Greedfall

The Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combo delivers a highly playable Greedfall experience across most settings, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling that shifts from the CPU to the GPU as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system is capable of exceeding 170 FPS on Low settings, yet the demanding Ultra preset at 4K drops to just 36.6 FPS, indicating a significant graphical load. This pairing ranks in the 56th percentile of all tested combinations, proving it a solid, mid-tier performer for this Action RPG.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is stark and tells a clear story about which component is the limiting factor. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 129.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 88.5 FPS at 2560x1440, before settling at 53.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 59% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a scaling pattern that points directly at the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RTX 4060, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus, simply cannot maintain the same output when pixel count quadruples.

The scaling curve is not linear, however. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings costs 35.4 FPS (from 88.5 to 53.1), which is a more significant absolute drop than the 41.1 FPS loss seen when jumping from 1080p to 1440p (129.6 to 88.5). This indicates that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are being saturated progressively harder as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the CPU still has headroom to feed the GPU, but by 4K, the RTX 4060 is working near its limits. The pattern is consistent across all settings, with the Ultra preset showing the most dramatic falloff, collapsing from 83.3 FPS at 1080p to just 36.6 FPS at 4K.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060's specifications directly explain its behavior in Greedfall. With a boost clock of 2460 MHz and 3072 shading units, the GPU has enough raw compute to handle the game's DirectX 12 workload at lower resolutions, but its memory subsystem is a limiting factor. The 8 GB frame buffer and 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth are modest by modern standards, and the data suggests that Greedfall's texture and geometry demands at 4K Ultra exceed what this card can efficiently process. The benchmark scores support this: the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 19545 places it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, but its DirectX 12 score of 76 is notably weak, indicating that the card's architecture may not be optimally suited for this specific API's advanced features.

The performance delta between settings at the same resolution further highlights the GPU's role. At 1080p, the gap between Low (177.4 FPS) and Ultra (83.3 FPS) is 94.1 FPS, a massive 113% difference. This spread narrows at 4K, where Low (73.9 FPS) and Ultra (36.6 FPS) differ by 37.3 FPS, or 102%. The fact that the percentage difference remains nearly constant across resolutions suggests that the GPU is the dominant constraint in both scenarios, but at 4K, even the Low preset cannot escape the memory bandwidth wall. The card's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is adequate, but it is the 128-bit memory interface that ultimately caps high-resolution performance.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 1705 tested combinations, this pairing of the Core i5-12400 and RTX 4060 achieves a rank of 967. This places it firmly in the middle of the pack, which is a fair reflection of its capabilities. The CPU is competitive with its direct rivals; the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19850 is within 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-11600K and just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700. This parity in synthetic tests translates to real-world consistency in Greedfall, where the CPU does not become a bottleneck until frame rates exceed 140 FPS.

The GPU, however, is the differentiator. Its average benchmark score of 23181 puts it in the same league as the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which scores 23321 (0.6% higher), and the Intel Arc B580, which scores 23021 (0.7% lower). This means that while the CPU is a solid performer, the GPU holds the combo back from higher rankings. The 56th percentile rank suggests that users with this setup will have a good experience, but they will not be at the top of any leaderboards. The data indicates that this is a balanced, mainstream combination rather than a high-end enthusiast build.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on High settings provides an excellent balance, delivering 88.5 FPS. At 4K, even High settings drop to 53.1 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

Q: How much performance is lost by enabling Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, switching from High to Ultra reduces the average frame rate from 129.6 FPS to 83.3 FPS, a loss of 46.3 FPS. At 4K, the same switch drops performance from 53.1 FPS to 36.6 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The bottleneck shifts with resolution. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limit, capping at 177.4 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops across all settings.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Arc B580?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, which is 0.7% higher than the Arc B580's score of 23021. This indicates nearly identical synthetic performance, though real-world game performance may vary.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Greedfall?

A: Yes, but with compromises. On Low settings, it achieves 73.9 FPS at 4K, which is smooth. On High settings, it drops to 53.1 FPS, which is still playable, but Ultra settings at 36.6 FPS are not recommended.

Q: Is the Core i5-12400 a limiting factor for this GPU?

A: The CPU's single-thread score of 3456 in Passmark and its 77th percentile ranking indicate it is capable. At 1080p Low, the 177.4 FPS result suggests the CPU is nearing its limit, but at higher resolutions and settings, the GPU becomes the primary constraint.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the optimal choice, delivering 88.5 FPS. This provides a smooth, responsive experience without the graphical compromises of Low settings. If the user prioritizes maximum visual fidelity, 1080p Ultra at 83.3 FPS is a strong alternative, offering a high level of detail while maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS. At 4K, users should stick to Low settings to achieve 73.9 FPS, as Medium (62.2 FPS) and High (53.1 FPS) require a tolerance for lower frame rates. The Ultra preset at 4K is not viable for competitive play, as the 36.6 FPS average will feel sluggish.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers little benefit over High. At 1080p, Medium delivers 139.4 FPS versus 129.6 FPS for High, a difference of only 9.8 FPS, while at 4K, the gap is 9.1 FPS (62.2 vs 53.1). Given the minimal performance gain, users should select High for better visual quality. The Low preset is only recommended for users targeting maximum frame rates, such as those with 144Hz monitors, where 1080p Low at 177.4 FPS is the only setting that fully utilizes such a display.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides a strong foundation for Greedfall. Its boost clock of 4.40 GHz and single-thread Passmark score of 3456 ensure that the game's primary simulation thread has ample processing power. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 indicates that it can handle background tasks without impacting gameplay. In Greedfall, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p with Low settings, where the 177.4 FPS result suggests the game is becoming CPU-bound, as the GPU has less work to do.

The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache is sufficient for this game's data patterns, and its support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory offers flexibility. Its average benchmark score of 19850 places it just 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-8700, a signal of the efficiency of the Alder Lake architecture. However, the data shows that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this pairing. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly struggling, and the CPU is likely waiting idly for the GPU to finish rendering frames. This is a well-balanced pairing, but users seeking higher frame rates should consider a more powerful GPU rather than a CPU upgrade.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 and Core i5-12400 produce a wide range of results. Low settings yield the highest average at 177.4 FPS, followed by Medium at 139.4 FPS, High at 129.6 FPS, and Ultra at 83.3 FPS. The 94.1 FPS gap between Low and Ultra demonstrates the game's heavy reliance on GPU settings like shadows and ambient occlusion. At 2560x1440, the same pattern emerges: Low produces 127.8 FPS, Medium 97 FPS, High 88.5 FPS, and Ultra 55.2 FPS. The 1440p results are consistently 28-34% lower than their 1080p counterparts, showing a predictable scaling factor.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops are more pronounced. Low settings still manage a playable 73.9 FPS, but Medium falls to 62.2 FPS, High to 53.1 FPS, and Ultra to 36.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only data point below 40 FPS, making it the only setting where the game becomes noticeably choppy. The step from 1440p to 4K costs roughly 42% of the frame rate at every setting level, confirming that the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory buffer and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are the key constraints at this resolution. Users should target 1080p High or 1440p High for the best balance of visual quality and performance, as these are the only settings that combine high detail with frame rates above 85 FPS.