Greedfall

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a compelling benchmark profile in Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. The measured data shows this combination ranks 18th out of 1,705 tested combos, placing it in the top 1.1% of all configurations evaluated. This ranking reflects a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but still demonstrates strong CPU headroom at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 360 FPS under the lowest settings.

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

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU features a 20 MB shared L3 cache, along with 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus, and provides PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes available from the CPU. The processor scores in the 84th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27,827.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining frame rates across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 362.3 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. This indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach very high frame rates, even in a game released in 2019. The single-thread performance, as evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,016, contributes to the CPU's ability to handle the game's primary game logic thread. The multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23,444, ensures that background tasks and additional game systems do not create bottlenecks. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K with an average score of 27,829 and a deltaPct of 0, and the Intel Core i5-12600K with a score of 27,851 and a deltaPct of -0.1, indicating that the 12600KF is effectively tied with these processors in synthetic benchmarks.

The 10-core, 16-thread configuration is more than sufficient for Greedfall, which was designed during a period when 8-thread CPUs were considered high-end. The benchmark results show that at 1080p, the frame rate scales from 168.4 FPS at Ultra settings to 362.3 FPS at Low settings, a 2.15x increase that suggests the CPU is not the primary limiter even at the lowest settings. Instead, the GPU's workload changes with settings, and the CPU maintains consistent performance across the board. The processor's 3DMark scores for 16 threads (7,956) and max threads (7,952) are nearly identical, indicating that the CPU's performance does not degrade with additional threads beyond 16, which is typical for a game like Greedfall that may not fully utilize all available cores.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a flagship GPU based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2,017 MHz and a boost clock of 2,407 MHz, with memory running at 1,750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). It contains 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units, along with 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores. The GPU's compute capabilities include 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s. It scores in the 94th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,306.

In Greedfall, the RTX 5090's massive memory bandwidth and 32 GB VRAM are not fully stressed, as the game's textures and geometry are modest by modern standards. However, the GPU's raw compute power directly impacts frame rates. At 4K Ultra settings, the combo produces 67.9 FPS, which is the lowest measured performance in the dataset. This 67.9 FPS at 4K Ultra represents a 2.2x drop from the 149.4 FPS achieved at 4K Low, demonstrating the GPU's sensitivity to graphical settings. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D with an average score of 84,241 and a deltaPct of 0.1, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile with a score of 84,171 and a deltaPct of 0.2. This indicates that the RTX 5090's synthetic benchmark performance is closely matched by these other GPUs, despite the significant difference in their market positioning.

The GPU's role becomes clearer when comparing frame rates at the same settings across different resolutions. At High settings, the GPU delivers 261.3 FPS at 1080p, 178.3 FPS at 1440p, and 107 FPS at 4K. This scaling pattern shows a 32% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40% drop from 1440p to 4K, which aligns with the increase in pixel count. The RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in Greedfall, as the game likely uses less than 8 GB even at 4K Ultra, but the GPU's memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution rendering do not introduce stuttering. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 39,650 places it in a class where it can handle any game released to date, and Greedfall's 2019 engine does not fully exploit the RTX 5090's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates show a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At Low settings, the combo delivers 362.3 FPS at 1080p, 254.3 FPS at 1440p, and 149.4 FPS at 4K. This represents a 30% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 41% drop from 1440p to 4K. At Medium settings, the frame rates are 287.8 FPS at 1080p, 199.2 FPS at 1440p, and 118.3 FPS at 4K, showing drops of 31% and 41% respectively. At High settings, the values are 261.3 FPS at 1080p, 178.3 FPS at 1440p, and 107 FPS at 4K, with drops of 32% and 40%. At Ultra settings, the frame rates are 168.4 FPS at 1080p, 113.3 FPS at 1440p, and 67.9 FPS at 4K, representing drops of 33% and 40%.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at every resolution. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows the expected pattern for a GPU-bound scenario: the number of pixels increases by 4x from 1080p to 4K, but the frame rate does not drop by 4x, because the CPU and other system components also contribute to the overall performance. The RTX 5090's performance at 1080p Low (362.3 FPS) suggests that the CPU is capable of exceeding 360 FPS in this game, but the GPU's workload at higher resolutions and settings reduces the frame rate proportionally. This is typical for a game like Greedfall, which is not heavily CPU-threaded and places most of the rendering burden on the GPU.

