Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents a demanding scenario for PC hardware, and the data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 shows a combination that is capable but heavily influenced by graphics settings. This pairing’s performance profile across resolutions reveals a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, while the CPU's strength becomes more apparent at lower graphical loads.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the rate of change is heavily dependent on the chosen quality preset. At 1080p with Low settings, the system delivers an average of 238 FPS, which drops to 165 FPS at 1440p and further to 98 FPS at 4K. This represents a significant 58.8% performance drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that even at the lowest graphical load, the graphics card is still the primary limiting factor.

The scaling pattern shifts when moving to higher quality presets. At High settings, the average frame rate goes from 170 FPS at 1080p, to 118 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 70 FPS at 4K. This is a 58.8% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is nearly identical to the drop seen at Low settings. The consistency of this percentage drop across Low and High settings suggests that the RTX 3080's rendering capabilities are being taxed in a similar manner, regardless of the overall load.

The Ultra preset reveals the most dramatic impact of resolution scaling. The average frame rate plummets from 108 FPS at 1080p to 75 FPS at 1440p, and then to just 45 FPS at 4K. This represents a 58.3% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is in line with the other presets. However, the absolute numbers at 4K Ultra are the most telling, as the system falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this setting is too demanding for smooth gameplay at that resolution. The data suggests that the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and its bandwidth are the primary constraints at 4K, as the workload becomes increasingly memory-intensive at higher resolutions and settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594. The processor also holds a strong 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs, indicating its high performance relative to other models.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role is evident when analyzing the frame rates at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 238 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain high performance. However, the fact that the frame rate still drops to 98 FPS at 4K Low shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as the resolution increases. The CPU's high single-core performance, as indicated by its Geekbench single-core score of 2445, is likely beneficial for the game's core logic and physics, preventing it from becoming a bottleneck in scenarios where the GPU is not fully saturated.

The data indicates that the i5-14600KF is more than sufficient for this game. Its performance is comparable to the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which has an average score of 49228, a mere 0.3% difference from the Intel chip's 49394 average benchmark score. This level of performance ensures that the CPU will not be the primary source of frame rate drops in Greedfall, allowing the focus to remain on the GPU's capabilities and the chosen graphics settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is ranked 1064 out of 3703 tested combinations for Greedfall. This places the combo in the top 28.7% of all tested systems, which is a respectable position. The ranking suggests that while this is not a top-tier, absolute performance setup, it is well above average and provides a solid gaming experience for most users.

This ranking is influenced by the strengths of both components. The CPU's high percentile ranking (90th) is somewhat offset by the GPU's more modest 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The RTX 3080 is an end-of-life product, and while it remains a capable card, its performance is now positioned in the mid-to-high range rather than the top tier. The combo's rank of 1064 reflects this balance, showing that the system is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but it is not without its limitations at 4K with maximum settings. The data shows that the system is most effective when paired with High or Medium settings at 1440p, where it can deliver smooth frame rates well above the 60 FPS target.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 238. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 187 FPS, with a minimum of 159 FPS and a maximum of 215 FPS. High settings yield an average of 170 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still produces an average of 108 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is more than capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors, even with demanding settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decrease. Low settings average 165 FPS, while Medium settings average 130 FPS, with a minimum of 110 FPS and a maximum of 149 FPS. High settings produce an average of 118 FPS. Ultra settings drop the average to 75 FPS. This resolution is a sweet spot for this combo, as it offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, with all settings except Ultra providing frame rates well above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit, particularly at higher settings. Low settings average 98 FPS, and Medium settings average 77 FPS, with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 89 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 70 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of just 45 FPS, which falls below the standard for smooth gameplay. This data shows that 4K gaming with this setup is possible but requires a compromise on settings to maintain acceptable frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a high-end graphics card based on the Ampere architecture, featuring the GA102 chip. It comes with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. The card has a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. Its overall benchmark performance places it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 23172.

In Greedfall, the GPU's role is the primary determinant of performance at higher resolutions and settings. The card's 10 GB of VRAM is a key factor, as the game's texture and geometry demands increase with resolution. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system drops to 45 FPS, which suggests that the GPU is fully saturated and possibly limited by its memory capacity or bandwidth. The RTX 3080's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, have an average score of 23273, which is only 0.4% higher, indicating that the 3080 is still a competitive performer.

The card's performance at 1080p is less constrained, as the frame rates are high across all settings. However, the significant drop from 1080p Low (238 FPS) to 4K Low (98 FPS) highlights that even with lower settings, the GPU's rendering and memory subsystem are the main bottlenecks. The data suggests that for a smooth 4K experience, the user must select Medium settings (77 FPS) or lower, as High settings (70 FPS) are borderline and Ultra settings (45 FPS) are not suitable for fast-paced action.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings provides an excellent balance, yielding 118 FPS. For a higher visual quality, 1440p Medium also performs well at 130 FPS. At 4K, Medium settings are recommended, as they provide an average of 77 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Low, the system achieves 98 FPS, and at Medium it achieves 77 FPS. However, at High and Ultra settings, performance drops to 70 FPS and 45 FPS, respectively, showing that the Ultra preset is not viable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600KF compare to its nearest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900's score of 49228. It is also 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which scores 49196.

Q: Is the RTX 3080's 10 GB of VRAM sufficient for Greedfall?

A: The data indicates that the 10 GB of VRAM is sufficient, but it may be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings, where performance drops to 45 FPS. At lower settings and resolutions, the VRAM capacity does not appear to be a bottleneck.

Q: What is the difference in performance between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the system delivers 170 FPS. At 4K High, this drops to 70 FPS. This represents a 58.8% reduction in performance, showing a significant demand increase on the GPU when moving to 4K.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations for Greedfall?

A: This combo is ranked 1064 out of 3703 tested combinations, placing it in the top 28.7% of all systems tested. This indicates that it is a solid, above-average performer for this game.