Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG from Spiders, presents an interesting scalability challenge for high-end hardware. With the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, the data shows a system that is overwhelmingly powerful for this title, often pushing frame rates well beyond display refresh rates. The benchmark results indicate that this combination is rarely the limiting factor, with performance primarily dictated by the graphics settings and resolution chosen rather than any CPU bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear transition from a CPU-bound scenario to a GPU-bound one. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 318 FPS. This exceptionally high frame rate suggests that the CPU, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is capable of feeding frames far faster than even the RTX 4080 can render at this low graphical load. The game’s engine appears to be the limiting factor at this point, as the data shows a ceiling that prevents the frame rate from climbing higher.

Moving to 1440p, the average FPS at Low settings drops to 220, a significant reduction of roughly 31%. This indicates that the GPU is now becoming the primary bottleneck, as the increased pixel count demands more from the rendering pipeline. The RTX 4080’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth are being utilized more heavily, but the frame rate remains exceptionally high, far exceeding the needs of most high-refresh-rate monitors.

The scaling to 4K at Low settings further confirms the GPU’s growing role, with the average FPS falling to 131. This is a 41% drop from 1440p and a 59% drop from 1080p. The data shows a consistent trend: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops in a non-linear fashion, characteristic of a GPU that is being progressively saturated. The compute power of the RTX 4080, with its 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, is being taxed by the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160, but the system still maintains a highly playable average.

When moving from Low to Ultra settings, the scaling becomes even more pronounced. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 145, a 54% reduction from the Low preset. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 100 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 60 FPS. This demonstrates that the combination of high resolution and Ultra settings creates a workload that fully engages the GPU. The data indicates that the i9-14900K is more than capable of keeping up with the RTX 4080 at all tested settings, as the frame rate scaling follows the expected GPU workload curve. The limiting component at 4K Ultra is clearly the graphics card, as the CPU has ample headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the defining component for this game’s visual output. With its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, it provides a substantial amount of bandwidth for high-resolution textures. The benchmarks show that this memory configuration is sufficient for Greedfall’s demands, even at 4K with High settings, where the average FPS remains at 94. The data does not indicate any memory capacity or bandwidth related stutters, suggesting the 716.8 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for the game’s asset streaming.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, are a key factor in its performance. The Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process, allows for these high clocks while maintaining a 320 W TDP. The benchmark results show that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with clock speed, as higher settings that increase the shader load result in lower frame rates. The RTX 4080’s 9728 shading units are the primary driver of the frame rate, and the data shows they are fully utilized at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 60.

The GPU’s overall capability is reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 34457 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567. These scores place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, indicating its high performance class. Compared to its nearest rivals in the database, the RTX 4080 is 0.1% ahead of the RTX 4080 SUPER, but 2.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB in average benchmark score. However, in this specific game, the RTX 4080's raw power is evident, as it delivers playable frame rates even at the highest settings. The GPU is the clear bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the 60 FPS average is exactly half of the 120 FPS average seen at 1440p Ultra, showing a doubling of the rendering workload.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K serves as a high-end foundation for this system, but its role in Greedfall is secondary to the GPU. With 24 cores (8 Performance-cores and 16 Efficient-cores) and 32 threads, the CPU has immense parallel processing power. The benchmark results from Cinebench R23, with a multi-core score of 39399.5, show that the CPU is far from being a bottleneck in this game. The data suggests that Greedfall’s engine is not heavily multi-threaded enough to fully utilize all 24 cores, as the frame rate does not scale with the CPU’s core count.

The CPU’s high single-core performance is more relevant for gaming. Its boost clock of 6.00 GHz and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2262.5 ensure that the main game thread is processed with minimal latency. This is evident in the 1080p Low preset, where the system achieves 318 FPS, a scenario that is typically limited by the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls. The fact that the frame rate does not exceed this level, even with a powerful GPU, points to the game engine’s threading model as the primary limiter, not the CPU’s raw speed.

The i9-14900K’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide a large pool of fast memory for game data. This helps reduce latency when the CPU accesses frequently used assets. The data shows that the CPU’s performance is consistent across all resolutions, as the frame rate differences between 1080p and 4K are almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s workload. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 95th among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79097, places it just 1.2% behind the AMD EPYC 7413 and 1.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395. In this game, the i9-14900K is an enabler, providing enough headroom to ensure the RTX 4080 can operate at its full potential without being starved of data.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Greedfall, this pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 secures the 254th position out of 3703 tested combos. This places it in the top 7% of all systems in the database, indicating a very high level of performance. The rank reflects the balance between the two components, as neither is holding the other back in a significant way.

This ranking is impressive, but the data shows that there are many other combinations that perform better. The primary factor preventing a higher rank is the 4K Ultra result, where the average FPS is exactly 60. This is a playable frame rate, but it is not as high as some other flagship combinations might achieve. The combo’s rank is influenced by the fact that the RTX 4080, while powerful, sits below the absolute top-tier GPUs in the database. Its 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs means that a significant number of more powerful cards exist that could push the 4K Ultra frame rate higher.

When compared to other CPU+GPU pairings, this combo excels in scenarios where the GPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p and 1440p, the frame rates are so high that the system is likely limited by the game’s engine or the monitor’s refresh rate. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the system’s rank is determined by how well the RTX 4080 can handle the increased load. The data indicates that this is a well-matched pair for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and solid 4K gaming, but the ranking suggests that for absolute 4K dominance, a more powerful GPU would be needed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured performance of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination in Greedfall. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 318, dropping to 249 on Medium, 226 on High, and 145 on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 212 FPS and a maximum of 287 FPS, indicating a consistent frame delivery with a narrow variance. The Ultra preset’s 145 FPS average shows a significant performance cost for the highest visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high. The Low preset achieves an average of 220 FPS, while Medium yields 173 FPS, and High results in 157 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum is 147 FPS and maximum is 199 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 100 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combination, as it provides frame rates that are well above 144 Hz on High settings, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still very playable, but the GPU is clearly working harder. The Low preset averages 131 FPS, while Medium drops to 103 FPS, and High to 94 FPS. The Medium preset shows a range of 88 FPS to 119 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding an average of 60 FPS. This is the only test where the system fails to maintain an average above 90 FPS, showing the limits of the RTX 4080 at this resolution with maximum settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this system depend heavily on the user’s display and performance targets. For 1080p and 1440p displays with high refresh rates (144Hz or higher), the Ultra preset is the best choice for visual fidelity. At 1440p Ultra, the system still averages 100 FPS, which is a high level of performance that will satisfy most users. The High preset at 1440p offers an even higher 157 FPS average, providing a smoother experience for competitive play or for those who prioritize frame rate over graphical detail.

For 4K resolution, the High preset is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 94 FPS, which is a very good experience for a 60Hz or even a 120Hz display. The Ultra preset at 4K, with its 60 FPS average, is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes, making the High preset a more balanced option that ensures consistent performance. The data shows that the difference between High and Ultra is significant in terms of frame rate, but the visual difference is often less noticeable in a fast-paced game.

The Low and Medium presets are generally not recommended for this hardware, as they unnecessarily sacrifice visual quality for frame rates that are far beyond what is needed. The only scenario where using a lower preset might be considered is if a user has a 360Hz monitor and wants to maximize frame rate at 1080p, where the Low preset’s 318 FPS average could be beneficial. However, for the vast majority of users, the High or Ultra presets at 1440p, or the High preset at 4K, will provide the best balance of visual quality and performance. The data clearly indicates that this system is not designed for low-settings gaming; its power is best utilized when pushing higher graphical presets.