Barony

Barony, a roguelike with a 2015 release date, presents a unique performance profile for the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination. The measured data places this combo at rank 1775 out of 2935 tested configurations, indicating a mid-pack standing in this specific title. The benchmark results reveal a system that is overwhelmingly capable of delivering high frame rates, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and settings.

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, built on a 10 nm process. Its configuration includes a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, which are critical for the game's logic and simulation threads. The processor's substantial 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain high instruction throughput, which is beneficial for the procedural generation and complex state tracking typical of roguelike titles.

In the context of Barony, the CPU's role is significant. The game's genre relies on rapid, deterministic calculations for dungeon generation, entity AI, and item interactions. The i7-14700KF's high boost clock of 5.60 GHz on its performance cores ensures that these single-threaded workloads are processed with minimal latency. The processor's strong showing in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235, confirms its capacity to handle both the broad multi-threaded overhead and the critical single-threaded path of the game.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 302 FPS, which is a frame rate that typically indicates the CPU is feeding the GPU efficiently without being a limiting factor. The processor's benchmark percentile of 94 (versus all CPUs) and an average benchmark score of 70163 place it in the upper echelon of available processors. Even when compared to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% slower) or the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (1% faster), the i7-14700KF remains competitive, ensuring that performance differences in Barony are more likely to be dictated by the GPU or the game's engine.

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

Analyzing the measured FPS across the different presets reveals a clear hierarchy of performance. For players seeking the highest possible frame rates without compromising visual fidelity, the High preset at 1080p offers an excellent balance, delivering 193 FPS. This is a significant jump from the Ultra preset's 138 FPS, while still providing a visually rich experience. At 1440p, the High preset maintains a very playable 122 FPS, making it the recommended choice for high-refresh-rate monitors at that resolution.

The Medium preset also presents a compelling option, especially for those prioritizing frame rate stability. At 1080p, it yields 225 FPS, and at 1440p, it produces 142 FPS with a minimum FPS of 120, indicating a more consistent frame pacing than the High preset at that resolution. The Low preset is the performance king, pushing frame rates to 302 FPS at 1080p and 191 FPS at 1440p, but this comes at the cost of visual quality.

The Ultra preset, while offering the highest visual settings, shows the most significant performance hit. It drops to 138 FPS at 1080p and 87 FPS at 1440p. The data suggests that the Ultra preset provides diminishing returns for the performance cost. Therefore, the best experience is found on the High preset, which delivers a substantial frame rate advantage over Ultra while maintaining high visual standards, particularly for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 4K, the High preset is still the best balance, with 64 FPS being playable, though the Medium preset's 74 FPS might be preferable for a smoother experience.

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

The measured data shows a classic performance scaling curve as resolution increases, which reveals the shifting bottleneck between the CPU and GPU. Starting at 1080p, the system is capable of extremely high frame rates, with the Low preset hitting 302 FPS. This high frame rate at a lower resolution indicates that the CPU is well-equipped to handle the game's simulation, but the GPU is also not being fully stressed.

Moving to 1440p, there is a noticeable but expected drop in performance. The High preset falls from 193 FPS at 1080p to 122 FPS, a decrease of roughly 37%. The Low preset drops to 191 FPS. This scaling suggests that the GPU is starting to become a more significant factor, as the increased pixel count demands more from the rasterization and shading units.

The most dramatic scaling occurs when moving to 4K (3840x2160). The High preset drops to 64 FPS, a 67% reduction from the 1080p result. The Ultra preset falls to 46 FPS. This steep decline is a clear indicator that the GPU is the primary limiting component at this resolution. The RTX 5050's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus, while adequate for 1080p and 1440p, are strained by the 4K resolution's demands. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is not linear; it accelerates, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The data confirms that for 4K gaming, players would need to rely on the Low preset (100 FPS) or Medium preset (74 FPS) to maintain playable frame rates, as the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 achieves a rank of 1775 out of 2935 tested combos in Barony. This places it in the 60th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it performs better than a majority of configurations but is not near the top. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual strengths of the components, but it reflects the specific demands of Barony and the balance between the CPU and GPU.

