Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG from 2019, presents a demanding workload for the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the AMD Radeon RX 570. The measured data indicates that this pairing, while capable at lower resolutions, struggles to maintain playable frame rates as graphical demands increase. This analysis examines the specific roles of the CPU and GPU, the impact of resolution scaling, and provides a detailed breakdown of the measured performance.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and can boost up to 4.90 GHz, which are the frequencies that determine how quickly it can process game logic, AI routines, and draw calls. In the context of Greedfall, a title that is not typically known for extreme CPU demands on modern hardware, this processor’s performance profile is more than sufficient to avoid becoming the primary bottleneck, especially when compared to the GPU's limitations.

The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, indicating a solidly above-average part. Its multi-threaded performance is strong, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891. More importantly for gaming, its single-thread performance, which is often the critical factor for frame pacing, is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655. These results suggest that the Core Ultra 5 225 can handle the game's logical threads without creating a performance ceiling.

In this specific configuration, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. The data shows that the system's frame rates are heavily influenced by resolution and settings, which are traditionally GPU-bound tasks. For instance, at 1080p Low settings, the average frame rate is 73 FPS. When the resolution is increased to 4K Low, the frame rate drops to 30 FPS. This significant drop is a classic indicator that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is capable of delivering the necessary data, but the RX 570 cannot process it fast enough at higher resolutions.

Therefore, while the Core Ultra 5 225 is a powerful processor, its performance is somewhat underutilized in this pairing. The benchmark results indicate that the processor is not the bottleneck; the GPU is. The CPU's 65W TDP and 20 MB of shared L3 cache are adequate for the game's requirements, but the measured frame rates are a direct reflection of the GPU's processing power, not the CPU's. The processor's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, have similar average benchmark scores, further suggesting that the CPU is providing a consistent, high-level baseline from which the GPU's performance can be measured.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the clear performance limiter in this configuration. This GPU, based on the Polaris 20 chip and GCN 4.0 architecture, features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. Its core operates at a base clock of 1168 MHz with a boost clock of 1244 MHz. For a game like Greedfall, which was released in 2019, this hardware is on the lower end of the performance spectrum, and the measured FPS confirms this.

The GPU's 4 GB of VRAM is a critical factor. At higher resolutions and settings, the game's texture data and frame buffers can easily exceed this capacity, leading to potential stuttering or texture swapping. The benchmark data shows a steep decline in performance as settings are increased. At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 73 on Low to 33 on Ultra. This 55% reduction in performance is primarily due to the GPU's computational limits, but the VRAM capacity likely exacerbates the issue at higher settings.

The GPU's overall performance is reflected in its percentile rank, which is in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 28766 places it in a similar performance class to the AMD Radeon RX 470, which is a rival with a near-identical average score. The data shows that the RX 570 is a 1080p-oriented card. At that resolution, it can achieve playable frame rates on Low and Medium settings. However, when the resolution or settings are pushed higher, its limitations become immediately apparent.

The 7 Gbps effective memory clock and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of 1440p or 4K gaming with high detail levels. The measured FPS at 1440p High is 36, and at 4K High, it drops to 22. These numbers indicate a GPU that is struggling to fill the frame buffer. The GPU's 150W TDP and 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are simply not enough to handle the pixel count at higher resolutions. In summary, the RX 570's role is to be the primary bottleneck, and its VRAM and compute capabilities dictate the overall performance ceiling for this system.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions provides a clear picture of the system's scaling behavior and reinforces the conclusion that the GPU is the limiting component. When examining the "High" settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 52 FPS at 1080p to 36 FPS at 1440p, and further to 22 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 58% drop from 1080p to 4K. These are substantial decreases that are characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

The scaling pattern is similar for the "Low" settings preset. The average FPS at 1080p is 73, which falls to 51 at 1440p and 30 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is about 59%. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a more consistent frame rate across resolutions, as the CPU's workload would not change significantly with resolution. The fact that performance degrades so dramatically with increasing resolution is a definitive sign that the GPU's rendering capabilities are the constraining factor.

This behavior is typical for a system with a mid-range or older GPU paired with a modern, capable CPU. The CPU can easily calculate the game's state at any resolution, but the GPU must render more pixels at higher resolutions, which takes more time. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is completely overwhelmed, with frame rates dipping to 14 FPS on the Ultra preset. Even on the Low preset, the 30 FPS average at 4K is barely playable, and the 20 FPS minimum on Medium settings indicates significant frame pacing issues.

The resolution scaling results indicate that this system is best suited for 1080p gaming. At 1440p, the performance becomes marginal, and at 4K, it is not suitable for a smooth gameplay experience. The limiting component is undoubtedly the AMD Radeon RX 570, as its performance scales inversely with the number of pixels it needs to render.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the user's target resolution and preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate smoothness. The data provides a clear trade-off for each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the most balanced experience appears to be the "Medium" preset. This setting yields an average FPS of 57, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. The minimum FPS of 49 is important, as it suggests that the game will remain relatively stable and playable even during demanding scenes. The "Low" preset offers a higher average of 73 FPS, which is excellent for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, but it comes at a significant cost to visual quality. The "High" preset at 52 FPS is also viable, but the "Medium" preset provides a better safety margin against frame drops, as indicated by its minimum FPS.

