Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: Intel Core i7-14700KF + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a striking asymmetry in Greedfall: a top-tier 20-core CPU driving an integrated graphics solution that ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Benchmark results across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system where the Arc B390 is overwhelmingly the performance bottleneck, with the i7-14700KF's substantial computational headroom left largely untapped. The measured FPS data shows playable frame rates only at 1080p with Low or Medium settings, while 4K Ultra drops to just 16 FPS, underscoring the GPU's limitations in this Action RPG.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior in Greedfall is textbook GPU-bound degradation. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, average FPS drops from 60 to 42, a 30% reduction. The further step to 3840x2160 at High yields 25 FPS, another 40% loss from the 1440p figure. This progressive decline — 60 → 42 → 25 FPS from 1080p to 1440p to 4K — indicates that pixel throughput is the dominant constraint, as the Arc B390's 24 ROPs and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply overwhelmed at higher resolutions.

Low settings show a similar but less steep scaling curve: 84 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 31% and 40% respectively, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling. This consistency across settings suggests that resolution scaling is independent of quality preset, a hallmark of a GPU that is fill-rate limited rather than shader-limited. The 4K Low result of 35 FPS versus 4K High's 25 FPS shows only a 10 FPS gap, further confirming that the pixel pipeline is the bottleneck.

Ultra settings exacerbate the resolution penalty dramatically. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 38 FPS, but 1440p Ultra falls to 27 FPS (a 29% drop), and 4K Ultra collapses to 16 FPS (a 41% drop from 1440p). The 4K Ultra figure represents just 19% of the 1080p Low performance, illustrating how the combination of high pixel count and demanding effects cripples this integrated GPU. Notably, the gap between Medium and High at each resolution is small — 6 FPS at 1080p (66 vs 60), 4 FPS at 1440p (46 vs 42), and only 2 FPS at 4K (27 vs 25) — suggesting that the Medium-to-High transition adds minimal shader complexity relative to the pixel load.

The scaling data points to a clear conclusion: the limiting component is the Arc B390's fixed-function pixel hardware, not the CPU or memory subsystem. The i7-14700KF, with its 20 cores and 5.60 GHz boost clock, would not struggle with Greedfall's CPU demands at any resolution, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate drops that track pixel count rather than scene complexity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience balances frame rate against visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 84 FPS, which is the highest measured average across all configurations. Medium settings at 1080p produce 66 FPS, still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth for an Action RPG. The Medium preset at 1080p is the recommended choice, as it provides a 10% improvement over High's 60 FPS while maintaining a 56 FPS minimum (the only preset with a recorded minimum above 50 FPS at this resolution).

Ultra settings at 1080p yield 38 FPS, which is playable but noticeably below the smoothness of Medium or High. The jump from Medium to Ultra costs 28 FPS (66 to 38), a 42% performance penalty for what is likely marginal visual improvement in a 2019-era title. Given that Greedfall's Ultra preset typically adds shadow quality and draw distance effects rather than fundamental geometry changes, the data suggests Medium offers the best performance-per-frame-rate ratio.

At 2560x1440, no preset achieves 60 FPS. Low settings top out at 58 FPS, just shy of smooth gameplay. Medium at 1440p delivers 46 FPS with a 39 FPS minimum, which is acceptable for slower-paced RPG combat but may feel stuttery in action sequences. High at 1440p drops to 42 FPS. For 1440p users, Low is the only viable option for near-60 FPS, while Medium is a compromise for those prioritizing visual quality over frame rate consistency.

At 3840x2160, all presets fall below 36 FPS. The best 4K result is Low at 35 FPS, followed by Medium at 27 FPS, High at 25 FPS, and Ultra at 16 FPS. None of these are recommended for competitive or fast-paced play, but Low at 4K could suffice for exploration-heavy segments. The measured minimum of 23 FPS at 4K Medium indicates frame time variance that would be noticeable during combat. Users targeting 4K should either reduce resolution or accept sub-30 FPS performance.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process. Its benchmark credentials are modest: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% slower) and GeForce 800M (1.5% slower). This positioning explains the Greedfall results — the GPU is essentially competing with entry-level discrete solutions from over a decade ago.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared" with bandwidth described as "System Dependent," meaning it draws from the same DDR4/DDR5 pool as the CPU. For Greedfall, which was released in 2019 and has moderate VRAM requirements, this shared memory arrangement is workable at lower settings but likely contributes to the steep 4K performance cliff. The 1536 shading units and 48 TMUs provide adequate texture throughput for 1080p Medium, but the 24 ROPs are the primary limitation at higher pixel counts.

Clock behavior is notable: the base clock of 300 MHz and boost clock of 2500 MHz represent a wide dynamic range. In Greedfall, the sustained load likely keeps the GPU near its boost frequency at 1080p, but at 4K the pixel pipeline saturates, and the clock scaling cannot compensate for the 4x pixel increase from 1080p to 4K. The FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS is respectable for integrated graphics, yet the 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate caps output regardless of shader capability.

