Barony

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1045 out of 1702 tested combinations in Barony. This places the combo in the lower-middle portion of the database, at roughly the 61st percentile of all tested configurations. The ranking reflects a pairing where the CPU is a top-tier part but the GPU is a generation-older mid-range component, creating a significant performance delta between the two. Benchmark data shows the RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, while the Core Ultra 7 265K ranks at the 97th percentile among all CPUs, indicating a substantial imbalance that shapes the overall combo ranking.

When compared to other combos in the same ranking neighborhood, the data suggests the GPU is the primary anchor on the final position. The CPU's average benchmark score of 79102 places it within 1.2% of rivals like the AMD EPYC 7413 and Intel Core i9-14900K, yet the combo's in-game ranking is dragged down by the GPU's performance class. The 1702 total combos include many pairings of high-end CPUs with modern flagship GPUs, which naturally occupy the top ranks. This particular pairing's position at 1045 indicates it falls behind those configurations by a wide margin, but it also sits ahead of the hundreds of combos using lower-tier CPUs, suggesting the Ultra 7 265K still contributes measurable performance headroom even with the older GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and the card is built on the Turing architecture using the TU104 chip. The GPU's 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs handle the rendering workload for Barony, a roguelike title that does not appear to be particularly demanding on modern hardware based on the measured frame rates.

The measured FPS data reveals how the GPU's capabilities scale across settings. At 1080p, the RTX 2070 SUPER delivers 315.7 FPS on Low, 236.8 FPS on Medium, 201.5 FPS on High, and 147.9 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate the GPU can push very high frame rates at this resolution, even at the highest settings. The gap between Low and Ultra is roughly 54%, showing that the GPU's compute resources are the limiting factor when settings increase. At 1440p, the same pattern holds with 199.5 FPS on Low, 150.9 FPS on Medium, 125.9 FPS on High, and 89 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results show the GPU starting to strain: 107.2 FPS on Low, 75.6 FPS on Medium, 67.5 FPS on High, and 49.6 FPS on Ultra.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Barony across all tested configurations, as there are no signs of memory-related stutters in the data. The card's 12 nm process node from TSMC and 13,600 million transistors reflect its 2019 design era, which explains why it trails modern GPUs in raw throughput. The RTX 2070 SUPER's PassMark G3D score of 18169 and average benchmark score of 22206 place it within 2.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 5700, confirming its mid-range positioning in the current GPU landscape.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 147.9 FPS average, which is well above the 144 Hz threshold and should satisfy most gamers with high-refresh monitors. The High preset at 201.5 FPS provides additional headroom for competitive play, but the visual difference between High and Ultra in Barony is likely minimal given the game's roguelike genre and relatively simple graphics. Medium at 236.8 FPS is excessive for typical displays and sacrifices too much visual quality for marginal gains.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 89 FPS average, which is still playable but may not fully utilize a 144 Hz monitor. The High preset at 125.9 FPS offers a better balance, providing smooth gameplay while maintaining higher visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 150.9 FPS is also viable if players prefer maximum frame rates over graphical details. For 4K, the High preset at 67.5 FPS is the highest playable option, while Ultra at 49.6 FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold that most gamers consider the minimum for smooth play. Low at 107.2 FPS is the only 4K preset that provides comfortable frame rates, but the visual compromise is substantial.

The data suggests the High preset is the sweet spot for most usage scenarios. It delivers 201.5 FPS at 1080p, 125.9 FPS at 1440p, and 67.5 FPS at 4K, consistently staying above or near 60 FPS across all resolutions. Players targeting 144 Hz at 1440p should consider Medium at 150.9 FPS, while those with 4K displays may need to drop to Medium at 75.6 FPS to maintain smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where the 147.9 FPS average remains respectable.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Barony?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1045 out of 1702 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database.

Q: What is the best resolution for 144 Hz gaming with this setup?

A: At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 150.9 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate above 144 Hz at that resolution. At 1080p, all presets except Ultra exceed 200 FPS.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. The High preset averages 67.5 FPS at 4K, while Ultra drops to 49.6 FPS. Low at 107.2 FPS is the only preset that provides generous headroom above 60 FPS.

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, which is 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 at 22307 and 0.9% ahead of the GTX TITAN Z at 22006. It also trails the RTX 4060 Mobile by 2.3% and leads the RX 5700 by 2.5%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU ranks at the 97th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 65th percentile. The measured FPS scaling across resolutions confirms the GPU's influence dominates performance.

Q: What settings should I use for the best experience at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 125.9 FPS provides a good balance of visual quality and performance. Players wanting maximum frame rates can use Medium at 150.9 FPS, while those prioritizing graphics over speed can accept Ultra at 89 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the GPU becoming the dominant bottleneck at higher pixel counts. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by approximately 38% across all settings: High falls from 201.5 to 125.9, Medium from 236.8 to 150.9, Low from 315.7 to 199.5, and Ultra from 147.9 to 89. This consistent reduction indicates the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being taxed more heavily as pixel count increases by 1.78x.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows an even steeper decline, with average FPS dropping by roughly 46% across all settings. High goes from 125.9 to 67.5, Medium from 150.9 to 75.6, Low from 199.5 to 107.2, and Ultra from 89 to 49.6. The 4K resolution represents a 2.25x pixel increase over 1440p, and the disproportionate FPS drop suggests the GPU is approaching its computational limits. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 9.062 TFLOPS FP32 performance are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings.

The scaling pattern reveals that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game. The Core Ultra 7 265K's 20 cores and 20 threads provide ample processing power, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p where the GPU is less stressed. The fact that 1080p Low delivers 315.7 FPS, a number far beyond typical display refresh rates, shows the CPU can feed the GPU effectively even at very high frame rates. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see diminishing FPS gains as resolution decreases, but the data shows linear scaling consistent with GPU-bound performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm TSMC process. Its base clock of 3.90 GHz can boost up to 5.50 GHz, and it features a substantial 30 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 3 MB L2 per core. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive: Cinebench R23 multi-core reaches 50009, single-core 7060, and PassMark multi-thread hits 58838. These figures place the CPU at the 97th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79102.

In Barony, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU's. The measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 315.7 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU can handle the game's logic and physics calculations without bottlenecking. The 20 cores are likely underutilized in a roguelike title, which typically doesn't scale well beyond a few threads, but the high single-core performance from the 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures responsive gameplay. The CPU's 125 W TDP and 102.4 GB/s dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth provide sufficient headroom for the game's data access patterns.

Comparisons to rival CPUs show the Ultra 7 265K is competitive with top-tier processors. Its average score of 79102 is within 0.2% of the Core Ultra 7 265KF at 79240 and the Core i9-14900KF at 79245, and within 0.9% of the Core i9-14900K at 79824. The AMD EPYC 7413 leads by 1.2% at 80041. These narrow margins indicate the CPU is not the source of any performance deficit in this combo. The fact that the measured FPS drops significantly at 4K despite the CPU's strength confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component, and upgrading the GPU would yield far greater gains than changing the CPU.