Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG, places distinct demands on a system, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT produces a specific performance profile across resolutions and settings. The measured data reveals a configuration that is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1440p, but which begins to show its limitations as resolution and graphical fidelity increase. This analysis breaks down the FPS measurements to understand the balance between the CPU and GPU, and how the system ranks against other tested combinations.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates where the performance bottleneck lies in this system. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 191 FPS. Moving up to 2560x1440, the average drops to 132 FPS, a 31% reduction. The jump to 3840x2160 sees the frame rate fall further to 79 FPS, which is a 40% decrease from the 1440p figure and a 59% drop from the initial 1080p result. This steep curve indicates that the GPU is the primary scaling factor; as the pixel count increases, the render workload grows, and the frame rate responds directly to that load.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced when examining the Low settings presets. The system delivers 268 FPS at 1080p Low, but this falls to 186 FPS at 1440p and then to 111 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are larger at Low settings than at High settings, suggesting that at lower graphical loads, the CPU has more headroom to feed frames, but the GPU still becomes saturated at higher resolutions. Conversely, at the Ultra preset, the frame rates are much lower across the board, with 122 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 50 FPS at 4K. The reduced scaling between 1080p and 1440p at Ultra (31%) compared to 1440p to 4K (40%) suggests a more balanced load where both components are being pushed hard.

The data indicates that for this specific game and hardware combination, 1080p is firmly GPU-bound at all settings, as the CPU is capable of producing very high frame rates. The 1440p results show a more balanced system, while 4K performance is entirely dictated by the RX 7900 XT's ability to process the increased resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 50 FPS is particularly telling; it shows that the most demanding settings at the highest resolution can push this card to its limits, making it a borderline experience for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 85th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938. This places it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which has an average score of 36945 and a deltaPct of 0, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which scores 37018 with a deltaPct of -0.2. The processor's strong single-core performance, indicated by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, is crucial for gaming, as it directly impacts how quickly the game’s main thread can process game logic and issue draw calls.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role appears to be adequately fulfilled at 1080p and 1440p. The high frame rates observed at Low settings, such as 268 FPS at 1080p, demonstrate that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 122 FPS average suggests the processor can keep up with the GPU's output. However, the data suggests that the CPU's influence wanes as resolution increases. The consistent drop in FPS from 1440p to 4K, regardless of settings, points to the GPU becoming the sole bottleneck. The Core Ultra 5 225’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient to feed the GPU without creating a noticeable frame pacing issue in the measured results.

The multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891, is robust but not essential for this game. Greedfall, like many titles from its era, does not scale perfectly with an unlimited number of threads. The 10 cores and 10 threads provide ample processing power for background tasks and the game's auxiliary threads, ensuring that the primary rendering thread is not starved. The processor's performance in the PassMark multi-thread test, scoring 30459, reinforces that it has substantial headroom for non-gaming workloads, but in this specific game, its single-threaded capabilities are what enable the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, and its role becomes more critical as resolution and settings increase. Built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip, it features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2394 MHz, and it has a game clock of 2025 MHz. Despite its substantial specifications, its benchmark percentile is only the 55th against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13745. This is notably close to the AMD Radeon 660M, which scores 13812 (deltaPct -0.5), and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile, which scores 13821 (deltaPct -0.5). This suggests that while the card is powerful, it is positioned in a competitive mid-to-high tier in the broader benchmark database.

