Barony

Barony, a roguelike title from 2015, is not typically the first game that comes to mind when discussing high-end hardware. However, the measured data for this specific combination of an Intel Core i7-14700KF and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER reveals a dataset that is surprisingly demanding at extreme settings, offering a clear window into how this pairing scales across resolutions. The benchmark results indicate a system capable of extreme frame rates, but the relationship between settings presets and resolution reveals a nuanced performance profile.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This configuration provides substantial computational headroom, which is reflected in its synthetic benchmark scores. For instance, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235, alongside a Geekbench multi-core score of 21462 and a single-core score of 2578.

In the context of Barony, a game that is fundamentally logic-heavy due to its roguelike nature, the CPU's role is primarily to manage game state, procedural generation, and entity interactions. The data suggests that at lower resolutions and lower settings, the CPU is the primary bottleneck, as the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can submit them. This is evident in the 1080p Low preset, where the average FPS reaches 597. At this point, the frame rate is likely capped or limited by the CPU's ability to process the game's simulation loop, not the graphics card's rendering capacity. The processor's high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R15 single-core score of 628, is crucial for such scenarios, as game logic often relies heavily on a single primary thread.

As resolution increases, the load shifts to the GPU, and the CPU's advantage becomes less about raw FPS ceilings and more about ensuring consistent frame pacing. The processor's robust multi-threading capabilities, demonstrated by a Passmark multithread score of 52425, ensure that background tasks and the game's various subsystems do not interfere with the main render thread. The CPU's percentile rank of 94 versus all other CPUs indicates it is in the top tier of processors, and its performance is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, which is only 0.2% faster in average benchmark scores. This means the i7-14700KF provides a state-of-the-art foundation, but in Barony, its influence is most palpable when trying to achieve triple-digit frame rates at lower graphical loads.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Barony?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 597 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700KF compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, has an average score of 69996, which is a 0.2% difference. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is 1% slower, with a score of 70879.

Q: Does the combination of the i7-14700KF and RTX 4080 SUPER maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra preset, the average frame rate is 90 FPS. While this is the lowest average in the dataset, it remains well above the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is there a significant performance jump between the Medium and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: Yes, the data shows a substantial difference. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset yields an average of 280 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of 172 FPS. This represents a 108 FPS difference, indicating that the Ultra preset places a much heavier load on the hardware.

Q: What is the GPU's performance rank compared to other graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks in the 86th percentile versus all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 54209, which is only 0.1% lower than the standard RTX 4080, making them effectively tied in performance.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to the 4K Ultra preset?

A: The 1080p Low preset averages 597 FPS, which is 507 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra preset's average of 90 FPS. This represents a massive 563% increase in frame rate, highlighting the immense performance cost of 4K Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how resolution impacts performance and reveals the limiting component at each step. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 381 FPS to 240 FPS. This is a 37% reduction. Scaling from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at the same High preset brings the average down to 126 FPS, another 47.5% reduction. This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming increasingly dominant as the pixel count grows.

At the Low preset, the scaling is even more dramatic in absolute terms. The 1080p Low setting achieves 597 FPS, which drops to 377 FPS at 1440p and further to 197 FPS at 4K. The fact that 1080p Low still exceeds 500 FPS suggests a CPU or engine-level limitation, since the RTX 4080 SUPER is capable of far more. The GPU's raw compute power, evidenced by its 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 performance, is not being fully utilized at this low resolution and preset. Here, the processor's frame submission rate is the ceiling.

