Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG from Spiders, presents an interesting case study when paired with the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. The measured data reveals a combination that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet shows signs of CPU headroom at 1080p, offering a clear picture of where the performance limits reside across different settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a stark and predictable performance cliff, but the shape of that curve is highly dependent on the graphics preset. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 293.3 FPS at 1080p to 200.7 FPS at 1440p, a decline of roughly 32%. Pushing further to 4K yields 122 FPS, which is a 58% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep drop indicates that even at Low settings, the pixel throughput demand of 4K is beginning to heavily tax the GPU, though the absolute numbers remain exceptionally high.

The High preset tells a similar story with slightly different proportions. The 1080p result of 207.7 FPS falls to 142 FPS at 1440p (a 32% decrease), and then to 86.6 FPS at 4K (a 58% decrease from 1080p). The consistency of this ~32% and ~58% drop pattern across Low and High settings strongly suggests that the RTX 4070 Ti's rendering pipeline is the primary constraint. The game engine’s scaling is linear enough that doubling the pixel count from 1080p to 4K roughly halves the frame rate, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited scenario.

However, the Ultra preset reveals a more complex dynamic. At 1080p, Ultra produces 135.2 FPS, which is significantly lower than the High preset’s 207.7 FPS. This large gap between High and Ultra at the same resolution points to a massive increase in shading complexity, likely from effects like ambient occlusion and shadow quality. At 4K, Ultra drops to 55.8 FPS, which is a 59% reduction from its 1080p score. This indicates that the Ultra preset’s additional load is so heavy that it saturates the GPU even at 1080p, making the resolution scaling appear more uniform. The data implies that at 1080p with Ultra settings, the RTX 4070 Ti is already working near its limit, whereas at 1080p with Low settings, the processor still has headroom, as evidenced by the 293.3 FPS result.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy for balancing visual fidelity and performance. For players targeting 4K, the High preset at 86.6 FPS presents the most sensible choice, as it maintains a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold while offering a significant visual upgrade over Medium’s 96.8 FPS and Low’s 122 FPS. The jump from Medium to High costs only about 10 FPS at 4K, which is a small price for the improved image quality. Ultra at 4K, at 55.8 FPS, is only viable for those who prioritize absolute visual max over smoothness, as it dips below the 60 FPS line.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more fluid. The High preset delivers 142 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset’s 94.1 FPS is still very playable and offers the full visual experience without the severe penalty seen at 4K. Given the 48 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 1440p, players with 144Hz displays will likely prefer High, while those with 60Hz panels can comfortably enable Ultra. The Medium preset at 160.2 FPS offers diminishing returns over High, making it a less compelling option.

For 1080p, the choice is less about achieving playable frame rates and more about maximizing refresh rate potential. The Low preset’s 293.3 FPS is a staggering number, ideal for competitive play or esports-level responsiveness. However, the High preset’s 207.7 FPS is still substantially above the refresh rate of most mainstream monitors, meaning players can likely enable High settings and still never hit a display bottleneck. The Ultra preset at 135.2 FPS is the best option for visual purists with 120Hz or 144Hz panels, as it provides a cinematic experience without sacrificing the high refresh rate advantage. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot for most users, with Ultra being reserved for those who demand the highest fidelity and have the display hardware to match.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is clearly the dominant component in this pairing, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth proving sufficient for Greedfall’s demands at all tested resolutions. The benchmark results show that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with resolution, confirming that the 4070 Ti is the limiting factor in most scenarios. The GPU’s 85th percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 44900, underscores its high-end positioning, though it is notable that its nearest rivals in the database include the RTX 5090 Mobile and Intel Arc A730M, with performance deltas of -0.6% and -1.5% respectively. This suggests that while the 4070 Ti is powerful, it is not at the absolute top of the performance stack.

