Greedfall

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a performance profile in Greedfall that is heavily dictated by resolution and preset selection. The data shows a system capable of high refresh rate play at 1080p, but one that encounters significant strain at 4K Ultra settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the role of each component, and how this specific combination ranks against the broader field of tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the rate of that scaling tells a story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 176 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 122 FPS, a reduction of 30.7%. The jump to 3840x2160 yields 73 FPS, another 40.2% decline from the 1440p figure. This progressive drop is characteristic of a system where the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as the pixel count rises, but the CPU still holds relevance at lower resolutions.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is even more pronounced. 1080p Low hits 247 FPS, which falls to 171 FPS at 1440p (a 30.8% drop) and then to 102 FPS at 4K (a 40.4% drop from 1440p). The near-identical percentage drops between High and Low presets across resolutions suggest that the relative performance hit from resolution scaling is consistent, regardless of graphical load. However, the absolute numbers at 1080p, particularly the 247 FPS Low result, indicate that the CPU is not fully restraining the GPU at this resolution, as the frame rates are exceptionally high.

The data implies that at 1080p, the RTX 3080 Ti is not being pushed to its absolute limit, but it is still the primary driver of performance. The 40% decline from 1440p to 4K across both presets strongly suggests that the GPU's rendering throughput, particularly its memory bandwidth and shading capacity, is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the GPU's workload scales so heavily with resolution that the frame rate inevitably craters regardless of CPU headroom. In essence, this is a GPU-bound scenario at 4K, with the CPU's role diminishing as resolution climbs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark results place it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14185. This is a mid-range performer, and its behavior in Greedfall reflects that positioning. The game is not heavily threaded, and the data shows that the CPU is capable of producing very high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 247 FPS. This is a clear indicator that the CPU is not a limiting factor at this settings/resolution combination; it can push frames far beyond typical display refresh rates. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283 and single-core score of 1451 provide context for this capability, showing a balanced performer that can handle both multi-threaded tasks and single-threaded game logic. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748 versus the 4-thread score of 2560 also suggests that while the processor has 12 threads, scaling beyond 8 threads yields diminishing returns, which is typical for a game like Greedfall that likely doesn't utilize more than a few cores effectively.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-10400F is effectively tied with the Intel Xeon 6756E (0.2% delta) and AMD EPYC 7552 (0.5% delta), while being slightly behind the Intel Core 7 160UL (-0.3%) and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (-0.6%). This places it in a specific performance tier where its 12 threads provide a slight advantage over true 6-core parts in some workloads, but its older architecture holds it back against newer, more efficient designs. In Greedfall, the CPU's role is to maintain a high minimum frame rate and avoid bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions. The fact that 1080p High (176 FPS) is only 28.7% lower than 1080p Low (247 FPS) suggests that the CPU is still able to keep up with the GPU's demands as the graphical load increases, but the GPU's performance is what ultimately sets the ceiling.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of presets, and the choice of which to use depends entirely on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 112 FPS is more than sufficient for a smooth experience, and the jump to High at 176 FPS offers a significant gain with only a modest reduction in visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 194 FPS is also viable for competitive play, but the difference between High and Medium is less impactful than the difference between High and Ultra.

At 1440p, the recommendations shift. High at 122 FPS is an excellent target for high refresh rate monitors, offering a balance of visual quality and smoothness. Ultra at 78 FPS is still playable, but it dips below the 100 FPS threshold that many gamers prefer. Medium at 134 FPS is a solid alternative if the visual hit is acceptable, but High appears to be the sweet spot for this resolution. The Low preset at 171 FPS is unnecessary for most users unless they are chasing every last frame.

At 4K, the situation becomes more constrained. High at 73 FPS is the only preset that provides a truly playable experience, hovering near the 60 FPS console-like target and exceeding it. Medium at 80 FPS is marginally faster, but the visual downgrade from High is often not worth the small FPS gain. Ultra at 46 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the standard for smooth gameplay and would likely feel stuttery. Low at 102 FPS is playable, but it defeats the purpose of 4K resolution by sacrificing too much detail. The data indicates that High is the optimal preset for 4K, with Medium as a backup if the user wants a small FPS boost.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 993rd out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the 73.2nd percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly 73% of the configurations in the database for this specific game. This is a respectable position, but it is not at the very top, which is expected given that the CPU is not a flagship model.

