Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that heavily taxes both the processor and the graphics card. The data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 shows a configuration that is capable of smooth gameplay at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K with higher visual fidelity. The measured FPS values reveal a system where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, while the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance ensures it is rarely the bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable decline in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with High settings, the system achieves an average of 100.3 FPS, which is a very fluid experience. Moving to 1440p at the same High preset, the average drops to 68.7 FPS, a reduction of approximately 31.5%. This indicates that the rendering load is scaling significantly with pixel count.

The most dramatic shift occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS plummets to 40.7. This is a 40.8% decrease from the 1440p result. This steep drop-off strongly suggests that the RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM and its memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s are being saturated at the higher resolution. The GPU's compute capabilities, with a FP32 throughput of 6.451 TFLOPS, are insufficient to maintain the frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the system averages 140.2 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 98.8 FPS at 1440p and then to 56.9 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings represents a 59.4% drop in performance. This indicates that even when the graphical load is minimized, the sheer number of pixels at 4K overwhelms the GPU. The data shows that the RTX 2060 is not a 4K-capable card for this title, as even the lowest settings fail to maintain a stable 60 FPS at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core processor with 20 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its high core count is reflected in its strong multi-threaded benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 15636. This processing power is more than sufficient for Greedfall, which is not known for being a highly CPU-intensive title.

The CPU's single-thread performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4643. This is crucial because even in GPU-bound scenarios, the CPU must be able to feed the graphics card with draw calls and game logic data. The data suggests that this CPU is not the limiting component in any of the measured configurations. For example, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 140.2 FPS, a very high frame rate that demonstrates the CPU's ability to process the game's data quickly.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 93rd among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367, places it in the top tier of processors. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, has a nearly identical average score of 49166, with a deltaPct of only 0.4%. This indicates that the KF variant's lack of integrated graphics has no meaningful impact on its processing capabilities. The bottleneck in this configuration is overwhelmingly the GPU, as the CPU has ample headroom to handle the game's demands at all tested resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the clear limiting factor in this system, particularly at higher resolutions. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 192-bit memory bus, its bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s becomes a constraint at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 1680 MHz and 1920 shading units are not enough to handle the pixel fill rate required at 3840x2160 with high detail settings.

The GPU's benchmark data shows it is a mid-range performer, ranking in the 58th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 16074. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, has a score of 15996, showing a deltaPct of 0.5%, meaning the RTX 2060 is just slightly faster. However, this performance level is insufficient for demanding 4K gaming in Greedfall.

The impact of the GPU is most evident in the Ultra preset results. At 1080p, the Ultra preset yields 61 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh-rate territory. At 1440p, this drops to 43.4 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to an unplayable 23.3 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra settings is substantial, indicating that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU's resources. The data suggests that for a smooth experience, the GPU is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High settings, where it can maintain frame rates above 60 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: No. The data shows that at 4K with the lowest settings, the system averages 56.9 FPS, and at High settings, it drops to 40.7 FPS. These frame rates are below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth, indicating the RTX 2060 is not powerful enough for a consistent 4K experience.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. At High settings, the system achieves 100.3 FPS, and even at Ultra, it maintains 61 FPS. This provides the best balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: How does the Core i5-14600KF's performance compare to its direct rival?

A: The Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49367, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K's score of 49166. This shows they are nearly identical in performance, with the KF version being marginally faster in this dataset.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM of the RTX 2060 sufficient for Greedfall?

A: The data suggests it is sufficient at 1080p and 1440p, but it becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The significant frame rate drops at 4K indicate that the memory bandwidth and capacity are being strained at that resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 98.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 43.4 FPS. This represents a 56.1% reduction in performance, showing that the Ultra preset is very demanding on the GPU.

Q: Based on the data, is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is the more critical component for overall frame rates. The CPU shows strong performance with high benchmark scores, but the GPU's performance drops sharply with increased resolution and settings, indicating it is the primary bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this configuration depend on the user's target resolution and performance preference. For a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor, the High preset is recommended, as it delivers an average of 100.3 FPS. This provides a significant performance buffer over the 60 FPS threshold while offering better visual quality than the Medium preset, which averages 106.4 FPS.

For users with a 1440p display, the High preset is also the best choice, achieving 68.7 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS target and provides a good balance between visual fidelity and smoothness. The Medium preset at 76.6 FPS is an alternative for those who prefer a higher frame rate, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often less noticeable than the performance gain.

At 4K, the data shows that no preset provides a consistently smooth experience. The Low preset at 56.9 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it is still below 60 FPS. The High preset at 40.7 FPS is not recommended for action gameplay. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it only manages 23.3 FPS at 4K. For this resolution, users would need to consider lowering the resolution or upgrading the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete list of average FPS values measured for the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination in Greedfall.

• 1920x1080, Low: 140.2 FPS
• 1920x1080, Medium: 106.4 FPS
• 1920x1080, High: 100.3 FPS
• 1920x1080, Ultra: 61.0 FPS
• 2560x1440, Low: 98.8 FPS
• 2560x1440, Medium: 76.6 FPS
• 2560x1440, High: 68.7 FPS
• 2560x1440, Ultra: 43.4 FPS
• 3840x2160, Low: 56.9 FPS
• 3840x2160, Medium: 45.2 FPS
• 3840x2160, High: 40.7 FPS
• 3840x2160, Ultra: 23.3 FPS

The data reveals a consistent hierarchy: lower resolutions and lower settings yield higher frame rates. The performance gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 79.2 FPS. At 1440p, this gap is 55.4 FPS, and at 4K, it is 33.6 FPS. This pattern confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the absolute performance loss from higher settings is lessened at higher resolutions where the GPU is already saturated. The system is well-suited for 1080p gaming with high detail and capable of 1440p gaming with a slight compromise in settings.