Greedfall

Greedfall is a 2019 Action RPG that stresses the GPU more than the CPU, and the measured results for the Intel Core i7-14700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 show a clear hierarchy of playable settings. The data indicates that the RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the 20-core processor provides ample headroom. The combination ranks in the 60th percentile of tested systems for this title, which translates to solid 1080p performance but requires careful settings management for 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data points to Medium as the optimal settings preset for the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate consistency across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 126 FPS with a minimum of 107 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS, which is a smooth and responsive experience. While Low pushes the average to 160 FPS, the jump from Medium to Low only yields a 34 FPS gain, whereas the jump from High to Medium is only 12 FPS, making Medium the sweet spot that avoids the visual degradation of Low without sacrificing much performance.

At 2560x1440, Medium is again the most balanced choice, producing an average of 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. This frame rate is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays, and the minimum of 74 FPS indicates that the experience remains fluid even in demanding scenes. High at this resolution drops to 79 FPS average, which is still playable, but the tighter minimum frame rate data for Medium suggests better consistency. Low at 1440p offers 111 FPS, but this preset typically removes too many graphical details for an Action RPG where environmental readability matters.

For 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. Ultra is effectively unplayable with an average of only 30 FPS, and High is marginal at 47 FPS. Medium at 4K provides an average of 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS, which is the only preset that approaches a playable experience on a 60Hz display. Low at 4K achieves 66 FPS, but the visual compromise is severe. Therefore, Medium is the recommended preset for 4K if the user prioritizes frame rate, while High is only suitable for those who favor image quality over smoothness and can tolerate sub-50 FPS averages.

The data strongly suggests avoiding Ultra at all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra drops to 73 FPS, which is a massive 53 FPS penalty compared to Medium. At 1440p, Ultra falls to 50 FPS, and at 4K it collapses to 30 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra is disproportionate to its visual benefits, as the gap between High and Ultra is consistently larger than the gap between Medium and High. For example, at 1440p, High is 79 FPS and Ultra is 50 FPS, a 29 FPS drop, while Medium is 87 FPS and High is 79 FPS, only an 8 FPS drop. This indicates that Ultra settings include effects that are particularly taxing on the RTX 5050's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 2560 shading units.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 1776th out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the 60th percentile of all systems tested, meaning it outperforms roughly 60% of configurations. This is a respectable position, but it is not a top-tier result, reflecting the RTX 5050's mid-range positioning rather than the CPU's high-end capabilities.

The CPU itself is a top-tier performer, with a percentile of 94 vs all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 70163. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% faster), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% faster), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% faster), while it is 1% slower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. This places the i7-14700KF in elite company for processing power. However, the GPU's percentile is only 66 vs all GPUs, with an average score of 21035, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.6% faster) and AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% slower). This mismatch is the defining characteristic of this combo.

The combo rank of 1776 is a direct consequence of this imbalance. In a game like Greedfall, which is not heavily CPU-threaded, the RTX 5050 becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The data confirms this, as the FPS drops are consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. The rank indicates that while this system is capable of running Greedfall well, it does not stand out among the thousands of other tested configurations, many of which likely pair high-end CPUs with stronger GPUs. For a user with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, this rank is perfectly adequate, but it signals that the system is not optimized for 4K gaming in this title.

FAQ

Q: Can the RTX 5050 handle Greedfall at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only with settings compromises. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, the Medium preset yields an average of 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS, which is playable. High drops to 47 FPS, and Ultra is not viable at 30 FPS. Low is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS at 4K, achieving 66 FPS, but with significant visual quality loss.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz 1080p monitor?

A: The High preset is the most suitable, as it produces an average of 114 FPS. While Low achieves 160 FPS and Medium achieves 126 FPS, High offers a better visual experience while still staying above the 100 FPS threshold. Ultra should be avoided as it drops to 73 FPS, which is below the 144Hz refresh rate target.

Q: Is the Core i7-14700KF bottlenecking the RTX 5050 in this game?

A: No, the benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU has 20 cores and 28 threads, and its synthetic benchmark scores are in the 94th percentile, while the GPU is only in the 66th percentile. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a typical GPU-bound pattern, with a significant drop in performance as resolution increases.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic tests?

