing GPUs that can achieve better results in Barony, especially at 4K Ultra where the RX 6750 XT struggles to maintain 60 FPS. However, for the majority of users playing at 1080p or 1440p, this combo ranks in the upper half and delivers frame rates that are competitive with much more expensive configurations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-14700KF 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. Its large 33 MB shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory are key features that help maintain high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. In Barony, which is a roguelike with procedurally generated levels, the CPU is responsible for game logic, AI pathfinding, and world generation, all of which can benefit from high single-thread performance.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and single-core score of 6290 are top-tier figures, reflecting its ability to handle both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. The Passmark single-thread score of 4480 and multithread score of 52425 further confirm its strength. In the measured FPS data, the 360.9 FPS at 1080p Low is a clear indicator that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions; the GPU is still the limiting factor, but the CPU has enough headroom to feed it without constraint.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K, which has a nearly identical average score of 70074 (deltaPct of 0), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, which is 0.4% faster. This indicates that the i7-14700KF is among the fastest consumer CPUs available, and its performance in Barony is unlikely to be the weak link in the system. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly struggling, the CPU is likely waiting for the GPU to finish rendering frames, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in pixel count rather than any CPU-related stutter.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 167.7 FPS.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160, the combo achieves 77.2 FPS on High settings and 87.4 FPS on Medium settings, making 4K playable, though Ultra settings drop to 52.9 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700KF compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104, which is 0.4% lower than the Ryzen 9 9950X's score of 70420, indicating they are essentially performance peers.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT has a memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s, provided by 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p based on the data?

A: The "High" preset at 2560x1440 averages 148 FPS, which represents the best balance between visual quality and performance, as the jump to Ultra only gains visual detail but costs 45.7 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6750 XT rank among all GPUs?

A: The GPU has a percentile rank of 79, meaning it outperforms 79% of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 35327.