Greedfall

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 sits at rank 2844 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. That places this configuration in the bottom 3.2% of all tested systems, a ranking that reflects the significant performance ceiling imposed by the GPU. The GTX 1650 is an end-of-life product from the GeForce 16 series, and its position in the overall GPU percentile stands at 40, meaning it outperforms only about four out of every ten GPUs in the database. The CPU, by contrast, ranks much higher at the 85th percentile among all processors, so the pairing is heavily imbalanced in favor of the processor side.

Benchmark results indicate that this combination delivers playable frame rates only at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 73 FPS, which is the single highest measured average across all tested configurations. However, as resolution and visual fidelity increase, the frame rate drops sharply. The rank of 2844 suggests that most other combinations—even those with similarly modest GPUs—tend to outperform this pairing, likely due to better CPU-GPU balance or more modern GPU architectures. The data shows that the GTX 1650's compute capabilities, measured at 2.984 TFLOPS FP32, are the primary constraint, while the Core Ultra 5 225's strong multi-threaded scores (25,891 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) remain largely underutilized in this GPU-bound scenario.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is built on the Turing architecture with a TU117 chip fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It contains 4,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, with 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. Memory consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. These specifications place the GTX 1650 at the lower end of the discrete GPU spectrum, and its 40th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its entry-level standing.

In Greedfall specifically, the GPU's 4 GB VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor at higher settings and resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate falls to 14 FPS, which is barely interactive. The memory bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s also constrains performance when texture detail increases, as evidenced by the 30 FPS at 4K Low versus 24 FPS at 4K Medium. The GTX 1650's pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s are modest figures, and they directly correlate with the frame rate drops observed when moving from Low to Ultra presets at any given resolution.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon HD 8850M with a delta of 0.3% above, the Intel UHD Graphics 750 at 0.4% above, and the AMD Radeon R7 350 at 0.6% above. The Intel Arc A310 sits 1% below the GTX 1650. These close margins indicate that the GTX 1650 performs roughly on par with integrated graphics solutions, which further explains why the combo ranks so low in Greedfall—the GPU simply does not provide enough headroom for demanding scenes.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and playability occurs at 1080p with Low settings, where the system achieves 73 FPS. This is the only configuration that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, making it the clear choice for smooth gameplay. Moving to 1080p Medium drops the average to 57 FPS, which is still acceptable for many players, with a minimum of 48 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS recorded. At 1080p High, the average falls to 52 FPS, and at Ultra it plummets to 33 FPS.

At 1440p, the data shows that Low settings produce 50 FPS, Medium produces 40 FPS, High produces 36 FPS, and Ultra drops to 23 FPS. None of these reach 60 FPS, so players seeking higher resolutions would need to accept sub-60 performance. At 4K, even Low settings only yield 30 FPS, which is below the commonly accepted playability threshold. The measured rows suggest that 1080p Low is the best experience, as it provides the highest average frame rate and avoids the stutter-prone territory below 30 FPS. For those willing to tolerate occasional dips, 1080p Medium offers a meaningful visual upgrade while staying above 45 FPS on average, based on the min and max values of 48 and 66 FPS.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The FPS measurements cover three resolutions—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160—each tested at Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings. At 1080p, the average frame rates are 73 FPS for Low, 57 FPS for Medium, 52 FPS for High, and 33 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset has the only reported min/max range at this resolution: 48 to 66 FPS. At 1440p, the averages are 50 FPS for Low, 40 FPS for Medium, 36 FPS for High, and 23 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p also has a min/max range of 34 to 45 FPS. At 4K, the averages drop to 30 FPS for Low, 24 FPS for Medium, 21 FPS for High, and 14 FPS for Ultra. The 4K Medium preset reports a min of 20 FPS and a max of 27 FPS.

