Greedfall

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread Alder Lake-S processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with a benchmark profile that shows strong scaling from single-threaded to multi-threaded workloads. In this game, the CPU’s role is primarily about maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions, where the graphics card is not the bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 366.1 FPS, which is a massive 140 FPS higher than at 1080p Ultra (168.1 FPS). This spread indicates that Greedfall is sensitive to CPU throughput at lower graphical loads, and the i7-12700KF’s 20 threads and 5.00 GHz boost clock are sufficient to keep up with the RTX 5090’s output. The CPU’s nearest rival in aggregate benchmark score is the Intel Core i5-14400, which scores 0.1% higher, but the i7-12700KF’s higher boost clock and additional threads give it a slight edge in sustained gaming workloads. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28,979 and single-core score of 4,091 further confirm that this CPU has the headroom to avoid capping performance in most scenarios, though the 1080p Low result shows the ceiling of what this platform can push.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of settings presets at each resolution. At 1080p, the jump from Low (366.1 FPS) to Medium (286 FPS) costs 80 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High (262.9 FPS) only costs 23 FPS. The most dramatic drop occurs from High to Ultra, where the frame rate falls from 262.9 FPS to 168.1 FPS — a loss of 94.8 FPS, or roughly 36% of the High preset’s performance. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces a disproportionately heavy load, likely related to shadow quality or post-processing effects that are not well optimized. At 1440p, the pattern repeats: Low delivers 252.9 FPS, Medium drops to 200.9 FPS, High to 179.9 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 116.2 FPS. Here, the High preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it remains above 144 Hz for high-refresh monitors. At 4K, the situation shifts: Low yields 152.1 FPS, Medium 119.7 FPS, High 110 FPS, and Ultra 68.5 FPS. The data indicates that at 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as the gap between Low and Ultra shrinks to 83.6 FPS, compared to the 198 FPS gap at 1080p. For a 60 Hz display at 4K, the High preset is the sweet spot, delivering 110 FPS with ample headroom. For 144 Hz displays, 1440p High (179.9 FPS) is the recommended configuration, as it provides a smooth experience without the steep performance penalty of Ultra. The Ultra preset is only advisable for those who prioritize maximum visual quality over frame rate, as it still achieves playable numbers at 1080p (168.1 FPS) but becomes marginal at 4K (68.5 FPS).

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across resolutions reveals how the workload shifts from CPU-bound to GPU-bound as pixel count increases. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 366.1 FPS, which is an extraordinarily high number that suggests the CPU is the primary limiter — the RTX 5090 is capable of far more, but the i7-12700KF’s 12 cores cannot feed the GPU fast enough at such low graphical load. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 252.9 FPS, a 31% reduction, which is consistent with the GPU beginning to take on more work. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 152.1 FPS, a further 40% drop, confirming that the RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are being pushed hard by the higher pixel count. The pattern is similar for High settings: 1080p High (262.9 FPS) → 1440p High (179.9 FPS, a 32% drop) → 4K High (110 FPS, a 39% drop). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings indicates that the scaling is predictable and that the GPU’s 5 nm Blackwell architecture handles the increased rasterization load linearly. However, the Ultra preset shows a different story: 1080p Ultra (168.1 FPS) → 1440p Ultra (116.2 FPS, a 31% drop) → 4K Ultra (68.5 FPS, a 41% drop). The fact that the 4K Ultra result (68.5 FPS) is barely above 60 FPS suggests that the Ultra preset’s additional effects require more memory bandwidth and shading units, and the RTX 5090’s 21,760 shading units are being utilized at their limit. Overall, the data indicates that this combo is CPU-bound at 1080p and GPU-bound at 4K, with 1440p serving as the crossover point where both components are balanced.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to run Greedfall with this CPU/GPU combo for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p High (179.9 FPS) is the optimal choice, as it exceeds 144 Hz while maintaining high visual quality. 1080p High (262.9 FPS) also works, but 1440p provides better image clarity without sacrificing frame rate.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance hit?

A: The data shows that Ultra costs significantly more than High at every resolution. At 1080p, you lose 94.8 FPS (from 262.9 to 168.1); at 1440p, you lose 63.7 FPS (from 179.9 to 116.2); at 4K, you lose 41.5 FPS (from 110 to 68.5). If you prioritize smooth gameplay, stick with High.

Q: How much faster is Low compared to Ultra at 4K?

A: At 4K, Low achieves 152.1 FPS while Ultra drops to 68.5 FPS. That is a 83.6 FPS difference, or roughly 2.2 times faster. The performance gap narrows at higher resolutions because the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

Q: Does this CPU bottleneck the RTX 5090 at any resolution?

A: Yes, at 1080p Low, the combo hits 366.1 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame output. The data shows that the i7-12700KF’s 20 threads are the limiting factor at low resolutions, as the GPU has more headroom than the CPU can feed.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium delivers 200.9 FPS while High delivers 179.9 FPS, a difference of 21 FPS. This is a relatively small penalty for the visual upgrade, making High a better choice for most users.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the measured 68.5 FPS at 4K Ultra exceeds the 60 FPS target, but only by 8.5 FPS. This leaves little headroom for demanding scenes, so High (110 FPS) is safer if you want consistent performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 2017 MHz, with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and it sits in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. In Greedfall, the RTX 5090’s role is to render the game’s dense environments and particle effects, and the measured data shows it excels at this task. At 1080p Low, the GPU produces 366.1 FPS, which confirms its raw compute power — the FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is more than enough for a 2019 title. However, the GPU’s performance is not uniform across settings; the Ultra preset at 4K (68.5 FPS) is less than half the Low preset at 1080p (366.1 FPS), indicating that the game’s Ultra settings include effects that heavily tax the memory subsystem. The RTX 5090’s nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, which scores 0.1% higher in aggregate benchmarks, but this combo’s specific game performance is measured independently. The GPU’s 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores are not directly tested by the FPS data, but the high frame rates suggest that Greedfall does not rely heavily on these features. The 575 W TDP and 950 W suggested PSU indicate that this GPU is power-hungry, but the measured performance justifies the hardware investment. For 4K gaming, the RTX 5090’s 32 GB VRAM ensures that even the highest texture settings will not exceed memory capacity, and the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth prevents stuttering in open-world areas.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 366.1 FPS on Low, 286 FPS on Medium, 262.9 FPS on High, and 168.1 FPS on Ultra. The progression from Low to Medium to High shows diminishing returns, with the largest drop occurring from High to Ultra (94.8 FPS). At 2560x1440, the results are 252.9 FPS on Low, 200.9 FPS on Medium, 179.9 FPS on High, and 116.2 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p data shows a similar shape to 1080p, with the Ultra preset costing 63.7 FPS compared to High. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 152.1 FPS on Low, 119.7 FPS on Medium, 110 FPS on High, and 68.5 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results highlight the GPU’s limitations under the Ultra preset, as the frame rate drops below 70 FPS for the first time. Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently delivers the highest FPS, but the gap between Low and Medium is significant: at 1080p, the difference is 80.1 FPS; at 1440p, it is 52 FPS; at 4K, it is 32.4 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset introduces a notable increase in shader complexity. The High preset remains the most balanced option, as it maintains frame rates above 110 FPS at all resolutions. The combo ranks 2nd out of 1,705 tested combinations in this game, which places it in the top 0.1% of all hardware configs. This ranking is supported by the measured data: even the most demanding preset (4K Ultra) is playable, while lower settings push well beyond 144 Hz. The data is measured, not estimated, so these numbers reflect real-world performance with this exact CPU and GPU pairing.