Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-13400F + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 in Greedfall produces a combination that ranks 2595th out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the lower percentile of systems evaluated for this Action RPG. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings tell a clear story: this system delivers playable performance at 1080p with adjusted settings, but struggles significantly as resolution increases, with the GPU emerging as the primary bottleneck. The Arc B390, an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, demonstrates its limits in a demanding title like Greedfall, while the Core i5-13400F's strong multi-threaded capabilities remain largely underutilized in this GPU-bound scenario.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior in Greedfall reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at every tested setting. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on High settings, the average frame rate drops from 60 FPS to 42 FPS, a 30% reduction. Continuing to 3840x2160 at High, the average falls to 25 FPS, representing a 58% decline from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that the Arc B390's rendering throughput diminishes rapidly as pixel count increases, a characteristic consistent with its integrated graphics design and 1536 shading units.

At Low settings, the resolution scaling tells an even more revealing story. The 1080p Low preset achieves 84 FPS average, which drops to 58 FPS at 1440p (31% reduction) and further to 35 FPS at 4K (58% reduction from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings suggests that the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing capabilities are the dominant constraint, rather than any specific setting configuration. The Arc B390's 24 ROPs and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient for high-resolution rendering in this title.

The Medium settings data provides additional insight into the scaling behavior. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 66 FPS average with a minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 76 FPS. Moving to 1440p Medium reduces the average to 46 FPS (30% drop), while 4K Medium falls to 27 FPS (59% drop from 1080p). The near-identical percentage reductions across Low, Medium, and High settings confirm that resolution is the primary factor driving performance, with the GPU's memory bandwidth being "System Dependent" and its memory size being "System Shared" — both indicators that the integrated solution relies on shared system resources that become increasingly strained at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings exacerbate the scaling problem dramatically. The 1080p Ultra preset yields only 38 FPS average, dropping to 27 FPS at 1440p and a nearly unplayable 16 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset's demands on the Arc B390's 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 120.0 GTexel/s texture rate push the GPU far beyond its comfortable operating range, particularly at 4K where the 16 FPS average makes the game effectively unplayable. This scaling pattern indicates that users should prioritize resolution reduction over setting reductions when seeking playable performance, as the GPU's limitations manifest most severely at higher pixel counts.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for playing Greedfall with this combo?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the only resolution where playable frame rates are consistently achieved. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset maintains 38 FPS average, while 1440p only reaches playable levels at Low settings (58 FPS) and Medium settings (46 FPS). The 4K resolution fails to reach 30 FPS average at any setting, making it unsuitable for gameplay.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in terms of raw performance?

A: The Arc B390's average benchmark score is 1482, placing it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710 (1443). These margins are minimal, indicating that the Arc B390 performs at the entry-level tier of GPUs.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F bottlenecking the Arc B390 in Greedfall?

A: No, the data indicates the opposite. The Core i5-13400F ranks in the 77th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 25292, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The dramatic frame rate drops as resolution increases — from 84 FPS at 1080p Low to 35 FPS at 4K Low — demonstrate that the GPU is the limiting component, not the CPU.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system delivers an average of 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS. This represents a 30% reduction from the 1080p Medium average of 66 FPS and indicates that 1440p Medium is borderline playable but may experience noticeable stuttering during demanding scenes.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i5-13400F scores 25292 on average benchmarks, essentially matching the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25201, 0.4% advantage). It sits slightly behind the Intel Core 5 120 (25362, -0.3%) and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365, -0.3%), but all differences are within one percent.

Q: Is the Ultra preset viable at any resolution?

A: The Ultra preset only achieves playable frame rates at 1080p, where it averages 38 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 27 FPS average, and at 4K it falls to 16 FPS. Unless the user prioritizes visual quality over smoothness, the Ultra preset should be avoided at resolutions above 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2595th out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the severe imbalance between the CPU and GPU components — the processor demonstrates strong computational capabilities while the graphics solution operates at the entry-level tier. The Arc B390's 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs contrasts sharply with the Core i5-13400F's 77th percentile CPU ranking, creating a system where the GPU dramatically limits overall gaming performance.

The combo rank of 2595 out of 2938 indicates that the vast majority of tested systems outperform this configuration in Greedfall. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the Arc B390's integrated graphics design, which shares system memory and relies on system-dependent bandwidth. The GPU's benchmark score of 1482 places it alongside legacy NVIDIA parts like the GT 520MX and GT 710, all of which are separated by less than 3% in performance. This positioning suggests that the Arc B390 is designed for basic computing tasks rather than demanding gaming applications like Greedfall.

