Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: Intel Core i7-13700K + AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers a strong performance profile in Greedfall, with measured frame rates ranging from a playable 41.2 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 231.4 FPS at 1080p Low. This combination sits at rank 597 out of 1705 tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. The data reveals a system that scales predictably across resolutions and settings, with the CPU rarely becoming the limiting factor until lower resolutions and settings push frame rates into territory where the 16-core processor's capabilities become more apparent.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of resolution-dependent scaling. At 1080p High, the combo produces 165.4 FPS, which drops to 113.3 FPS at 1440p High—a reduction of approximately 31%—and further to 70.9 FPS at 4K High, representing a 57% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling curve indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as the frame rate reduction closely tracks the pixel count increase.

The gap between settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra spans 231.4 FPS down to 108.1 FPS, a difference of 123.3 FPS. At 1440p, that spread compresses to 159.9 FPS versus 72.2 FPS, a 87.7 FPS gap. By 4K, the range tightens further: Low produces 94.4 FPS while Ultra yields 41.2 FPS, a difference of 53.2 FPS. This compression suggests that at 4K, the GPU's rendering workload dominates, making settings adjustments less impactful in absolute terms.

The 4K Ultra result of 41.2 FPS is notably below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth, while 4K High at 70.9 FPS clears that bar comfortably. The 1440p results show excellent headroom, with High achieving 113.3 FPS and Ultra at 72.2 FPS. At 1080p, even Ultra delivers 108.1 FPS, indicating that this combo can handle maximum settings at the lowest resolution without dipping below triple digits.

The scaling behavior suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the RX 6800 XT has sufficient headroom that the i7-13700K's performance ceiling begins to influence results, particularly at Low settings where 231.4 FPS at 1080p and 159.9 FPS at 1440p represent the upper bounds of what this CPU-GPU pairing can achieve. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and multi-thread score of 12412 indicate strong per-core performance that supports high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Greedfall?

A: The data shows 1440p High delivering 113.3 FPS, which balances visual quality with a high frame rate. 4K High at 70.9 FPS is also viable, while 4K Ultra at 41.2 FPS falls below smooth-playability thresholds.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High across resolutions?

A: Ultra costs significant performance: at 1080p it drops from 165.4 FPS (High) to 108.1 FPS, at 1440p from 113.3 to 72.2 FPS, and at 4K from 70.9 to 41.2 FPS. The relative cost increases with resolution.

Q: Does this CPU hold back the GPU at lower resolutions?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 231.4 FPS, and at 1440p Low it hits 159.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p Low is a 31% reduction, less than the pixel count increase, suggesting the CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads provide sufficient throughput to keep the GPU well-fed.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 597th out of 1705 tested combinations, placing it in the 65th percentile overall. This reflects a well-balanced pairing that outperforms the majority of tested systems.

Q: Is the RX 6800 XT's performance consistent with its benchmark scores?

A: The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 24980 and percentile rank of 87 versus all GPUs indicate strong DirectX performance. The measured frame rates align with this tier, particularly at 1440p where the card's 16 GB GDDR6 memory and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth support high settings effectively.

Q: What settings preset offers the largest performance jump?

A: Moving from Ultra to High provides the biggest gain: at 4K, High produces 70.9 FPS versus 41.2 FPS for Ultra, a 72% improvement. At 1440p, the gain is 113.3 versus 72.2 FPS, a 57% increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K brings substantial processing resources to this pairing, with 16 cores and 24 threads operating at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This Raptor Lake-S architecture CPU, built on Intel's 10 nm process, demonstrates strong synthetic performance with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 and single-core score of 5505. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 per core provide ample data locality for game workloads.

In Greedfall, an Action RPG with complex world interactions, the CPU's role is evident in the frame rate scaling across settings. At 1080p Low, the measured 231.4 FPS approaches the practical upper limit for many display configurations, and this figure is only 45% higher than the 1080p High result of 165.4 FPS. This relatively modest gap suggests that the CPU is handling the game's logic and draw calls efficiently, with the GPU becoming the primary limiter even at lower settings.

