Greedfall

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread desktop processor from the Core 12th Gen series, built on the Alder Lake architecture at a 10 nm process node. It runs at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and boosts to 4.30 GHz, with a 58 W TDP. The CPU features a 12 MB shared L3 cache, with 1.25 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates solid single-threaded capability. Its 3dmark single-thread score is 893, and it posts 1674 in Cinebench R23 single-core. Geekbench single-core lands at 1932, while PassMark single-thread reaches 3444. These numbers indicate that the i3-12100F can handle lightly-threaded workloads with reasonable efficiency, which matters for games like Greedfall that may rely on one or two primary threads for core game logic and draw call processing.

Multi-threaded results are more modest, reflecting the 4-core/8-thread configuration. The 3dmark 16-thread score is 4051, while 8-thread and max-thread scores are nearly identical at 4026 and 4023, respectively. Cinebench R23 multi-core reaches 11860, and Geekbench multi-core is 7252. PassMark multi-thread scores 14015, with integer math at 40978 and floating-point math at 31977. The 4-thread score of 2859 in 3dmark shows that scaling beyond 4 threads yields diminishing returns, as expected from a quad-core part.

The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 68, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of all processors in the database. Its average benchmark score is 13494. Compared to nearest rivals, the Intel Core 3 N355 scores 13492 (0% delta), the Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452 (0.3% ahead), the Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594 (-0.7% behind), and the Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351 (1.1% ahead). The i3-12100F essentially sits in a tight cluster with these processors, trading blows by less than 1.5% in either direction.

In the context of this game's measured results, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p, where CPU overhead is more likely to surface, the combination still delivers extremely high frame rates, suggesting the i3-12100F provides adequate instruction throughput for Greedfall's engine. The single-thread performance is particularly relevant here, as older Action RPG titles often have serialized game logic that benefits from strong per-core speed. The 4.30 GHz boost clock and the 3dmark 2-thread score of 1659 indicate that the processor can maintain responsive performance on the primary threads.

However, the data also suggests that the CPU's multi-threaded limits are not the limiting factor in this pairing. Even at 1080p Low, the combination achieves 382 FPS average, which is far beyond typical display refresh rates. This implies that Greedfall is not heavily CPU-bound at these settings, or that the i3-12100F's 4 cores are sufficient for this particular game's thread utilization patterns.

---

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a massive GPU from the GeForce 50-series, based on the GB202 chip with Blackwell 2.0 architecture at a 5 nm process node from TSMC. It packs 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, with a transistor density of 122.9M per mm². The GPU runs at a base clock of 2017 MHz and boosts to 2407 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective).

Memory specifications are flagship-tier: 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 170 RT cores, and 680 tensor cores. Pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s, texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance reaches 104.8 TFLOPS (with FP16 at 104.8 TFLOPS as well). The card draws a 575 W TDP, uses a dual-slot cooler with a single 16-pin power connector, and requires a 950 W suggested PSU. It connects via PCIe 5.0 x16 and outputs 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5090 D posts a 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14326, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 310674, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376915. PassMark results show G3D at 44065, GPU compute at 28396, and DirectX 11 at 371 (with DirectX 12 at 219 and DirectX 10 at 231). The GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 92, meaning it ranks above 92% of all graphics cards in the database. Its average benchmark score is 77712.

The nearest rivals according to the data are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (avg score 76904, 1.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (avg score 78940, -1.6% behind), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (avg score 79396, -2.1% behind), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (avg score 79605, -2.4% behind). These comparisons are based on average scores across all benchmarks, not gaming-specific tests, so the actual in-game deltas may differ.

In Greedfall, the GPU clearly dominates the frame rate equation. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 5090 D is capable of pushing extremely high frame rates at every resolution and settings level tested. The 32 GB VRAM is far beyond what Greedfall requires, meaning memory capacity is never a constraint. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution assets are fed without hiccups.

The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz and the massive shading unit count (21760) provide raw compute headroom that translates directly into the high average FPS numbers seen in the measured data. Even at 4K Ultra, which is typically the most demanding configuration, the combination still achieves 72 FPS average. This indicates that the RTX 5090 D has enough pixel-pushing power to handle Greedfall at maximum settings in 4K, though frame rates drop significantly from the lower settings presets.

---

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. The data includes four settings levels—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—at three resolutions: 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160.

At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 382 FPS average, which is excessive for any practical display. Medium drops to 301 FPS average (with a min of 256 and max of 346), still far beyond what a 144Hz or even 240Hz monitor can display. High comes in at 273 FPS average, and Ultra at 175 FPS average. All of these are exceptionally high, but the jump from High to Ultra represents a 36% reduction in frame rate (from 273 to 175 FPS) for what may be visually marginal gains.

At 1440p, the pattern holds. Low produces 266 FPS average, Medium 209 FPS (min 178, max 240), High 190 FPS, and Ultra 121 FPS. The transition from High to Ultra here is a 36% drop as well (190 to 121 FPS). At this resolution, High offers a strong balance: 190 FPS is well above 144Hz refresh rates, and the visual fidelity improvement from High to Ultra may not justify losing 69 FPS.

At 4K, the differences become more impactful. Low yields 159 FPS average, Medium 125 FPS (min 106, max 143), High 113 FPS, and Ultra 72 FPS. The High to Ultra drop is still significant at 36% (113 to 72 FPS). Here, High is the recommended preset for 4K gaming if you want to stay comfortably above 60 FPS with headroom. Ultra at 72 FPS is playable, but it dips closer to the 60 FPS threshold and provides no min FPS data, so frame pacing could be less consistent.