A: In the average benchmark score, the RTX 5050 scores 21035. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153, which is 0.6% higher, and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, which is 1% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, which is 1.6% lower. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, which is 1.6% higher. This shows the 5050 is positioned in a tight mid-range cluster.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for 2560x1440 with High settings is 79 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for most single-player Action RPGs, and the data does not include a minimum FPS for this specific configuration, but the Medium preset's minimum of 74 FPS suggests that High should stay above 60 FPS in most scenes.

Q: Is there a big performance difference between Medium and High at 1080p?

A: The difference is modest. At 1920x1080, Medium averages 126 FPS, while High averages 114 FPS, a difference of 12 FPS. This is a relatively small penalty for the improved visual quality that High typically offers, making High a reasonable alternative if the user prioritizes graphics over a slight frame rate increase.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination. Minimum and maximum values are provided only where the data includes them.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 47 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 66 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 52 | 44 | 60 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 30 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 79 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 111 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 87 | 74 | 100 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 50 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 114 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 160 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 126 | 107 | 144 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 73 | - | - |

At 1080p, the RTX 5050 provides a wide range of performance. Low settings hit 160 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth, while Medium's minimum of 107 FPS ensures a consistently high frame rate. High at 114 FPS is a strong choice for visual quality. Ultra is the outlier, with a 73 FPS average that is 53 FPS lower than Medium.

At 1440p, the performance scales down predictably. Low remains very playable at 111 FPS, while Medium and High both stay above 75 FPS. Ultra drops to 50 FPS, indicating that this preset is too demanding for the 2560x1440 resolution. The Medium preset's minimum of 74 FPS is the only min/max data point for this resolution, but it suggests good frame pacing.

At 4K, the RTX 5050 struggles with the higher pixel count. Only Low (66 FPS) and Medium (52 FPS) are playable. High and Ultra drop to 47 FPS and 30 FPS respectively, which are below the standard 60 FPS target. The Medium preset's maximum of 60 FPS shows that the card can occasionally hit the target, but the average of 52 FPS and minimum of 44 FPS reveal its limitations in this demanding scenario.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the GPU-bound nature of this system. For the Medium preset, the average FPS goes from 126 at 1080p to 87 at 1440p and then to 52 at 4K. This represents a 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40% drop from 1440p to 4K. The overall drop from 1080p to 4K is 59%, which is a significant reduction in performance.

This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU with a 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. The RTX 5050 has a memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, which becomes increasingly insufficient as the pixel count rises. The data shows that the biggest relative drop happens between 1440p and 4K, where the pixel count doubles, placing a heavy load on the memory subsystem and the 2560 shading units.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal. The i7-14700KF's 20 cores and 28 threads are more than capable of feeding the GPU at all resolutions. Its high single-thread performance (6235 in Cinebench R23) ensures that the game's main thread is not a bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across all resolutions, as the CPU would cap the frame rate. Instead, the FPS drops consistently with resolution, confirming that the RTX 5050 is the component that determines the performance ceiling.

The fact that Low settings at 4K (66 FPS) achieve a similar frame rate to High settings at 1440p (79 FPS) further illustrates this point. The GPU is struggling with the sheer number of pixels, regardless of the graphical detail level. The only way to improve 4K performance is to reduce the internal rendering resolution, which is not reflected in these settings presets. The data suggests that users with 4K displays should stick to Medium settings for a playable experience, or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for higher frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a high-end desktop processor with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. It has 20 cores and 28 threads, a configuration that provides substantial multi-threaded performance. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a powerful CPU by any measure, and its benchmark results reflect that, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235.

In Greedfall, however, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The game is a 2019 Action RPG, and its engine is not known for scaling perfectly with many cores. The measured FPS data shows that the system is GPU-bound at all tested resolutions, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when resolution increases. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions.

The CPU's 94th percentile ranking vs all CPUs indicates that it is in the top 6% of all processors. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which is only 0.9% faster, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, which is 1% slower. This places the i7-14700KF in the top tier of desktop processors.

Despite this raw power, the CPU's performance in Greedfall is not the limiting factor. The RTX 5050's 66th percentile ranking vs all GPUs is the primary constraint. The CPU has enough headroom to handle the game's physics, AI, and draw calls without breaking a sweat. The data shows that the i7-14700KF is a future-proof component that will not bottleneck the RTX 5050 in this title, and it has ample capacity for more demanding games. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a mid-range GPU means that users can upgrade the GPU later without needing to change the processor, as the i7-14700KF will continue to provide a solid foundation for gaming.