Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: Intel Core i7-12700K + AMD Radeon RX 9070

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a broadly capable Greedfall experience, with the data showing a clear shift from CPU-bound performance at 1080p to GPU-bound performance at 4K. The measured frame rates span from a highly fluid 234 FPS at 1080p Low to a more demanding 44 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating that the system's headroom varies dramatically based on resolution and quality settings. This pairing ranks 1122nd out of 3703 tested combinations for this title, placing it in the upper third of all configurations evaluated.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals a predictable pattern of GPU saturation. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 167 FPS, which drops to 116 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 30.5% reduction), and further to 69 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 40.5% reduction from 1440p). This scaling curve is characteristic of a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance maintains high frame rates at lower resolutions.

The Low settings preset tells an even clearer story about the CPU's capabilities. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 234 FPS, which only drops to 162 FPS at 1440p (30.8% lower) and 97 FPS at 4K (40.1% lower from 1440p). The fact that 1080p Low exceeds 200 FPS suggests the Core i7-12700K's 12 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, are more than sufficient to feed the Radeon RX 9070 even in lighter rendering scenarios. However, the 4K Low result of 97 FPS indicates that even at minimal settings, the GPU's rendering workload at 3840x2160 begins to dominate.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest scaling penalty. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 107 FPS, falling to 74 FPS at 1440p (30.8% drop) and 44 FPS at 4K (40.5% drop from 1440p). This consistent ~30% drop per resolution step across all settings presets confirms that resolution scaling in Greedfall follows a largely predictable curve, with the GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth being exercised progressively harder at higher pixel counts.

The Medium preset, which includes min/max FPS data, shows a 1080p average of 184 FPS with a range of 156-211 FPS. At 1440p, the average drops to 127 FPS (range 108-147), and at 4K it falls to 76 FPS (range 65-87). The consistency of the frame time distribution across resolutions suggests that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 maintains stable performance without significant thermal or power throttling, even at 4K where the 220 W TDP is most heavily taxed.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Greedfall?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 234, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This indicates the CPU and GPU combination has substantial headroom at lower resolutions.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, but only with settings adjustments. At 4K High, the average FPS is 69, and at 4K Medium it is 76. However, at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 44 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU's core configuration impact Greedfall performance?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K features 12 cores and 20 threads with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5, supports high frame rates even at 1080p Low where the system reaches 234 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's VRAM capacity and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 644.6 GB/s bandwidth. This capacity is sufficient for Greedfall at 4K, where the GPU is the limiting factor rather than memory capacity, as evidenced by the 44 FPS result at 4K Ultra.

Q: How does this combo's overall ranking compare to other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 1122nd out of 3703 tested combos for Greedfall, placing it in the 69.7th percentile. This indicates it outperforms about 70% of all tested configurations for this specific game.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 162 FPS while Ultra produces 74 FPS, a difference of 88 FPS (54.3% reduction). This substantial gap shows that Greedfall's Ultra preset imposes a significant rendering cost on the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1122 out of 3703 tested combinations places it comfortably in the upper third of all systems evaluated for Greedfall. This positioning suggests that while the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 9070 are not the absolute top performers for this title, they deliver a well-balanced experience that handles the game's demands across all tested resolutions and settings. The CPU's percentile ranking of 84 against all CPUs indicates it is a strong performer, while the GPU's percentile of 69 against all GPUs is more moderate, suggesting the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T with an average benchmark score of 35305 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i7-12700KF at 35365 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-13700T at 35403 (0.3% higher), and the Intel Core 5 213PE at 35428 (0.4% higher). These marginal differences—all within 0.4%—indicate that the i7-12700K's compute performance is tightly clustered with several comparable processors, meaning any of these CPUs would likely produce similar Greedfall frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios.

On the GPU side, the Radeon RX 9070's average benchmark score of 23877 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (23736, 0.6% higher), AMD Radeon RX 6800S (24063, 0.8% lower), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile (23628, 1.1% higher), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (24170, 1.2% lower). The tight grouping of these scores, all within 1.2%, suggests that the RX 9070's raw compute performance is comparable to a range of previous-generation GPUs, though its modern RDNA 4.0 architecture and 16 GB VRAM may offer advantages in specific workloads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance across all settings. Low settings produce 234 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 184 FPS average with a minimum of 156 FPS and maximum of 211 FPS. High settings drop to 167 FPS average, while Ultra settings produce 107 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 54.3% reduction in frame rate, from 234 to 107 FPS, demonstrating the significant cost of the game's highest quality preset.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings maintain a strong 162 FPS average. Medium settings produce 127 FPS average with a range of 108-147 FPS. High settings yield 116 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 74 FPS average. The 1440p results show that the system remains highly playable at all settings except perhaps the most demanding, with even Ultra staying above 70 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings produce 97 FPS average, which is still smooth for most displays. Medium settings yield 76 FPS average with a minimum of 65 FPS and maximum of 87 FPS, keeping frame rates above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drop to 69 FPS average, which is just above the 60 FPS line. Ultra settings, however, fall to 44 FPS average, which may result in noticeable stuttering on high refresh rate displays.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the 156-211 FPS range shows tight frame pacing. At 1440p, the 108-147 FPS range maintains consistency. At 4K, the 65-87 FPS range demonstrates that even at higher resolutions, the system avoids drastic frame time spikes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is built on Intel's Alder Lake architecture using a 10 nm process, featuring 12 cores and 20 threads. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz can boost up to 5.00 GHz, providing strong single-thread performance that is critical for Greedfall's frame rate generation at lower resolutions. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps maintain data throughput during gameplay.

