Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG from Spiders, presents a demanding workload for the AMD Radeon RX 580 paired with the Intel Core i5-14600KF. The measured data reveals a combination that is heavily constrained by the graphics card, with the powerful CPU unable to compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions and settings. The benchmark results indicate a system that delivers playable performance only under specific, controlled conditions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three tested resolutions paints a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 81 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that average to 56 FPS, a significant reduction of 25 FPS. The leap to 4K at Low settings further reduces the average to 34 FPS, which is a 22 FPS drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering resolution directly dictates the frame rate.

The trend becomes even more pronounced when examining the High preset. At 1080p, the average is 58 FPS, which is respectable. However, at 1440p, the average falls to 40 FPS, and at 4K, it plummets to 24 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is roughly 59%, indicating that the RX 580 is being overwhelmed by the pixel count at 4K. The data suggests that the i5-14600KF has ample headroom at these resolutions, as the frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the GPU's fill rate and shader throughput.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less severe than the scaling from 1440p to 4K, especially at lower settings. For instance, at Low settings, the 1080p to 1440p drop is 25 FPS, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 22 FPS. This could indicate that the game's engine and the RX 580's 256-bit memory bus are working in tandem, but the sheer number of pixels at 4K begins to saturate the GPU's compute units. The conclusion from the resolution scaling is that this hardware combo is not designed for 4K gaming in Greedfall, and even 1440p requires a compromise on settings to maintain a playable frame rate.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the primary limiting factor in this configuration. With 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card has the capacity to hold textures, but its raw compute power is dated. The benchmark results show a passmark_g3d score of 8813, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. This mid-range standing is reflected in the Greedfall performance, where the card struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 1080p with High settings, averaging just 58 FPS.

The GPU's clock speeds, a base of 1257 MHz and a boost of 1340 MHz, are relatively modest. The data shows that these clocks are not sufficient for the demands of Greedfall at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra preset yields an average of just 15 FPS, a clear sign that the GPU's 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient. The card's 32 ROPs and 144 TMUs are also likely contributing to the bottleneck, as the game's rendering of geometric detail and post-processing effects at 4K overwhelms these units.

Comparing the RX 580 to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, it sits just 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and 0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER. This proximity in average score explains why the RX 580 performs as it does; it is a solid 1080p card, but not one suited for high-resolution gaming. The GPU's performance in Greedfall aligns with its overall benchmark profile, suggesting that the game's engine is not particularly optimized for the GCN 4.0 architecture, leaving the card exposed. The 8 GB of VRAM is not the issue at 1080p, but the raw shader throughput is the deciding factor in the lower frame rates at higher settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combination is at 1920x1080 resolution. The data shows that the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 81, but this comes with a significant visual sacrifice. A better balance is struck with the Medium preset, which yields an average of 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. This is the only preset at 1080p that offers both a high average and a minimum frame rate above 60, ensuring a smooth experience.

The High preset at 1080p is borderline, with an average of 58 FPS. While this is playable, the lack of measured minimum FPS data suggests it may dip below 60 during intense scenes, potentially causing noticeable stutter. The Ultra preset at 1080p is not recommended, as the average drops to 37 FPS, which is a substantial degradation in fluidity. For players who must use 1440p, the Low preset is the only viable option, offering an average of 56 FPS dropped to 40 at High. The 4K resolution is not viable for serious play, as even the Low preset only averages 34 FPS.

The data implies that the "best experience" is a trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. The Medium preset at 1080p provides the most consistent performance, with the minimum FPS of 54 ensuring that the game remains responsive. The High preset is a compromise for those who want better visuals, but the risk of frame drops is higher. The recommendation from the benchmarks is clear: stay at 1080p and use Medium or High, avoiding Ultra and all 4K presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this CPU and GPU combo in Greedfall?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 81, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this hardware combination capable of 4K gaming in Greedfall?

A: No. The benchmark results show that even at the Low preset, the average FPS at 3840x2160 is only 34, which is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset is unplayable at 15 FPS.

Q: At 1440p, which settings preset provides the most stable frame rate?

A: The Low preset provides the highest average FPS at 56. The Medium preset offers a lower average of 44 FPS but includes measured minimum and maximum FPS values of 38 and 51, respectively.

Q: How does the RX 580's performance in this game compare to its closest competitors?

A: The RX 580's average benchmark score is 0.1% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, indicating very similar overall performance levels.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 58 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. This represents a 21 FPS drop when moving from High to Ultra.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The frame rates scale significantly with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, despite the CPU having a high 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a formidable processor that is not the limiting factor in this game. With 14 cores and 20 threads, it possesses a significant amount of computational power. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594. In the database, it holds a 90th percentile ranking against all CPUs, indicating it is more powerful than the vast majority of processors.

Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which it edges out by 0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388, which is 0.8% faster. This places the i5-14600KF in a very high-performance tier. In the context of Greedfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The data suggests that at all tested resolutions and settings, the CPU has more than enough headroom. The FPS is determined by the GPU's rendering speed, not the CPU's processing speed.

The CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz is high, which is beneficial for single-threaded game engines. While Greedfall may not be a heavily multi-threaded title, the i5-14600KF's 20 threads ensure that there is no CPU bottleneck. The benchmark results show a clear division of labor: the CPU handles the simulation, and the GPU handles the pixels. In this pairing, the GPU is the component that fails to keep up with the CPU's output, leading to the lower frame rates observed at higher settings)Skip the CPU analysis here, as it is clear the processor is not the constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset leads with an average of 81 FPScars. The Medium preset follows with an average of 64 FPS, backed by a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73, showing a stable performance window. The High preset averages 58 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops significantly to 37 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance decreases across the board. The Low preset averages 56 FPS, making it the only playable option at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 44 FPS, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 51, indicating a playable but less consistent experience. The High preset averages 40 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 26 FPS.

The 3840x2160 results are consistently low. The Low preset averages 34 FPS, which is the only configuration above 30 FPS. The Medium preset averages 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30. The High preset averages 24 FPS, and the Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 15 FPS. The data shows a clear progression: performance scales linearly with resolution and settings, with the GPU's limits being exposed at every step above 1080p Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database for Greedfall, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 3371 out of 3703 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 9% of all configurations. This low ranking is a direct result of the GPU's performance, as the CPU is in the top 10% of all processors. The pairing of a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU creates a significant imbalance.

The combo's ranking is more reflective of the GPU's percentile standing (53rd) than the CPU's (90th), confirming that the graphics card is the anchor on this system's overall game performance. While the CPU is capable of driving much faster graphics cards, the RX 580's limitations cap the entire system's potential in this specific game. The data suggests that to improve this combo's rank in Greedfall, a GPU upgrade would be necessary, as the CPU would not need to be changed to see a substantial performance increase. The low rank confirms the fact that a balanced system is often more critical than having one exceptionally powerful component.