Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-14600K + AMD Radeon RX 7700

This combination of Intel's Core i5-14600K and AMD's Radeon RX 7700 delivers solid, playable performance across Greedfall's resolution and settings spectrum, though the data reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions and a CPU-headroom situation at 1080p. The measured FPS results show this pairing handles 1440p High at 94 FPS average, while 4K Ultra drops to 36 FPS, indicating that the RX 7700's 16 GB of VRAM and RDNA 3.0 architecture are the limiting factors at the top end. The combo ranks 1307 out of 2938 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of systems for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression across resolutions tells a textbook story of GPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the system produces 191 FPS, which falls to 132 FPS at 1440p Low (a 31% drop) and then to 79 FPS at 4K Low (a 40% drop from 1440p). This scaling pattern is steep, indicating that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower settings — the RX 7700 is being pushed harder as pixel count rises.

Moving to High settings, the pattern continues: 136 FPS at 1080p, 94 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 31% from 1080p to 1440p, then 40% from 1440p to 4K. These consistent ratios suggest that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, with the 624.1 GB/s bandwidth and 96 ROPs working harder at each step.

The most telling data point comes from the Ultra settings tier. Here, 1080p yields 87 FPS, 1440p drops to 60 FPS, and 4K plummets to 36 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is barely above the 30 FPS threshold, and the gap between High and Ultra at 4K (56 vs 36 FPS) shows a massive 36% performance hit just from maxing out settings. This indicates that Greedfall's Ultra preset introduces significant rendering overhead, likely from enhanced lighting and shadow effects that tax the GPU's compute units.

The Medium settings data provides the only min/max FPS measurements in the pack. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 150 FPS with a minimum of 127 and maximum of 172, giving a 45 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the average is 104 FPS with a min of 88 and max of 120, a 32 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the average is 62 FPS with a min of 53 and max of 71, an 18 FPS spread. This narrowing spread at higher resolutions further confirms GPU-bound behavior — the frame time variance shrinks because the GPU is consistently saturated, whereas at 1080p the CPU can cause occasional frame spikes.

For practical advice: 1440p High at 94 FPS is the sweet spot for this combo, offering smooth gameplay without the 4K Ultra compromise. The 4K High result of 56 FPS is playable but requires accepting some frame drops, while 4K Ultra at 36 FPS is borderline for action RPG combat.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K brings 14 cores and 20 threads from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This processor sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 48,618. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (0.2% lower), AMD EPYC 4345P (0.3% higher), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (0.8% lower), showing it's a strong performer for gaming workloads.

In Greedfall specifically, the CPU clearly has headroom at lower resolutions. The 191 FPS at 1080p Low versus 136 FPS at 1080p High shows that even with a 40% increase in graphical load, the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support help maintain consistent frame delivery, though the game's engine appears to scale primarily with GPU capabilities rather than CPU thread count.

The single-threaded performance of the i5-14600K is notable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064 and Geekbench single-core of 2491. Greedfall, being a 2019 title, likely relies heavily on a few main threads for game logic and draw call submission. The 5.30 GHz boost clock ensures these threads run at maximum speed, but the data shows this isn't the limiting factor — at 4K, even the fastest CPU cannot overcome the GPU's rendering limits.

The passmark physics score of 2473 and passmark single-thread score of 4270 suggest strong per-core performance that would benefit any game engine. However, the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (36 FPS) versus 4K Low (79 FPS) shows the CPU maintains consistent performance regardless of settings, meaning the i5-14600K is not the bottleneck in any scenario tested. The 14-core configuration provides ample parallel processing for background tasks and game threads, but Greedfall doesn't appear to leverage more than a fraction of these resources.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Greedfall at 4K smoothly?

A: At 4K High settings, the system averages 56 FPS, which is playable but not consistently smooth. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 36 FPS, which will feel stuttery during combat. For the best 4K experience, stick to High or Medium settings, where you'll get 56 and 62 FPS respectively.

Q: What is the best settings/resolution combination for this hardware?

A: The data shows 1440p High at 94 FPS average is the optimal balance. It provides a 33% FPS improvement over 4K High while maintaining visual fidelity. At 1080p, even Ultra settings run at 87 FPS, so if you prefer maximum graphical quality over resolution, that's a viable option.

Q: How much VRAM does Greedfall need at 4K with this GPU?

A: The RX 7700 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth. The measured results show it handles 4K High at 56 FPS without issue, suggesting the VRAM is sufficient. However, the 4K Ultra drop to 36 FPS indicates the GPU's compute power, not VRAM capacity, is the limiting factor.

Q: Is the i5-14600K holding back the RX 7700 in this game?

A: No. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, which indicates GPU-bound performance. At 1080p Low, the system hits 191 FPS, showing the CPU can drive high frame rates when the GPU isn't stressed. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking supports this conclusion.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in overall performance?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15,852, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. It's within 1.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (which scores 16,129) and within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16,014). The AMD Radeon R9 370X is essentially tied at 15,862.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with this setup?