The data also shows that the difference between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 193.9 FPS (362.3 vs 168.4), while at 4K, the gap is 81.5 FPS (149.4 vs 67.9). This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU can still push high frame rates even with the GPU's heavier workload at Ultra settings, but at 4K, the GPU's processing time dominates, and the settings have a proportionally smaller impact on the absolute frame rate. The minimum frame rates are not provided in the data, but the average frame rates suggest that the combo maintains smooth performance across all resolutions, with the lowest average being 67.9 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—at three resolutions. For players targeting 60 FPS or higher, all settings at 4K are viable, with Ultra delivering 67.9 FPS, High delivering 107 FPS, Medium delivering 118.3 FPS, and Low delivering 149.4 FPS. At 1440p, all settings exceed 100 FPS, with the lowest being Ultra at 113.3 FPS and the highest being Low at 254.3 FPS. At 1080p, all settings exceed 168 FPS, with Ultra at 168.4 FPS and Low at 362.3 FPS.

Given these results, the High preset at 4K offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, delivering 107 FPS while maintaining the game's intended visual fidelity. The High preset at 1440p delivers 178.3 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors up to 165 Hz, while the High preset at 1080p delivers 261.3 FPS, which is suitable for 240 Hz displays. The Ultra preset is playable at all resolutions, but at 4K it drops to 67.9 FPS, which may be below the refresh rate of some high-end monitors. The Medium preset provides a 10.5% improvement over High at 4K (118.3 vs 107 FPS) and a 11.7% improvement at 1440p (199.2 vs 178.3 FPS), but the visual difference between Medium and High in Greedfall is modest, so High is the recommended preset for most users.

The Low preset, while delivering the highest frame rates, sacrifices significant visual quality, and the jump from Low to Medium is substantial at 4K (149.4 to 118.3 FPS, a 20.8% decrease). This suggests that Low is only necessary for extreme frame rate targets, such as 360 Hz displays at 1080p, where the Low preset achieves 362.3 FPS. For the majority of users, the High preset at 1440p offers the best experience, as it combines high visual quality with a frame rate of 178.3 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1440p (113.3 FPS) is also a strong choice for users who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over frame rate, as the difference between High and Ultra at 1440p is 65 FPS (178.3 vs 113.3), which is a 36% drop.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 18th out of 1,705 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the top 1.06% of all configurations. This ranking is notable because the CPU is not a top-tier processor in synthetic benchmarks—it scores in the 84th percentile against all CPUs—but the GPU's dominance in the benchmark database compensates for the CPU's relative position. The RTX 5090 scores in the 94th percentile against all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 84,306 is significantly higher than most other GPUs. The combination of a high-percentile GPU with a mid-to-high-percentile CPU results in a ranking that is higher than the CPU's percentile alone would suggest.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Core i9-10900K (average score 27,829, deltaPct 0), the Intel Core i5-12600K (27,851, deltaPct -0.1), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H (27,872, deltaPct -0.2). These deltaPct values indicate that the 12600KF is essentially tied with the i9-10900K and slightly behind the 12600K and Ultra 5 125H in synthetic performance. However, in Greedfall, the frame rates are determined by the GPU's workload, and the CPU's performance differences of less than 1% have a negligible impact on the measured FPS. The GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 D (84,241, deltaPct 0.1) and the RTX 5050 Mobile (84,171, deltaPct 0.2), which again show that the RTX 5090's synthetic performance is closely matched by other GPUs, but its real-world performance in Greedfall is more dependent on the game's specific rendering demands.

The rank of 18 out of 1,705 combos suggests that there are 17 other combinations that perform better in Greedfall, likely featuring higher-end CPUs such as the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 series paired with the RTX 5090. However, the 12600KF's 10-core, 16-thread configuration and boost clock of 4.90 GHz are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 5090 in this game, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. The data shows that the combo's performance is primarily limited by the GPU at 4K, where the RTX 5090's frame rates drop to 67.9 FPS at Ultra settings. This indicates that the combo is well-balanced for Greedfall, with the CPU providing enough headroom to allow the GPU to operate at its full potential, and the ranking reflects this balance. The 84th percentile CPU ranking and 94th percentile GPU ranking combine to produce a top-18 overall result, which places this combo among the best-performing configurations tested for this game.