Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG from 2019, exhibits a clear performance hierarchy when paired with the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. The data shows a consistent pattern where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, while the CPU’s substantial headroom ensures high frame rates at lower resolutions. This combination ranks in the 684th position out of 1705 tested combos, placing it in the top 40% of all configurations for this title. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, interprets the scaling behavior, and provides actionable recommendations based on the benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are steep and clearly indicate a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 154.8 at 1920x1080 to 110.1 at 2560x1440, a 28.9% reduction, and then to 62.3 at 3840x2160, a further 43.4% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is typical for a game where the rendering load on the GPU grows faster than the pixel count, and the RTX 3070 Ti’s 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth are being pushed hard.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (217.5 FPS) and Ultra (95.7 FPS) is 121.8 FPS. At 4K, the same settings gap is 52.9 FPS (91.8 vs 38.9). This compression at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU shader and memory throughput, not the CPU, are the bottlenecks. The i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, has more than enough processing power to feed the GPU at 1080p, as evidenced by the 217.5 FPS Low result, but that headroom becomes irrelevant when the GPU is saturated at 4K.

A critical observation is the non-linear scaling between Medium and High settings. At 4K, moving from Medium (67.9 FPS) to High (62.3 FPS) costs only 5.6 FPS, while moving from High to Ultra (38.9 FPS) costs 23.4 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces a disproportionately heavy effect, likely related to shadow quality or post-processing, that severely impacts the GPU. The data indicates that the sweet spot for 4K is High, as it maintains playability without the massive performance penalty of Ultra.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 217.5 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This result highlights the CPU’s ability to drive very high frame rates when the GPU load is minimal.

Q: Is this combination capable of 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, but only with specific settings. At 4K, High settings produce an average of 62.3 FPS, and Medium settings produce 67.9 FPS. Both are above the 60 FPS threshold, while Low (91.8 FPS) is even higher. However, Ultra settings at 4K fall well below at 38.9 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU’s core count influence performance in Greedfall?

A: The i9-14900K has 24 cores and 32 threads. Benchmark results indicate that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 217.5 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution. The game appears to scale well with the available cores, as the CPU’s performance percentile is 97, indicating it is among the top processors.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1440p and 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 110.1 at 2560x1440 to 62.3 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 47.8 FPS. This 43.4% decrease shows that 4K nearly halves the frame rate compared to 1440p, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of the workload at higher resolutions.

Q: Which graphics preset provides the most balanced experience at 2560x1440?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 yield 119.3 FPS, which is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS standard. High settings at 110.1 FPS are also viable, but Medium offers a 8.4% performance increase with presumably minimal visual compromise, making it the safer choice for consistent high refresh rates.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti’s memory configuration affect 4K performance?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. The sharp performance drop at 4K Ultra (38.9 FPS) compared to High (62.3 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset may be exceeding the comfortable memory capacity or bandwidth limits, causing a severe impact on frame delivery.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a single-core score of 7040. In the context of Greedfall, this CPU provides an enormous amount of computational headroom. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 217.5 FPS, which is likely near the upper limit of what the game engine can output, rather than a limitation of the CPU.

The CPU’s percentile ranking of 97 against all CPUs indicates it is in the top 3% of processors tested. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 7413 and Intel Core i9-14900KF, have average scores within 0.9% of each other, confirming that the i9-14900K is at the pinnacle of consumer performance. For Greedfall, this means the CPU will never be the bottleneck. The data shows that even at 1080p High, the frame rate (154.8 FPS) is more indicative of GPU limits than CPU limits, as the CPU is capable of far higher frame rates as seen in the Low preset.

The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast access to game data, reducing latency and ensuring smooth frame pacing. The CPU’s support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory, with a dual-channel bus, allows for flexible system configuration, though the game’s performance is not heavily dependent on memory bandwidth. In summary, the CPU’s role in this combo is to provide a stable, high-frequency foundation that never caps the GPU’s output, which is exactly what the benchmark results demonstrate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The data provides a full matrix of average FPS across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 217.5 FPS, Medium 169.0 FPS, High 154.8 FPS, and Ultra 95.7 FPS. This shows a linear degradation from Low to Medium to High, with a severe 38.2% drop from High to Ultra. The 1080p results are all well above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution ideal for high refresh rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 147.7 FPS, Medium 119.3 FPS, High 110.1 FPS, and Ultra 65.4 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 32.1% performance loss at Low settings, but only a 28.9% loss at High settings. This suggests that the GPU is beginning to become the limiting factor, as the relative performance gap between settings narrows. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 65.4 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 91.8 FPS, Medium 67.9 FPS, High 62.3 FPS, and Ultra 38.9 FPS. The 4K results are the most telling. The difference between Medium and High is only 5.6 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 23.4 FPS. This indicates a non-linear scaling that is characteristic of a specific rendering feature in the Ultra preset that is particularly taxing on the GPU. The Low preset at 91.8 FPS is the only 4K setting that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 684th out of 1705 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the 60th percentile, meaning it outperforms 60% of all configurations tested. While this is a solid result, it is not at the very top of the performance charts, which is expected given the GPU’s 74th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6700 and NVIDIA Quadro M5000, have average benchmark scores within 1.2% of the RTX 3070 Ti. This indicates that the GPU is in a tightly contested performance band. The CPU, however, is in a class of its own, with its nearest rivals being within 0.9% of its average score, but all of them are also top-tier processors. The combo’s rank of 684 suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, as a higher-ranked GPU would likely push the combo higher in the standings. The data confirms that this is a high-performing but not extreme combination, suitable for high-refresh 1440p gaming and playable 4K at moderate settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, High settings at 154.8 FPS provide an excellent balance, as Ultra’s 95.7 FPS is a significant drop for marginal visual gains. For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, Low at 217.5 FPS is available, but Medium at 169.0 FPS offers a better visual experience with still very high performance.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings at 119.3 FPS are the clear recommendation. They offer a 8.4% performance advantage over High (110.1 FPS) and a 45.2% advantage over Ultra (65.4 FPS). The Ultra preset at 1440p is viable for 60 FPS gaming, but the risk of drops below 60 FPS is higher due to the average margin. Medium provides enough headroom to ensure smooth gameplay in most scenarios.

For 3840x2160, High settings at 62.3 FPS are the best choice for a playable experience. While Low at 91.8 FPS is smoother, the visual quality at High is likely worth the 29.5 FPS loss. Medium at 67.9 FPS is a compromise that is only 5.6 FPS faster than High, so High is the better value. Ultra at 38.9 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it falls well below the 60 FPS standard. The data strongly suggests that High is the optimal preset for 4K, providing a stable frame rate without the severe penalty of Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is a critical component in this combo, and its characteristics directly explain the measured FPS patterns. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its 6144 shading units and 48 RT cores are built on the Ampere architecture with an 8 nm process. The boost clock is 1770 MHz, and the FP32 performance is rated at 21.75 TFLOPS.

In Greedfall, the GPU’s role is to handle the rendering load, which becomes increasingly demanding at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 1440p and 4K, as evidenced by the sharp FPS drops. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset’s 38.9 FPS result suggests that the Ultra settings may be pushing the memory capacity or bandwidth to its limits, causing a disproportionate performance hit.

The GPU’s benchmark scores, including a PassMark G3D score of 23356 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3478, are solid but place it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6700, have scores within 0.8%, indicating that the RTX 3070 Ti is a mid-to-high-tier performer. For this game, the GPU’s role is to provide high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, and playable frame rates at 4K with settings tuned down. The data confirms that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance in this combination, and its limitations at 4K Ultra are clearly visible in the results.