Barony

Barony, a roguelike from 2015, is not the typical benchmark target for modern high-end hardware. However, the measured data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 reveals a clear and practical performance profile across resolutions and settings. This analysis focuses strictly on the collected FPS numbers and component specifications to outline what this combo delivers in practice.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Barony shows a substantial and predictable performance drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 156 FPS at 1080p to 99 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 52 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The overall scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings is a 67% drop in average FPS, which is a steep curve that strongly suggests the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Looking at Low settings, the same pattern emerges but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 245 FPS average, which drops to 154 FPS at 1440p and 81 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, and from 1440p to 4K is 47%. The 4K Low result of 81 FPS is still perfectly playable, but the scaling indicates that even at Low settings, the Arc B570 is being pushed hard by the 4K pixel count.

Medium settings offer the only complete data set with min and max FPS values recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 182 FPS with a min of 155 and max of 209. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 115 FPS with min 98 and max 132. At 4K Medium, the average is 60 FPS with min 51 and max 69. The min-to-max spread grows from 54 FPS at 1080p to 34 FPS at 1440p and 18 FPS at 4K, which shows that frame pacing becomes tighter as the GPU saturates, but also that the ceiling lowers significantly.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates, as expected. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 112 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 71 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 37 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 67% reduction, identical to the High preset percentage drop. This consistency suggests that the relative performance hit from resolution scaling is uniform across presets, which points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck rather than the CPU.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the combo is capable of high refresh rates, exceeding 240 FPS on Low and 150 FPS on High. At 1440p, it remains strong on Low and Medium, with averages above 115 FPS, but High and Ultra require more compromise. At 4K, only Low settings deliver above 80 FPS, while Medium sits at 60 FPS average and High/Ultra fall below 52 FPS. This resolution scaling profile is typical for a mid-range GPU like the Arc B570, which has a 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 4K results clearly show the GPU straining, while the CPU’s influence diminishes as resolution climbs.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and the BMG-G21 chip, produced on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. The GPU’s base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place the Arc B570 at the 65th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 20556.

In Barony, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. The 4K High average of 52 FPS and 4K Ultra average of 37 FPS are the clearest indicators that the Arc B570’s compute and memory bandwidth are stretched. The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% higher average score) and the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% lower average score). These rivals are also mid-range parts, which contextualizes the Barony results as typical for this performance class. The GPU’s 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 360.0 GTexel/s texture rate are respectable, but the 4K Ultra result of 37 FPS shows that heavy pixel work is not this card’s strength.

The memory configuration is worth noting. The 10 GB capacity is ample for a game from 2015, which likely does not have demanding VRAM requirements. However, the 160-bit bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are moderate by modern standards. At 1080p, the GPU has no trouble, delivering 245 FPS on Low. At 1440p, it still manages over 150 FPS on Low and 99 FPS on High. The bottleneck emerges at 4K, where the pixel fill rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and the memory bandwidth become limiting factors. The 4K Medium result of 60 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum shows that the GPU can hold playable frame rates, but not with headroom.

The Arc B570’s PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is another consideration, though for Barony, the data does not show any obvious interface limitation. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which means it is fully compatible with modern APIs. Barony, being an older roguelike, may not leverage these features heavily, but the measured FPS numbers are consistent across settings, suggesting driver overhead is not a major issue. The GPU’s 18 ray tracing cores are irrelevant for this game, as no RT effects are likely present. Overall, the GPU is the dominant factor in frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K, and the data supports that conclusion.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, based on Raptor Lake architecture and manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration and has a TDP of 125 W. It sits at the 94th percentile of all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 70163.

In Barony, the CPU’s role is less critical than the GPU, but it still matters at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 245 FPS average, which is high enough that the CPU could be a limiting factor if the game’s simulation or draw calls are single-threaded. However, the i7-14700KF’s single-core performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6235 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2578. These scores indicate that the CPU has ample single-thread headroom for a 2015 roguelike. The 1080p Ultra result of 112 FPS shows that even at higher settings, the CPU is not preventing the GPU from rendering frames.

The CPU’s multi-core performance is exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a Passmark multithread score of 52425. Barony is unlikely to use all 20 cores, but the 28 threads provide headroom for background tasks and any game logic that is multi-threaded. The nearest CPU rivals in benchmark scores are the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% higher average score), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% higher), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% higher). The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is 1% lower in average score. These rivals are all high-end parts, which means the i7-14700KF is in strong company, and its performance in Barony is not leaving anything on the table.

At 1440p and 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The FPS drops from 1080p to 1440p are similar across presets, which is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The CPU’s 33 MB of L3 cache and high boost clock help maintain consistent frame pacing, but the measured min FPS values at Medium settings (98 at 1440p, 51 at 4K) suggest no CPU-related stutter. The CPU’s 94th percentile ranking confirms that it is a top-tier processor, and in Barony, it is not the limiting component at any resolution above 1080p Low. The data shows that the i7-14700KF provides a solid foundation, but the Arc B570 dictates the final frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2344 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the lower half of all combinations, which is surprising given the individual component rankings. The CPU is at the 94th percentile and the GPU is at the 65th percentile, yet the combined performance ranks in the 20th percentile of all combos. This discrepancy highlights that Barony’s performance is heavily weighted toward the GPU, and the Arc B570, while adequate, does not boost the combo to a high rank.

