Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, places measurable demands on a system pairing the Intel Core i7-14700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070. The measured frame rates reveal a configuration that is decisively limited by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor’s substantial headroom becomes apparent only at 1080p. This analysis walks through the data to define the performance envelope, from 4K to 1080p, and across the four available quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, pointing squarely at the GTX 1070 as the primary constraint. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 89 FPS at 1920x1080 to 64.6 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 27%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 37.2 FPS, which is about 58% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, where the pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K (a 4x jump) overwhelms the Pascal architecture's 256-bit memory bus and 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth.

The trend is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The 57.2 FPS average at 1080p drops to 39.3 FPS at 1440p, and then to a nearly unplayable 25.3 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Ultra is a 56% performance loss. This indicates that the most demanding preset scales poorly with resolution, as the GPU’s shading units (1920) and texture units (120) are saturated by the combined load of high pixel count and intensive effects. The data shows that 4K is not a viable target for this combo, regardless of settings, as even Low preset only yields 53.5 FPS at that resolution.

At 1080p, the scaling behavior begins to hint at a shift in the bottleneck. The jump from Low (125.4 FPS) to Medium (98.8 FPS) is a 21% drop, while the jump from High (89 FPS) to Ultra (57.2 FPS) is a 36% drop. This non-linear curve suggests that while the GPU is still the primary limiter, the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are sufficiently powerful to feed the card at lower presets, allowing the GPU to become the sole bottleneck. A capable air cooler would be sufficient for this processor, as its performance is not a limiting factor in these results.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that Medium settings at 2560x1440 provide the most balanced experience for this hardware. The average of 69.7 FPS at 1440p Medium is a solid frame rate, and the jump from High (64.6 FPS) to Medium (69.7 FPS) yields a 7.9% improvement in speed with a modest reduction in visual fidelity. This is a more sensible target than High, which, while playable, offers less margin for demanding scenes. The 89 FPS at 1080p High is excellent, but the visual uplift from Medium to High is often less noticeable than the smoothness gained from a higher frame rate.

For users prioritizing smoothness over visual quality, 1080p Low delivers the highest measured average at 125.4 FPS. This is the only configuration that consistently clears the 120 FPS threshold, making it the choice for high-refresh-rate displays. However, the 57.2 FPS average at 1080p Ultra is the only preset that fails to reach a 60 FPS target at that resolution, indicating that Ultra should be avoided entirely. At 4K, no setting is recommended, as the best result (53.5 FPS on Low) is below the standard 60 FPS target. The data indicates that 1440p Medium is the sweet spot, balancing a 69.7 FPS average with reasonable graphical demands.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the defining component in this configuration, and its specifications directly correlate with the observed performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a crucial factor in a texture-heavy title like Greedfall. The benchmark results show that the card’s 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its position as a mid-range performer in the current landscape, with an average benchmark score of 12331. This score is virtually identical to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, which is a mere 0.7% behind.

The card’s clock speeds are also telling. The base clock of 1506 MHz and boost clock of 1683 MHz are the maximum rated frequencies, and the data suggests that Greedfall is able to sustain these clocks under load, particularly at lower resolutions where thermal and power headroom are less constrained. The 150 W TDP and single 8-pin power connector are modest, allowing the card to operate within its designed envelope. The FP32 performance of 6.463 TFLOPS is the raw compute capability that the game can leverage, and the 107.7 GPixel/s pixel rate explains why 4K is so punishing — the card simply cannot fill pixels fast enough to maintain playable frame rates. The 1082 score in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is a low result, further confirming the GPU's limitations in modern workloads.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K?

A: The data shows no. At 3840x2160, the best average frame rate is 53.5 FPS on Low settings. High and Medium settings yield averages of 37.2 FPS and 38.6 FPS, respectively, while Ultra drops to 25.3 FPS. None of these results meet a consistent 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60 FPS experience?

A: According to the measured data, 2560x1440 is the highest resolution that can sustain 60 FPS. At 1440p, the High preset averages 64.6 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 69.7 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution falls short at 39.3 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 12331. This is 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (12241), but 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (12490) and 1.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (12504).

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The Core i7-14700KF scores in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's headroom is only hinted at, not exposed, by the 125.4 FPS result at 1080p Low.

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

A: The cost of Ultra is significant. At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 89 on High to 57.2 on Ultra, a 36% performance penalty. At 2560x1440, the drop is from 64.6 FPS to 39.3 FPS, a 39% penalty. The visual benefits of Ultra are not quantified here, but the frame rate cost is clear.

Q: Is the GTX 1070's memory capacity sufficient?

A: The card has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory. The measured results do not indicate any memory-related stuttering or crashes. The performance is consistent with the GPU's compute and bandwidth limits, suggesting that 8 GB is adequate for this game at the tested settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a high-end desktop processor, and its specifications provide a stark contrast to the GPU's limitations. With 20 cores and 28 threads, a base clock of 3.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, it is a formidable compute engine. Its benchmark scores are excellent, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290. The processor’s 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its top-tier status, with an average benchmark score of 70104. This places it in a tight race with its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-14700K (70074, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420, -0.4% delta).

In Greedfall, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that it performs this task without becoming the limiting factor. The FPS differences between resolutions are almost entirely attributable to the GPU's pixel throughput. For example, at High settings, the 89 FPS at 1080p drops to 64.6 FPS at 1440p, a difference of 24.4 FPS, which is a GPU-side cost. The CPU is likely capable of far higher frame rates, but the GTX 1070 cannot deliver them. The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4/DDR5 memory are ample for the game's requirements. This configuration demonstrates a classic CPU-over-GPU pairing, where the processor has significant headroom for future GPU upgrades without needing replacement.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates provides a clear matrix of performance.

At 1920x1080, the results are all playable except for the most demanding preset. The Low preset averages 125.4 FPS, Medium averages 98.8 FPS, and High averages 89 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 57.2 FPS, which is the only sub-60 result at this resolution. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decrease in performance, with the largest single drop occurring between High and Ultra (89 to 57.2 FPS).

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. The Low preset averages 89 FPS, which is identical to the 1080p High result, highlighting the resolution cost. The Medium preset averages 69.7 FPS, and the High preset averages 64.6 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 39.3 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The difference between 1440p Low and 1440p High is 24.4 FPS, while the difference between High and Ultra is 25.3 FPS, showing that Ultra has a disproportionate performance hit.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. The Low preset averages 53.5 FPS, which is the only result above 50 FPS. The Medium preset averages 38.6 FPS, and the High preset averages 37.2 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 25.3 FPS, which is below the threshold for a consistent playable experience. The data shows a clear pattern: the GTX 1070 is a 1080p/1440p card for this title, and 4K is only possible with significant compromises to visual quality. The overall combo rank of 1421 out of 1705 tested combinations places this pairing in the lower-middle range, confirming that the GPU is holding back the system's overall potential.