Greedfall

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable, though not flawless, experience in Greedfall, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and settings. The data indicates that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates, while 4K remains a challenge that requires significant settings compromises. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU contributions, answers common questions, and provides specific settings recommendations based on the measured data.

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. With a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, it offers substantial single-thread and multi-thread headroom. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 1136 in 3dmark single-thread and 12412 in 3dmark max threads, while achieving a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and a single-core score of 2116. These numbers place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong overall performance.

For Greedfall, an Action RPG from 2019, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data. The high boost clock of 5.40 GHz is particularly beneficial for the game's single-threaded engine tasks, ensuring that the GPU is not starved of data. The 3dmark 2-thread score of 2262 shows that even with minimal thread usage, the processor performs well, which is critical for older games that may not utilize all 24 threads effectively. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache also helps reduce latency when accessing frequently used game assets.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-13700K's average benchmark score of 46881 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, deltaPct -0.3). It is slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, deltaPct 0.5) and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653, deltaPct 0.5). This suggests that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i7-13700K will perform on par with these alternatives, meaning the differences in Greedfall frame rates will be largely dictated by the GPU and settings, not the processor.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings where the frame rate ceiling is higher. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 130 FPS, which is a 41.3% increase over 1080p High (92 FPS). This indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is less burdened, and the CPU's capability to process frames quickly becomes the limiting factor, allowing for such high output. However, the CPU's performance is consistent enough that it does not bottleneck the GPU in a way that causes frame drops or stuttering, as evidenced by the stable average FPS across all tested configurations.

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

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation) using TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU clock operates at a fixed 2500 MHz for both base and boost, and it has a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. With 2304 shading units and 80 ROPs, the Arc B570 delivers a FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS. It sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556, placing it in the mid-range tier.

In Greedfall, the GPU's role is to render the game's environments, characters, and effects. The 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures at all settings, even at 4K Ultra, where the VRAM allocation is unlikely to be a limiting factor. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s is adequate for the game's asset streaming, but the measured FPS data shows that the Arc B570 struggles to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. For instance, at 4K High, the average FPS is 38, which drops to 24 at 4K Ultra. This suggests that the GPU's compute and fill-rate capabilities are the primary constraints at 4K, rather than memory capacity.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Arc B570's average score of 20556 is virtually tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, deltaPct 0.1) and Intel Arc A750 (20582, deltaPct -0.1). It is also close to the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, deltaPct 0.4) and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662, deltaPct -0.5). This indicates that in raw compute terms, the Arc B570 is a competitive mid-range option, but its performance in a specific game like Greedfall will depend on driver optimization and the game's rendering pipeline.

The GPU's impact on the measured FPS is clear when looking at the scaling from Low to Ultra settings. At 1440p, the average FPS drops from 90 at Low to 41 at Ultra, a 54.4% reduction. Similarly, at 1080p, the FPS drops from 130 at Low to 59 at Ultra. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, especially when enabling Ultra presets that likely increase draw distances, shadow quality, and post-processing effects. The Arc B570 handles Medium settings well, maintaining above 70 FPS at 1440p and above 100 FPS at 1080p, making it a capable GPU for mainstream gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60+ FPS?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the only resolution where the combo consistently achieves above 60 FPS across all settings except Ultra (59 FPS). At 1440p, only Low (90 FPS) and Medium (71 FPS) presets exceed 60 FPS. At 4K, no settings preset reaches 60 FPS, with the highest being Low at 54 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when increasing from Medium to Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset yields an average of 71 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 41 FPS. This represents a 42.3% reduction in average frame rate when moving from Medium to Ultra.

*Q: Is the 10 GB VRAM on the Arc B570 sufficient for Greedfall at 4K?*

A: Yes, the 10 GB VRAM is sufficient as the game does not appear to be limited by memory capacity. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 24 FPS, which is low due to GPU compute limitations, but there is no indication of texture thrashing or memory-related stutters in the data.

*Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations in Greedfall?*

A: This specific combo ranks 2344 out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range performance, as the CPU is in the 89th percentile.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between 1080p High and 1440p High?

A: At 1080p High, the combo achieves 92 FPS, while at 1440p High, it achieves 64 FPS. This is a 30.4% decrease in average frame rate when moving up one resolution step.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 130 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate. This suggests that the CPU's capability to process frames is the limiting factor, as the GPU is not heavily burdened at Low settings, allowing the processor's high single-thread performance to drive the frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 102 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 87 and 117 FPS, respectively. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS and ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves 71 FPS (min 60, max 81), which is right at the threshold for a high-refresh-rate monitor.

The High preset is a viable option for users with a 60 Hz display at 1440p, as it averages 64 FPS. However, at 1080p, the High preset (92 FPS) is still excellent and offers better visual fidelity than Medium. For users prioritizing visual quality over frame rate, the Ultra preset is playable at 1080p (59 FPS), but it is not recommended for 1440p (41 FPS) or 4K (24 FPS) due to the significant performance hit.

The Low preset is only recommended for 4K gaming, where it averages 54 FPS, making it the only 4K setting that approaches playability. However, the visual compromise is substantial. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p provides the highest frame rates without sacrificing too much detail, making it the "best experience" per the measured rows. The data shows that the performance scaling from Medium to High is 9.8% at 1080p (102 to 92 FPS) and from High to Ultra is 35.9% (92 to 59 FPS), indicating that the Ultra preset offers diminishing returns for the frame rate cost.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K + Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2344 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the 20th percentile (lower end) of all configurations. This ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's mid-range standing (65th percentile of all GPUs), while the CPU is a high-end component (89th percentile of all CPUs). The disparity between the CPU's strong performance and the GPU's mid-range capability means that the combo is unbalanced for this game, with the GPU being the clear bottleneck at higher settings.

This ranking indicates that the combo is outclassed by configurations with higher-end GPUs, even if those systems have weaker CPUs. For example, a system with a lower-tier CPU but a more powerful GPU would likely rank higher in Greedfall due to the game's GPU-bound nature at higher presets. However, the combo does outperform lower-tier CPU + GPU pairings, as it can maintain 60+ FPS at 1440p Medium, which is a respectable achievement.

The rank of 2344 out of 2938 suggests that this combo is suitable for mainstream 1080p and 1440p gaming but is not competitive at 4K. Users looking to improve this ranking would need to upgrade the GPU, as the i7-13700K provides ample headroom for a more powerful graphics card. The data shows that the CPU's benchmark scores are on par with rivals like the Ryzen 9 5900, so the CPU is not holding the system back; the GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the limiting factor in achieving higher frame rates in Greedfall.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results: the Low preset averages 130 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded. The Medium preset follows with 102 FPS (min 87, max 117), the High preset at 92 FPS, and the Ultra preset at 59 FPS. This shows a clear linear scaling from Low to Ultra, with each step reducing performance by roughly 10-30 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly. The Low preset averages 90 FPS, which is still very smooth, while the Medium preset achieves 71 FPS (min 60, max 81). The High preset averages 64 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 41 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 30.8% reduction in FPS for the Low preset (130 to 90) and a 30.4% reduction for the High preset (92 to 64), indicating that the resolution increase places a consistent burden on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 54 FPS, which is the only 4K setting above 50 FPS. The Medium preset averages 42 FPS (min 36, max 48), the High preset averages 38 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 24 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is severe, with the Medium preset losing 40.8% of its performance (71 to 42 FPS) and the Ultra preset losing 41.5% (41 to 24 FPS). This data confirms that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this combo, even at the lowest settings, as the frame rates are below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.