Greedfall

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 achieves a combo rank of 1122 out of 3703 tested combinations in Greedfall. This places the pairing in the top 30% of all tested configurations, indicating a strong baseline for this 2019 Action RPG. The combination demonstrates a clear capability to handle the game's demands, though the percentile rankings of the individual components suggest the GPU is the more significant contributor to the overall performance tier.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1122 out of 3703 total combinations reflects a system that is positioned well above the median tested setup. The data indicates a performance ceiling that is high enough for demanding presets, while still leaving headroom for the CPU to operate without becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios. The individual component percentiles corroborate this positioning: the CPU sits at the 94th percentile against all tested CPUs, while the GPU is at the 69th percentile against all tested GPUs. This gap suggests that the graphics card, while competent, is the component that defines the upper boundary of performance in this specific pairing.

When comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the i7-14700K shows a negligible 0.1% advantage over the AMD EPYC 9115, and a 0.2% deficit against the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. These margins are effectively noise, meaning the processor's compute performance is on par with the fastest alternatives. In contrast, the GPU's nearest rivals present a more mixed picture: the RX 9070 is 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and 1.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile, but trails the AMD Radeon RX 6800S by 0.8% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER by 1.2%. These small deltas reinforce that the GPU is operating in a tightly contested performance band, which directly influences the measured FPS in Greedfall.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 brings 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective), while the GPU has a base clock of 1330 MHz, a game clock of 2070 MHz, and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. For Greedfall, a game that can be texture-heavy, the 16 GB frame buffer is ample, and the measured data does not indicate any memory capacity limitations at the tested settings. The high bandwidth figure is sufficient to feed the 3584 shading units at 4K, where the GPU's compute throughput becomes the primary factor.

The data shows that the GPU's role shifts dramatically with resolution. At 1080p, the card is rarely the limiting factor, as frame rates exceed 200 FPS on Low settings. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 44, indicating that the GPU is being fully saturated. The boost clock of 2520 MHz allows for consistent performance under load, but the raw fill rate and compute power are the decisive elements. The pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 564.5 GTexel/s are exercised heavily at 3840x2160, which explains the sharp decline from the 1080p results. The GPU's FP32 performance of 36.13 TFLOPS is the theoretical ceiling, and the measured frame rates show that Greedfall approaches but does not fully reach that ceiling at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 167 FPS at 1920x1080 to 116 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 69 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 40% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the pixel count increases by 78% from 1440p to 4K, yet the FPS only decreases by 40%, suggesting the GPU has some headroom in its memory subsystem.

At Low settings, the scaling is steeper: 234 FPS at 1080p, 162 FPS at 1440p, and 97 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 31%, but the 1440p to 4K drop is 40%, mirroring the High preset's pattern. This consistency indicates that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p Low to the GPU at 4K Low. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, with 107 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p, and 44 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 59%, which is nearly double the percentage drop seen on Low settings. This suggests that Ultra settings introduce effects that disproportionately tax the GPU's compute units, as the FP32 throughput becomes the binding constraint.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K bottlenecking the AMD Radeon RX 9070 in Greedfall?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a significant bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 234 FPS, which is well above the GPU's capability to render at higher settings. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking and its multi-core score of 33440.5 in Cinebench R23 indicate it can feed the GPU adequately, especially given the game's age and threading model.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 23877, which is within 1.2% of its nearest rivals. It is 0.6% ahead of the GTX TITAN Z and 1.1% ahead of the RTX 3080 Mobile, but 0.8% behind the RX 6800S and 1.2% behind the RTX 2080 SUPER. These differences are marginal, meaning the GPU's real-world performance in Greedfall is representative of its class.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Greedfall with this combo?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 on High settings provides the best balance, yielding 116 FPS. This is comfortably above 60 FPS and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. At 4K, the High preset drops to 69 FPS, which is playable but closer to the threshold for smooth gameplay. 1080p is overkill for this GPU, as even Ultra settings produce 107 FPS.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM in the RX 9070 make a difference in Greedfall?

A: The measured data does not show any VRAM-related stuttering or performance cliffs. The minimum FPS recorded is 65 FPS at 4K Medium, and the frame time consistency appears stable. The 16 GB capacity is more than sufficient for this game's textures, and the 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is likely the more relevant factor for performance.

Q: How does the CPU's single-core performance affect the game?

A: The i7-14700K achieves a single-core score of 2160 in Cinebench R23. Greedfall, being a 2019 title, relies on single-threaded performance for game logic. The data shows no CPU-related frame drops even at 1080p Low where the GPU is underutilized, confirming the single-core speed is adequate.

Q: What is the expected performance difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: At 4K, the High preset averages 69 FPS, while Ultra averages 44 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 1440p, the difference is 116 FPS versus 74 FPS, a 36% reduction as well. At 1080p, the drop is 167 FPS to 107 FPS, a 36% reduction. The consistent 36% penalty suggests Ultra settings add a uniform load increase across all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 234 FPS, Medium produces 184 FPS (with a range of 156 to 211 FPS), High produces 167 FPS, and Ultra produces 107 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 54% reduction in performance, which is significant but expected for a game that scales well with GPU load.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop: Low yields 162 FPS, Medium yields 127 FPS (108 to 147 FPS range), High yields 116 FPS, and Ultra yields 74 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 54%, identical to the 1080p scaling. This indicates that the GPU is handling the resolution increase proportionally, with no unexpected bottlenecks.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 97 FPS on Low, 76 FPS on Medium (65 to 87 FPS range), 69 FPS on High, and 44 FPS on Ultra. The Low to Ultra reduction is 55%, again consistent. The minimum FPS recorded across all tested configurations is 65 FPS at 4K Medium, which is still playable. The data shows that even at the most demanding preset, the average FPS does not drop below 44, which is below the 60 FPS threshold but not unplayable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It has 33 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 33440.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2160 in single-core. These scores place it at the 94th percentile of all CPUs, indicating top-tier compute capability.

In Greedfall's measured data, the CPU's role is best understood by looking at the 1080p Low results, where the GPU is least stressed. The 234 FPS average is a direct indicator that the CPU can generate frames faster than the GPU can render them at that resolution. The CPU's multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a PassMark multithread score of 52392, suggests it can handle background tasks and game logic without contention. The boost clock of 5.60 GHz is beneficial for the game's single-threaded physics and AI calculations, and the data shows no evidence of CPU-induced frame pacing issues, even at the highest frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for settings optimization. For players prioritizing a locked 60 FPS experience, the 4K High preset is the most demanding configuration that still achieves an average above 60 FPS, at 69 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 4K displays, as it offers the best visual fidelity without dropping below the playable threshold. The 4K Medium preset, at 76 FPS, provides a safety margin for demanding scenes, with a minimum FPS of 65.

For 1440p displays, the High preset at 116 FPS is the optimal choice, offering a smooth experience with headroom for dips. The Medium preset at 127 FPS is also viable, but the visual difference between Medium and High is significant enough to justify the 9% performance cost. The Ultra preset at 74 FPS is playable, but the 36% FPS reduction compared to High makes it less desirable for consistent frame times.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 107 FPS is the recommended choice, as it fully utilizes the GPU without pushing frame rates to unnecessary extremes. The High preset at 167 FPS is overkill for most displays, but it does provide the smoothest experience for high-refresh-rate monitors. The data suggests that the Ultra preset at 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, balancing visual quality with a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors.