Barony

# Barony with Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

The data for Barony, a roguelike released in 2015, reveals a combination that delivers extreme frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings. This pairing of an Intel Core i7-14700KF with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti produces results that are consistently far above the refresh rates of typical displays, suggesting the game is exceptionally easy to drive. The measured FPS values range from a low of 85.9 at 4K Ultra to a staggering 577.1 at 1080p Low, indicating that the primary limitation is rarely the hardware itself but rather the game's own engine and its performance ceiling. This analysis will break down the scaling behavior, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and what settings provide the most sensible experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is significant but not uniform across settings. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 577.1 at 1920x1080 to 191.7 at 3840x2160, a reduction of roughly 67% when moving to four times the pixel count. This steep decline points directly at the GPU becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the render load increases dramatically. The data shows a similar pattern at High settings, where 365.7 FPS at 1080p drops to 118.3 FPS at 4K, again a decrease of about 68%.

However, the scaling is not perfectly linear with pixel count. At Medium settings, the 1080p result of 428.1 FPS falls to 139.4 FPS at 4K, a 67% reduction. The Ultra preset shows the most constrained performance, with 262.2 FPS at 1080p falling to 85.9 FPS at 4K, a 67% drop. The consistency of this percentage drop across all settings suggests that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at 4K, regardless of the visual complexity. Conversely, the fact that 1080p Low achieves 577.1 FPS while 1440p Low only reaches 363.9 FPS indicates that the CPU still has headroom, but the pixel fill rate demands of higher resolutions quickly saturate the graphics card's capabilities.

The gap between 1440p and 4K is narrower in relative terms than the gap between 1080p and 1440p. For instance, at High settings, 1440p delivers 233.7 FPS while 4K delivers 118.3 FPS, a 49% reduction. This suggests that while the GPU is clearly the limiting component at 4K, the CPU still plays a role at 1440p and below, where frame rates exceed 200 FPS. The data implies that for players targeting 1440p or 1080p with high refresh rate monitors, the combination is more than sufficient, but at 4K, the GPU's raw throughput becomes the clear constraint.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 577.1, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at 4K compared to 1080p?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 85.9, while at 1080p Ultra it is 262.2, representing a 67% reduction in frame rate.

Q: Is the RTX 5070 Ti more powerful than the RTX 4080 according to the data?

A: The data shows the RTX 5070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 52086, while the nearest rival, the RTX 4080, has a score of 52085, indicating a near-identical performance level with a deltaPct of 0.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF ranks in the 96th percentile, indicating it is among the top processors in the database.

Q: Does the CPU have integrated graphics?

A: No, the Intel Core i7-14700KF does not have any integrated graphics, making a discrete GPU mandatory for display output.

Q: What is the total L3 cache available on the CPU?

A: The CPU features 33 MB of shared L3 cache, which is shared across all 20 cores.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core processor with 28 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz, boosting up to 5.60 GHz, and it has a 125W TDP. In Barony, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions, but it is the enabling factor for the extremely high frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p. The jump from 577.1 FPS at 1080p Low to 363.9 FPS at 1440p Low is a 37% drop, which is less than the pixel count increase of 78%, suggesting the CPU is still keeping up with the game logic and draw calls.

The processor's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290, is crucial for a roguelike like Barony, which often relies on a single main game thread for simulation and rendering commands. The high boost clock of 5.60 GHz directly contributes to low frame times, allowing the GPU to be fed with data quickly. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for the procedural level generation and entity management typical of the genre.

The data shows that this CPU is not the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound behavior. Its benchmark percentile of 96 places it far ahead of most processors, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, has a nearly identical average score with a deltaPct of 0. This means the "KF" variant without integrated graphics performs essentially the same as its "K" counterpart in synthetic tests, making the CPU a robust foundation for high-FPS gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Barony, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 161st out of 1702 combos. This places it in the top 9.5% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a high-performance setup for this game. The rank is likely influenced by the fact that Barony is not a demanding title, so even mid-range hardware can achieve high frame rates, but the sheer power of this combo ensures it sits comfortably in the upper echelon.

The combination's ranking suggests that while there are 160 other combos that perform better, the vast majority of systems will deliver lower frame rates. The data implies that the CPU's high single-core performance and the GPU's substantial memory bandwidth work together effectively, but the game's engine may cap performance at very high levels, preventing this combo from ranking higher. The 4K Ultra result of 85.9 FPS is respectable but not top-tier, indicating that the GPU's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, yet the rendering pipeline is the ultimate limiter.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the most sensible settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, even the Ultra preset delivers 262.2 FPS, which far exceeds any standard 144Hz or 240Hz monitor. Therefore, players can comfortably use Ultra settings at 1080p without compromising frame rate. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset still provides 167.3 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh displays, while the High preset offers 233.7 FPS for those seeking maximum smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset drops to 85.9 FPS, which is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action. The High preset at 4K delivers 118.3 FPS, which is a better balance for a smooth experience on a 120Hz display. The Medium preset at 4K yields 139.4 FPS, offering a good trade-off between visual quality and performance. For players prioritizing frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 4K provides 191.7 FPS, but the visual fidelity loss is significant. The data suggests that High settings at 4K or Ultra settings at 1440p offer the best experience, providing high frame rates without sacrificing too much visual detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 577.1 for Low, 428.1 for Medium, 365.7 for High, and 262.2 for Ultra. The progression shows a clear penalty for higher visual quality, with Ultra being 55% slower than Low. At 2560x1440, the results are 363.9 for Low, 270.2 for Medium, 233.7 for High, and 167.3 for Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is substantial, ranging from 36% for Low to 39% for Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 191.7 for Low, 139.4 for Medium, 118.3 for High, and 85.9 for Ultra. The 4K results show a more compressed range between settings, with Ultra being 55% slower than Low, the same relative difference as at 1080p. This consistency indicates that the settings scaling is uniform across resolutions. The lowest frame rate recorded is 85.9 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still above 60 FPS, confirming that this combo never dips into unplayable territory. The highest is 577.1 FPS at 1080p Low, which is an extreme result that showcases the CPU's and GPU's capabilities in a lighter load scenario.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is a Blackwell architecture GPU with 8960 shading units, 280 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output pipelines. It has 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 2295 MHz, with a boost clock of 2452 MHz. In Barony, the GPU's role is critical at resolutions above 1080p, where the frame rate drops are directly proportional to the pixel count increase.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rates scale down with resolution. The RTX 5070 Ti's benchmark percentile of 87 indicates it is a high-performance card, but its nearest rival, the RTX 4080, has a nearly identical average score with a deltaPct of 0, suggesting they are evenly matched. The GPU's 43.94 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 686.6 GTexel/s texture rate are more than enough for Barony's simple geometry, but the pixel fill rate at 4K becomes the limiting factor.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Barony, which is unlikely to use even a fraction of it at any settings. The GDDR7 memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) ensures that memory bandwidth is never a constraint. The GPU's performance at 1080p Low, where it achieves 577.1 FPS, shows that it can handle extremely high frame rates when the CPU is not limiting, but the game's engine likely caps the maximum FPS. The data suggests that the GPU is the dominant component for visual quality, while the CPU determines the upper frame rate ceiling in less demanding resolutions.