For 2560x1440, the "Low" preset is the only one that provides a consistently playable experience, with an average FPS of 51. The "Medium" preset at 40 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth, and its minimum FPS of 34 is getting close to the threshold where gameplay can feel sluggish. The "High" preset at 36 FPS is borderline, and the "Ultra" preset at 23 FPS is not recommended for a good experience.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets provide a truly smooth experience. The "Low" preset achieves an average of 30 FPS, which is right at the edge of playability. The "Medium" preset at 24 FPS is below the acceptable threshold for most players, and the "Ultra" preset at 14 FPS is essentially a slideshow. Therefore, 4K gaming is not recommended with this hardware configuration.

In summary, the best experience per the measured rows is to play at 1080p with the "Medium" preset. This provides a good balance between visual quality and performance, with a high average FPS and a solid minimum FPS. For users who prioritize frame rate above all else, the "Low" preset at 1080p is the best choice. At higher resolutions, users will have to compromise significantly on settings to achieve playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks in the 2825th position out of 2938 tested combinations for Greedfall. This places it in the bottom 4% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a low-performing configuration for this specific game. This low ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's age and performance class, as the CPU is a modern, high-performing part.

This ranking is a stark contrast to the individual performance of the components. The CPU is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 74th percentile. However, when combined, their performance in Greedfall is in the bottom 4% of all combos. This is a powerful illustration of how a weak GPU can drag down the performance of an otherwise capable system. The game's demands are clearly too much for the RX 570 to handle, and the system's overall ranking suffers as a result.

The data suggests that this combination is not well-suited for Greedfall at higher settings. The ranking is a holistic measure that takes into account all the measured FPS data points. The very low scores at 4K and even at 1440p High and Ultra settings have a significant negative impact on the overall ranking. The system's performance is only competitive at 1080p with lower settings, which is a narrow performance window.

Compared to other combos, this pairing is at the very bottom of the barrel. It is not just a matter of being below average; it is in the bottom 4%. This means that the vast majority of other tested CPU-GPU combinations are able to run Greedfall better. This is a critical piece of information for anyone considering this hardware pairing for this game, as it sets a clear expectation of very low performance relative to other options.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following is the complete measured FPS data for Greedfall with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 570.

At 1920x1080, the system performs as follows:

• Low: The average FPS is 73. No minimum or maximum FPS is reported.
• Medium: The average FPS is 57, with a minimum of 49 and a maximum of 66 FPS.
• High: The average FPS is 52. No minimum or maximum FPS is reported.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 33. No minimum or maximum FPS is reported.

At 2560x1440, the system performs as follows:

• Low: The average FPS is 51. No minimum or maximum FPS is reported.
• Medium: The average FPS is 40, with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 46 FPS.
• High: The average FPS is 36. No minimum or maximum FPS is reported.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 23. No minimum or maximum FPS is reported.

At 3840x2160, the system performs as follows:

• Low: The average FPS is 30. No minimum or maximum FPS is reported.
• Medium: The average FPS is 24, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 27 FPS.
• High: The average FPS is 22. No minimum or maximum FPS is reported.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 14. No minimum or maximum FPS is reported.

This data shows a clear and consistent degradation in performance as both resolution and settings increase. The only preset where the system maintains a consistently smooth frame rate is at 1080p Low, with an average of 73 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset offers a good balance with a 57 FPS average and a 49 FPS minimum. All other configurations result in average frame rates below 60 FPS, with performance becoming increasingly marginal at 1440p and unplayable at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Greedfall?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution. At this resolution, the system can achieve an average of 73 FPS on Low settings and 57 FPS on Medium settings, which are both playable. At 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, the average frame rates are significantly lower and often below the threshold for a smooth experience.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 a bottleneck for the AMD Radeon RX 570 in this game?

A: No, the data does not indicate that the CPU is the bottleneck. The frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases (e.g., from 73 FPS at 1080p Low to 30 FPS at 4K Low), which is a classic sign of a GPU limitation. The CPU's workload does not scale with resolution, so the performance drop is attributable to the GPU's rendering capabilities.

Q: What settings preset provides the most stable frame rate at 1080p?

A: The "Medium" preset provides the most stable frame rate at 1080p, with an average of 57 FPS and a minimum of 49 FPS. This minimum FPS indicates good frame pacing and suggests the game will not have severe stutters. While the "Low" preset has a higher average of 73 FPS, it does not report a minimum FPS, so the "Medium" preset offers a more reliable performance floor.

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K resolution?

A: Technically, it can run, but the performance is not good. At 4K, the average frame rates are 30 FPS on Low, 24 FPS on Medium, 22 FPS on High, and 14 FPS on Ultra. These frame rates are generally considered too low for a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems for Greedfall?

A: This combination ranks 2825th out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 4% of all systems. This low ranking is due to the GPU's performance limitations, which prevent the modern CPU from achieving higher frame rates.

Q: Which component is the primary factor limiting performance in this system?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the primary limiting factor. Its 4 GB of VRAM and overall compute performance are insufficient for Greedfall's demands at higher resolutions and settings. The evidence for this is the dramatic scaling of frame rates with resolution, which is a direct function of the GPU's workload.