Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG released in 2019, places distinct demands on the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination tested here. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is well-balanced at 1080p, increasingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, and constrained by the graphics card’s memory capacity in the most demanding scenarios. This analysis walks through the data step by step, interpreting what the numbers indicate about the limiting component and the overall experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a clear and consistent pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 114 at 1080p to 79 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 30.7%, and then falls further to 47 at 4K, which is 58.8% below the 1080p figure. This steep decline, particularly the jump from 1440p to 4K, indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises. The CPU has headroom at these resolutions; the 20-core Intel Core i7-14700F can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them.

Low settings reinforce this conclusion. At 1080p Low, the average is 160 FPS, which drops to 111 at 1440p and 66 at 4K. The 4K Low figure is 58.8% lower than the 1080p Low figure, nearly identical to the percentage drop seen at High settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the lower settings to show a smaller relative decline because the CPU work per frame is largely independent of graphics settings. The data shows the opposite: the performance scaling is nearly constant, which is a hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario across all tested settings.

The Medium settings rows provide additional insight, as they include min and max FPS values. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 126 FPS with a minimum of 107 and a maximum of 144. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average falls to 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average is 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 60. The minimum-to-maximum spread narrows as resolution increases: 37 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. This tightening suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is working at near-full capacity consistently, leaving less variance in frame delivery. The absolute frame times also grow, with the 4K minimum of 44 FPS representing a frame time of about 22.7 milliseconds, which is above the 16.7 millisecond threshold for 60 FPS but still playable for a slower-paced RPG.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling drop. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 73 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 50 FPS, a 31.5% decline. At 4K Ultra, the average is just 30 FPS, which is 58.9% below the 1080p Ultra figure. The 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, and the pattern indicates that the RTX 5050’s 8 GB memory and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the highest preset at this resolution. The GPU’s 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is also stretched thin by the pixel workload at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 is the most comfortable resolution. At High settings, the average FPS is 114, and at Medium it is 126, both well above 60 FPS. At 2560x1440 High, the average is 79 FPS, which is still smooth, but 4K drops to 47 FPS on High and 30 FPS on Ultra, making higher resolutions less desirable.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 handle 4K gaming in Greedfall?

A: At 4K, the RTX 5050 delivers 66 FPS on Low, 52 FPS on Medium, 47 FPS on High, and 30 FPS on Ultra. The step from Medium to High costs only 5 FPS, suggesting the GPU is already near its limit. The Ultra preset’s 30 FPS average indicates that this card is not suited for 4K Ultra in this title.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700F holding back the RTX 5050 in this game?

A: The benchmark results show no evidence of CPU bottlenecking. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 160 FPS, and at 1080p High it hits 114 FPS, which are high figures for Greedfall. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35122 and singlecore score of 4958 suggest ample processing headroom, and the frame rate scaling with resolution follows a GPU-bound curve.

Q: What performance difference exists between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 160 FPS, Medium 126 FPS, High 114 FPS, and Ultra 73 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 87 FPS, or a 54.4% reduction. The largest single drop occurs between High and Ultra, a 41 FPS decrease, which indicates that the Ultra preset includes effects that disproportionately impact the GPU.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 5050 cause problems in Greedfall?

A: The data suggests a memory-related limit at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 30. At 4K High, the average is 47 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 52 FPS. The small difference between High and Medium, combined with the large drop to Ultra, points to the Ultra preset exceeding the 8 GB frame buffer capacity, forcing the GPU to handle memory pressure that reduces throughput.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to all other tested configurations?

A: The comboRankInGame for this CPU-GPU pair is 1776 out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the 60.4th percentile. This indicates that while the combination performs adequately, it is not near the top of the database when all combinations of CPUs and GPUs are considered for Greedfall.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the ideal balance of visual quality and performance is the High preset at 1920x1080. This yields an average of 114 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a slightly higher 126 FPS average, but the 12 FPS gain comes at a visual cost that is likely not worth it for most players. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 73 FPS, which is still playable, but the 41 FPS loss from High suggests that the extra effects are expensive for the RTX 5050.

For users with a 2560x1440 monitor, the High preset is again the strongest choice, delivering 79 FPS on average. This is comfortably above 60 FPS and provides a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 1440p produces 87 FPS, but the improvement over High is modest (8 FPS) and may not justify reduced visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may exhibit noticeable stutter in combat-heavy areas.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a consistent 60 FPS. The Low preset averages 66 FPS, which is technically above 60, but the visual quality at Low is significantly reduced. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, and High averages 47 FPS. For 4K users, the recommendation is to use Medium settings, as the 52 FPS average with a minimum of 44 FPS is more consistent than the High preset’s 47 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 4K, with its 30 FPS average, is not recommended for gameplay, as the frame rate drops below the threshold for responsive action.

The data shows that the performance curve flattens between Medium and High at all resolutions, with the difference being 12 FPS at 1080p, 8 FPS at 1440p, and 5 FPS at 4K. This suggests that the High preset is the most efficient point on the settings curve, offering a meaningful visual upgrade over Medium without the steep cost of Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Greedfall, this Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 pairing holds a rank of 1776 out of 2938 total combos. This places it slightly below the median of the field, specifically at the 60.4th percentile from the top, meaning about 60% of tested combinations perform better in this game. The rank reflects the RTX 5050’s position in the GPU hierarchy more than the CPU’s, as the i7-14700F is a high-end processor with a 91st percentile ranking against all CPUs.

The GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus is 66, and its average benchmark score is 21035. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL with an average score of 21153 (a delta of -0.6%), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M with 21237 (delta -1%), the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT with 20713 (delta 1.6%), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile with 21379 (delta -1.6%). These deltas are all within 1.6% of the RTX 5050’s average score, indicating that the GPU sits in a tightly clustered performance band. In Greedfall, this translates to the frame rates observed: competitive at 1080p, acceptable at 1440p, and limited at 4K.

The CPU’s nearest rivals provide context for its role. The Intel Xeon 6505P has an average score of 53701, which is 0.2% higher than the i7-14700F’s 53620. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, 0.3% lower. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X scores 53288, 0.6% lower, and the AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53206, 0.8% lower. These differences are negligible for gaming, and the i7-14700F’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench singlecore score of 2429 and a Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 4958, ensures it does not limit the GPU in Greedfall. The combo’s rank of 1776 is therefore driven almost entirely by the GPU’s mid-range standing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node. It features 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, along with 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores. The GPU’s boost clock is 2572 MHz, and its FP32 performance is rated at 13.17 TFLOPS. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place the RTX 5050 in the mid-range tier, with a percentileVsAllGpus of 66.

In Greedfall, the GPU’s role is the primary determinant of frame rate at resolutions above 1080p. The measured data shows that at 1440p High, the average FPS is 79, which is a 30.7% drop from 1080p High. At 4K High, the average FPS drops to 47, a further 40.5% reduction from 1440p. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is pixel-bound, as the compute and memory bandwidth are stretched by the increasing number of fragments.

The 8 GB memory capacity appears to be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 30, which is 36.2% lower than 4K High’s 47 FPS. This is a larger relative drop than seen at lower resolutions: at 1440p, Ultra is 50 FPS versus High’s 79 FPS (a 36.7% drop), and at 1080p, Ultra is 73 FPS versus High’s 114 FPS (a 36.0% drop). While the percentage drop is similar, the absolute values at 4K are already low, and the 30 FPS average suggests the GPU is completely saturated. The memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s is likely insufficient for the texture and geometry data required by the Ultra preset at 4K, leading to frame rates that are not fluid.

The GPU’s benchmark scores align with its in-game performance. The Passmark G3D score is 17326, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2502. These are moderate scores that reflect a card designed for 1080p and entry-level 1440p gaming. In Greedfall, the RTX 5050 delivers playable frame rates at 1080p on all presets, with the Ultra preset at 73 FPS being the weakest. At 1440p, it manages 50 FPS on Ultra and 79 FPS on High, which is acceptable for a slower-paced RPG. At 4K, it only achieves playable levels on Low and Medium settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates for Greedfall with the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is as follows.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 160 FPS. The Medium preset averages 126 FPS, with a minimum of 107 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS. The High preset averages 114 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 73 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the largest single drop occurring between High and Ultra, a difference of 41 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 111 FPS. The Medium preset averages 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. The High preset averages 79 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 50 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 61 FPS, and the difference between High and Ultra is 29 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 66 FPS. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. The High preset averages 47 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 30 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 36 FPS, and notably, the step from Medium to High costs only 5 FPS, indicating that the High preset is nearly as demanding as Medium at this resolution.

Comparing across resolutions at the same settings, the 1080p Low to 1440p Low drop is 49 FPS, and the 1440p Low to 4K Low drop is 45 FPS. At High settings, the 1080p to 1440p drop is 35 FPS, and the 1440p to 4K drop is 32 FPS. These consistent drops reinforce the GPU-bound nature of the workload. The Medium preset’s min and max values show that at 1080p, the frame rate ranges from 107 to 144, at 1440p from 74 to 100, and at 4K from 44 to 60. The 4K Medium minimum of 44 FPS is the lowest recorded value in the dataset, indicating that even the Medium preset can dip below 45 FPS in demanding scenes at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory and has a 65 W TDP. Its benchmark scores are strong: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35122 and a singlecore score of 4958, along with a Geekbench multicore score of 19620 and singlecore score of 2429. The Passmark multithread score is 41317, and the single thread score is 4257.

In Greedfall, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that the i7-14700F is more than capable of this task. At 1080p Low, where the CPU load is proportionally highest relative to GPU load, the combo achieves 160 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU can process the game’s simulation and render commands fast enough to keep the RTX 5050 busy. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect the 1080p Low result to be lower than the 1440p Low result, but instead, it is 49 FPS higher.

The CPU’s single-thread performance, as measured by the Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 4958, is particularly relevant for Greedfall, which is an RPG that may not perfectly scale across all 20 cores. The high boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures that the primary game thread runs at peak speed. The L3 cache of 33 MB shared also helps with keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing memory latency.

The CPU’s percentileVsAllCpus is 91, meaning it outperforms 91% of all CPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X with an average score of 53288 (0.6% lower), show that the i7-14700F is at the top of its class for synthetic workloads. In Greedfall specifically, there is no evidence that the CPU limits performance at any tested resolution or setting. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is entirely consistent with a GPU bottleneck, and the high frame rates at 1080p Low and High confirm that the CPU has significant headroom remaining. The 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient for this game, which was released in 2019 and does not require the latest multi-threading capabilities.