Barony

Barony is a roguelike that leans heavily on CPU logic, and pairing the Intel Core i7-14700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 produces a wildly unbalanced experience. The data shows a combo that ranks 1661st out of 1702 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom 3% of all systems. This pairing is bottlenecked almost entirely by the GPU, which holds back a top-tier processor to the point where even 1080p Ultra settings struggle to maintain a smooth frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a system that is purely GPU-limited. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 134.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 89.4 FPS at 2560x1440, a 34% reduction, and then plummets to 44.5 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 67% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is a textbook sign of a graphics card that cannot keep up with pixel count.

The gap widens even further on higher presets. At High settings, the system delivers 88.1 FPS at 1080p but only 55.5 FPS at 1440p and a barely playable 31.3 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, starting at 65.1 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 41.2 FPS at 1440p, and collapsing to a slideshow-like 18.5 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that the GTX 1650's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are simply overwhelmed as resolution increases.

What this means for the user is that 1080p is the only viable resolution for this combo. The 1440p results are borderline, with only the Low preset exceeding 60 FPS, while 4K is effectively unusable across all settings. The massive 134.6 FPS at 1080p Low versus the 18.5 FPS at 4K Ultra shows a 7.3x performance swing, confirming that the limiting component is the GPU rather than the CPU, which retains ample headroom even at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is an absolute powerhouse that is severely underutilized in this configuration. With 20 cores and 28 threads, a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and a 33 MB shared L3 cache, this processor is designed for heavy multi-threaded workloads. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44557 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, and its PassMark multithread score of 52425 underscores its dominance.

In Barony, a roguelike that relies on complex simulation and procedural generation, the CPU should theoretically be the star. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is never the bottleneck. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most stressed, the system hits 134.6 FPS, which is well below the CPU's capability. The processor's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K with a deltaPct of 0 and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at -0.4%, indicating that the 14700KF is essentially at the top of its class.

The core count and high clock speeds provide massive headroom that goes unused. The data suggests that this CPU could easily push frame rates well beyond 200 FPS in this game if paired with a more capable GPU. However, the GTX 1650 caps the output, meaning the 14700KF's 20 cores and 28 threads are largely idle, waiting for the graphics card to feed them data. This is a classic case of CPU over-provisioning, where the processor's potential is wasted due to an imbalanced pairing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the definitive bottleneck in this system. With only 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, a 128-bit memory bus, and 896 shading units, this card is entry-level by modern standards. Its PassMark G3D score of 7880 places it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Radeon 550X (deltaPct -0.4), showing it is near the bottom of the performance spectrum.

The GPU's 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 53.28 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient for Barony at higher resolutions. The measured data shows that the GTX 1650 cannot maintain 60 FPS at any resolution above 1080p, except for the 1440p Low preset which hits 89.4 FPS. At 4K, even Low settings drop to 44.5 FPS, which is below the playability threshold.

The 4 GB VRAM is a critical limitation. Barony's procedural environments and dynamic lighting can easily exceed this amount at higher settings, causing texture thrashing and stutter. The data shows that Ultra settings at 1080p only reach 65.1 FPS, and this drops to 41.2 FPS at 1440p and 18.5 FPS at 4K. The GPU's 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors indicate a modest design that simply cannot handle the rendering load required by modern resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranking is damning: 1661st out of 1702 tested configurations. This places the system in the bottom 2.4% of all tested combos, which is a remarkably poor result for a CPU that ranks in the 96th percentile. The data makes it clear that the GTX 1650 drags the entire system down to near-bottom-tier performance.

To put this in perspective, the CPU alone outperforms 96% of all processors, but the combo rank shows that the GPU negates almost all of that advantage. The 14700KF's nearest rival in CPU benchmarks is the Intel Core i7-14700K with a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are statistically identical in performance. However, the GPU's closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, has a deltaPct of -0.4, indicating the 1650 is actually slightly weaker than that mobile chip.

This disparity between CPU and GPU performance creates a system that is profoundly unbalanced. The combo rank of 1661 suggests that the overwhelming majority of tested systems, even those with much weaker CPUs, outperform this pairing because they have more capable graphics cards. The data indicates that this configuration should only be used for 1080p gaming at Low or Medium settings, and even then, the experience will be mediocre compared to what the CPU could deliver with a better GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Barony at 4K?

A: The data shows it cannot. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 18.5, while even Low settings only reach 44.5 FPS. Both are well below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: 1920x1080 is the only playable resolution. At 1080p, the system achieves 134.6 FPS on Low, 100 FPS on Medium, and 88.1 FPS on High, all of which are above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104, which is essentially identical to the Intel Core i7-14700K at 70074, a deltaPct of 0. It also edges out the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X by 0.4%.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: Yes. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 7880 puts it in the 43rd percentile, while the CPU is in the 96th percentile. The FPS scaling with resolution confirms the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What settings should be used for 1440p gaming?

A: Only Low settings are viable at 2560x1440, achieving 89.4 FPS. Medium drops to 61.9 FPS, High to 55.5 FPS, and Ultra to 41.2 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1661st out of 1702 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom 2.4% of all tested combos, despite the CPU being in the top 4% of all processors.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this system is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, delivering 100 FPS on average. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance, staying well above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 1080p are also acceptable at 88.1 FPS, but the jump to Ultra drops to 65.1 FPS, which is still playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

For users who prioritize frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low is the best choice, hitting 134.6 FPS. This is ideal for competitive play or for maintaining a consistent frame rate during heavy procedural generation. At 1440p, the only recommended setting is Low at 89.4 FPS, as Medium drops to 61.9 FPS which is borderline, and High falls to 55.5 FPS which is below 60.

The data strongly advises against 4K gaming with this combo. Even at Low settings, the 44.5 FPS average is below acceptable levels, and Ultra at 18.5 FPS is unplayable. Users should avoid 4K entirely and stick to 1080p for the best experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p is the highest quality that remains above 60 FPS, but given the GPU's limited VRAM, Medium is the safest recommendation for sustained performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance across all presets. Low settings achieve 134.6 FPS, Medium reaches exactly 100 FPS, High hits 88.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 65.1 FPS. All four presets are above 60 FPS, making 1080p the only resolution where every setting is playable.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings still deliver a strong 89.4 FPS, but Medium falls to 61.9 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drop to 55.5 FPS, which is below 60, and Ultra falls to 41.2 FPS, making it marginal at best. Only Low and Medium are recommended at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. Low settings achieve 44.5 FPS, Medium reaches 32.7 FPS, High drops to 31.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to a nearly unplayable 18.5 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the GTX 1650 cannot handle 4K rendering, and even Low settings fall below the 60 FPS target by a wide margin. The gap between 1080p Low (134.6 FPS) and 4K Low (44.5 FPS) represents a 67% performance loss, underscoring the GPU's severe resolution scaling limitations.