Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG released in 2019, presents a demanding workload for the combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and the AMD Radeon RX 580. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the graphics card is the primary limiting factor, though the CPU’s capabilities ensure the game remains fluid when the GPU is not overwhelmed. This analysis walks through the performance data, focusing on how each component contributes to the final experience.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 580 is the bottleneck in this pairing. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 59.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 42.9 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 16.7 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 21.7 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are exhausted as pixel count multiplies, leaving the processor with spare capacity.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 81.1 at 1080p to 54.6 at 1440p and then to 31.8 at 4K. The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is a 41.7% reduction in frame rate, while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 32.7%. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the render target size becomes the dominant cost. The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo, while 4K is only playable at the lowest settings and still struggles to maintain a smooth experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a GCN 4.0 architecture GPU built on a 14 nm process. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical resource for Greedfall’s texture-heavy environments. The GPU’s base clock is 1257 MHz, boosting to 1340 MHz, and it houses 2304 shading units. With 32 ROPs and a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s, the card’s fillrate capabilities are modest by modern standards, directly impacting performance at higher resolutions.

Benchmark data places the RX 580 at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 13559. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 and GTX 950, with a deltaPct of 0.0 and 0.1, respectively. This indicates the RX 580 is positioned in the lower-midrange segment. In Greedfall, this translates to the GPU being unable to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra, where it only produces 18 FPS. The card’s 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply insufficient for the game’s rendering demands, making the GPU the definitive limiting component in this configuration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F provides a stark contrast to the GPU’s limitations. This 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory ensure that it can feed data to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. In CPU-bound scenarios, this processor excels, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35443 and single-core score of 5003.

The CPU’s high percentile ranking of 94 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54097, shows it is a top-tier performer. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, show a deltaPct of -0.6, meaning the i7-14700F is nearly identical in average score. In Greedfall, this processing power means that frame rates are not constrained by the CPU, even in complex scenes with multiple NPCs. The data shows that the CPU’s role is to enable the GPU to reach its maximum potential; at 1080p Low, the 81.1 FPS result is likely near the GPU’s peak output, with the CPU holding no limiting influence.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance at every combination of resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves playable frame rates across most settings. Low settings yield 81.1 FPS, Medium produces 61.5 FPS, and High is close behind at 59.6 FPS. Ultra settings, however, cause a significant drop to 35.5 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s resources are exhausted by the highest visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes more constrained. Low settings average 54.6 FPS, which is still smooth, but Medium drops to 45.9 FPS and High to 42.9 FPS. Ultra settings at this resolution produce only 23.5 FPS, which is not a comfortable experience for an action RPG. The trend continues at 3840x2160, where Low settings manage 31.8 FPS, Medium falls to 27.2 FPS, and High drops to 21.7 FPS. Ultra at 4K is the worst-case scenario, with an average of 18 FPS. These numbers show that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p requiring a reduction in settings to maintain playability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Greedfall, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 1583 out of 1705 combos. This places it in the bottom 7% of all tested configurations, highlighting that while the CPU is excellent, the GPU drags the overall performance down significantly. The high rank number indicates that most other combinations, likely featuring more modern or higher-tier GPUs, outperform this setup in Greedfall.

The ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU’s limitations, as the i7-14700F is more than capable of handling the game’s logic. The data shows a severe mismatch: a top-6% CPU paired with a GPU that sits at the 53rd percentile. This results in a system that is heavily GPU-bound, and the rank reflects the average frame rates that the RX 580 can deliver. Users looking for higher performance in Greedfall would need to upgrade the graphics card, as the CPU is not the limiting factor in this equation.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, where High settings achieve 59.6 FPS and Low settings reach 81.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly, with High settings only reaching 42.9 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Greedfall?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate is 21.7 FPS on High settings and 18 FPS on Ultra. Even on Low settings, it only reaches 31.8 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this setup?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the clear bottleneck. The CPU’s benchmark percentile is 94, while the GPU’s is 53. The steep frame rate drops as resolution increases are a classic sign of GPU limitation.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 13559, with a deltaPct of 0.0 against the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 and 0.1 against the GTX 950. This shows it is statistically tied with these older cards in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the impact of Ultra settings on frame rate?

A: Ultra settings cause a massive performance hit. At 1080p, Ultra yields 35.5 FPS compared to 59.6 FPS on High. At 1440p, it drops to 23.5 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 18 FPS, making Ultra settings impractical for this GPU.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700F a strong performer in this game?

A: Yes. The CPU’s high core count and boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensure it does not limit frame rates. Its average benchmark score of 54097 places it at the 94th percentile, meaning it is far more capable than the GPU requires.