Greedfall

Greedfall is an Action RPG that responds predictably to the hardware driving it, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-12600KF with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT produces a wide spread of results depending on where you set the dial. The data shows a system that is capable of high refresh rate play at 1080p but requires careful settings management to remain fluid at higher resolutions. The measured frames per second across all tested configurations indicate that the GPU is the primary arbiter of performance, with the CPU providing ample headroom to avoid bottlenecking the graphics card in most scenarios. This analysis breaks down the optimal settings, answers common questions, and provides a resolution-by-resolution breakdown of what you can expect from this specific combination.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience this combo offers is at the High preset. At 1920x1080, High settings deliver an average of 130 FPS, which is a strong result for a title like this. The jump from Medium to High is substantial in terms of visual fidelity, yet the performance cost is modest, dropping from 143 FPS to 130 FPS. This leaves enough headroom to ensure the frame rate stays comfortably above the 100 FPS mark, which is ideal for a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, High is again the sweet spot, producing an average of 90 FPS. This is a playable and visually pleasing state for most monitors in this class. While Medium sits slightly higher at 99 FPS, the visual upgrade to High is generally worth the 9 FPS trade-off, especially since the average remains well within the bounds of smooth gameplay. Pushing to Ultra at this resolution drops the average to 57 FPS, which is a significant penalty that may introduce noticeable stutter on some displays.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combination. The data shows a severe performance cliff at every resolution. At 1080p, Ultra averages 83 FPS, which is a 36% reduction from High. At 1440p, it falls to 57 FPS, and at 4K, it collapses to 34 FPS. The visual gains from Ultra are rarely worth halving your frame rate, especially when High already provides a rich visual experience. For those with 4K displays, the High preset is the only viable option for a consistent experience, averaging 54 FPS, while Low provides a fallback at 75 FPS if you need higher motion clarity. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 59 FPS and a minimum of 50 FPS, is a compromise that may dip below the 60 FPS threshold during busy scenes.

FAQ

Q: Can this CPU and GPU combo handle Greedfall at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only with specific settings. The data shows the High preset at 3840x2160 averages 54 FPS, which is playable. The Low preset averages 75 FPS for smoother motion, while Medium averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS. The Ultra preset is not viable at this resolution, averaging only 34 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1080p?

A: The High preset is the best choice. It averages 130 FPS, which is close to the 144Hz refresh rate and significantly higher than the 83 FPS seen on Ultra. The Low preset averages 182 FPS if you want to completely saturate the refresh rate, but High offers a much better visual balance.

Q: How large is the performance gap between the High and Ultra presets?

A: The gap is substantial across all resolutions. At 1080p, the difference is 47 FPS (130 vs 83). At 1440p, the difference is 33 FPS (90 vs 57). At 4K, the difference is 20 FPS (54 vs 34). The Ultra preset is considerably more demanding without a proportional visual payoff.

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

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. As resolution increases, frame rates drop consistently, which is the classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU has enough headroom to drive high frame rates at lower resolutions, where the GPU is still the primary constraint.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 1440p on Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. This provides a consistent experience that is well-suited for high refresh rate monitors at that resolution.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide a playable experience at any resolution?

A: Only at 1080p, where it averages 83 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 57 FPS, which is borderline, and at 4K it is not playable, averaging only 34 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra is steep.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its architecture, Alder Lake, provides a strong foundation for gaming. The benchmark data for this CPU shows a 3dmark single-thread score of 1016 and a 3dmark max-thread score of 7952. This indicates robust single-core performance, which is often the most critical factor for game simulation and logic, alongside a high multi-threaded capability for background tasks and modern game engines.

In the context of Greedfall, the CPU's role appears to be that of a stable foundation that does not become a bottleneck. The measured frame rates are consistently higher at lower resolutions, which suggests that the GPU is the component working at its limit. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, as the CPU workload would be the constraining variable. This is not the case, as the frame rates scale inversely with resolution, confirming that the i5-12600KF is providing sufficient processing power to keep the RX 6700 XT fully fed.

The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory also contribute to its ability to handle data-heavy scenes without causing hitches. The passmark multithread score of 27575 and the cinebench r23 multicore score of 23391 further illustrate its capability to handle the complex calculations required by an Action RPG. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 7956, which is nearly identical to the max-thread score of 7952, indicates that all cores are being utilized effectively, ensuring that the game's various systems can run concurrently without performance degradation. This is a CPU that will not hold back the graphics card in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks at 1938 out of 3703 tested combos for Greedfall. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all possible system configurations. This rank is a reflection of the balance between the two components. The CPU sits in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. This indicates a well-matched pairing where neither component is drastically weaker than the other.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the performance is very tight. The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, which is just 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i9-10900K and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D. It is also 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE. This shows that in terms of raw processing power, the i5-12600KF is essentially on par with some of the best previous-generation CPUs, meaning the ranking is largely determined by the GPU's performance.

For the GPU, the RX 6700 XT has an average score of 27425, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (0% delta). It is 0.5% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 and 1.1% faster than the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell. This positions the graphics card as a solid performer in its own right. The combo rank of 1938 suggests that while the hardware is competent, there are many other combinations that can push higher frame rates, likely those pairing higher-tier CPUs with more powerful GPUs. However, for its class, this pairing offers a consistent and reliable performance profile.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 130 FPS at 1920x1080, to 90 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 54 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 31% drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a 40% drop when moving from 1440p to 4K. This pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the number of pixels being rendered is the primary determinant of performance.

The scaling is similar for other presets. At Low settings, the frame rate goes from 182 FPS at 1080p, to 126 FPS at 1440p, to 75 FPS at 4K. At Medium, it goes from 143 FPS, to 99 FPS, to 59 FPS. The fact that the frame rate scales almost proportionally with the pixel count (1080p has about 2 million pixels, 1440p has about 3.7 million, and 4K has about 8.3 million) confirms that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting.

This scaling behavior has a practical implication: the CPU's performance is not a limiting factor at any resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would plateau or drop off much more sharply at higher resolutions, as the GPU would be waiting for the CPU to provide data. Instead, the consistent and proportional drops indicate that the RX 6700 XT is working at its full capacity at each resolution. Users with a 1080p or 1440p monitor can expect a significant performance advantage, while 4K users will need to carefully select their settings to maintain a playable frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates is as follows.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Ultra: 83 FPS
• High: 130 FPS
• Medium: 143 FPS (min 122, max 164)
• Low: 182 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Ultra: 57 FPS
• High: 90 FPS
• Medium: 99 FPS (min 84, max 114)
• Low: 126 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Ultra: 34 FPS
• High: 54 FPS
• Medium: 59 FPS (min 50, max 68)
• Low: 75 FPS

Analyzing this data more closely, the Medium preset at 1080p is the peak performance point for this combo, reaching 143 FPS. The High preset at the same resolution is only 9% slower, making it the recommended choice for a balance of quality and speed. The gap between High and Ultra at 1080p is a significant 36%, which is a substantial penalty for the extra visual effects.

At 1440p, the Medium preset provides a very solid 99 FPS average, with the High preset close behind at 90 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold, which is a notable drop. At 4K, the situation becomes more challenging. The Medium preset is the only one that stays close to 60 FPS, averaging 59 FPS, but it has a minimum of 50 FPS, which could be noticeable in demanding scenes. The High preset averages 54 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Low preset at 75 FPS is the only option that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS at 4K, but it comes with a significant visual quality reduction. The data clearly shows that the sweet spot for this hardware combination is at 1080p or 1440p with High or Medium settings.