Greedfall

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 produces a broad spread of frame rates in Greedfall, with the data showing that the CPU’s strong single-thread performance becomes the primary constraint at lower resolutions. The measured results indicate that this combination ranks 74th out of 1705 tested combos, placing it comfortably in the top percentile for this title. The following analysis breaks down how the system scales across resolutions, which settings provide the most balanced experience, and what the raw numbers reveal about the role of each component.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic shift in bottleneck behavior. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 334.6 FPS, which is an exceptionally high ceiling that points to the RTX 5080 being held back by the CPU’s processing limits. When the resolution increases to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the frame rate drops to 234.4 FPS, a reduction of approximately 30%. Moving further to 3840x2160 at Low yields 138.6 FPS, which is another substantial drop of about 41% from the 1440p figure. This pattern—where the largest percentage losses occur at the highest resolutions—indicates that the GPU begins to take over as the limiting factor only when pixel count rises dramatically.

At the High preset, the scaling is less aggressive. The system produces 242.4 FPS at 1080p, 169.4 FPS at 1440p, and 96.9 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 43%. These percentages are nearly identical to the Low preset scaling, suggesting that the relative performance curve is consistent regardless of the visual load. However, the absolute numbers show that the GPU is still not fully saturated until 4K, because the 1080p High result of 242.4 FPS is far above the 1440p Low result of 234.4 FPS, despite the higher settings. This implies that even at High settings, the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. At 1080p, the system manages 153.9 FPS; at 1440p, it falls to 106.9 FPS (a 31% drop); and at 4K, it reaches 66 FPS (a 38% drop from 1440p). The scaling here is more uniform, and the 4K Ultra figure of 66 FPS is the lowest recorded in the entire dataset. This suggests that at Ultra settings, the combination of high resolution and heavy graphical effects finally pushes the GPU into a state where it is the clear limiting component. The data shows that the RTX 5080 has enough headroom to handle 1080p and 1440p with ease, but the 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and the 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are still taxed by 4K Ultra.

The key takeaway is that the Core i7-12700KF, with its 3.60 GHz base and 5.00 GHz boost clock, is more than adequate for Greedfall at lower resolutions. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads are not the bottleneck until the GPU is pushed to its limits. For users targeting 1440p or below, the frame rates are so high that the display refresh rate will likely be the limiting factor, not the hardware. At 4K, the scaling becomes more predictable, and the GPU’s role is dominant.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy of presets, and the data suggests that the High preset offers the most sensible balance for most users. At 1440p High, the system produces 169.4 FPS, which is more than enough for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at the same resolution delivers 184.9 FPS, only a 9% improvement over High, but the visual quality difference is typically more noticeable than that modest gain. Conversely, the Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 106.9 FPS, which is a significant 37% reduction compared to High, and this loss is unlikely to be justified by the marginal graphical improvements in Greedfall.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts. The High preset yields 96.9 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. The Medium preset offers 111.3 FPS, a 15% increase over High, and this could be a better choice for users who prioritize frame rate over fidelity. The Low preset at 4K produces 138.6 FPS, but the visual downgrade is substantial. The Ultra preset at 4K is the worst option, with 66 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay on most displays. The data indicates that High is the sweet spot for 4K, as it stays above 90 FPS while maintaining a reasonable level of detail.

For 1080p users, the situation is less critical because all presets exceed 150 FPS. Even the demanding Ultra preset hits 153.9 FPS, which is sufficient for most monitors. The Low preset reaches 334.6 FPS, which is useful only for esports-style play where every frame matters. The Medium preset at 266.4 FPS and the High preset at 242.4 FPS are both excellent choices, and the choice between them should be based on visual preference rather than performance necessity. The benchmark results show that Greedfall is not particularly demanding on this hardware, and the CPU’s high single-thread score of 1043 in 3DMark single-thread tests helps maintain high minimums even under load.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this CPU and GPU combo in Greedfall?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p is the optimal resolution. At High settings, the system produces 169.4 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors, while 4K at High drops to 96.9 FPS, which is still playable but less comfortable.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The loss depends on the preset. At Low settings, the drop is from 334.6 FPS to 138.6 FPS, a reduction of 58.6%. At High settings, the drop is from 242.4 FPS to 96.9 FPS, a reduction of 60%. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 153.9 FPS to 66 FPS, a reduction of 57.1%.

Q: Is the Core i7-12700KF a bottleneck for the RTX 5080 in this game?

A: At 1080p, the data suggests yes. The Low preset reaches 334.6 FPS, which is far higher than typical display refresh rates, indicating the GPU is not fully utilized. At 4K, the bottleneck shifts to the GPU, as evidenced by the 66 FPS result at Ultra settings.

Q: Which settings preset delivers the highest frame rate at 4K?

