Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination. The measured data shows this pairing handles the game with significant headroom at most settings, but the game's demanding Ultra preset and 4K resolution reveal clear performance limits. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to show exactly where this combo excels and where it struggles.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combination reaches an average of 192 FPS. This drops to 137 FPS at High settings and 87 FPS at Ultra.

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K Ultra settings smoothly?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS falls to 36, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that High settings at 4K, yielding 57 FPS, is the more practical ceiling for this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rivals in raw performance?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 26331. It is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon 860M, which is 0.3% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, also 0.3% slower. It performs 1.2% better than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The jump from Low to Ultra at 2560x1440 results in a significant performance cost. The average FPS drops from 133 on Low to 61 on Ultra, representing a reduction of 72 FPS (or about 54%).

Q: Is the Core i5-14600K a bottleneck for this game at high frame rates?

A: The CPU's benchmarks are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064. Given the high FPS figures at 1080p (e.g., 192 FPS on Low), the CPU appears capable of feeding the GPU effectively, even at very high frame rates.

Q: Does the RTX 5060 have enough VRAM for Greedfall?

A: The RTX 5060 comes with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus. The data shows it can run the game at 4K High with 57 FPS, indicating this capacity is sufficient for the game's standard textures and settings at that resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the primary driver of frame rates in Greedfall, as the game's visual load scales directly with the GPU's capabilities. The card features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory with a 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is the memory pool and throughput available for textures and frame data. The GPU's base clock is 2280 MHz with a boost clock of 2497 MHz. These specifications translate into a Passmark G3D score of 20891, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs.

The benchmark results show a clear trend: the RTX 5060 is a powerful card for this title, but it is not invincible. At 1080p, the GPU is able to push frame rates well above 130 FPS on High settings, indicating it has substantial headroom. However, the Ultra preset at any resolution proves to be a significant challenge. The drop from High to Ultra at 1080p is 50 FPS (from 137 to 87), and at 4K, the Ultra preset yields a nearly unplayable 36 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset likely introduces effects or rendering techniques that heavily tax the GPU's 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and its 48 ROPs. The 8 GB VRAM, while sufficient for High settings, might also be a limiting factor at Ultra with higher-resolution textures, though the data does not specify the cause. The card's performance is competitive, as its average benchmark score of 26331 is only 1.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, showing it sits in a solid mid-range tier.

Resolution Scaling

Examining how the average FPS changes from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 137 FPS at 1080p to 95 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 57 FPS at 4K. This represents a 30% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40% decrease from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that the workload is scaling almost linearly with pixel count, which is a strong indicator that the RTX 5060 is the limiting component at these resolutions.

The same pattern is visible at other settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 151 at 1080p to 105 at 1440p to 62 at 4K. The 4K result is a 59% drop from the 1080p result. At Low settings, the frame rates are higher, but the scaling trend remains: 192 FPS at 1080p, 133 at 1440p, and 79 at 4K. While the CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads are more than capable, the consistent and significant FPS drop with each resolution increase points directly to the GPU's rendering limits. The game becomes progressively more demanding as the number of pixels increases, and the RTX 5060's performance ceiling is reached at 4K, where even the High preset only manages 57 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across all combinations of resolution and settings.

1080p:

• Low: 192 FPS average.
• Medium: 151 FPS average, with a minimum of 128 FPS and a maximum of 173 FPS.
• High: 137 FPS average.
• Ultra: 87 FPS average.

At 1080p, the system is exceptionally fast. Even the demanding Ultra preset maintains an average well above 60 FPS, making this resolution a non-issue for the RTX 5060.

1440p:

• Low: 133 FPS average.
• Medium: 105 FPS average, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS.
• High: 95 FPS average.
• Ultra: 61 FPS average.

1440p continues to be a strong resolution for this combo. High settings provide a very smooth experience, and even Ultra settings just barely hit the 60 FPS mark, offering a stable experience for most players.

4K:

• Low: 79 FPS average.
• Medium: 62 FPS average, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS.
• High: 57 FPS average.
• Ultra: 36 FPS average.

At 4K, the GPU's limits become apparent. The Low preset is playable, and the Medium preset is borderline, but High and Ultra fall below the ideal 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 36 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

For this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1920x1080, the data shows the system has massive headroom. The Ultra preset, at 87 FPS average, is the best choice for maximum visual fidelity while still providing a high frame rate. There is no need to compromise on graphics settings at this resolution, as even the most demanding preset is well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the High preset, with an average of 95 FPS, offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset, while averaging 61 FPS, is also viable for players who prioritize graphics over a higher frame rate headroom. The Medium preset at 105 FPS is a good option for those with high-refresh-rate monitors who want to stay above 100 FPS.

For 3840x2160, the recommendation is more nuanced. The Low preset (79 FPS) and Medium preset (62 FPS) are the only options that provide an average FPS at or above 60. The data suggests that the Medium preset is the best choice for 4K, as it provides a solid 62 FPS average with a minimum of 53 FPS, which is a better experience than the 57 FPS average of the High preset. The Ultra preset at 36 FPS is not recommended for practical gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a formidable processor that ensures it will not be the bottleneck in Greedfall. With 14 cores and 20 threads, it offers substantial multi-threaded capability, reflected in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 16673. Its single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4270.

In the context of Greedfall, a game that is not typically CPU-intensive, this processor provides a massive performance cushion. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 192 FPS. This high frame rate is only possible if the CPU can process game logic and issue draw calls fast enough to keep the GPU fed. The i5-14600K's strong single-core performance is crucial for this task, and its multi-core capabilities ensure smooth performance even with background tasks running. The CPU's performance is ranked in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 48618 is almost identical to its closest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (0.2% slower) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (0.3% faster). This indicates that the processor is not a limiting factor in this system, allowing the RTX 5060's performance to be the sole determinant of frame rates in this title.