As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the bottleneck shifts. The 4K Ultra preset, with an average of 90 FPS, is clearly GPU-bound. The difference between the 1440p Ultra (172 FPS) and 4K Ultra (90 FPS) shows a 47.7% drop, which is consistent with the increase in pixel count. This scaling behavior confirms that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the i7-14700KF is the limiting factor at lower ones. The data suggests a balanced system where either component can become the bottleneck depending on the resolution and settings chosen.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset includes twelve distinct measurement points, covering four settings presets at three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the performance envelope is vast. The Low preset achieves an average of 597 FPS. The High preset yields an average of 381 FPS, while Medium and Ultra produce averages of 444 FPS and 273 FPS, respectively. The Medium preset also reports a minimum of 377 FPS and a maximum of 510 FPS, indicating a relatively stable frame delivery.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 377 FPS (Low), 280 FPS (Medium), 240 FPS (High), and 172 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset at this resolution shows a minimum of 238 FPS and a maximum of 322 FPS. The trend shows a consistent reduction in performance as visual fidelity increases. The gap between Medium and High is 40 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 68 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset has a disproportionate performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more moderate. The Low preset still manages an average of 197 FPS. The Medium preset drops to an average of 146 FPS, with a minimum of 124 FPS and a maximum of 168 FPS. The High preset averages 126 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 90 FPS. This breakdown demonstrates that even at 4K, the combination of the i7-14700KF and RTX 4080 SUPER can deliver high refresh rate experiences on Low settings, but competitive 144Hz+ play on Ultra settings is not feasible at this resolution. The data shows that the jump from Medium to Ultra at 4K costs 56 FPS on average, a 38% reduction.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Barony, this specific combo (Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER) ranks 316th out of 3717 total combos. This places it in the top 8.5% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. However, the rank is not as high as the individual component percentiles might suggest. The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile, and the GPU ranks in the 86th percentile, but the combo rank of 316 suggests that there are 315 other combinations that perform better in this specific game.

This discrepancy is likely due to the nature of Barony. Since the game is not heavily multi-threaded or graphically intense at lower settings, many older or less powerful components might achieve similar frame rates, especially at 1080p. The high frame rates at low resolutions are likely bound by the game engine's simulation speed or a frame rate cap, meaning that the raw power of the i7-14700KF and RTX 4080 SUPER is not fully utilized. The rank of 316 indicates that while this is a top-tier system, Barony's performance ceiling is often reached by less expensive hardware, making the absolute power of this combo somewhat redundant for achieving the highest possible frame rates at lower settings. The 3717 combos tested provide a broad spectrum, and this pair sits comfortably near the top, but the data implies that the game's engine is the ultimate bottleneck at the highest FPS levels.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For players with a 1080p 144Hz monitor, the High preset, averaging 381 FPS, is more than sufficient and provides a better visual experience with a massive frame rate surplus. The Ultra preset at 1080p still averages 273 FPS, which is also excellent for high-refresh displays. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a slight performance increase over High (444 FPS vs. 381 FPS) but sacrifices visual quality for frame rates that are likely beyond the display's capability.

At 2560x1440, the High preset, averaging 240 FPS, is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming. It offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium and still maintains frame rates well above 144 FPS. The Ultra preset, at 172 FPS, is also viable for 144Hz displays, but the 68 FPS drop from High makes the High preset a more efficient choice for maximizing performance. For 4K resolution, the High preset at 126 FPS is the only option that consistently breaks the 120 FPS barrier, making it ideal for 120Hz displays. The Medium preset at 146 FPS is also strong, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often worth the 20 FPS loss. The Ultra preset at 4K, averaging 90 FPS, is best reserved for players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity over frame rate, as it still provides a smooth experience on a 90Hz or 120Hz display.

The data suggests that for this hardware, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. It consistently provides frame rates that are roughly 50-100% higher than the Ultra preset, while the visual difference is often less pronounced than the performance difference. For esports or competitive play, the Low preset at 1440p or 1080p provides the absolute maximum frame rate, but the game's visual clutter is significantly reduced.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a high-end graphics card built on the Ada Lovelace architecture, utilizing a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. Its core is configured with 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs. The card's boost clock is rated at 2550 MHz, and it has a TDP of 320 W. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, confirming its readiness for modern graphics APIs.

In Barony, the GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution and settings are raised. At 1080p Low, the GPU is largely idle, as the CPU is the bottleneck. However, as the resolution increases to 4K and the settings are pushed to Ultra, the GPU's workload multiplies. The card's high fill rate and compute capabilities are put to the test. The drop from 273 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 172 FPS at 1440p Ultra and finally to 90 FPS at 4K Ultra demonstrates the GPU's scaling under load.

The RTX 4080 SUPER's performance is very close to its direct predecessor, the RTX 4080, with a delta of only -0.1% in average benchmark scores. This means the "SUPER" moniker provides a marginal improvement in raw compute. In the context of this game, the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient, and its 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is ample for the game's shader complexity. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where its performance dictates the 90 FPS average. Its high memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and data transfer are not bottlenecks, even at high resolutions. The card's 86th percentile ranking versus all GPUs places it firmly in the high-end segment, and its performance in this title is consistent with its synthetic benchmark scores, such as its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 and Passmark G3D score of 34245.