Barony

# Barony CPU/GPU Benchmark Analysis: Intel Core i9-14900K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers exceptional performance in Barony, a roguelike title released in 2015. This combination ranks first among 2,935 tested combos in this game, with measured frame rates ranging from 109 FPS at 4K Ultra settings to 724 FPS at 1080p Low settings. The data shows a system that utterly dominates every resolution and settings tier, making it a reference point for high-refresh-rate gaming in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU-GPU combo in Barony?

A: This combination ranks first out of 2,935 tested combos in Barony, placing it at the absolute top of the performance hierarchy for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core i9-14900K compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF?

A: The i9-14900K scores 79,097 in average benchmark score, which is 0.3% lower than the i9-14900KF’s 79,371. The KF variant is essentially identical in performance, with the difference being negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: What is the highest measured average FPS in Barony for this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 724, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The lowest measured average is 109 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes, the RTX 5090 D supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, making it fully compatible with Barony’s rendering requirements.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the RTX 5090 D?

A: The RTX 5090 D features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for Barony’s modest memory demands.

Q: How does the i9-14900K perform in single-threaded workloads relevant to gaming?

A: The i9-14900K scores 2,262.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 4,697 in Passmark single-thread tests, placing it in the 95th percentile among all CPUs. This strong single-thread performance benefits games like Barony that rely heavily on a main game logic thread.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, with 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support enabled. It uses the Intel Socket 1700 interface and includes integrated UHD Graphics 770.

For Barony, a game that is fundamentally a roguelike with procedurally generated dungeons, the CPU’s role is critical for game logic, pathfinding, and entity management. The i9-14900K’s high boost clock of 6.00 GHz provides exceptional single-threaded performance, which is essential for maintaining consistent frame pacing in a genre where turn-based logic and real-time action blend. The processor’s 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,097, underscores its position as a top-tier gaming processor.

The benchmark data supports this interpretation. At 1080p Low settings, where GPU load is minimal, the combo achieves 724 FPS average. This extreme frame rate indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU far beyond what any display can show, and it demonstrates that the i9-14900K is not a bottleneck in this title even at the lowest settings. Moving to 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 331 FPS, but this is still far above the refresh rates of most monitors, suggesting the CPU has ample headroom.

The i9-14900K’s multi-threaded capabilities are equally impressive. With a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39,399.5 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 21,697, the processor handles any background tasks or additional game systems without issue. Barony may not utilize all 24 cores, but the presence of 32 threads ensures that the game’s main thread never competes for resources with system processes.

In terms of rival comparisons, the i9-14900K trails the i9-14900KF by only 0.3% in average benchmark score, with the KF scoring 79,371 versus 79,097. The Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79,574, which is 0.6% higher, and the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80,041, 1.2% higher. However, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77,740, which is 1.7% lower than the i9-14900K. These deltas are all within a few percentage points, indicating that the i9-14900K sits comfortably among the fastest desktop processors available.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset delivers the best experience in Barony for this combo. The game was tested at three resolutions—3840x2160 (4K), 2560x1440 (1440p), and 1920x1080 (1080p)—each with four settings presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra.

At 4K resolution, the Low preset delivers 239 FPS average, which is excellent for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset drops to 178 FPS with minimum and maximum readings of 151 and 204 FPS, respectively. High settings produce 152 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 109 FPS. For 4K users, the Low preset offers the highest frame rate, but even Ultra remains playable at 109 FPS, well above the 60 FPS standard.

At 1440p, the Low preset achieves 457 FPS average, Medium hits 340 FPS (with min/max of 289/391), High delivers 292 FPS, and Ultra manages 209 FPS. These numbers suggest that 1440p Ultra is the sweet spot for visual quality and performance, as 209 FPS exceeds the refresh rate of most 1440p gaming monitors (typically 144–240 Hz). For users with 360 Hz displays, Medium at 340 FPS or Low at 457 FPS would be preferable.

At 1080p, the Low preset reaches 724 FPS, Medium produces 538 FPS (min/max 458/619), High yields 462 FPS, and Ultra still manages 331 FPS. This is the resolution where the combo truly shines, with every preset delivering frame rates far beyond any display’s capabilities. The Ultra preset at 331 FPS is the recommended choice for 1080p users who want maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing speed.

For the best overall experience, the data suggests that 1440p Ultra at 209 FPS balances visual quality and frame rate optimally. The 4K Ultra preset at 109 FPS is also viable for users prioritizing resolution over speed. In all cases, this combo can handle Barony with ease, and the choice of settings should be driven by the user’s display refresh rate and personal preference for visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks first out of 2,935 tested combos in Barony. This top ranking is unsurprising given the individual strengths of both components. The CPU sits in the 95th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 79,097, while the GPU ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 77,712.

The combo’s rank of 1 out of 2,935 indicates that no other tested combination of CPU and GPU outperforms it in this specific game. This is a remarkable achievement, especially considering that Barony is a game from 2015 with relatively modest system requirements. The combination’s dominance is likely due to the i9-14900K’s exceptional single-thread performance (6.00 GHz boost clock) and the RTX 5090 D’s massive compute capabilities.

When comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals, the RTX 5090 D scores 77,712 on average, which is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT’s 76,904, but 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT’s 78,940. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396 (2.1% higher) and the 16 GB version scores 79,605 (2.4% higher). These deltas are small, but they place the RTX 5090 D in a curious position relative to these rivals in synthetic benchmarks, despite its newer architecture.

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are all within 1.7% of the i9-14900K’s average score. The i9-14900KF is the closest at -0.3%, followed by the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus at -0.6%, the AMD EPYC 7413 at -1.2%, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 at +1.7%. These small differences suggest that the i9-14900K is well-matched against the best processors on the market.

In the context of Barony specifically, the combo’s rank of 1 means that no other hardware configuration achieves higher frame rates in this game. This confirms the synergy between the CPU and GPU, as well as to the game’s ability to scale with high-end hardware. The measured FPS data shows that at every resolution and settings combination, the combo delivers frame rates that are playable and often excessive for typical display refresh rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is based on the GB202 chip using Blackwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on TSMC’s 5 nm process. It contains 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, with a transistor density of 122.9 million per mm². The GPU has 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, 176 ROPs, 170 ray tracing cores, and 680 tensor cores. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective).

The memory subsystem is particularly noteworthy: 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This is an enormous amount of memory bandwidth that far exceeds the requirements of Barony, a game with simple textures and low polygon counts. The GPU’s pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 and FP16 performance both at 104.8 TFLOPS.

In Barony, the GPU’s role is to render the game’s 3D dungeon environments, which feature blocky voxel-style graphics. The RTX 5090 D’s massive compute resources are largely underutilized, as the game’s visual complexity is modest by modern standards. However, the GPU’s raw power translates to extremely high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU can feed it effectively.

The measured FPS data illustrates this relationship. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is pushed harder, resulting in 109 FPS average. At 4K Low, the frame rate jumps to 239 FPS, showing that reducing settings allows the GPU to work faster. At 1080p Low, the 724 FPS result indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor; instead, the CPU and game engine are the constraints.

The RTX 5090 D’s 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712, confirms its high-end status. In the Passmark G3D test, it scores 44,065, and in Geekbench Vulkan, it achieves 376,915. These synthetic benchmarks reflect the GPU’s theoretical capabilities, which translate into real-world performance in Barony.

The GPU supports PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, has a TDP of 575 W, and requires a 950 W power supply. It measures 304 mm in length, 137 mm in height, and 48 mm in width, fitting in most full-tower cases. Display outputs include 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b, supporting high refresh rates at various resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Barony with this combo spans three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance scaling.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 239 FPS average
• Medium: 178 FPS average, 151 FPS minimum, 204 FPS maximum
• High: 152 FPS average
• Ultra: 109 FPS average

At 4K, the frame rate drops by 54% from Low to Ultra, from 239 FPS to 109 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 151 FPS, which is still well above 60 FPS, indicating consistent performance even in demanding scenes. The High preset at 152 FPS is nearly identical to Medium’s average, suggesting diminishing returns from Medium to High.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 457 FPS average
• Medium: 340 FPS average, 289 FPS minimum, 391 FPS maximum
• High: 292 FPS average
• Ultra: 209 FPS average

At 1440p, the scaling is more pronounced. Low to Ultra shows a 54% reduction, from 457 FPS to 209 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 289 FPS ensures that even the most intense moments remain far above refresh rate thresholds. The Ultra preset at 209 FPS is still excellent for high-refresh-rate displays.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 724 FPS average
• Medium: 538 FPS average, 458 FPS minimum, 619 FPS maximum
• High: 462 FPS average
• Ultra: 331 FPS average

At 1080p, the combo reaches its peak performance. The Low preset’s 724 FPS average is extraordinary, and even Ultra at 331 FPS is more than triple the refresh rate of most 144 Hz monitors. The Medium preset’s minimum of 458 FPS shows that the system never dips below playable levels, regardless of what happens on screen.

Comparing resolutions at the same settings reveals the scaling pattern. At Ultra settings, 1080p (331 FPS) is 3.04 times faster than 4K (109 FPS). At Low settings, 1080p (724 FPS) is 3.03 times faster than 4K (239 FPS). This consistent ratio suggests that the GPU is the primary scaling factor across resolutions, with the CPU maintaining its performance headroom.

The data also shows that the Medium preset is the only one with both minimum and maximum FPS measurements, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 4K Medium, the range is 151–204 FPS (a 53 FPS spread), at 1440p it’s 289–391 FPS (102 FPS spread), and at 1080p it’s 458–619 FPS (161 FPS spread). The wider ranges at lower resolutions indicate that frame times become less consistent when the GPU is less constrained, but the average FPS remains high enough that this variance is imperceptible.

Overall, the measured FPS data shows a system that delivers exceptional performance in Barony at every resolution and settings combination. The lowest measured average is 109 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still above the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The highest measured average is 724 FPS at 1080p Low, which approaches the limits of what the game engine can produce. This combo is the definitive choice for Barony players seeking maximum performance.