Barony

Barony is a roguelike that places almost no sustained pressure on modern high-end processors, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 confirms that the graphics card is the definitive bottleneck at every resolution and settings level measured. The CPU’s massive 20-core, 28-thread configuration is effectively idle headroom in this title, while the GTX 1070’s 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus dictate the performance ceiling. The result is a combo that ranks in the bottom percentile of tested configurations, but one that still delivers playable frame rates across most of the settings spectrum, with the data showing a clear and predictable scaling pattern tied directly to GPU workload.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a textbook GPU-bound scaling curve. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 234.6 FPS, which drops to 146.5 FPS at 1440p and further to 80.8 FPS at 4K. This represents a 65.5% performance reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GTX 1070 is being pushed to its absolute limits as pixel count increases. The scaling is even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the frame rate falls from 105.7 FPS at 1080p to 69.2 FPS at 1440p and finally to 34.4 FPS at 4K — a 67.5% total drop.

The pattern across all settings is consistent: the gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K, which is expected given the exponential pixel count increase at 4K. For instance, at High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 59.3 FPS (from 153.2 to 93.9), while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 44.3 FPS (from 93.9 to 49.6). This nonlinear scaling strongly suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading units are the limiting factors, not the CPU. The i7-14700KF’s 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 5.60 GHz boost clock never become relevant because the GTX 1070 cannot feed frames fast enough to saturate the processor.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database places this specific CPU-GPU combination at rank 1433 out of 1702 tested combos for Barony. That puts it in the bottom 15.8% of all configurations, which is a direct reflection of the GPU’s age and tier rather than the CPU’s capability. The GTX 1070 sits at the 51st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331, while the i7-14700KF sits at the 96th percentile among all CPUs with an average score of 70104. This massive disparity between the two components’ relative standings is the core story: the CPU is top-tier, the GPU is mid-pack, and the game’s performance follows the weaker link.

Compared to its nearest GPU rivals, the GTX 1070’s average score is 0.7% above the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (12241) and 1.3% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (12490). It trails the GTX 1650 SUPER by 1.4% (12504) and the Tesla K20Xm by 1.7% (12547). These are all relatively close scores, underscoring that the 1070 is firmly in a mid-range performance band. In Barony specifically, the combo’s rank of 1433 out of 1702 means that most other tested systems — even those with older CPUs but newer GPUs — outperform this pairing. The data shows that for a game like Barony, which is not graphically demanding, the i7-14700KF’s presence in the combo does not boost the ranking meaningfully because the GPU holds the entire system back.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is built on the Pascal architecture using a 16 nm process from TSMC, with 7,200 million transistors on a 314 mm² die. Its memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1506 MHz with a boost clock of 1683 MHz, and the card features 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. These specifications produce a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 6.463 TFLOPS.

In Barony, these specs translate directly to the measured frame rates. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for all tested settings, as the game’s roguelike visuals do not demand large texture pools. The 256-bit memory bus and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth are the critical factors at 4K, where the pixel fill rate requirements increase dramatically. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the card manages only 34.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Even at 4K High, the 49.6 FPS result is borderline. This indicates that the GTX 1070’s 64 ROPs and 107.7 GPixel/s fill rate are insufficient for 4K Ultra settings in this title, despite the game’s low overall graphical complexity. The card’s end-of-life production status and 150 W TDP further contextualize its limitations, as newer GPUs with higher memory bandwidth would handle the 4K workload more effectively.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Barony?

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where the combo maintains consistently high frame rates across all settings. At 1080p Low, it achieves 234.6 FPS, and even at 1080p Ultra, it maintains 105.7 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Barony?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, the combo produces 80.8 FPS, which is playable. However, 4K High drops to 49.6 FPS, 4K Medium to 58.4 FPS, and 4K Ultra to 34.4 FPS, making the higher settings unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 12331. It is 0.7% faster than the Quadro K4200 (12241), but 1.3% slower than the GTX 880M (12490), 1.4% slower than the GTX 1650 SUPER (12504), and 1.7% slower than the Tesla K20Xm (12547).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The i7-14700KF ranks in the 96th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 70104, while the GTX 1070 ranks in the 51st percentile with a score of 12331. The resolution scaling pattern confirms the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1433 out of 1702 tested combos for Barony, placing it in the bottom 15.8% of all systems in the database.

Q: Does the CPU’s high core count benefit this game?

A: No. Barony is not a multi-threaded title, and the 20-core, 28-thread CPU provides no measurable advantage. The game’s performance is entirely dictated by the GPU’s capability, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops that track pixel count rather than CPU workload.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the data clearly points to 1080p with High settings as the optimal configuration. At this resolution and settings level, the combo produces 153.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and leaves ample headroom for any in-game action. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 47.5 FPS (from 153.2 to 105.7), which is a significant performance penalty for marginal visual gains in a roguelike title that does not feature modern graphics.

At 1440p, the Medium setting at 111 FPS represents the best compromise, as it maintains smooth gameplay while providing better image clarity than 1080p. High at 1440p drops to 93.9 FPS, which is still playable, but Ultra at 69.2 FPS is the lowest acceptable option. For 4K, the Low setting at 80.8 FPS is the only truly playable option, as the Medium setting at 58.4 FPS and High at 49.6 FPS both fall below the 60 FPS standard. The 4K Ultra setting at 34.4 FPS is not recommended under any circumstances. The data suggests that users should prioritize resolution over settings for this game, as the roguelike genre benefits more from sharpness than from graphical fidelity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are exceptional: 44557 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6290 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 19287 and single-core score of 2972. The Passmark multi-thread score is 52425, and the single-thread score is 4480.

In Barony, none of this CPU power is meaningfully utilized. The game’s roguelike mechanics and procedural generation do not stress multi-threaded workloads, and the measured frame rates show no indication of CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 234.6 FPS, which is far below the CPU’s theoretical maximum frame output capability. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is severely strained at 34.4 FPS, the CPU is not the cause — the GTX 1070’s compute and memory bandwidth limitations are the sole bottleneck. The CPU’s 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are irrelevant to this game’s performance. The data confirms that pairing a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU in a light game like Barony results in the GPU being the sole performance arbiter, with the CPU’s 96th percentile ranking providing no practical benefit in this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 234.6 FPS, Medium settings 173.3 FPS, High settings 153.2 FPS, and Ultra settings 105.7 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 128.9 FPS, indicating that settings have a substantial impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are 146.5 FPS for Low, 111 FPS for Medium, 93.9 FPS for High, and 69.2 FPS for Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 88.1 FPS at Low (from 234.6 to 146.5) to 36.5 FPS at Ultra (from 105.7 to 69.2), showing that the GPU becomes more stressed as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the results are 80.8 FPS for Low, 58.4 FPS for Medium, 49.6 FPS for High, and 34.4 FPS for Ultra. The performance degradation from 1440p to 4K is severe, with the Ultra setting dropping by 34.8 FPS (from 69.2 to 34.4). The 4K Ultra result of 34.4 FPS is the lowest recorded across all configurations, confirming that the GTX 1070’s 256.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 107.7 GPixel/s fill rate are insufficient for 4K Ultra in Barony. The overall data pattern is consistent: the GTX 1070 is the limiting component at every resolution, and the i7-14700KF’s substantial CPU capabilities remain untapped throughout.