The CPU's 3DMark multi-thread score of 12412 and 16-thread score of 10717 indicate robust parallel processing capability. Greedfall, released in 2019, may not fully utilize 16 cores, but the high single-thread performance—evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and PassMark single-thread score of 4333—ensures that legacy game engines with limited thread scaling still perform well. The combination of these scores suggests that the i7-13700K provides both the raw throughput for background tasks and the per-core speed required for game logic.

At 4K Ultra, the 41.2 FPS result is primarily GPU-bound, as the increased pixel workload overwhelms the RX 6800 XT's 4608 shading units. However, at 1080p Ultra, the 108.1 FPS figure shows that the CPU can sustain high frame rates even with maximum settings, indicating that the processor is not a limiting factor in typical gameplay scenarios. The 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs reinforces that this processor is well above average for gaming workloads.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 597 out of 1705 tested combinations, this pairing sits in the 65th percentile of all tested systems. This position reflects a balanced configuration where neither component dramatically overpowers the other. The CPU's average benchmark score of 47282 places it within 0.5% of its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4364P, and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900F, indicating that the i7-13700K is competitive with top-tier alternatives.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 49982 positions it 2.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, its closest rival in the data, while trailing the NVIDIA RTX A1000 by 1.7%. This places the RX 6800 XT in a competitive mid-to-high range, with a percentile rank of 87 versus all GPUs. The 87th percentile GPU combined with the 93rd percentile CPU creates a synergistic pairing where both components are above average, but neither is so dominant that the other becomes a bottleneck.

The measured game performance at 1440p High—113.3 FPS—suggests this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate displays at that resolution. The 4K High result of 70.9 FPS indicates viability for 4K gaming at high settings, though not at maximum quality. The rank of 597 out of 1705 means that approximately 1108 tested combos perform worse, while 596 perform better, placing this system in the upper third of all configurations tested.

The data indicates that this combo's ranking is driven more by GPU performance than CPU, as the RX 6800 XT's 87th percentile is below the CPU's 93rd percentile. This imbalance becomes apparent at 4K Ultra, where the 41.2 FPS result is clearly GPU-limited. However, the CPU's headroom ensures that at lower resolutions and settings, the system can achieve very high frame rates without introducing CPU-related stutters or frame pacing issues.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the Greedfall experience with this hardware. For 4K displays, High settings at 70.9 FPS offer the best balance, as Ultra drops to 41.2 FPS—a 42% reduction that pushes the experience below smooth-playability thresholds. The Medium preset at 4K delivers 75.7 FPS, which is only 6.8% higher than High, making High the recommended choice for visual quality without a meaningful performance penalty.

At 1440p, High settings produce 113.3 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 72.2 FPS remains playable but sacrifices 36% of the frame rate for marginal visual gains. Medium at 127 FPS offers a 12% improvement over High, but the visual quality reduction is typically not worth the modest frame rate increase. For competitive play or maximum smoothness, Low at 159.9 FPS is available, but the gap between Low and High is substantial.

At 1080p, all settings are playable, with Ultra at 108.1 FPS exceeding 100 FPS. High at 165.4 FPS and Medium at 178.4 FPS provide excellent headroom for high-refresh-rate panels. Low at 231.4 FPS approaches the limits of most 240 Hz displays. The recommendation here is High as a baseline, with Ultra viable if visual fidelity takes priority over frame rate.

The overall pattern suggests that the RX 6800 XT's 16 GB VRAM and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for High settings at all resolutions, but Ultra presets impose a significant cost, particularly at 4K. Given that High to Ultra transitions cost 42% at 4K, 36% at 1440p, and 35% at 1080p, the High preset represents the most efficient performance-per-visual-quality trade-off across the board. For players with 1440p 144 Hz monitors, High settings at 113.3 FPS are ideal, while 4K users should accept High settings to maintain smooth gameplay.