Greedfall

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 delivers a specific and somewhat unbalanced experience in Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. The data shows a configuration that is heavily constrained by its graphics subsystem, particularly at higher resolutions and quality presets. The CPU, a 12-core, 20-thread Alder Lake-S part with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, is far more capable than the GPU, which features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and a 128-bit memory bus delivering 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This combination results in a performance profile that is playable at 1080p with adjusted settings but falls short of smooth frame rates at 1440p and 4K.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a high-end desktop processor built on the Alder Lake architecture. Its configuration of 12 cores and 20 threads is likely not a limiting factor in Greedfall, as the game's demands are more heavily weighted toward the GPU. The processor’s boost clock of 5.00 GHz is significant, providing substantial single-thread performance that is often critical for game logic and frame pacing. This is reflected in its benchmark scores, where it achieves a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1043 and a cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 4091. The data suggests the CPU can easily feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, even at 1080p where the frame rates are highest.

The processor's multi-threaded capabilities are also robust, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 28979 and a passmark_multithread score of 34092. These numbers indicate that the i7-12700KF has substantial headroom for background tasks or heavily threaded applications. However, in the context of Greedfall, the 1080p Low preset average of 75 FPS is more indicative of GPU limits than CPU limits. The CPU's percentile ranking of 89 versus all CPUs places it in the top tier, and its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-12900HX (avgScore 35289, deltaPct 0.2), show a performance delta of less than 0.3%. This indicates that the i7-12700KF is performing as expected for its class, and a faster CPU would not yield a meaningful improvement in this specific game given the GPU's constraints.

The 20 threads are unlikely to be fully utilized by Greedfall, which typically scales well with fewer cores. The CPU's performance is more than adequate, meaning that the observed frame rates are almost certainly not bottlenecked by the processor. The 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are platform characteristics, but the benchmark data does not suggest that memory bandwidth or core count is the primary factor in the game's performance. The CPU's role is to ensure consistent frame delivery, and its high single-thread score (geekbench_singlecore 2526) supports its capability in this regard. The conclusion from the data is that the i7-12700KF is a non-issue for Greedfall, leaving the GPU as the clear performance limiter.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the definitive bottleneck in this configuration. With a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, the GPU's processing power is limited, but the most critical constraint is its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. Greedfall at higher resolutions and quality settings likely exceeds this capacity, leading to significant performance drops. The data supports this, showing a dramatic decline in average FPS as resolution increases. For instance, at 1080p High, the average is 53.4 FPS, but at 1440p High, it drops to 38.1 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 18.6 FPS. This scaling pattern is classic for a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth (128.1 GB/s) and capacity.

The GPU's benchmark scores are modest, with a passmark_g3d score of 7880 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 305. Its percentile ranking of 43 versus all GPUs places it in the lower half of the performance spectrum. When compared to its nearest rivals, the data shows a tight cluster. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (avgScore 8746, deltaPct -0.4) and AMD Radeon 550X (avgScore 8749, deltaPct -0.4) are essentially equivalent in average score, while the NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (avgScore 8671, deltaPct 0.5) is slightly behind. This suggests that the GTX 1650 is performing as expected for its hardware class, and its limitations in Greedfall are inherent to its design.

The 4 GB VRAM is the primary suspect for the severe frame rate drops at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS plummets to 16, which is unplayable. Even at 4K Low, the average is only 31.5 FPS, indicating that the GPU is struggling to fill frames at that pixel count. The memory clock of 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective) is not sufficient to maintain throughput when the texture data becomes large. The GPU's 896 shading units and 56 TMUs are also relatively low, limiting its raw fill rate. The data clearly indicates that the GTX 1650 is a capable 1080p card for many titles, but Greedfall at higher settings and resolutions demands more than it can provide.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS is 53.4, which is playable but not consistently smooth, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35355, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i5-14400 (avgScore 35336) and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-13800H (avgScore 35416). The performance differences are negligible.

*Q: Is this combination capable of running Greedfall at 4K resolution?*

A: The data shows it is not viable for smooth gameplay. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 26.4, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 16, both of which are below playable thresholds.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking compared to all other GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is in the 43rd percentile, meaning it outperforms 43% of all GPUs in the benchmark database, but lags behind the majority.

Q: How does the frame rate change from 1080p Low to 1440p Low?

A: The average FPS drops from 75 at 1080p Low to 47.4 at 1440p Low, a decrease that highlights the GPU's sensitivity to resolution scaling due to its limited memory bandwidth and 4 GB VRAM.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU?

A: The launch MSRP for the Intel Core i7-12700KF is $384.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1641 out of 1705 tested combinations in Greedfall. This places it in the bottom 4% of all configurations, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations. The data indicates that this ranking is almost entirely due to the graphics card, as the CPU is in the 89th percentile of all processors. The high rank number (with 1 being best) means that most other tested combos perform better.

This low ranking is significant when considering the CPU's potential. The i7-12700KF is a powerful processor, but pairing it with a GTX 1650 creates a severe bottleneck. In the context of Greedfall, the combo's rank of 1641 suggests that users with a more balanced GPU, even a mid-range one, would achieve a much better frame rate. The deltaPct values for the GPU's nearest rivals, which are all within 0.5% of its average score, confirm that the GTX 1650 is a low-tier performer. The data shows that while the CPU is capable of high performance, the combo's overall ranking is dragged down by the GPU, making it a poor match for the game's demands at higher resolutions.

The rank also implies that the configuration is not optimized for the game's engine. The low average FPS at 4K (18.6 at High) and the significant drop from 1080p to 1440p (from 53.4 to 38.1 at High) are indicators of a system that is struggling to keep up. The combo's position in the ranking is a quantitative measure of this struggle, and it is clear that the CPU is not the reason for the poor performance. The data suggests that a user with this combo would need to significantly lower resolution and settings to achieve a playable experience, which is consistent with the GPU's performance profile.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern across resolutions, which further illustrates the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 75 at Low settings to 34.5 at Ultra. This is a playable range, albeit with compromises. Moving to 1440p, the average FPS at High drops to 38.1, and at Ultra it falls to 21.3. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a performance loss of roughly 29% at High settings (from 53.4 to 38.1 FPS). This is a significant drop that points to the GPU's inability to handle the increased pixel count and memory pressure.

The most dramatic scaling occurs at 4K. At 4K High, the average FPS is 18.6, which is a 65% drop from the 1080p High result. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 16, which is a 54% drop from the 1080p Ultra result. These figures indicate that the GPU is overwhelmed at 4K, and the 4 GB VRAM is likely causing texture thrashing, leading to severe frame drops. The data shows that the limiting component is unambiguously the GPU, as the CPU's performance is more than sufficient to handle the game's logic at any resolution.

The scaling pattern also reveals that the GPU is not just limited by pixel fill rate but also by memory bandwidth. The 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth is a bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the GPU must move larger amounts of texture data. The difference between 4K Low (31.5 FPS) and 4K High (18.6 FPS) shows that even at low settings, the resolution is too demanding. The data suggests that this combo is only suitable for 1080p gaming, and even then, users will need to select Medium or High settings to maintain a playable frame rate. At 1440p and above, the experience is subpar, and at 4K, it is not recommended.