Barony

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a strong 1080p and 1440p experience in Barony, though the data shows a clear transition to GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions. This combo ranks 1049th out of 1702 tested configurations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database’s tested combos. While that rank might seem modest, the measured frame rates tell a more nuanced story: at 1080p Medium, the combo produces 234.4 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth competitive play. The ranking is likely dragged down by the GPU’s age relative to newer pairings, but the actual gameplay data indicates this setup handles the roguelike genre with ease.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1049 out of 1702 tested combos places it in the 38th percentile of all configurations tested for Barony. This is a surprisingly low rank given the frame rates measured, but it reflects the database’s broad spectrum of hardware, including top-tier modern GPUs that far exceed the RTX 2070 SUPER’s capabilities. The Intel Core i9-14900K is a top-tier processor, sitting in the 97th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 79824. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7413 (deltaPct -0.3), Intel Core i9-14900KF (deltaPct 0.7), Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (deltaPct 0.7), and Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (deltaPct 0.9). These deltas are all within 1% of the i9-14900K’s score, indicating that processor performance is near the ceiling for this generation.

On the GPU side, the RTX 2070 SUPER sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22206. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A400 (deltaPct -0.5), NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (deltaPct 0.9), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (deltaPct -2.3), and AMD Radeon RX 5700 (deltaPct 2.5). The RTX 2070 SUPER is effectively on par with these cards, with the largest delta being just 2.5% behind the RX 5700. In Barony, the combination of a 97th-percentile CPU and a 65th-percentile GPU results in a system that is heavily CPU-favored at low resolutions, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The rank of 1049/1702 suggests that many other combos achieve higher FPS, but the measured data shows this combo still delivers playable performance at all tested settings up to 4K High.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 146.4 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay in a roguelike where reaction time matters. However, dropping to High yields 200.8 FPS, and Low achieves 319.1 FPS. The Medium preset at 234.4 FPS offers the best balance between visual quality and headroom, ensuring the frame rate stays well above the refresh rate of most monitors. For 1440p, the High preset at 127.5 FPS is the sweet spot; it provides a 43% improvement over Ultra’s 89.1 FPS while maintaining high visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 150.4 FPS is even smoother, but the visual downgrade may not be worth the extra 22 FPS.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Ultra preset drops to 48.6 FPS, which is borderline playable but may feel sluggish in fast-paced combat. The High preset at 66.2 FPS is the recommended choice for 4K gaming, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 79.9 FPS offers even more headroom, but the visual difference between High and Medium is often negligible in a game with Barony’s art style. The Low preset at 101.4 FPS is unnecessary unless the user prioritizes maximum frame rate over all else. Overall, the data suggests that High settings at 1440p or Medium at 4K provide the best experience, with the former being the ideal balance of visuals and performance for most users.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear shift in the bottleneck. At 1080p High, the combo produces 200.8 FPS, which drops to 127.5 FPS at 1440p (a 36.5% reduction) and further to 66.2 FPS at 4K (a 67% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is becoming increasingly stressed as pixel count rises. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 319.1 FPS, suggesting the CPU (i9-14900K with 24 cores and 32 threads) is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than it can process. The i9-14900K’s boost clock of 6.00 GHz and its position in the 97th percentile of all CPUs confirm that processor performance is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

The 4K Ultra result of 48.6 FPS is particularly telling. This represents a 66.7% drop from the 1080p Ultra result of 146.4 FPS, which is nearly proportional to the increase in pixel count (3840x2160 has 4 times the pixels of 1920x1080, but the FPS drop is less than 4x, indicating some scaling efficiency). The GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Barony even at 4K Ultra, as the game is not VRAM-intensive. The limiting factor is raw shading power: the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 9.062 TFLOPS FP32 performance is simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring a settings reduction to maintain playability.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K the primary bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No. The i9-14900K ranks in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, and at 1080p Low the combo produces 319.1 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU far more frames than it can render. The GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High, the combo produces 66.2 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 48.6 FPS, which may be playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 22206, placing it 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A400, 0.9% ahead of the GTX TITAN Z, 2.3% behind the RTX 4060 Mobile, and 2.5% ahead of the AMD RX 5700.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The High preset at 1440p delivers 127.5 FPS, which is the best combination of visual quality and performance. Ultra drops to 89.1 FPS, while Medium offers 150.4 FPS but with reduced visual fidelity.

*Q: Does the i9-14900K’s 24 cores and 32 threads help in Barony?*

A: The CPU’s multithreaded performance is exceptional (49872 in Cinebench R23 multicore), but Barony is not a heavily threaded game. The high single-core performance (7040 in Cinebench R23 singlecore) is more relevant for this roguelike genre.

Q: How does the combo’s rank of 1049/1702 reflect its actual performance?

A: The rank suggests it is in the lower-middle of tested combos, but the measured FPS at 1080p and 1440p are high. The rank is likely skewed by the GPU’s age, as newer GPUs dominate the top rankings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER plays a decisive role in determining this combo’s performance ceiling, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for Barony at all tested settings, as the game’s roguelike visuals are not memory-intensive. The GPU’s base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz are modest by modern standards, but they allow the card to maintain consistent performance across the measured scenarios. The 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the pixel throughput, with a pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s.

The RTX 2070 SUPER’s architectural strengths are evident in the measured results. At 4K Low, it produces 101.4 FPS, which is more than double the 4K Ultra result of 48.6 FPS. This demonstrates that the GPU has enough raw compute power for lower settings, but the Ultra preset’s additional effects (likely including shadows, reflections, and post-processing) overwhelm its 9.062 TFLOPS FP32 capabilities. The GPU’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present but largely unused in Barony, which does not rely on ray tracing or DLSS. The 12 nm process node and 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die are dated compared to newer cards, but the card still holds its own in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

The data shows that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component in this combo. At 1080p, the CPU can push the GPU to 319.1 FPS on Low settings, but the GPU’s maximum output is constrained by its shading power. The gap between 1080p High (200.8 FPS) and 4K High (66.2 FPS) is a direct result of the GPU’s pixel throughput limitations, not memory bandwidth or VRAM capacity. This is typical for a mid-range GPU paired with a flagship CPU, and the measured results confirm that the RTX 2070 SUPER is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where it can deliver high frame rates without bottlenecking the i9-14900K’s impressive processing power.