Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution. When paired with the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B570, the measured frame rates reveal a configuration that is heavily constrained by graphics processing power at higher resolutions, while showing more CPU headroom at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a pronounced drop in average frame rates as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 92 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the average falls to 64 FPS, a reduction of 28 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average drops further to 38 FPS, representing a 26 FPS decrease from the 1440p result and a 54 FPS total decline from 1080p.

This scaling pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary limiting component at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p transition shows a 30.4% performance loss, while the 1440p to 4K transition shows a 40.6% loss. The consistent performance degradation across these steps suggests the GPU's rendering throughput, rather than the CPU's processing capability, dictates the frame rate ceiling as pixel count increases.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (130 FPS) and Ultra (59 FPS) is 71 FPS. At 4K, the same settings gap is 30 FPS (54 FPS Low vs 24 FPS Ultra). This compression of the settings range at 4K confirms that the GPU is saturated; it simply cannot push additional frames regardless of the graphical load reduction from lower presets.

The Core i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, demonstrates that CPU performance is not the bottleneck in this title. The benchmark results show that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work, the frame rate reaches 130 FPS. This is a strong indicator that the processor has ample headroom to feed the Arc B570, as the frame rate is not capped by CPU limitations at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 64 at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is a 28 FPS drop from the 1080p High result of 92 FPS, showing the impact of increased pixel count.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 59. This is the lowest average among the 1080p presets, with Low achieving 130 FPS and Medium achieving 102 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 24 (Ultra) to 54 (Low). The Core i9-14900K’s high core count and thread count provide sufficient processing power, as evidenced by the higher frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU workload is lighter.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the measured minimum FPS is 36 and the maximum is 48, with an average of 42 FPS. This provides a range of 12 FPS, indicating some frame time variance.

Q: How does the 1080p Medium preset compare to the 1440p Medium preset?

A: The 1080p Medium preset averages 102 FPS, while the 1440p Medium preset averages 71 FPS. This represents a 31 FPS difference, or a 30.4% reduction in performance when moving to the higher resolution.

Q: What is the performance delta between the i9-14900K and its closest CPU rival?

A: The nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF, has an average benchmark score that is 0.3% lower than the i9-14900K. The AMD EPYC 7413 is 1.2% lower, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is 1.7% higher.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.20 GHz with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. The processor has a 36 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache. These specifications position it as a high-end desktop part, and its benchmark scores reflect that, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU across most tested configurations. The frame rates at 1080p Low (130 FPS) are the highest recorded, suggesting the processor can handle the game's logic and draw calls without becoming a bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates regardless of resolution or settings, which is not the case in the data.

The processor's single-thread performance, as measured by a Geekbench single-core score of 2655, is strong. This is relevant for games like Greedfall, which may rely on a single primary thread for game logic. However, the fact that frame rates scale down so predictably with resolution indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is the defining constraint, not the CPU's thread execution speed.

The i9-14900K's percentile rank of 95 among all CPUs confirms its position as a top-tier processor. Its nearest rivals, such as the i9-14900KF, show a negligible performance delta of -0.3%, meaning the KF variant is essentially equivalent in raw processing power. This suggests that even a slightly weaker CPU would yield nearly identical results in this game, as the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Arc B570 paired with the i9-14900K shows a clear progression across presets. Low settings produce an average of 130 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 102 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 87 FPS and maximum of 117 FPS. High settings average 92 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, bringing the average down to 59 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are consistent. Low settings average 90 FPS. Medium settings average 71 FPS, with a minimum of 60 FPS and maximum of 81 FPS. High settings average 64 FPS. Ultra settings average 41 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 49 FPS, which is slightly narrower than the 71 FPS gap seen at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU workload becomes severe. Low settings average 54 FPS. Medium settings average 42 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS and maximum of 48 FPS. High settings average 38 FPS. Ultra settings average 24 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 30 FPS, the smallest gap across all resolutions, indicating the GPU is struggling to maintain playable frame rates under heavy load.