These numbers illustrate a consistent pattern: each step up in settings costs roughly 15–20% of the average frame rate, and each resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reduces performance by approximately 30–50%. The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 14 FPS, is essentially unplayable, while 1080p Low remains the only configuration that clears 70 FPS. The min/max values provided for Medium presets show that frame pacing is relatively stable, with the 1080p Medium range spanning 18 FPS and the 1440p Medium range spanning 11 FPS. The 4K Medium range of 7 FPS is narrower, but the starting point is so low that even the maximum of 27 FPS falls short of smooth gameplay.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the limiting component. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 73 FPS at 1080p to 50 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of approximately 31.5%, and then to 30 FPS at 4K, a further 40% drop. At High settings, the progression is 52 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p (a 30.8% decline), and 21 FPS at 4K (a 41.7% decline). At Ultra, the numbers go from 33 FPS at 1080p to 23 FPS at 1440p (30.3% down) and then to 14 FPS at 4K (39.1% down). The consistent pattern of roughly a 30% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 40% drop from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

The 4K resolution contains approximately 4 times the pixel count of 1080p, yet the FPS does not scale linearly downward—it drops by roughly 59% at Low settings. This non-linear scaling suggests that the GTX 1650's 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 2.984 TFLOPS compute are insufficient to maintain throughput as pixel count rises. The CPU, with its strong single-thread score of 3,655 in Cinebench R23, is not the constraint here; if it were, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions. Instead, the data points to the GPU's fill rate and memory subsystem as the limiting factors, which is consistent with the GTX 1650's low 40th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, based on the Arrow Lake architecture fabricated on a 3 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, and it communicates with the GPU via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes. The L3 cache is 20 MB shared, with 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 per core. The integrated graphics are Arc Xe-LPG with 16 execution units, though this is not used when the GTX 1650 is installed.

Benchmark results for the Core Ultra 5 225 show strong multi-threaded performance: 2,609 in Cinebench R15 multi-core, 6,317 in R20, and 25,891 in R23. Single-thread scores are equally solid at 368 in R15, 891 in R20, and 3,655 in R23. The PassMark multi-thread score is 30,459, and the single-thread score is 4,412. These figures place the CPU in the 85th percentile of all processors, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (delta 0%), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (delta -0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (delta -0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-12900T (delta -0.5%). The differences are minimal, indicating this CPU is well-matched to mid-range processors from competing lines.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role is secondary, as the frame rates are dominated by GPU limitations. The high single-thread performance of 3,655 in Cinebench R23 suggests that the CPU can handle game logic and draw calls without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, the measured FPS at 1080p Low (73 FPS) is still well below what this CPU could theoretically support, confirming that the GTX 1650 is the limiting component. The 10 cores and 10 threads are more than sufficient for this 2019 action RPG, and the lack of hyper-threading does not appear to impact results given the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

# FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings delivers the highest average frame rate at 73 FPS. This is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7,472, placing it in the 40th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 8850M at 7,447 (0.3% higher), the Intel UHD Graphics 750 at 7,441 (0.4% higher), the AMD Radeon R7 350 at 7,425 (0.6% higher), and the Intel Arc A310 at 7,550 (1% lower). These are very close margins.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The Core Ultra 5 225 ranks in the 85th percentile among CPUs with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25,891, while the GTX 1650 ranks in the 40th percentile among GPUs. The FPS drops significantly with resolution increases, which is characteristic of GPU limitation.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 45 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold but may be acceptable for some players.

Q: Does the system support 4K gameplay in Greedfall?

A: At 4K resolution, the maximum average frame rate is 30 FPS, achieved only at Low settings. At Ultra settings, the average drops to 14 FPS. The measured data shows that 4K is not a viable gaming resolution for this combination, as even Low settings fall below smooth playability standards.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 225 rank relative to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36,938. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36,945 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D at 37,018 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 at 37,093 (-0.4% delta), and the Intel Core i9-12900T at 37,112 (-0.5% delta). These differences are negligible in real-world terms.