Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-14600K + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers playable performance in Greedfall only at 1080p with lower settings, and the data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited across all tested configurations. The combo ranks 2595 out of 2938 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all system pairings for this title, which reflects the Arc B390's position at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The CPU itself sits at the 90th percentile among all processors, making the performance ceiling clear: this is a GPU-bound pairing where the integrated graphics unit cannot keep pace with the 14-core, 20-thread processor driving it.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Greedfall?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 84 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Medium settings the average drops to 66 FPS, while High settings produce 60 FPS and Ultra falls to 38 FPS at the same resolution.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming in Greedfall?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 58 FPS average, Medium produces 46 FPS, High delivers 42 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 39 FPS, indicating occasional dips below 40 FPS.

Q: Is 4K resolution viable with this configuration?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best result is 35 FPS average on Low settings. Medium averages 27 FPS, High averages 25 FPS, and Ultra averages only 16 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS target, and the Medium preset's minimum of 23 FPS indicates significant stuttering potential.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is 1.3% above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% above the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% above the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% above the GT 710 (1443). All four rivals are within 3% of the Arc B390's score.

Q: How does the Core i5-14600K compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618, which is 0.2% below the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698) and 0.8% below the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995). It sits 0.3% above the AMD EPYC 4345P (48470) and 0.7% above the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The jump from Low to Ultra represents a 46 FPS loss, dropping from 84 FPS to 38 FPS average. This 45% reduction in average frame rate shows the substantial cost of the Ultra preset's visual enhancements on this GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor built on the Raptor Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, backed by 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU draws up to 125 W TDP and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel interface, with PCIe Gen 5 providing 16 lanes for the CPU.

In Greedfall, the CPU's influence on measured frame rates is largely masked by the GPU bottleneck. The i5-14600K scores 2064 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 24491 in multicore, placing it at the 90th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals — the Xeon Gold 5318H (48698 avg score), EPYC 4345P (48470), Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287), and Core Ultra 5 245 (48995) — all sit within 0.8% of the i5-14600K's 48618 average benchmark score, confirming the CPU's strong compute capacity.

The game's 2019 release data suggests it was designed for processors of that era, and the i5-14600K's modern 14-core configuration far exceeds what Greedfall's engine requires. The Passmark physics score of 2473 and multithread score of 38682 indicate robust computational ability. However, the measured FPS results show no scenario where the CPU becomes the limiting factor — even at 1080p Low with 84 FPS average, the Arc B390 remains the constraint. The CPU's single-thread performance (Passmark single-thread score of 4270) and floating-point math score of 92794 suggest it could drive much higher frame rates if paired with a more capable GPU.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process node. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a 300 MHz base clock with a 2500 MHz boost clock, delivering 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 15.36 TFLOPS of FP16 performance. Memory is system-shared with bandwidth dependent on the host system, and the GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The Arc B390's benchmark results are extremely modest. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the GeForce GT 520MX (1463), GeForce 800M (1460), GT 625 OEM (1446), and GT 710 (1443). All of these competitors are within 2.7% of the Arc B390's score, indicating that this integrated GPU performs at the level of entry-level discrete GPUs from over a decade ago.

In Greedfall, the GPU's limitations manifest clearly across all resolution and settings combinations. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s constrain fill-rate-heavy scenes, while the 80 W TDP for the entire GPU package suggests thermal and power ceilings that limit sustained performance. The system-shared memory architecture means bandwidth varies with the host system's RAM configuration, which can impact texture streaming and high-resolution rendering. The 24 ROPs are particularly limiting at 4K resolution, where pixel throughput requirements increase fourfold compared to 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The best results occur at 1080p. Low settings produce an average of 84 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 76 FPS, High averages 60 FPS, and Ultra averages 38 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 18 FPS, Medium to High costs 6 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 22 FPS — showing that the Ultra preset is disproportionately expensive relative to the High-to-Ultra transition.

2560x1440: Performance drops noticeably at 1440p. Low settings average 58 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS, High averages 42 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 12 FPS, Medium to High is 4 FPS, and High to Ultra is 15 FPS. Every preset except Low and Medium falls below the 60 FPS threshold, and the Medium minimum of 39 FPS shows that even mid-range settings can produce uncomfortable dips.

3840x2160: 4K performance is poor across the board. Low settings average 35 FPS, Medium averages 27 FPS with a minimum of 23 FPS and maximum of 32 FPS, High averages 25 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 8 FPS, Medium to High is 2 FPS, and High to Ultra is 9 FPS. No 4K preset achieves even 40 FPS, and the Ultra's 16 FPS average is effectively unplayable for an action RPG requiring responsive combat.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings reduces the average FPS from 84 to 58, a 31% drop. At Medium settings, the decline is from 66 to 46, a 30% reduction. High settings drop from 60 to 42, a 30% decrease, and Ultra falls from 38 to 27, a 29% reduction. These consistent 29-31% penalties suggest the GPU's pixel processing capacity is the primary constraint, as resolution increases directly impact the fill rate and memory bandwidth demands.

The 1440p to 4K transition is even more severe. Low settings drop from 58 to 35 FPS, a 40% reduction. Medium falls from 46 to 27, a 41% decrease. High goes from 42 to 25, a 40% drop, and Ultra declines from 27 to 16, a 41% reduction. The near-uniform 40-41% penalty across all settings at this transition indicates that the GPU's ROP count and memory subsystem are saturated, with the 24 ROPs unable to keep pace with 4K's 8.3 million pixel count.

The scaling pattern — roughly 30% penalty from 1080p to 1440p and 40% from 1440p to 4K — matches expectations for a GPU with limited fill rate. The i5-14600K's CPU performance, which remains constant across resolutions, cannot compensate for these GPU-side bottlenecks. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain flat across resolutions; instead, the consistent drops confirm the Arc B390 as the binding constraint at all tested settings.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset at 66 FPS average provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 56 FPS minimum stays above the 50 FPS threshold where frame pacing issues become noticeable, and the 76 FPS maximum shows headroom. High settings at 60 FPS average are viable but offer no margin for demanding scenes, while Low at 84 FPS wastes visual fidelity for performance the GPU could repurpose. Ultra at 38 FPS is not recommended for action combat.

At 1440p, Low settings at 58 FPS average are the only reliable option for smooth gameplay. Medium at 46 FPS with a 39 FPS minimum may cause stuttering in busy areas, and High at 42 FPS or Ultra at 27 FPS are too inconsistent for a game requiring precise timing. Users prioritizing visual quality over responsiveness could consider Medium, but the data suggests Low provides the most stable experience.

At 4K, no preset achieves acceptable performance. Low at 35 FPS and Medium at 27 FPS are both below playable thresholds for an action RPG, and High at 25 FPS or Ultra at 16 FPS are slideshows. The recommendation is to avoid 4K entirely with this configuration and instead use 1080p Medium or 1440p Low, depending on display resolution preference.

The overall best experience across the measured data is 1080p Medium, which delivers 66 FPS average with a minimum of 56 FPS. This configuration provides a 10 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS target while maintaining mid-range visual settings. The 1080p High preset at 60 FPS is a close second, offering improved visuals but no margin for frame rate drops in intense combat sequences. Given the Arc B390's 9th percentile GPU ranking, users should accept that Greedfall will require conservative settings to maintain responsiveness.