The data shows that the Medium preset offers a balanced experience. At 1080p, it maintains an average above 100 FPS, while at 1440p, it stays above 70 FPS. The High preset is also viable, but it drops below 60 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset only provides playable performance at 1080p, and even then, it is the only preset that falls below the 60 FPS threshold at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2344 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the lower percentile of all configurations, which is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance class. The Arc B570 has a benchmark percentile of 65 among all GPUs, indicating that while it is not a low-end part, it is significantly outperformed by higher-tier graphics cards.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 20556, which puts it in a competitive position with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1%) and the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1%). However, in a demanding title like Greedfall, this level of GPU performance is insufficient to achieve high frame rates at 4K, which is reflected in the combo's low rank.

The CPU's high performance, with an average benchmark score of 79097 and a 95th percentile rank, does not compensate for the GPU's limitations in this game. The rank of 2344 suggests that many other combinations, even those with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, would produce higher average frame rates. The data indicates that the bottleneck is almost entirely on the graphics side, so the combo's ranking is a direct reflection of the Arc B570's capabilities.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's rivals show a tight grouping. The RTX 3070 Mobile is 0.1% faster, and the Arc A750 is 0.1% slower. This indicates that the Arc B570 is positioned at a specific performance tier, and its rank in this game is consistent with that tier's expectations. A user seeking higher frame rates in Greedfall would need to look at GPU options with significantly higher benchmark scores.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the Medium preset provides the best balance between visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1920x1080, Medium averages 102 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. At 2560x1440, Medium averages 71 FPS, still maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. This makes Medium the most versatile preset across the two most common gaming resolutions.

The Low preset is the only option that delivers playable performance at 3840x2160, with an average of 54 FPS. While this is below the 60 FPS standard, it is above 30 FPS and may be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay. However, dropping to Low settings at 4K sacrifices significant visual fidelity. For users prioritizing frame rate over image quality, Low at 1440p (90 FPS) or 1080p (130 FPS) are better choices.

The High preset is a viable option at 1080p (92 FPS) and 1440p (64 FPS), but it drops to 38 FPS at 4K, which is not smooth. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p gaming, where it averages 59 FPS. At any higher resolution, Ultra settings result in frame rates below 41 FPS, which is likely to feel stuttery.

For a consistent experience, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is recommended, as it provides a 71 FPS average with a minimum of 60 FPS. This ensures that frame times are relatively stable, as shown by the min/max range of 60 to 81 FPS. Users with 1080p monitors can comfortably use High settings (92 FPS) or Medium (102 FPS) for higher headroom. The data suggests avoiding 4K unless using Low settings, as the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at that resolution.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a discrete GPU based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. The GPU has 18 ray tracing cores and operates at a consistent clock speed of 2500 MHz for both base and boost. It is equipped with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s.

In Greedfall, the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are sufficient for the game's requirements, as the frame rates are more dependent on the core's compute capabilities. The 10 GB VRAM is adequate for 4K textures, and the 380.0 GB/s bandwidth does not appear to be a limiting factor. The primary constraint is the raw pixel throughput, which is measured at 200.0 GPixel/s.

The Arc B570's benchmark scores show a mixed profile. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2649, and its Passmark G3D score is 14195. These scores place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer. The nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A750, which has a nearly identical average score (deltaPct -0.1%), confirming the B570 is a successor with similar performance in this tier.

The GPU's performance in Greedfall is the dominant factor in the measured FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average of 24 FPS is a clear sign that the GPU is overwhelmed. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 59 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target, showing that the most demanding preset pushes the GPU to its limits. The data shows that the Arc B570 can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming with lower presets, but it is not designed for high-refresh-rate or 4K gaming in this title.

The FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS provides the compute foundation for the game's rendering, but the pixel rate and texture rate are more indicative of real-world rasterization performance. The 360.0 GTexel/s texture rate allows for detailed surfaces, but the 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate is the bottleneck at high resolutions. This explains why the frame rates drop so precipitously as resolution increases, as the GPU cannot fill enough pixels per second.