A: The Low preset at 4K produces 138.6 FPS, which is the highest 4K result in the dataset. However, this comes with a significant visual quality reduction compared to High or Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 5080’s 16 GB of VRAM affect performance in Greedfall?

A: The 16 GB of GDDR7 memory with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for all tested settings and resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 66 FPS is likely limited by compute throughput rather than memory capacity, as the game does not appear to exceed the available VRAM.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: Medium produces 184.9 FPS, while High produces 169.4 FPS. The difference is 15.5 FPS, or about 9%. This is a small gain that may not justify the visual downgrade for most users.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 74th out of 1705 tested combos in Greedfall. This places the system in the top 4.3% of all configurations tested, which is a strong result given the game’s age and the hardware’s modern architecture. The CPU alone has a percentile rank of 89 against all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 35355 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. The Intel Core i5-14400 scores 35336, which is only 0.1% lower, while the Intel Core i9-12900HX scores 35289, which is 0.2% lower. This means the CPU is performing at the expected level for its class, and there is no indication of a silicon lottery or thermal throttling affecting the results.

The GPU also holds an 89th percentile rank against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 59188. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A570M, scores 58239, which is 1.6% lower, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X scores 57661, which is 2.6% lower. The RTX 5080 is clearly a high-end part, and its performance in Greedfall aligns with its position in the broader benchmark landscape. The combo rank of 74 suggests that there are only 73 other configurations that perform better in this specific game, which reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The data indicates that neither component is significantly underperforming relative to the other, and the pair works well together across all measured settings.

The ranking also implies that users with higher-tier CPUs or GPUs may see better results, but the difference is likely to be small given the game’s engine limitations. The 3DMark max threads score of 9983 for the CPU and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8637 for the GPU both point to a system that is well-matched for a game like Greedfall, which does not appear to be heavily threaded or GPU-bound at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing, especially at higher resolutions. Its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory with a 256-bit bus and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth provides ample headroom for Greedfall’s assets, even at 4K Ultra. The GPU’s base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2617 MHz are relatively high, and the benchmark results show that the card is able to maintain consistent frame rates across all tested presets. The 10752 shading units and 336 texture mapping units contribute to the card’s raw throughput, which is reflected in the 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

In Greedfall, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the data shows that the frame rates are so high that the CPU is likely the limiting factor, but at 4K, the GPU’s workload increases significantly. The 4K Ultra result of 66 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, and this is expected given the pixel count and the demanding settings. The GPU’s 112 ROPs and 84 ray tracing cores are not specifically tested in this game, but they contribute to the overall rendering pipeline. The 293.1 GPixel/s pixel rate and 879.3 GTexel/s texture rate are more than sufficient for a 2019 title like Greedfall.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is not a limiting factor in this game, as the data does not show any signs of memory-related stuttering or frame drops. The GDDR7 memory operates at 1875 MHz, which translates to 30 Gbps effective, and this bandwidth is more than enough for the game’s textures and geometry. The GPU’s power draw of 360 W is notable, but the performance results justify the power consumption. The card’s dual-slot design and 304 mm length are standard for a high-end GPU, and the suggested 750 W PSU is appropriate for this configuration.

Overall, the GPU is the star of the show in Greedfall, particularly at 1440p and 4K. The data shows that it scales well with resolution, and the frame rates remain playable even at the most demanding settings. The only area where the GPU is not fully utilized is at 1080p, where the CPU becomes the bottleneck. This is not a flaw in the GPU but rather a sign that the system is well-balanced for higher-resolution gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a comprehensive view of the system’s performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 334.6 FPS, the Medium preset delivers 266.4 FPS, the High preset delivers 242.4 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 153.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 180.7 FPS, which represents a 54% reduction in performance when moving to the highest settings. At 2560x1440, the results are 234.4 FPS for Low, 184.9 FPS for Medium, 169.4 FPS for High, and 106.9 FPS for Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 127.5 FPS, or 54% again, showing that the relative performance penalty is consistent across resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the results are 138.6 FPS for Low, 111.3 FPS for Medium, 96.9 FPS for High, and 66 FPS for Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is 72.6 FPS, which is a 52% reduction. This is a slightly smaller penalty than at lower resolutions, which suggests that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor and the settings have less relative impact. The data also shows that moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings results in a consistent 30% reduction in frame rate, regardless of the preset. Moving from 1440p to 4K results in a 40-43% reduction, which is larger and indicates that the GPU is working harder at the highest resolution.

The lowest recorded frame rate is 66 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the highest is 334.6 FPS at 1080p Low. The data does not include minimum or maximum FPS values, so the average figures represent the typical performance. The results show that this system can handle Greedfall at any resolution and settings combination, but the best experience is achieved at 1440p High, which balances visual quality with a high frame rate. The 4K High result of 96.9 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay, but users with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors will need to use Medium settings to get closer to 120 FPS.