The CPU's high percentile ranking (94th) and the GPU's lower percentile (66th) suggest that the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's relative performance. The RTX 5050, while a modern card, is positioned in the mid-range of the GPU hierarchy. Its average benchmark score of 21035 places it near rivals like the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.6% faster) and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (1.6% faster). In Barony, this means the GPU is likely the limiting factor for achieving top-tier ranks.

The combo's rank of 1775 indicates that while this system is very capable, there are many other combos that can achieve higher frame rates in this game. This is likely due to the fact that Barony's performance is heavily influenced by the GPU at higher resolutions, and the RTX 5050's 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are not sufficient to compete with higher-end GPUs. The data suggests that for maximum performance in Barony, a more powerful GPU would be necessary, even if the CPU is more than adequate for the task.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a mid-range graphics card built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, utilizing a 5 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The GPU's core clocks are set at a base of 2317 MHz and a boost of 2572 MHz, with 2560 shading units. These specifications dictate its performance in Barony, particularly at higher resolutions.

The GPU's role is most evident in the resolution scaling. At 1080p, the card is not the bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates. However, at 4K, the GPU's limits are exposed. The 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor, as Barony's textures and effects at 4K can place a significant load on memory capacity. The 128-bit memory bus and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are also modest, which can limit texture streaming and data transfer rates in demanding scenes.

The card's benchmark scores, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 and a Passmark G3D score of 17326, indicate its mid-range standing. Its 66th percentile ranking versus all GPUs confirms this. In Barony, this translates to a GPU that can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K on higher presets. The performance drop from 1440p High (122 FPS) to 4K High (64 FPS) is a direct result of the GPU's computational and memory limitations. The card's 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate for the game's shaders, but the 4K resolution requires more pixel throughput than the 32 ROPs can deliver at high settings.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions.

1920x1080:

• Low: 302 FPS average.
• Medium: 225 FPS average, with a minimum of 191 FPS and a maximum of 258 FPS.
• High: 193 FPS average.
• Ultra: 138 FPS average.

At 1080p, the system is exceptionally performant. The Low preset exceeds 300 FPS, which is ideal for extreme refresh rate monitors. The Medium preset offers a high frame rate with good consistency, as indicated by the minimum and maximum values. The High and Ultra presets are also very playable, with the drop from High to Ultra being 55 FPS, a 28.5% reduction for higher visual quality.

2560x1440:

• Low: 191 FPS average.
• Medium: 142 FPS average, with a minimum of 120 FPS and a maximum of 163 FPS.
• High: 122 FPS average.
• Ultra: 87 FPS average.

At 1440p, the frame rates remain high. The Low preset stays above 190 FPS, while the Medium preset provides a smooth 142 FPS with a stable minimum of 120 FPS. The High preset at 122 FPS is perfect for 144Hz monitors. The Ultra preset, while lower at 87 FPS, is still playable, though the jump from High to Ultra (a 35 FPS drop) is significant.

3840x2160:

• Low: 100 FPS average.
• Medium: 74 FPS average, with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS.
• High: 64 FPS average.
• Ultra: 46 FPS average.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently high frame rate (100 FPS). The Medium preset is playable at 74 FPS, but the High preset drops to 64 FPS, and Ultra falls to 46 FPS, which is on the edge of playability for some. The scaling here is steep, with a 54 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, demonstrating the GPU's struggle at this resolution.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Barony?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 302, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: At 2560x1440, what is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The High preset delivers an average of 122 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of 87 FPS, a difference of 35 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 3840x2160?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The average FPS drops significantly from the 1440p results (e.g., High preset falls from 122 FPS to 64 FPS), indicating the GPU's rendering and memory resources are overwhelmed.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark percentile compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT?

A: The RTX 5050 has a 66th percentile ranking versus all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 21035, which is 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT's score of 20713.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1920x1080?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is 191 FPS, with a maximum of 258 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700KF's average benchmark score compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, which is 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX's average score of 69875.