Greedfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread desktop processor from the Arrow Lake family, built on a 3 nm process with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This configuration is significant for Greedfall, an Action RPG that relies on a mix of single-threaded game logic and multi-threaded background simulation. With a TDP of 65 W, the chip is not a high-power enthusiast part, but its strong single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, ensures that the game’s primary rendering thread has ample headroom. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores, reducing latency in complex scenes.

The CPU’s overall standing is solid, with a percentile rank of 85 among all tested processors. Its average benchmark score of 36938 places it in direct competition with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores 36945, a negligible 0% difference. It also sits slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D, which trails by -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, which is -0.4% slower. The Intel Core i9-12900T, a higher-tier part, is only -0.5% behind, indicating that the Ultra 5 225 punches above its weight class in synthetic workloads. In Greedfall, this translates to a CPU that should not bottleneck the GPU at most settings, though at 1080p with Low settings, where frame rates can reach 265 FPS, the CPU becomes a more critical factor in maintaining high minimums.

The Thread Director technology and the 10-core layout, without hyper-threading, mean that the CPU handles up to 10 concurrent threads. In Greedfall’s open-world environments, which spawn numerous NPCs and dynamic events, this thread count is adequate but not excessive. The PassMark multi-thread score of 30459 and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 indicate a capable mid-range performer. The data suggests that while the CPU is more than sufficient for 60 FPS gameplay, pushing to 200+ FPS at 1080p will require the GPU to work efficiently, as the CPU’s single-core lead over its rivals is modest. The chip’s dual-channel DDR5 memory support, with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, provides ample data transfer rates for the game’s streaming assets, ensuring that texture loads do not cause stutter. Overall, the CPU role here is to provide a stable foundation that does not introduce frame pacing issues, and the benchmark results indicate it fulfills this role effectively without dominating the performance profile.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process, is the primary driver of frame rates in Greedfall. It features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. For a 2019 Action RPG, this memory configuration is generous, allowing for high-resolution textures and detailed environments without exceeding VRAM limits. The GPU’s boost clock of 2512 MHz, combined with 6144 shading units and 80 ROPs, delivers a pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s. These specs directly influence Greedfall’s visual output, particularly in scenes with heavy foliage and architectural detail, where texture fill rate becomes a limiting factor.

The RTX 5070’s performance percentile is 82, with an average benchmark score of 40377. Its nearest rivals, based on average score, are a mixed bag of professional and mobile parts: the AMD Radeon Pro 580 is 0.1% faster, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 is 0.8% faster, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 is -1.2% slower. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile trails by 2%. This comparison highlights that while the RTX 5070 is a strong consumer card, its synthetic benchmark scores are closely matched by older workstation GPUs, which often have different driver optimizations. In real-world gaming, however, the RTX 5070’s advantage is clear, as shown by the measured FPS data in Greedfall.

The GPU’s 12 GB VRAM is a key asset. At 4K Ultra settings, the game averages 50 FPS, and at 4K High it jumps to 78 FPS, indicating that the GPU is not starved for memory but is instead bound by compute throughput. The RTX 5070’s FP32 performance of 30.87 TFLOPS is substantial, allowing it to handle the game’s lighting and shadow calculations efficiently. The card’s 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, while not heavily utilized in a non-ray-traced game like Greedfall, provide headroom for future titles. The GPU’s power draw of 250 W and suggested 600 W PSU indicate it is a mainstream high-performance part, not an extreme flagship. In terms of Greedfall specifically, the data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor at higher resolutions, as the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant, while at 1080p Low, the CPU begins to catch up, capping the frame rate at 265 FPS.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern that indicates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 265 FPS, which is the highest recorded value. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 184 FPS, a 30.5% decrease. At 4K Low, it falls further to 110 FPS, a 58.5% reduction from 1080p. This steep decline with resolution is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario; as the pixel count increases, the GPU’s fill rate and shader throughput become the limiting factors. The CPU, with its strong single-core performance, is able to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the GPU cannot maintain that rate when the workload increases.

For Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with a slightly different slope. At 1080p Medium, the average is 208 FPS, dropping to 144 FPS at 1440p (a 30.7% decrease) and 86 FPS at 4K (a 58.6% decrease from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the GPU’s architecture scales predictably with resolution, and the CPU does not introduce a variable bottleneck. However, the minimum FPS data at Medium settings provides more insight. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 177 FPS, while at 1440p Medium it is 123 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 73 FPS. The minimum frame rate at 4K is 15.1% below the average, indicating occasional frame dips, likely due to complex scenes that spike the GPU workload.

