Greedfall

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a compelling mid-range configuration for Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is heavily constrained by graphics processing at higher resolutions, while demonstrating robust CPU headroom at lower settings. The data shows a clear narrative of a GPU-bound experience that scales predictably with both resolution and graphical fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta between 1080p and 4K is stark, underscoring the Arc B570's limitations at high pixel counts. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 92 FPS at 1920x1080 to 64 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 28 FPS. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields a meager 38 FPS average, representing a 54 FPS and roughly 59% decrease from the 1080p figure. This trajectory indicates that the GPU's 10 GB memory buffer and 160-bit bus are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. With Low settings, the system achieves 130 FPS at 1080p, falls to 90 FPS at 1440p, and bottoms out at 54 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar curve: 102 FPS at 1080p, 71 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, starting at 59 FPS at 1080p and collapsing to 41 FPS at 1440p and just 24 FPS at 4K. The consistent ~40-50% performance hit when moving from 1440p to 4K across all presets confirms that pixel throughput, not CPU capability, is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Interestingly, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K. At High settings, the 1080p to 1440p transition costs 28 FPS, while the 1440p to 4K transition costs 26 FPS. This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s becomes a bottleneck as resolution increases, with the 4K workload overwhelming the 10 GB VRAM capacity. The data indicates that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo if aiming for smooth gameplay, while 4K should be reserved for less demanding scenarios or lower presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of tested hardware combinations for Greedfall, this pairing sits in the lower-middle tier. The combo ranks 2344 out of 2938 tested configurations, placing it in approximately the 20th percentile of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the Arc B570's position as a mid-range GPU rather than a flagship contender, despite the capable CPU driving it.

The rank suggests that while this system can play Greedfall, it does so with less headroom than the majority of configurations in the database. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus score of 65 indicates it outperforms 65% of all GPUs in synthetic benchmarks, yet the in-game ranking is lower, suggesting that Greedfall's engine presents specific challenges to the Arc architecture. The CPU, by contrast, ranks in the 90th percentile among all processors, highlighting the imbalance between the two components in this specific workload.

When examining the nearest rivals for the GPU, the Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, deltaPct -0.1). This places the B570 in a tight cluster with these competitors, yet the measured FPS in Greedfall suggests the game may favor certain architectures over others. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, scores 49228 on average, just 0.3% behind the i5-14600KF's 49394, indicating these processors are essentially interchangeable in synthetic workloads.

The discrepancy between synthetic scores and in-game rank underscores that Greedfall's optimization—or lack thereof—for Intel's Xe2-HPG architecture plays a significant role. A combo rank of 2344 out of 2938 means a substantial number of systems with ostensibly less powerful components achieve higher frame rates, likely due to driver maturity or engine-specific quirks favoring NVIDIA or AMD hardware.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary driver of performance in this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the measured results. Built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 19,600 million transistors, the GPU features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. The 10 GB GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus delivers 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, a figure that proves adequate for 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K.

Clock speeds are modest, with a base and boost clock both locked at 2500 MHz. This constant frequency helps maintain consistent performance but limits peak throughput compared to higher-clocked rivals. The GPU's FP32 compute of 11.52 TFLOPS and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are respectable for the mid-range segment, yet the 4K Ultra result of 24 FPS indicates these resources are insufficient for maximum settings at high pixel counts.

The memory configuration is the most telling specification. With 10 GB GDDR6 and a 160-bit bus, the B570 is positioned between entry-level and mid-range GPUs. The 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is a bottleneck in memory-intensive scenarios, as evidenced by the steep performance drop at 4K. The measured FPS at 4K High (38) versus 4K Medium (42) shows only a 4 FPS difference, suggesting that beyond a certain point, the GPU's memory subsystem saturates regardless of settings.

Interestingly, the GPU's 18 ray tracing cores do not appear to factor into Greedfall's standard rendering, as the game's release predates widespread RT adoption. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility, but the game likely runs in a traditional rasterization mode. The pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and the 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs paint a picture of a competent but not exceptional graphics processor that excels at 1080p and handles 1440p capably, but is out of its depth at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 130 FPS, providing a high-refresh experience. Medium settings drop to 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 and maximum of 117, still smooth for competitive play. High settings yield 92 FPS, a sweet spot for visual quality and performance. Ultra settings, however, pull the average down to 59 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less fluid than the lower presets.

