Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-14400F + Intel Arc B370

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a distinctly lopsided configuration for Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings reveal a system where the integrated graphics solution is the overwhelming performance ceiling. With the Arc B370 operating as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) sharing system memory, the data indicates this combo is positioned at the 2699th rank out of 2938 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems for this title. The CPU, by contrast, is a 10-core, 16-thread Raptor Lake Refresh part with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, representing a top-tier processor that is effectively starved by the GPU's output.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate degradation from 1080p to 4K is severe and follows a predictable pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 54 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 38 FPS, a reduction of 16 FPS or approximately 30%. The jump to 4K High yields only 22 FPS, which is a further 42% decline from 1440p. This scaling curve—from 54 to 38 to 22 FPS—demonstrates that the system is entirely GPU-limited; the Arc B370's fill rate and shading capacity cannot keep pace with the increasing pixel counts.

The Low preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 76 FPS, which drops to 53 FPS at 1440p (a 30% decrease) and then to 31 FPS at 4K (a 42% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the bottleneck is not memory bandwidth or CPU threading, but rather the raw pixel throughput of the integrated GPU. The Arc B370's pixel rate is rated at 48.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate at 96.00 GTexel/s, but these figures are clearly insufficient for 4K rendering in this title.

The most telling data point comes from the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 35 FPS, but this collapses to 24 FPS at 1440p and a mere 14 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is essentially unplayable, representing a 60% drop from the 1080p Ultra figure. This non-linear degradation at higher settings indicates that the GPU's 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 performance is being overwhelmed by the combination of resolution and shader complexity. The data suggests that Greedfall at 4K, regardless of preset, is beyond this hardware's capability; even the Low preset at 4K (31 FPS) falls below the 60 FPS target that the 1080p Low result (76 FPS) shows is achievable.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is a Panther Lake integrated graphics solution built on the Xe3-LPG architecture at a 3 nm process node. Its role in this configuration is entirely defined by its memory architecture: the GPU uses "System Shared" memory for both capacity and bandwidth, with memory bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." This is the critical limitation. Unlike discrete GPUs with dedicated VRAM, the Arc B370 must compete with the CPU for memory access, and its performance scales directly with the system's memory configuration.

The GPU's clock behavior shows a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The wide gap between base and boost suggests aggressive power management, which is consistent with the 25 W TDP. This low power envelope is typical for integrated graphics, but it means the GPU cannot sustain high clocks under sustained load. The benchmark results reflect this: the only GPU benchmark available, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, scores 1184 points, placing the Arc B370 in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in that benchmark—ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 at 1186 points and ATI Radeon HD 5770 at 1190 points—are all within a 0.7% delta, indicating that this iGPU is competing with decade-old discrete solutions.

In Greedfall specifically, the GPU's 1280 shading units and 40 texture mapping units are insufficient for the game's rendering demands at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that the Arc B370 can handle 1080p Medium (60 FPS) but struggles at 1440p High (38 FPS). The 20 ROPS (render output units) are a particular bottleneck for 4K rendering, where the pixel fill rate becomes the limiting factor. The gap between the 1080p Medium result (60 FPS) and the 4K Medium result (25 FPS) is a 58% reduction, which cannot be explained by resolution alone (which would be a 75% pixel count increase); this indicates that the GPU is also suffering from memory bandwidth constraints when accessing system memory at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers the most balanced experience: 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS. This is a playable frame rate with reasonable visual quality. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 76 FPS, which is smoother but at a visual cost. The High preset at 54 FPS is slightly below the Medium's smoothness but still playable. The Ultra preset at 35 FPS is the first setting that compromises playability, suggesting that 1080p Ultra should be avoided.

At 1440p, the data indicates that only Low and Medium presets are viable. Low produces 53 FPS, which is acceptable, while Medium produces 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 48 FPS. The High preset at 38 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 24 FPS is not recommended. The step from Medium to High at 1440p costs only 3 FPS (41 to 38), which is a small penalty for better visuals, but the jump from High to Ultra costs 14 FPS (38 to 24), which is a significant degradation.

At 4K, none of the presets achieve a comfortable frame rate. The Low preset at 31 FPS is the highest result, followed by Medium at 25 FPS, High at 22 FPS, and Ultra at 14 FPS. Given these numbers, 4K gaming with this combo is only feasible on Low, and even then, it falls below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for playability. The best experience per the measured rows is 1080p Medium, which offers the highest FPS (60) while maintaining a minimum above 50 FPS. Users seeking higher settings should consider 1440p Low (53 FPS) as a compromise, but the data strongly suggests that 1080p is the intended resolution for this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2699 out of 2938 tested combinations places it in the bottom 8.2% of systems tested for Greedfall. This is a poor ranking, but the context is important: the Arc B370 is an integrated GPU, and this ranking reflects that limitation. The CPU, the Intel Core i5-14400F, is a strong performer in isolation—its average benchmark score of 32279 places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, and it trades blows with rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (deltaPct 0.1) and Intel Core i9-11900 (deltaPct 0.2). But the GPU's 5th percentile ranking (1184 average benchmark score) drags the combined system down.