A: At 1080p Low, you'll average 191 FPS. Medium settings yield 150 FPS (with a 127 FPS minimum), High gives 136 FPS, and Ultra delivers 87 FPS. All results are well above 60 FPS, making 1080p entirely GPU-limited at every preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data covers four resolutions and four settings presets, providing a complete picture of performance scaling.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 191 FPS average, which is excellent for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings drop to 150 FPS, with the recorded minimum of 127 FPS and maximum of 172 FPS indicating stable frame delivery. High settings average 136 FPS, still comfortably above 120 FPS for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings reduce performance to 87 FPS, which is the largest single-settings penalty at this resolution (a 36% drop from High to Ultra).

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the GPU working harder. Low settings average 132 FPS, a 31% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 104 FPS, with a minimum of 88 and maximum of 120 FPS — the 32 FPS spread shows some variance but remains playable. High settings produce 94 FPS, which is ideal for 1440p gaming on standard 60 Hz or entry-level 144 Hz monitors. Ultra settings drop to 60 FPS, exactly at the 60 FPS threshold. This makes 1440p Ultra viable for players who prioritize visual quality over headroom.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low settings average 79 FPS, which is still smooth but a significant drop from 1440p. Medium settings average 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS — the 18 FPS spread shows the GPU is consistently near its ceiling. High settings average 56 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced combat. Ultra settings plummet to 36 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold most players consider acceptable for an action RPG. The progression from Medium to High at 4K costs 6 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 20 FPS, showing a massive performance cliff at the highest preset.

Notably, the min/max data is only available for Medium settings across all resolutions. This suggests the testing methodology focused on capturing frame variance at this preset, and the data shows that as resolution increases, the variance decreases (45 FPS spread at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, 18 FPS at 4K). This confirms that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the consistent bottleneck, while at lower resolutions, CPU or driver-level variations cause more frame time irregularity.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific Intel Core i5-14600K + AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1307 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the 55.5th percentile of all systems tested. This ranking reflects the mid-range positioning of the RX 7700 (58th percentile among GPUs) combined with the high-end CPU performance of the i5-14600K (90th percentile among CPUs).

The gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's mid-pack ranking reveals that Greedfall is heavily GPU-dependent. Systems with similarly ranked CPUs but higher-tier GPUs would rank significantly better, while the RX 7700's 58th percentile GPU placement drags the overall combo down. The 2938 tested combos include configurations with much more powerful GPUs paired with weaker CPUs, and those still outperform this setup in Greedfall due to the game's graphics-heavy nature.

The CPU's nearest rivals — Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, AMD EPYC 4345P, and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 — all have nearly identical average benchmark scores (within 0.8% of the i5-14600K), so swapping the CPU to any of these would likely produce similar in-game results. Conversely, the GPU's nearest rivals — AMD Radeon R9 370X, AMD Radeon RX 9060, AMD Radeon Pro W5500, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti — all sit within 1.7% of the RX 7700's average score, meaning there's little performance differentiation among these cards in synthetic benchmarks. In Greedfall, the RTX 3060 Ti's slightly higher average score (16,129 vs 15,852) might translate to a few extra FPS, but not enough to change the overall experience.

The ranking position of 1307/2938 suggests this is a mainstream-gaming setup that handles Greedfall well at 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K Ultra. For context, the fact that over 1,300 other combos rank higher indicates there are many more powerful GPU options available, while the nearly 1,600 combos ranking lower show this setup is far from entry-level.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2459 MHz and game clock of 2041 MHz. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, and the GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 25.18 TFLOPS.

In Greedfall, the GPU's role is clearly dominant. The FPS scaling across resolutions and settings shows the RX 7700's compute and memory subsystems being progressively saturated. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this 2019 title, even at 4K Ultra, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. Instead, the 96 ROPs and 236.1 GPixel/s pixel rate appear to be the bottleneck at high resolutions and settings, as the game's rendering requirements overwhelm the rasterization pipeline.

The GPU's 58th percentile ranking (average score 15,852) places it in the mid-range tier, and its nearest rivals — the R9 370X, RX 9060, Pro W5500, and RTX 3060 Ti — all fall within a narrow 1.7% performance band. This tight clustering means the RX 7700 is competitively positioned, but not exceptional. In Greedfall, the 36 FPS at 4K Ultra reflects this mid-range status, while the 191 FPS at 1080p Low shows the GPU can stretch its legs when resolution demands are low.

The 40 ray tracing cores are present but Greedfall does not utilize ray tracing, so they play no role in these results. The GPU's 5 nm process and 200 W TDP suggest efficient power delivery, but the data doesn't include power consumption measurements. The 2,560 shading units handle the game's shader complexity well at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset's heavy pixel shading load causes the significant frame rate drop.

The 624.1 GB/s memory bandwidth is a key asset — at 4K, the GPU needs to move large amounts of texture and geometry data, and this bandwidth prevents memory from becoming a bottleneck. The 16 GB capacity provides ample room for high-resolution textures, which is why 4K High (56 FPS) performs much better than 4K Ultra (36 FPS) — the latter likely adds more complex lighting calculations that tax the compute units rather than memory capacity.