The 2560x1440 results show a step down in capability. Low settings achieve 90 FPS, maintaining a 60+ FPS experience. Medium settings average 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 and maximum of 81, ensuring no drops below the 60 FPS threshold in the measured window. High settings hit 64 FPS, which is adequate but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings fall to 41 FPS, indicating that maximum fidelity is not viable at this resolution for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings produce 54 FPS, which is borderline playable but not ideal. Medium settings average 42 FPS with a minimum of 36 and maximum of 48, dipping below the 40 FPS comfort zone. High settings manage 38 FPS, while Ultra settings collapse to 24 FPS, making the game essentially unplayable at maximum fidelity. The 4K results consistently show that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming without significant compromises.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data set, with min/max values recorded at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 87-117 FPS, a 30 FPS spread indicating some scene-to-scene variance. At 1440p, the range narrows to 60-81 FPS, a 21 FPS spread. At 4K, the range tightens further to 36-48 FPS, a 12 FPS spread. This decreasing variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is consistently saturated, reducing the impact of scene complexity on frame times.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF provides ample processing power for Greedfall, a game that is not particularly demanding on the CPU. With 14 cores and 20 threads, the processor offers substantial multi-threaded capability, reflected in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and Geekbench multi-core score of 17085. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594 and Geekbench single-core score of 2445.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data storage for game logic, AI, and physics calculations. The 10 nm process node and 125 W TDP indicate a power-hungry but capable processor that rarely becomes the bottleneck in gaming scenarios. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 130 FPS, a figure that would strain many lower-end CPUs but leaves the i5-14600KF with headroom to spare.

The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus score of 90 places it in the top 10% of processors, and its average benchmark score of 49394 is just 0.3% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. This performance parity means that swapping in a rival CPU would yield negligible differences in Greedfall's frame rates. The processor's 20 threads allow for smooth background task handling, and its ECC memory support, while irrelevant for gaming, indicates a professional-grade feature set.

In this specific game, the CPU's role is largely to feed the GPU with draw calls and process game logic. The fact that 1080p Low yields 130 FPS while 4K Low yields 54 FPS confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU. Even at 1080p Ultra, where the GPU is less stressed, the CPU maintains 59 FPS without issue. The data suggests that this processor could drive significantly more powerful GPUs without becoming a bottleneck in Greedfall or similar titles.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 emerges as the optimal configuration based on the measured data. This combination delivers 71 FPS average with a minimum of 60 FPS, ensuring a consistent 60+ FPS experience without dipping below the threshold. The 21 FPS range between minimum and maximum indicates stable performance, and the visual upgrade from Low to Medium is substantial for a mere 19 FPS cost at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the High preset offers the best experience, delivering 92 FPS average. This provides a smooth, high-refresh experience while maintaining decent visual fidelity. Players with 144 Hz monitors may prefer Medium at 102 FPS, but the visual improvement from High is noticeable in Greedfall's detailed environments. The Ultra preset at 1080p (59 FPS) is not recommended, as the 33 FPS drop from High does not justify the marginal visual gains.

For 4K gaming, the data strongly advises against it unless the user prioritizes image quality over playability. The Medium preset at 4K (42 FPS) is the only remotely playable option, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS ideal. The Low preset at 4K (54 FPS) is a viable alternative for users who prefer resolution over detail, but both options require tolerance for sub-optimal frame rates.

The Low preset at 1440p (90 FPS) is a hidden gem for competitive play, offering high frame rates with reduced visual clutter. This setting is ideal for players who prioritize responsiveness over aesthetics. Conversely, the Ultra preset at any resolution above 1080p should be avoided; the 41 FPS at 1440p and 24 FPS at 4K are below playable thresholds. The data clearly indicates that Medium or High at 1440p, or High at 1080p, are the sweet spots for this hardware combination.