Greedfall

Greedfall with an Intel Core i5-14400F and a GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a pairing that targets 1080p gaming with high settings, and the data confirms it can handle that task, though it struggles at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates show a clear performance ceiling, and the benchmark results provide a practical guide to getting the best experience from this hardware combination.

Settings Recommendations

For this specific CPU and GPU combination in Greedfall, the High preset at 1920x1080 is the optimal choice. The measured average of 83 FPS at this setting is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it does so without requiring the visual sacrifices of the Medium or Low presets. Pushing to Ultra at 1080p drops the average to 53 FPS, which is a significant 36% reduction from High; this makes Ultra less desirable on a standard 60Hz display, as it risks dipping below the refresh rate during demanding scenes.

If you prefer a higher frame rate over maximum visual fidelity, the Low preset at 1080p delivers an average of 117 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the visual downgrade from High to Low is substantial. The Medium preset, at 92 FPS average, offers a middle ground, but the High preset provides a better balance of visual quality and performance, making it the recommended starting point. At 2560x1440, the High preset yields 58 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action; you would need to drop to Low (81 FPS) for a smoother experience, but the image quality hit is noticeable. At 4K, no preset provides a consistently playable experience, as the best average is 48 FPS on Low, which is below the 60 FPS target. Therefore, the data strongly suggests staying at 1080p for this combo.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Core i5-14400F and the GTX 1660 SUPER ranks at 3167 out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the lower half of all tested configurations, indicating that while it is a functional setup, it is not a high-performance one for this specific title. The ranking reflects the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a much stronger component relative to the rest of the market.

The Intel Core i5-14400F itself is a robust processor, with its benchmark scores placing it in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (0.1% ahead), the Intel Core i9-11900 (0.2% ahead), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (0.2% behind). This suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing, as its performance is comparable to many higher-tier mobile and older desktop chips. Conversely, the GTX 1660 SUPER sits in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon RX 580 (0.4% ahead). This mid-pack GPU performance is the primary constraint on the overall combo ranking. The data indicates that the GPU is holding the combo back from a higher position, as the CPU has ample headroom to drive a more powerful graphics card.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the limiting factor in this configuration. Its specifications—6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth—are sufficient for 1080p gaming, but they become strained at higher resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 1785 MHz and 1408 shading units provide the raw compute power, but the 6 GB VRAM is a critical constraint. In Greedfall, a title that demands substantial video memory at higher settings, the 6 GB frame buffer can become a bottleneck.

The measured FPS data supports this analysis. At 1080p High, the GPU delivers an 83 FPS average, showing it has enough power for that workload. However, when the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the average drops to 58 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 35 FPS on High. This steep decline is a classic sign of a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth and capacity, rather than raw shader power. The GTX 1660 SUPER's 125W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class, but the architectural limitations of the Turing-based TU116 chip without ray tracing or tensor cores mean it is not well-suited for future-proofing at high resolutions. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 12699 places it just above the AMD Radeon 740M (0.9% behind), reinforcing its position as a capable 1080p card rather than a high-end performer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the GTX 1660 SUPER shows its strengths. The Low preset achieves an average of 117 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset averages 92 FPS, with a measured range of 78 to 106 FPS, indicating some frame pacing variability but still a smooth experience. The High preset averages 83 FPS, which is the sweet spot for visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 53 FPS, which is a 36% reduction from High and shows the GPU struggling with the highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. The Low preset averages 81 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium preset drops to 64 FPS (with a range of 54 to 73 FPS), and High falls to 58 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to a 37 FPS average, making it nearly unplayable. This resolution is a clear step down for this GPU, and the data suggests it is only viable at Low or Medium settings.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the GPU is out of its depth. The Low preset averages 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. Medium averages 38 FPS (with a range of 32 to 44 FPS), High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra drops to a 22 FPS average. None of these are suitable for a smooth gaming experience, making 4K a non-starter for this combo. The data clearly shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER is designed for 1080p gaming, with 1440p being a stretch and 4K being impractical.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the bottleneck. Moving from 1080p High (83 FPS) to 1440p High (58 FPS) is a 30% performance loss. Moving further to 4K High (35 FPS) is a 58% loss from 1080p and a 40% loss from 1440p. This non-linear scaling is a classic indicator that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect a smaller FPS difference between resolutions, as the CPU's workload would be similar.

The i5-14400F's strong benchmark scores, such as its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and Geekbench single-core score of 2058, suggest it is not struggling to feed frames to the GPU. The GPU, on the other hand, is being overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count. The 6 GB VRAM is likely being exhausted at 4K, causing texture swapping and reducing performance. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth become insufficient, while the CPU has headroom to spare. This confirms that for this combo, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, and upgrading it would yield the most significant performance gains at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Greedfall at 60 FPS on High settings?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 resolution. The measured average FPS is 83, which is comfortably above 60. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 58 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 SUPER a bottleneck for the i5-14400F in this game?

A: Yes, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 83rd percentile, while the GPU is in the 53rd percentile. The FPS drops significantly as resolution increases, a sign that the GPU's memory and bandwidth are being saturated, not the CPU's processing power.

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

A: The best resolution is 1920x1080. At this resolution, the High preset delivers an 83 FPS average, which is ideal. At 2560x1440, performance is playable only on Low (81 FPS) or Medium (64 FPS) settings.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 580?

A: The benchmark data shows they are nearly identical in performance. The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average score of 12986, while the RX 580 has a score of 12928, making the GTX card 0.4% faster. Both cards will perform similarly in Greedfall.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM on the GTX 1660 SUPER enough for Greedfall?

A: At 1080p, yes, it is sufficient for all presets. The data shows playable frame rates even on Ultra (53 FPS). At 1440p and 4K, the 6 GB capacity becomes a constraint, as performance drops sharply, especially on Ultra settings.

Q: What is the performance penalty for using the Ultra preset instead of High at 1080p?

A: The penalty is significant. The average FPS drops from 83 on High to 53 on Ultra, which is a 36% reduction. This makes Ultra less ideal for maintaining a smooth 60 FPS experience.