When contextualizing this ranking, it's important to note that the Core i5-13400F is not contributing to the system's poor standing. The CPU's nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, Intel Core 5 120, AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, and AMD Ryzen 7 6800H — all fall within 0.4% of its average benchmark score, demonstrating that the processor is competitive with mid-range options. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU, and users seeking better Greedfall performance would need to consider a discrete graphics solution rather than upgrading the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its best performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves 84 FPS average, providing smooth gameplay well above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings reduce the average to 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 76 FPS, still maintaining acceptable smoothness. High settings deliver exactly 60 FPS average, right at the standard monitor refresh rate. The Ultra preset drops to 38 FPS average, which is playable but noticeably less smooth than the lower presets. This resolution is the only one where all presets remain playable, though Ultra pushes the limits of comfortable gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance degrades substantially. The Low preset maintains 58 FPS average, still above the 30 FPS playability threshold but noticeably less smooth than 1080p. Medium settings deliver 46 FPS average with a minimum of 39 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS, providing moderately smooth gameplay with occasional dips. High settings fall to 42 FPS average, which remains playable but requires adaptation. The Ultra preset drops to 27 FPS average, falling below the 30 FPS threshold and becoming marginal for gameplay. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs approximately 30% performance across all settings, illustrating the GPU's resolution sensitivity.

At 3840x2160, the system fails to deliver playable performance at any setting. The Low preset averages 35 FPS, which is technically above the 30 FPS threshold but may not feel smooth during fast-paced combat. Medium settings produce 27 FPS average with a minimum of 23 FPS and maximum of 32 FPS, indicating significant frame time inconsistency. High settings drop to 25 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 16 FPS average, making the game effectively unplayable. The 4K resolution overwhelms the Arc B390's 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate, and the system's shared memory architecture compounds the issue by competing with the game's memory requirements.

The Medium settings data provides the most complete picture, as it includes minimum and maximum frame rates at all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the 56-76 FPS range shows relatively consistent performance. At 1440p Medium, the 39-53 FPS range indicates moderate variance but acceptable stability. At 4K Medium, the 23-32 FPS range reveals severe instability, with frame rates frequently dipping below playability. This data suggests that even at Medium settings, the system cannot maintain consistent performance at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390's role in Greedfall performance is defined by its integrated graphics architecture and entry-level specifications. Based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and manufactured on Intel's 3 nm process, the GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation pipelines. Its boost clock reaches 2500 MHz, while the base clock operates at 300 MHz. The GPU's 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 120.0 GTexel/s texture rate are modest figures that directly limit Greedfall's rendering capabilities.

Memory configuration plays a critical role in the Arc B390's performance limitations. The GPU uses "System Shared" memory with "System Dependent" bandwidth, meaning it draws from the same memory pool as the CPU rather than having dedicated VRAM. This shared architecture introduces latency and bandwidth contention that becomes particularly problematic at higher resolutions, where the game requires larger textures and more memory bandwidth. The absence of dedicated memory explains why performance degrades so severely as resolution increases — the GPU must compete with system processes for memory access.

The Arc B390's benchmark results place it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 1482. This positions it alongside the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). These rival GPUs are all legacy entry-level parts, confirming that the Arc B390 operates at the bottom tier of graphics performance. In Greedfall, this translates to the measured frame rates that range from 84 FPS at 1080p Low to 16 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility suggest modern API capabilities, but raw performance remains the limiting factor. The 12 ray tracing cores are present in the hardware, though Greedfall's rendering demands do not appear to benefit significantly from this feature given the overall performance levels. The GPU's 80 W TDP and integrated form factor indicate a power-efficient design suited for mobile or compact systems, but this efficiency comes at the cost of gaming performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the recommended configuration for this system depends on the user's priority between visual quality and smooth gameplay. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the best experience with 84 FPS average, providing headroom for consistent frame times and responsive gameplay. The Medium preset at 66 FPS average offers a balanced compromise, maintaining smooth performance while improving visual fidelity. The High preset at exactly 60 FPS average aligns perfectly with standard 60 Hz monitors, though any frame rate dips below this threshold would cause visible stuttering.

For users who prioritize visual quality, the 1080p High preset at 60 FPS average provides the best combination of aesthetics and playability. The Ultra preset at 38 FPS average should be avoided, as the reduced frame rate negatively impacts gameplay responsiveness without providing proportionally better visuals. At 1440p, the Low preset at 58 FPS average is the only configuration that maintains smooth performance, while Medium at 46 FPS and High at 42 FPS are playable but require acceptance of reduced fluidity. The 1440p Ultra preset at 27 FPS falls below acceptable playability standards.

The 4K resolution is not recommended for this system under any settings configuration. Even the Low preset at 35 FPS average fails to provide consistently smooth gameplay, and the Medium preset's 23-32 FPS range indicates severe frame pacing issues. Users with 4K displays should either run the game at 1080p resolution or consider upgrading to a discrete graphics solution. The data clearly shows that the Arc B390 cannot handle Greedfall at 4K, regardless of settings adjustments.

For the best overall experience, the 1080p Medium preset represents the optimal balance. The 66 FPS average with a 56-76 FPS range provides smooth gameplay while offering improved visual quality over Low settings. Users with 60 Hz monitors may prefer the High preset at exactly 60 FPS average, while those sensitive to frame rate drops should select Low at 84 FPS average for maximum consistency. The system's CPU, with its 16 threads and 20 MB L3 cache, provides ample processing headroom, but the GPU's limitations dictate that resolution and settings must be carefully managed to achieve playable performance in Greedfall.