The ranking suggests that while the RTX 3080 Ti is a top-tier GPU (83rd percentile among all GPUs), the i5-10400F (68th percentile among all CPUs) holds the combo back from reaching the upper echelons of the leaderboard. The GPU's average benchmark score of 41187 is significantly higher than the CPU's 14185, and the combo's rank reflects this mismatch. The data implies that pairing this GPU with a more powerful CPU would likely yield a higher rank, as the GPU has headroom to perform better in CPU-bound scenarios, particularly at 1080p where the frame rates are highest.

The gap between this combo and the top performers is likely due to the CPU's limited single-thread performance and lower memory bandwidth (42.7 GB/s) compared to newer platforms. However, the rank of 993 is still high enough to demonstrate that this is a very capable gaming system for Greedfall, especially at 1440p and 4K where the GPU's strengths are fully utilized. The data shows that the combo is more competitive at higher resolutions, where the CPU's influence wanes, than at 1080p, where a faster processor could extract even more frames from the RTX 3080 Ti.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is an end-of-life enthusiast GPU based on the Ampere architecture, featuring 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. It has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz, and it achieved a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077. The GPU sits in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41187, placing it just 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and 2% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070.

In Greedfall, the GPU is clearly the dominant component at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 46 FPS is a stark contrast to the 1080p Low result of 247 FPS, a 5.4x difference. This massive spread reflects the GPU's raw power being heavily taxed by the game's rendering demands at high resolutions and settings. The texture rate of 532.8 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 186.5 GPixel/s are substantial, but the data shows that even this level of performance cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s is critical for the 4K results. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is ample for Greedfall, but the bandwidth is what allows the GPU to feed its many shading units. The drop from 4K High (73 FPS) to 4K Ultra (46 FPS) is a 37% penalty, which is substantial. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are particularly bandwidth-intensive, such as higher resolution textures or more complex lighting calculations, which the GPU's memory subsystem struggles to keep up with. The GPU's performance at 1080p, where it achieves 176 FPS on High, confirms that it is not a slouch, but the game's scaling with resolution is steep, and the RTX 3080 Ti's limits are clearly defined by the 4K results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 247 FPS average
• Medium: 194 FPS average (165 min, 223 max)
• High: 176 FPS average
• Ultra: 112 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 171 FPS average
• Medium: 134 FPS average (114 min, 155 max)
• High: 122 FPS average
• Ultra: 78 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 102 FPS average
• Medium: 80 FPS average (68 min, 92 max)
• High: 73 FPS average
• Ultra: 46 FPS average

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing a glimpse into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range from 165 to 223 FPS shows a 35% variance, which is relatively wide but still well above playable thresholds. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 114-155 FPS, a 36% variance, indicating that the system is still delivering consistent performance but with more fluctuation as the GPU load increases. At 4K Medium, the range is 68-92 FPS, a 35% variance, which suggests that the frame pacing remains stable even at higher resolutions, but the absolute values are lower.

The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra presets widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 135 FPS, while at 4K, it narrows to 56 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at 4K, and the preset settings have less of an impact on the overall frame rate because the GPU is already saturated. The 4K Ultra result of 46 FPS is the only measured value that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only setting that is not recommended for a smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K in Greedfall?

A: Yes, but not on the Ultra preset. The 4K High preset averages 73 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 80 FPS, both above the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset is the only 4K setting that falls below, with an average of 46 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this hardware?

A: The High preset at 122 FPS is the optimal choice, as it offers a strong balance between visual fidelity and frame rate. The Ultra preset at 78 FPS is playable, but High provides a significant 56% FPS increase with only a minor visual downgrade.

Q: How does the Core i5-10400F compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-10400F is effectively tied with the Intel Xeon 6756E and AMD EPYC 7552, with deltas of 0.2% and 0.5% respectively. It is slightly behind the Intel Core 7 160UL and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, which are 0.3% and 0.6% faster on average.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No, the data suggests the CPU is not fully limiting the GPU at 1080p. The 1080p Low preset hits 247 FPS, indicating the GPU is capable of much higher output. The CPU's performance, while adequate, prevents the GPU from reaching its absolute maximum at this resolution, but the frame rates are still exceptionally high.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like for this combo?

A: Based on the Medium preset, which has min and max FPS data, the variance is consistent across resolutions, with a range of approximately 35% of the average. At 1080p, the range is 165-223 FPS; at 1440p, it is 114-155 FPS; and at 4K, it is 68-92 FPS. This indicates stable frame pacing.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Greedfall?

A: The combo ranks 993rd out of 3703 tested combinations, placing it in the top 27% of all systems. This is a strong showing, but the CPU's mid-range standing prevents the combo from reaching the top 10% of the leaderboard.