The measured FPS data reinforces this GPU-centric view. The drop from 293.3 FPS at 1080p Low to 122 FPS at 4K Low is a 58% reduction, which is a direct consequence of the GPU’s pixel fill rate and shader throughput. The 4070 Ti’s boost clock of 2610 MHz and 7680 shading units are the key specifications driving these numbers. The fact that the card is listed as "End-of-life" and has a successor in the GeForce 50 series is irrelevant to the raw performance data, which shows it handling this 2019 title with ease. The 12 GB VRAM capacity appears to be a non-issue, as there is no evidence of a memory capacity bottleneck causing stutters or frame drops in the average FPS figures; the consistent scaling across resolutions points to compute limitations rather than memory exhaustion.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset of measured average frame rates provides a granular view of performance. At 1920x1080, the results span from 293.3 FPS at Low to 135.2 FPS at Ultra, with Medium at 231.9 FPS and High at 207.7 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in settings costs a significant chunk of performance, but even the heaviest preset remains well above the playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers compress slightly. Low yields 200.7 FPS, Medium drops to 160.2 FPS, High comes in at 142 FPS, and Ultra settles at 94.1 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is smaller here (18 FPS) than at 1080p (24 FPS), suggesting that the GPU is becoming more of a bottleneck as resolution increases, flattening the differences between presets.

At 3840x2160, the compression becomes even more pronounced. Low produces 122 FPS, Medium gives 96.8 FPS, High achieves 86.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 55.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 66.2 FPS, compared to 158.1 FPS at 1080p. This dramatic narrowing illustrates how the GPU’s raw throughput limits the upper bound of performance at 4K, making the preset choice less impactful on the final frame rate. The data clearly shows that the RTX 4070 Ti can handle 4K at High settings comfortably, but Ultra is a stretch that pushes it below the 60 FPS mark.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti achieves a rank of 204 out of 1705 tested combos for Greedfall. This places it in the top 12% of all system configurations evaluated for this game, which is a strong showing given the game’s age and the hardware’s modern pedigree. The rank of 204 indicates that while this combo is very fast, there are 203 other configurations that perform better, likely featuring more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or newer 50-series cards.

The ranking is particularly impressive when considering the CPU’s own standing. The i7-14700K sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 70074. Its nearest rivals include the i7-14700KF with a delta of 0%, the AMD EPYC 9115 with a 0.3% higher score, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X which is 0.5% faster. This indicates that the processor is not the limiting factor in this combo’s rank; the GPU’s 85th percentile standing is more likely the bottleneck. The rank of 204 suggests that to move higher, a more powerful GPU would be necessary, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed even faster graphics cards.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings provides an excellent balance, yielding 142 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a significant visual upgrade over 1080p, while 4K at High still achieves a playable 86.6 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but just barely. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 55.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. It is technically playable but may not feel as fluid as lower settings.

Q: How much performance is lost by enabling Ultra over High at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, High yields 207.7 FPS, while Ultra drops to 135.2 FPS, a reduction of 72.5 FPS or roughly 35%. This shows that Ultra is a heavy preset that significantly taxes the GPU.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 Ti?

A: The benchmark data suggests not. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 293.3 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that would likely expose CPU limitations. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking and high single-core performance scores indicate it has sufficient headroom to keep the GPU fed.

Q: Does the game use more than 12 GB of VRAM?

A: The measured data does not indicate any VRAM-related performance issues. The consistent frame rates and lack of anomalies suggest that the 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on the RTX 4070 Ti is sufficient for Greedfall at all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: How does this combo compare to others in the database?

A: It ranks 204th out of 1705 tested combinations, placing it in the top 12% of all systems tested. This is a strong result, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of other CPU-GPU pairings for this specific game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, plays a supporting role in this pairing, but its capabilities are clearly not the limiting factor. The CPU’s benchmark scores are exceptional, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 and a single-core score of 6287, which places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. This raw compute power ensures that the processor can handle the game’s AI, physics, and draw call overhead without breaking a sweat.

The evidence for this is in the 1080p Low results, where the frame rate reaches 293.3 FPS. At such high frame rates, CPU overhead often becomes the primary bottleneck. The fact that the combo achieves nearly 300 FPS at these settings indicates that the i7-14700K’s single-thread performance, boosted up to 5.60 GHz, is more than adequate to drive the RTX 4070 Ti. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 provide a solid foundation for feeding data to the GPU.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in the database, such as the i7-14700KF with a 0% delta and the Ryzen 9 9950X with a -0.5% delta, show that it is essentially at the top of the consumer stack. Given that the combo’s rank of 204 is likely constrained by the GPU’s 85th percentile standing, upgrading the CPU would yield negligible gains in Greedfall. The data clearly shows that the i7-14700K is a high-end processor that has ample headroom for this game and is not a source of performance degradation at any tested resolution or setting.