The GPU's 12 RT cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are irrelevant for Greedfall, which predates ray tracing adoption in the genre. Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6 support mean API compatibility is not a concern. The 80 W TDP, while low, does not translate to performance headroom — the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (16 FPS) indicates the GPU is fully utilized and still insufficient.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 capable of running Greedfall at 60 FPS at any resolution?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080 with Low or Medium settings, where the measured average FPS is 84 and 66 respectively. At High settings, 1080p achieves exactly 60 FPS average, while all 1440p and 4K configurations fall below 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best 4K setting for this combo in Greedfall?

A: Low settings at 3840x2160 produce the highest 4K average at 35 FPS. Medium drops to 27 FPS, High to 25 FPS, and Ultra to 16 FPS. None reach 60 FPS, so 4K is only viable for slower-paced play.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, and 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM. These are the closest competitors per the benchmark database.

Q: Does the Core i7-14700KF bottleneck the Arc B390 in Greedfall?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 70163, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile. The FPS scaling across resolutions indicates the GPU is the limiting component, not the CPU.

Q: What is the frame time variance at 1080p Medium?

A: The measured minimum is 56 FPS and maximum is 76 FPS, yielding a range of 20 FPS around the 66 FPS average. This variance suggests some scene-dependent spikes but remains within acceptable bounds.

Q: Can the combo handle Greedfall's Ultra preset at 1440p?

A: Barely. The average FPS is 27, with no recorded minimum or maximum. This is below the 30 FPS threshold many consider the floor for playability, making Ultra at 1440p a poor choice.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its benchmark credentials are exemplary: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and single-core score of 6235, alongside a Geekbench multi-core of 21462 and single-core of 2578. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163, places it just 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and 1% below the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role is minimal because the game's engine, released in 2019, was designed for quad-core processors of that era. The i7-14700KF's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample bandwidth for the game's asset streaming. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU limitation — if the CPU were the bottleneck, frame rates would remain constant across resolutions, but instead they drop predictably with pixel count.

The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 52425 and integer math score of 183056 indicate substantial headroom for any background tasks or game logic threads. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU produces only 16 FPS, the CPU is likely idle waiting for the GPU to finish rendering. The 20 cores and 28 threads are far beyond Greedfall's requirements, but this configuration ensures that frame pacing is entirely GPU-controlled.

The nearest CPU rivals — AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% slower), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% slower) — all show negligible performance deltas. This means any of these CPUs paired with the Arc B390 would produce nearly identical Greedfall results, reinforcing that the GPU is the sole determinant of FPS in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full preset range was measured. Low settings produce an average of 84 FPS, the highest of any configuration. Medium yields 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 76. High drops to 60 FPS, and Ultra falls to 38 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 46 FPS, indicating that quality presets have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, Low delivers 58 FPS, Medium 46 FPS (minimum 39, maximum 53), High 42 FPS, and Ultra 27 FPS. The spread narrows to 31 FPS, showing that resolution pressure compresses the performance differences between presets. The Medium minimum of 39 FPS is notable as it stays above 30 FPS, unlike Ultra which offers no recorded minimum.

At 3840x2160, Low achieves 35 FPS, Medium 27 FPS (minimum 23, maximum 32), High 25 FPS, and Ultra 16 FPS. The spread shrinks further to 19 FPS. The only preset with recorded min/max at 4K is Medium, showing a 9 FPS range from minimum to maximum, which indicates significant frame time instability at this resolution.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values at every resolution, providing the most complete data on frame variance. At 1080p Medium, the 56-76 FPS range is tight; at 1440p Medium, the 39-53 FPS range remains consistent; at 4K Medium, the 23-32 FPS range shows the GPU struggling to maintain a stable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF + Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2595 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. This ranking is unsurprising given the GPU's 9th percentile standing. The combo's rank is essentially determined by the Arc B390's performance ceiling, as the CPU's 94th percentile ranking does not translate into FPS advantages when the GPU cannot render frames faster than its pixel pipeline allows.

In the context of the database, this combo sits alongside other low-end GPU pairings with high-end CPUs. The 343-combo gap from the bottom (2938 minus 2595) indicates there are worse-performing configurations, likely featuring even older integrated graphics or entry-level discrete GPUs. However, the presence of the i7-14700KF makes this combo unusual — most systems in this rank range likely pair weak GPUs with equally weak CPUs, whereas this pairing has an extremely capable processor wasted on an underpowered GPU.

The practical takeaway from the rank is that for Greedfall specifically, this combo delivers playable performance only at 1080p Medium or Low. The 2595th rank reflects the GPU's inability to exceed 84 FPS even at the lowest settings, a ceiling that a mid-range discrete GPU from the same era would easily surpass. The i7-14700KF's contribution to the rank is neutral — it neither helps nor hurts the FPS numbers, as evidenced by the GPU-bound scaling behavior. For users considering this combo, the rank data confirms that Greedfall should be played at 1080p with Medium settings for the best balance of visual quality and frame rate.