Benchmark results show the CPU's multithreaded capabilities are substantial. Cinebench R23 multicore scores 19784, while the single-core score is 1850.5. Geekbench results show 15790 multicore and 2308 single-core. The 3DMark tests reveal scaling from 1043 single-thread to 9979 max-threads, with 9276 at 16 threads. This scaling pattern indicates that the CPU can effectively utilize its 12 cores and 20 threads, which is beneficial for games that leverage multiple threads for physics, AI, and streaming.

The CPU's role in Greedfall becomes evident when examining the 1080p Low result of 234 FPS. At this resolution and setting, the GPU is not heavily taxed, allowing the CPU's single-thread performance to drive frame rates to their maximum. The 5.00 GHz boost clock is likely the key factor enabling such high frame rates, as Greedfall's engine tends to be sensitive to single-thread performance in CPU-bound scenarios. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the CPU's advantage becomes less pronounced.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 84 against all CPUs indicates it outperforms 84% of all processors in general benchmarks. Its nearest rivals, all within 0.4% in average score, include the Intel Core i5-13600T, Intel Core i7-12700KF, Intel Core i7-13700T, and Intel Core 5 213PE. This clustering suggests that for Greedfall, any of these CPUs would deliver similar performance, and the i7-12700K's advantage lies in its high boost clock and robust thread count.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1440p appears to be the sweet spot. At 2560x1440 Medium, the system produces 127 FPS average with a minimum of 108 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. This configuration offers a substantial improvement over High settings (116 FPS average) while maintaining frame rates well above 100 FPS. The 108-147 FPS range at Medium also indicates consistent performance without major frame time spikes.

For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity at 4K, the High preset at 3840x2160 is the recommended choice. The 69 FPS average stays above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a playable experience with enhanced detail levels. However, the 4K Ultra preset's 44 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS target and may result in noticeable judder, making it less suitable for action-oriented gameplay. The 4K Medium preset at 76 FPS average offers a safer margin above 60 FPS while sacrificing some visual quality compared to High.

At 1080p, the system has enough headroom to run Ultra settings at 107 FPS average, making this the ideal resolution for maximum quality. The 1080p Medium setting at 184 FPS is excessive for most displays, but it demonstrates the system's ability to drive high refresh rate monitors. For competitive play or fast-paced action, 1080p Low at 234 FPS provides the lowest latency possible, though the visual trade-offs are significant.

The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, so users targeting this resolution should prioritize the Medium or High presets. At 1440p and below, the system has sufficient performance to run higher settings without compromising frame rates. The 16 GB VRAM on the Radeon RX 9070 ensures that memory capacity is not a constraint at any resolution or setting, allowing the GPU's 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs to operate without bottleneck.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, based on the Navi 48 chip and RDNA 4.0 architecture, is manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC with 53,900 million transistors on a 357 mm² die. Its clock speeds include a base of 1330 MHz, boost of 2520 MHz, and game clock of 2070 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's compute capabilities include 3584 shading units, 224 TMUs, 128 ROPs, and 56 ray tracing cores, with FP32 performance rated at 36.13 TFLOPS.

The GPU's role in Greedfall becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized, allowing the CPU to drive frame rates to 234 FPS at Low settings. However, at 4K, the GPU's rendering workload dominates, and the 44 FPS average at Ultra settings demonstrates the significant computational demands of the game's highest quality preset at this resolution. The pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s are adequate for Greedfall's visual complexity, but the Ultra preset at 4K pushes the GPU to its limits.

The GPU's benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 25381 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290, with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 131539. These scores place the GPU in the 69th percentile against all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (0.6% higher), AMD Radeon RX 6800S (0.8% lower), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile (1.1% higher), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (1.2% lower). This positioning suggests that while the RX 9070 is a capable performer, it does not dominate its price segment in raw compute terms.

The GPU's 220 W TDP and PCIe 5.0 x16 interface ensure it can deliver consistent performance without power limitations. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Greedfall, which likely does not require more than 8-10 GB even at 4K Ultra. This memory headroom means the GPU's performance is limited by its compute and memory bandwidth rather than capacity, as evidenced by the 44 FPS at 4K Ultra despite having ample VRAM available.