Greedfall

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Greedfall, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. Measured data across twelve resolution and settings combinations shows a system that is exceptionally capable at 1080p, solid at 1440p, and playable but demanding at 4K, with the frame rate deltas between presets revealing the expected workload characteristics of this 2019 Action RPG.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and consistent across all settings presets, indicating a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 158.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 108 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 31.7%, and then to 64.4 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 40.4% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline from 1440p to 4K, where the pixel count nearly doubles, points directly at the Radeon RX 7800 XT’s rendering throughput as the limiting factor rather than the CPU.

The scaling pattern at Low settings reinforces this interpretation. At 1920x1080, the system produces 221.8 FPS, which drops to 151.7 FPS at 1440p and 94.3 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K result is less than half the 1080p result (94.3 vs 221.8) suggests that while the CPU can feed frames quickly at lower resolutions, the GPU’s pixel fill rate and shading capacity become the bottleneck as resolution increases. The Radeon RX 7800 XT’s 96 ROPs and 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate, combined with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, provide the bandwidth headroom, but the raw compute power is still taxed heavily at 4K.

At Medium settings, the same downward trend is visible: 173.7 FPS at 1080p, 119.9 FPS at 1440p, and 71.7 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is 58.7%, which is nearly identical to the High preset’s 59.3% reduction, showing that resolution scaling is consistent regardless of the quality preset. The Ultra preset, however, shows the most dramatic scaling, with 101.3 FPS at 1080p falling to 72.4 FPS at 1440p and then to 42.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is 57.7% lower than the 1080p Ultra result, demonstrating that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings pushes the GPU to its limits, making 4K Ultra a borderline experience for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, provides ample processing headroom for Greedfall, which is not a particularly CPU-intensive title given its 2019 release date. The processor’s hybrid Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, delivers strong single-thread performance that is critical for game logic and draw call submission. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 4128 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 29241 in multi-core, with a PassMark single-thread score of 4013, indicating that it can handle the game’s serial workloads without becoming a constraint.

The data supports this conclusion: at 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 221.8 FPS, a figure that is unlikely to be CPU-limited because the frame pacing remains stable even at such high rates. The 3DMark scores further contextualize the CPU’s capability. A 2-thread score of 2065 and a 4-thread score of 4011 show strong scaling for the game’s primary threads, while the max-thread score of 9979 indicates that even when all 20 threads are utilized, the processor maintains high throughput. The largest performance margin comes from the 8-thread score of 7202, which suggests that Greedfall likely benefits from up to 8 threads, but the 12-core configuration ensures no thread starvation occurs.

The i7-12700K’s position relative to its nearest rivals is notable. Its average benchmark score of 35684 is 0.3% below the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802) and 0.7% below the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940), yet it is 0.6% above the Intel Core i7-13700T (35468) and 0.8% above the Intel Core i7-13800H (35416). These deltas are minuscule, meaning the CPU is effectively performance-equivalent to its peers in this tier. For Greedfall, the 12 physical cores and 20 threads provide more than enough parallel processing capability, and the 25 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores, reducing memory latency in open-world areas.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the frame rate behavior across resolutions. Built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a Navi 32 chip, the GPU features 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2430 MHz. This configuration yields 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 583.2 GTexel/s of texture fill rate, which are the primary drivers of the pixel and shader workloads in Greedfall. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for the game’s textures and assets at any resolution.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 32619. Its nearest rival, the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, scores 32540 (0.2% lower), while the NVIDIA P104-100 scores 32747 (0.4% higher), showing that the RX 7800 XT is tightly clustered with its competition. However, the measured FPS in Greedfall shows that this GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the 42.9 FPS average indicates the card is struggling to maintain playable frame rates. The PassMark G3D score of 24176 and DirectX 12 score of 93 further illustrate that while the GPU is capable, it is not a top-tier 4K performer in this title.

The clock behavior is also informative. The base clock of 1295 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz, with a boost up to 2430 MHz, show that the card can sustain high frequencies under load, but the 263 W TDP suggests power headroom is not the limiting factor. Instead, the 4K Ultra result of 42.9 FPS indicates that the GPU’s compute units are saturated by the combination of high resolution and intensive shading effects. At 1440p High, the 108 FPS result is excellent, showing that the card is well-balanced for that resolution, while at 1080p High, the 158.2 FPS result is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this configuration is at 1440p with High settings, which delivers 108 FPS average. This strikes the best balance between visual fidelity and frame rate, as the 1440p Medium preset yields 119.9 FPS (an 11% improvement) but the visual quality reduction is noticeable for a game with detailed environments. The 1440p Ultra preset drops to 72.4 FPS, which is still playable but approaches the threshold where motion smoothness may be compromised in fast-paced combat.

At 1080p, the High preset at 158.2 FPS is the recommended choice for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, as it provides a 56.9 FPS advantage over the Ultra preset (101.3 FPS) while maintaining most visual quality. The 1080p Medium preset (173.7 FPS) offers diminishing returns over High, and the Low preset (221.8 FPS) is only advisable for maximum frame rates on 240 Hz displays. For 4K, the High preset at 64.4 FPS is the only reasonable option, as the Medium preset (71.7 FPS) offers a minor 11.3% improvement but the Low preset (94.3 FPS) significantly degrades the game’s visual presentation. The 4K Ultra preset at 42.9 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth.

The data suggests that the system’s sweet spot is 1440p High, where the GPU is utilized effectively without being overwhelmed. The 4K results, while playable at High settings, indicate that the RX 7800 XT is at the edge of its capabilities for this game at that resolution.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Greedfall?*

A: The measured data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings delivers 108 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and frame rate. At 4K, High settings (64.4 FPS) is the highest preset that maintains playability, while 1080p High (158.2 FPS) is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

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

A: The 4K Ultra preset produces an average of 42.9 FPS, which is below the standard 60 FPS target. While technically playable, the frame rate is not smooth enough for an Action RPG, and the 4K High preset (64.4 FPS) is a better choice.

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

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary constraint at 1440p and 4K, as frame rates drop significantly with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU (with a 5.00 GHz boost clock and 12 cores) provides sufficient headroom to reach 221.8 FPS at Low settings, suggesting it is not the limiting factor.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700K compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i7-12700K’s average score of 35684 is 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802) and 0.7% lower than the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940), but it is 0.6% higher than the Intel Core i7-13700T (35468) and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i7-13800H (35416), making it effectively performance-equivalent.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 221.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 101.3 FPS, a difference of 120.5 FPS. The High preset (158.2 FPS) sits between these extremes, showing that Ultra settings cost a significant amount of performance.

*Q: Does the GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM provide enough memory for Greedfall at 4K?*

A: Yes, the 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus (624.1 GB/s bandwidth) is more than sufficient for the game’s assets at 4K. The frame rate drops at 4K are due to compute throughput, not memory capacity, as the GPU’s 37.32 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the limiting factor.