The delta between the CPU's capability and the GPU's output is stark. The i5-14400F's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and single-core score of 3055 indicate a processor that can handle any modern game's CPU demands. However, the Arc B370's nearest GPU rivals in the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark—the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, deltaPct -0.2) and ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, deltaPct -0.5)—are all within 1.4% of its score, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor. In Greedfall, this means the combo is ranked among systems that are primarily GPU-bound, and the CPU's headroom is entirely unused.

The ranking data suggests that this combo is positioned for 1080p gaming at medium settings, which aligns with the measured FPS. The combo's rank in the bottom percentile is not surprising given the GPU's integrated nature, but it does indicate that users considering this combination for Greedfall should have modest expectations regarding resolution and settings.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 1080p is the most viable resolution. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS, while at 1440p Medium, the average drops to 41 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it falls to 25 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K?

A: Yes, but only marginally. The highest 4K result is 31 FPS on Low settings. Medium produces 25 FPS, High produces 22 FPS, and Ultra produces 14 FPS. None of these meet the 60 FPS target, and only Low comes close to 30 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the Arc B370 scores 1184 points, which is within 0.7% of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190). It is 1.4% ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The CPU's average benchmark score of 32279 places it in the 83rd percentile, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 21645. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, not the CPU.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: The Medium preset provides the best balance, with 60 FPS average, 51 FPS minimum, and 69 FPS maximum. The Low preset achieves 76 FPS, but Medium offers better visuals with only a 16 FPS penalty.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Greedfall?

A: The combo ranks 2699 out of 2938 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 8.2% of systems. This ranking reflects the GPU's integrated nature rather than the CPU's performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system delivers its strongest results across all presets. The Low preset produces 76 FPS average, making it the only setting above 60 FPS. Medium produces 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS, representing a stable experience. High produces 54 FPS, which is playable but less smooth than Medium. Ultra produces 35 FPS, which is a significant drop and approaches the threshold where frame pacing becomes noticeable.

At 1440p, the performance degrades noticeably. Low produces 53 FPS, which is still playable. Medium produces 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and maximum of 48 FPS, indicating some frame-time variance. High produces 38 FPS, and Ultra produces 24 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS playability threshold. The data shows a consistent pattern at 1440p: each preset step costs between 3 and 14 FPS, with the largest drop occurring between High and Ultra.

At 4K, the system struggles across all presets. Low produces 31 FPS, Medium produces 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 FPS and maximum of 28 FPS, High produces 22 FPS, and Ultra produces 14 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly below 60 FPS, and even the best case (Low at 31 FPS) is marginal. The Medium preset's minimum of 21 FPS indicates significant frame drops, suggesting that 4K gaming is not viable with this hardware.

The complete data set shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p Low (76 FPS) > 1080p Medium (60 FPS) > 1080p High (54 FPS) > 1440p Low (53 FPS) > 1440p Medium (41 FPS) > 1440p High (38 FPS) > 1080p Ultra (35 FPS) > 4K Low (31 FPS) > 4K Medium (25 FPS) > 1440p Ultra (24 FPS) > 4K High (22 FPS) > 4K Ultra (14 FPS). This ordering indicates that dropping resolution is generally more effective than dropping settings for maintaining frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, based on the Raptor Lake architecture (Raptor Lake-R codename) at a 10 nm process node. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, and it has a 65 W TDP. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, with a 20 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core. Its benchmark results are strong: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 21645, single-core scores 3055, and Geekbench multi-core scores 11268.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role is largely passive because the GPU is the bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU limitation; even at the lowest resolution and settings (1080p Low, 76 FPS), the system does not exhibit the frame drops that would indicate CPU saturation. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking and its performance relative to rivals—such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (deltaPct 0.1) and Intel Core i9-11900 (deltaPct 0.2)—indicate that it has ample headroom for this game.

The i5-14400F's 16 threads are more than sufficient for Greedfall's multi-threaded workload, and its single-core boost of 4.70 GHz ensures that the game's main thread is not starved. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 25470 and single-thread score of 3701 further confirm its capability. However, this headroom is unused because the Arc B370's output caps the system at the frame rates shown in the measured data. If the GPU were upgraded to a discrete solution, the CPU would likely support significantly higher frame rates, but with the current configuration, the CPU's role is to ensure that it is never the limiting factor—and the data confirms it is not.