The combo rank of 2344 out of 2935 means that roughly 80% of tested combinations perform better in this game. This is not a condemnation of the hardware, but rather a reflection of Barony’s modest requirements and the Arc B570’s mid-range positioning. Combos with lower-end CPUs but higher-end GPUs would likely rank higher, as the game’s frame rates are more sensitive to GPU performance. The CPU’s high benchmark scores do not translate to a high combo rank because Barony does not stress multi-core processors heavily.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers high frame rates. At 1080p, it ranks well in terms of playability, with all presets above 112 FPS. At 1440p, it remains playable at all presets, with Ultra at 71 FPS and Low at 154 FPS. At 4K, the combo falls below 60 FPS on High and Ultra, which would be a poor experience for most players. The ranking reflects this: the combo is not competitive at 4K, but it is solid at lower resolutions.

The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc A750, have similar benchmark scores, so combos with those GPUs would likely rank similarly. The CPU’s rivals, like the Ryzen 9 7950X, would not change the combo rank significantly if paired with the same GPU, since the GPU is the bottleneck. This suggests that the combo rank is more about the GPU than the CPU. The i7-14700KF is overkill for Barony, but it does not hurt performance; it simply does not help the combo rank improve beyond what the GPU can deliver. The 2344 rank out of 2935 is a useful benchmark for buyers who prioritize this game, but it should be weighed against the combo’s strong 1080p and 1440p results.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo in Barony depends on the target resolution and frame rate preference. For 1080p, all presets are playable, but the Medium preset offers the best balance. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 182 with a minimum of 155 and maximum of 209. This provides a smooth experience on high refresh rate monitors while maintaining visual quality. The Low preset at 245 FPS is overkill for most displays, and the Ultra preset at 112 FPS is still smooth, but Medium offers the best combination of frame rate and fidelity. The High preset at 156 FPS is also excellent, but Medium’s min FPS of 155 is more consistent than High’s unknown minimum.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice. The average FPS is 115, with a minimum of 98 and maximum of 132. This is above 60 FPS, which is the baseline for smooth gameplay, and the min FPS of 98 indicates no severe drops. The High preset at 99 FPS average is also good, but Medium’s higher min FPS provides more stability. The Low preset at 154 FPS is fast but sacrifices visual quality, and the Ultra preset at 71 FPS is playable but close to the edge of 60 FPS. For players with 144Hz monitors, Medium is the sweet spot; for those with 60Hz displays, even Ultra would work, but Medium offers headroom.

For 4K, the recommendations change. The Low preset at 81 FPS average is the only setting that provides a clearly smooth experience. The Medium preset at 60 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum is playable, but it sits right at the edge of what most consider acceptable. The High preset at 52 FPS and Ultra at 37 FPS are too low for smooth gameplay. Therefore, for 4K, the Low preset is recommended if visual quality is less important than frame rate, while Medium is acceptable for players who prefer higher fidelity and can tolerate occasional dips to 51 FPS. The data shows that this combo is not ideal for 4K Ultra, and players should expect to run lower settings.

The measured rows indicate that the Medium preset provides the most consistent performance across all resolutions, with recorded min and max FPS values that are tight. At 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, Medium is the only preset with full min/max data, which suggests it was the focus of testing. The min FPS values of 155, 98, and 51 for the three resolutions are all above 30 FPS, which is the minimum for playability. The Medium preset also scales linearly with resolution, dropping from 182 to 115 to 60 FPS, which is a predictable pattern. For a game like Barony, where reaction time matters in combat, the Medium preset’s stability is a strong argument for its use.

FAQ

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

A: The average FPS at 1080p with High settings is 156 FPS. This is well above 60 FPS and suitable for most monitors, including 144Hz displays.

Q: Can this combo run Barony at 4K smoothly?

A: At 4K, only the Low preset delivers an average above 60 FPS, at 81 FPS. The Medium preset averages 60 FPS but has a minimum of 51 FPS. High and Ultra averages fall to 52 FPS and 37 FPS, respectively, which are not smooth.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which is 0.1% higher, and the Intel Arc A750, which is 0.1% lower. This places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF is at the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, is 0.2% higher in average score.

Q: What is the combo rank in Barony out of all tested combinations?

A: The combo of the i7-14700KF and Arc B570 ranks 2344 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the lower half, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor for this game.

Q: Which preset provides the best frame rate stability at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p provides the best stability, with an average FPS of 115, a minimum of 98, and a maximum of 132. This is the only preset at 1440p with recorded min and max values, and the spread is tight compared to other resolutions.