Greedfall

The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in Greedfall produces a dataset that is as revealing for its bottlenecks as it is for its raw frame rates. The measured results show a system capable of high refresh-rate play at 1080p and solid 4K performance, but the scaling between resolutions and settings exposes a clear hierarchy in workload distribution. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to determine the optimal settings, explores the relationship between the CPU and GPU, and contextualizes the combo’s standing against the broader benchmark database.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting a smooth, visually rich experience, the High preset at 2560x1440 offers the most balanced result, delivering an average of 113 FPS. This is a significant jump from the 72 FPS average at Ultra, representing a 57% performance increase, while the visual fidelity difference between High and Ultra in this Action RPG is typically less impactful than the frame rate gain. At 1920x1080, the High preset is also ideal, achieving 163 FPS on average, which is well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors.

If the priority is maximum frame rates for competitive play or incredibly fluid motion, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the clear winner, producing an average of 228 FPS. However, this comes at the cost of graphical detail that is likely too severe for a narrative-driven RPG. The Medium preset at 1080p provides a strong middle ground, with an average of 179 FPS and a minimum of 152 FPS, ensuring no noticeable stutters even during intense combat scenarios.

At 4K (3840x2160), the data suggests that High is the most viable preset for a consistent experience, with an average of 67 FPS. While this is not a locked 60 FPS, it is playable. The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding, yielding only 43 FPS on average, which falls below the ideal playability threshold for many users. The Medium preset at 4K, with an average of 74 FPS and a minimum of 63 FPS, is another strong contender, offering a more stable frame rate than High at the cost of some visual polish. Ultimately, the data indicates that Medium at 4K is the sweet spot for a high-resolution experience without sacrificing performance, while High at 1440p is the best overall combination of visual quality and speed.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Greedfall?

A: Based on the measured data, the High preset at 2560x1440 provides the best balance, achieving an average of 113 FPS. This offers a significant improvement over the 72 FPS average at Ultra while maintaining a high level of visual fidelity.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system averages 43 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS target most players prefer for a smooth experience, indicating that Ultra settings at 4K are too demanding for this specific pairing.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. Moving from 1080p Low (228 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (104 FPS) shows a 54% drop in performance, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound workload. The CPU's performance appears sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, where frame rates are exceptionally high.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: The difference is substantial. The average frame rate drops from 158 FPS on Low to 72 FPS on Ultra, a decrease of 86 FPS. This highlights the massive cost of the Ultra preset's graphical enhancements.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H's benchmark scores relate to its gaming performance here?

A: The CPU has a Passmark multithread score of 21100 and a single-thread score of 3399. In Greedfall, the high frame rates at 1080p Low (228 FPS) suggest that the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's logic and draw calls, allowing the GPU to operate at its maximum potential.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 916th out of 2938 tested combinations for this game, placing it in the top 31% of all tested systems. This indicates that while it is a high-performing setup, there are many other configurations that achieve even higher frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 916 out of 2938 tested combinations places it in the upper echelon of systems benchmarked for Greedfall. This position is better than roughly 69% of all tested combos, signifying a strong performer. However, the specific pairing of a mobile-class CPU with a desktop-class GPU is an unusual one. The data suggests that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting, as its performance is in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 79th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 (deltaPct: -0.1), Intel Core i5-12600K (deltaPct: -0.3), and AMD Ryzen 7 5700X (deltaPct: -0.3). This places its raw processing power in the same league as these capable desktop processors. The GPU's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER (deltaPct: 0.1), which is virtually identical in performance. That the combo still ranks in the 900s suggests that many of the 2,022 combos ranked above it likely feature even more powerful desktop CPUs paired with this tier of GPU, which can extract slightly more performance in CPU-limited scenarios. The rank is respectable, but it reveals that this is not a top-tier combination for Greedfall, primarily due to the CPU's potential to hold back the GPU in certain scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the performance scaling across resolutions and settings.

• 1920x1080 (1080p): This is where the system shows its maximum potential.
• Low: 228 average FPS.
• Medium: 179 average FPS (152 minimum, 206 maximum).
• High: 163 average FPS.
• Ultra: 104 average FPS.

• 2560x1440 (1440p): The performance remains excellent, with a clear step down from 1080p.
• Low: 158 average FPS.
• Medium: 124 average FPS (106 minimum, 143 maximum).
• High: 113 average FPS.
• Ultra: 72 average FPS.

• 3840x2160 (4K): This resolution pushes the GPU to its limits, with a significant drop in frame rates.
• Low: 94 average FPS.
• Medium: 74 average FPS (63 minimum, 85 maximum).
• High: 67 average FPS.
• Ultra: 43 average FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 124 FPS. At 1440p, it is 86 FPS. At 4K, it is 51 FPS. This indicates that the GPU becomes more of a bottleneck at higher resolutions, making the cost of Ultra settings more pronounced.

Resolution Scaling

Analyzing the performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals critical insights into the system's balance. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 163 FPS at 1080p to 113 FPS at 1440p (a 31% drop) and then to 67 FPS at 4K (a 59% drop from 1080p). This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound system, as the rendering load increases exponentially with pixel count.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but the frame rates are higher. The average drops from 228 FPS at 1080p to 158 FPS at 1440p (a 31% drop) and then to 94 FPS at 4K (a 59% drop from 1080p). The consistent percentage drop across settings reinforces that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The CPU is not struggling; it is consistently able to feed the GPU with enough data to achieve these high frame rates, even at 4K. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates at lower resolutions, where the GPU has less work to do. Instead, the frame rates scale almost linearly with the pixel count, confirming that the RTX 4080 is the component determining the performance ceiling.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 125H is a 14-core, 18-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, with a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. Its benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12804.5 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3399, indicate a very capable mobile processor. In the context of Greedfall, its role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls.

The measured FPS data suggests the CPU is performing its role admirably. The ability to push an average of 228 FPS at 1080p Low settings demonstrates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions. The consistent scaling from 1080p to 4K, where the frame rate drops by the same proportion at each setting, is a strong indicator that the CPU is keeping up with the GPU's demands. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 18 threads provide sufficient bandwidth for a game of this era. The data implies that the CPU has enough headroom, and its performance is likely not the reason the combo ranks 916th. Instead, the ranking is more likely influenced by other combos using higher-clocked desktop CPUs, which can provide a marginal edge in games that are not perfectly multi-threaded. The CPU's performance is more than adequate for this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the undisputed star of this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, it is a high-end graphics card. Its benchmark scores are formidable, including a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 6567 and a Passmark G3D score of 34457, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role in Greedfall is to render the game's visuals, and the data shows it is the primary driver of performance. The massive frame rate drop from 228 FPS at 1080p Low to 104 FPS at 1080p Ultra is a direct result of the GPU's workload increasing with graphical complexity. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly saturated, delivering only 43 FPS. The 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game's textures and assets, even at 4K. The performance scaling with resolution is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4080 is the component that defines the performance ceiling for this combo, and its capabilities are the reason why the system performs as well as it does. The data indicates that the GPU is being fully utilized across all tested settings, and its performance is the key factor in the combo's overall rank.