At High settings, the frame rates are 189 FPS at 1080p, 131 FPS at 1440p, and 78 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 40.4%, which is slightly less than the 44.1% drop from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting that the GPU is approaching its limits at 4K High. The Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling: 121 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 50 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is only 41.3% of the 1080p Ultra result, confirming that the RTX 5070 is the primary constraint at high resolutions. The data indicates that for smooth 4K gameplay, users should stick to High settings, while 1440p Ultra is playable at 84 FPS, and 1080p Ultra provides a high-refresh-rate experience at 121 FPS. The CPU, in this case, is not the limiting factor at any resolution above 1080p Low, as the FPS drops are directly proportional to the pixel count increase.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested CPU and GPU combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 achieves a rank of 582 out of 2938 combos. This places it in the top 19.8% of all tested systems, which is a respectable position given the mid-range CPU and high-end GPU pairing. The rank indicates that the combo delivers strong performance in Greedfall, outperforming the vast majority of other configurations. The fact that it ranks so highly, despite the CPU not being a flagship part, suggests that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting in this game, and the CPU is sufficient to avoid dragging down the overall score.

The rank of 582 out of 2938 also implies that there are 581 combos that perform better, likely featuring higher-tier CPUs like the Core i9 series or AMD Ryzen 9 parts, paired with even more powerful GPUs like the RTX 5080 or 5090. Conversely, it means the combo beats 2356 other combinations, which is a strong showing. The data suggests that for a balanced gaming system, this pairing offers a high level of performance without the need for a top-tier CPU. In Greedfall, which is not heavily CPU-threaded, the 10-core Ultra 5 225 is sufficient, and the RTX 5070’s raw power drives the frame rates. The percentile rank of the CPU (85) and GPU (82) are close, indicating that neither component is drastically underperforming relative to the other.

The deltaPct values from the nearest rivals provide context for the CPU’s contribution. The Ultra 5 225 is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% delta), which means that in a like-for-like GPU swap, the frame rates would be nearly identical. This confirms that the CPU is not a differentiator in this game. The combo’s rank is therefore more a reflection of the RTX 5070’s capabilities than the CPU’s. For users considering an upgrade, the data suggests that changing the CPU to a faster model would yield minimal gains in Greedfall, whereas upgrading the GPU would have a more pronounced effect. The rank also shows that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and capable 4K gaming, as evidenced by the measured FPS breakdown.

FAQ

Q: What is the expected average frame rate at 1440p High settings?

A: The combo delivers an average of 131 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings, indicating smooth gameplay for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings in Greedfall?

A: Yes, but with a caveat. The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 50 FPS, which is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action. For a more comfortable 60+ FPS experience, High settings at 4K provide 78 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and 0.5% of the Intel Core i9-12900T. It is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores 36945.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 265 FPS, which is the highest score in the dataset. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is nearing its limit, as the GPU has sufficient headroom. The FPS drops significantly at higher resolutions, confirming the GPU becomes the bottleneck there.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 4K Medium settings?

A: The measured minimum FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 73 FPS, with an average of 86 FPS and a maximum of 99 FPS. This indicates that frame dips are relatively contained, providing a stable experience.

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

A: This CPU and GPU pairing ranks 582 out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the top 20% of all configurations. This is a strong result, indicating that it outperforms the majority of other systems in Greedfall.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured frame rates for the combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 in Greedfall. All data points are drawn directly from the benchmark results.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 265 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 208 | 177 | 240 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 189 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 121 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 184 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 144 | 123 | 166 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 131 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 84 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 110 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 86 | 73 | 99 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 78 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 50 | N/A | N/A |

The data shows a clear progression from high frame rates at 1080p to playable rates at 4K. At 1080p, even Ultra settings are well above 100 FPS, making this combo ideal for competitive play. At 1440p, the system hits the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, with High settings at 131 FPS and Ultra at 84 FPS. At 4K, the user must make a trade-off: Low settings provide 110 FPS, Medium provides 86 FPS, High provides 78 FPS, and Ultra drops to 50 FPS. The minimum FPS values, where available, show that the system maintains stable frame pacing, with the largest gap between average and minimum being 13 FPS at 4K Medium. This suggests that the combo is well-balanced and does not suffer from severe frame hitches, even in demanding scenes. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across settings, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of the system at higher resolutions.