Based on the measured rows, High settings provide the best experience across all three resolutions. It delivers 273 FPS at 1080p, 190 FPS at 1440p, and 113 FPS at 4K. These numbers are all sufficiently high for smooth gameplay, and High typically offers most of the visual benefits of Ultra without the disproportionate performance cost. The data shows that Ultra exacts a roughly one-third performance penalty compared to High at every resolution, which is a substantial trade-off for incremental visual improvements in a 2019 Action RPG.

For those with 144Hz displays, High at 1440p (190 FPS) is ideal. For 240Hz monitors, Medium at 1080p (301 FPS) or even High at 1080p (273 FPS) will saturate the refresh rate. If 4K is the target, High at 113 FPS is the sweet spot, leaving enough headroom to avoid dips below 60 FPS in demanding scenes.

---

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 40th out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This puts it in the top 1.4% of all tested combinations, which is an exceptional position. The rank reflects the GPU's overwhelming dominance in this game, as the CPU's modest specifications do not appear to hold the system back in any meaningful way.

The fact that this combo ranks 40th overall, despite featuring a budget-oriented 4-core CPU, underscores that Greedfall is heavily GPU-bound. The RTX 5090 D's raw horsepower carries the system to near the top of the database, with only 39 other combinations (presumably featuring similarly powerful GPUs with more capable CPUs) achieving higher in-game performance.

Given that the data measures actual frame rates, the rank of 40 suggests that the i3-12100F is not a significant limiting factor at the settings and resolutions tested. If the CPU were bottlenecking, the rank would likely be lower, as more powerful CPUs paired with the same GPU would pull ahead. The fact that this combo achieves 382 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the CPU can process frames faster than any current display can show, at least in this title.

The percentile data for the CPU (68th percentile) and GPU (92nd percentile) provides context. The GPU far outperforms the CPU in relative terms, but the game's frame rate results show that the combination still lands near the top. This suggests that for Greedfall specifically, the i3-12100F's single-thread strength (as evidenced by its 3dmark single-thread score of 893 and Cinebench R23 single-core of 1674) is sufficient to keep up with the RTX 5090 D's frame output.

---

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 D in Greedfall?

A: Based on the measured data, no. The combo achieves 382 FPS at 1080p Low and 113 FPS at 4K High, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The combo ranks 40th out of 2938, showing the pairing performs near the top of the database.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Greedfall with this combo?

A: The data shows excellent performance at all resolutions. At 1440p High, the combo delivers 190 FPS average, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 4K High, it achieves 113 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from High to Ultra settings?

A: At every resolution, Ultra settings reduce average FPS by approximately 36% compared to High. For example, at 1440p, High delivers 190 FPS while Ultra drops to 121 FPS. At 4K, High achieves 113 FPS while Ultra falls to 72 FPS.

Q: Does the 32 GB VRAM on the RTX 5090 D matter for Greedfall?

A: The game was released in 2019 and does not require that much memory. The 32 GB GDDR7 capacity is far beyond what Greedfall needs, so VRAM is never a limiting factor. The GPU's 1.79 TB/s bandwidth and 21760 shading units drive the high frame rates instead.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 40th out of 2938 tested combinations, putting it in the top 1.4%. The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking versus all GPUs (average score 77712) is the primary driver, while the CPU's 68th percentile (average score 13494) is sufficient for this game.

Q: What are the minimum FPS numbers for the Medium preset?

A: The data includes min FPS for Medium settings: 106 FPS at 4K, 178 FPS at 1440p, and 256 FPS at 1080p. These minimums indicate consistent frame delivery without severe dips.

---

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 382 FPS average
• Medium: 301 FPS average (min 256, max 346)
• High: 273 FPS average
• Ultra: 175 FPS average

The 1080p results show that this combo is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions. Even at Ultra settings, the system produces 175 FPS average, which exceeds the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The jump from Low to Medium costs 81 FPS (382 to 301), while Medium to High costs 28 FPS (301 to 273). The largest single-step drop is High to Ultra at 98 FPS (273 to 175), representing a 36% reduction.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 266 FPS average
• Medium: 209 FPS average (min 178, max 240)
• High: 190 FPS average
• Ultra: 121 FPS average

At 1440p, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low delivers 266 FPS, which is still above any mainstream display's refresh rate. Medium at 209 FPS offers a great balance for 144Hz monitors, while High at 190 FPS provides additional visual quality with only a 19 FPS penalty over Medium. Ultra drops to 121 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 69 FPS loss compared to High.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 159 FPS average
• Medium: 125 FPS average (min 106, max 143)
• High: 113 FPS average
• Ultra: 72 FPS average

The 4K results show the most significant scaling. Low produces 159 FPS, which is remarkable for 4K. Medium at 125 FPS keeps the experience above 120 FPS, while High at 113 FPS remains comfortably above 60 FPS. Ultra at 72 FPS is the only configuration that approaches the 60 FPS floor, and it lacks min FPS data, meaning the lowest frame rates could be lower than 72.

Across all resolutions, the consistent pattern is that High settings offer the best trade-off between visual quality and performance. The 36% performance penalty from High to Ultra at every resolution suggests that the Ultra preset adds significant rendering overhead without a proportional benefit in this game. The measured data shows that this combo can handle Greedfall at maximum settings in 4K, but for the smoothest experience, High is the recommended preset.