The GPU's 20 GB VRAM buffer is a significant asset for Greedfall at 4K. The measured results show that even at 4K Ultra, the card does not appear to be crippled by memory limitations, instead being limited by its compute power. The 79 FPS at 4K High and 50 FPS at 4K Ultra are indicative of the card's raw throughput. The card's FP32 performance of 51.48 TFLOPS is substantial, but the demands of 4K rendering in an Action RPG with detailed environments are enough to bring the frame rate down to playable, but not high-refresh-rate, levels.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more moderate than from 1440p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is operating in an efficient range at 1440p. The 132 FPS at High and 146 FPS at Medium settings at 1440p are excellent results, showing that the card is well-suited for this resolution. The performance dip at Ultra settings (84 FPS at 1440p) is a clear sign that the Ultra preset's additional effects and draw distances are significantly more taxing on the GPU's shading units and ROPs. The card's 192 ROPs and 336 TMUs handle texture and pixel work efficiently, but the sheer volume of work at 4K Ultra is what ultimately caps performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset yields an average of 268 FPS, which is extraordinarily high. Medium settings produce 210 FPS, High settings deliver 191 FPS, and even the demanding Ultra preset achieves 122 FPS. The Medium preset also reports a minimum FPS of 179 and a maximum of 242, indicating a stable frame time distribution. These results confirm that at 1080p, the system is entirely CPU-bound, with the GPU having ample headroom to render frames as fast as the processor can issue them.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high but show the GPU starting to take on more work. Low settings average 186 FPS, Medium averages 146 FPS, and High averages 132 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 84 FPS, which is still a very playable frame rate for most users. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 124 FPS and a maximum of 168 FPS, demonstrating that the frame pacing remains consistent even as the GPU load increases. This resolution appears to be the sweet spot for this combination, offering high refresh rates on High settings and a solid 60+ FPS experience on Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The Low preset averages 111 FPS, which is still quite good for 4K. Medium settings drop to 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 and a maximum of 100, showing some variance but remaining within a playable range. High settings average 79 FPS, which is a comfortable level for a slower-paced RPG. The Ultra preset, however, brings the system to its knees with an average of 50 FPS. This is the only measured configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the most demanding settings at 4K are too much for the RX 7900 XT to handle smoothly.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT pairing holds the rank of 551 out of 2938 tested combos for Greedfall. This places it in the top 19% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The rank reflects the overall performance across the measured resolutions and settings, and it confirms the GPU's power that this combo scores so highly despite the CPU being a mid-range part in the grand scheme of things.

The high rank is likely driven by the exceptional performance at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU can feed the GPU effectively, leading to frame rates that are among the highest achievable. The combo's 4K performance, while not top-tier, is still respectable, with only the Ultra preset falling below 60 FPS. The rank indicates that this system is well above average for playing Greedfall, and it should provide a smooth experience for the vast majority of players. It is important to note that the rank is specific to this game; other titles with different engine characteristics may see this combo perform differently relative to other systems.

The rank of 551 also puts the setup in a position where it outperforms many systems with more expensive CPUs or GPUs, simply because the balance is right for this particular workload. The data suggests that the CPU is not holding the GPU back in any significant way until the 4K Ultra preset, where the GPU's raw compute limits are the primary constraint. The close benchmark scores of the CPU to its nearest rivals (AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D) indicate that swapping the processor for a comparable alternative would not yield substantial gains in this game, as the GPU is the dominant factor in the higher resolution results.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's display resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080 users with high refresh rate monitors (144Hz or higher), the High preset is the best choice, delivering 191 FPS with plenty of headroom. The Ultra preset at 122 FPS is also viable, but the jump from High to Ultra may not justify the 36% performance hit unless the visual improvements are noticeable to the user. The Medium preset at 210 FPS is only necessary for those seeking the absolute maximum frame rates, potentially for competitive play, but the visual compromise is significant.

For 2560x1440 users, the High preset is the recommended sweet spot, providing 132 FPS. This is an excellent balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 84 FPS is still perfectly playable and offers a more visually rich experience, especially for a story-driven RPG where frame rates above 60 FPS are less critical. The Medium preset at 146 FPS is a good option for those who prioritize frame rate stability and have a 144Hz display, but High is the clear recommendation for the best overall experience.

For 3840x2160 users, the situation is more nuanced. The High preset at 79 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a smooth experience above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 87 FPS is also an excellent choice, offering slightly better performance with a modest visual downgrade. The Ultra preset at 50 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth, especially in combat scenarios with fast camera movements. Users with variable refresh rate (VRR) displays may find the 50 FPS average acceptable, but for a consistent 60 FPS experience, sticking to High or Medium is advised. The Low preset at 111 FPS is only recommended for those who prioritize frame rate above all else, as the visual quality loss is substantial at 4K.