Greedfall

Greedfall is a 2019 Action RPG that scales surprisingly well on modern hardware, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti produces a wide spread of performance across resolutions and settings. The data indicates this pairing is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1440p and even 4K, but the relationship between the CPU and GPU shifts dramatically as resolution changes. Here is a breakdown of how these components behave in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic resolution scaling curve, but with an interesting twist at the top end. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 213 FPS to 148 FPS, a 30% decrease. This is a substantial hit, but the frame rates remain exceptionally high, suggesting the CPU is still feeding the GPU adequately at 1440p.

The jump from 1440p to 4K at High settings is where the GPU begins to take center stage. The average FPS falls from 148 to 88, a 40% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load at 4K is heavily taxing the RTX 5070 Ti's compute and memory bandwidth. The pattern is consistent across all settings: 1080p to 1440p incurs a 30-34% performance penalty, while 1440p to 4K incurs a 40-41% penalty. This asymmetric scaling is a strong indicator that the system transitions from a CPU-bound state at 1080p to a firmly GPU-bound state at 4K.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 299 FPS, which is likely near the practical ceiling for the CPU and game engine. When the resolution is increased to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 207 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 124 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Low (92 FPS) is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K Low (83 FPS), further reinforcing that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. For a game from 2019, this level of scalability is excellent, and users with high refresh rate monitors will find plenty of headroom at 1080p and 1440p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing for Greedfall, especially as resolution increases. Its memory configuration is a key asset: 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus provides 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is crucial for a game like Greedfall, which has large, open environments that require streaming high-resolution textures. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 56, indicating that the GPU is working at its limit.

The card's clock speeds are relatively high, with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2452 MHz. This boost clock is sustained under load, contributing to the high raw throughput. The GPU's shading units (8960) and texture mapping units (280) are the primary drivers of the pixel and texture fill rates, which are recorded at 235.4 GPixel/s and 686.6 GTexel/s respectively. These specifications explain why the card can push over 200 FPS at 1080p Medium, but also why it eventually succumbs to the demands of 4K Ultra.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the RTX 5070 Ti sits in a specific performance tier. Its average benchmark score is 49957, which is slightly below the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (50951, a 2% difference) and slightly above the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (48477, a 3.1% difference). The data suggests that in Greedfall, the RTX 5070 Ti's performance aligns closely with these cards, meaning users should expect similar frame rates to those high-end predecessors. The RTX 5070 Ti sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, confirming it is a high-end part that handles this game well at most settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 plays a critical supporting role, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not saturated. With 10 cores and 10 threads, it has a modern, high-frequency design. Its base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz are significant for single-threaded performance, which is often the bottleneck in older game engines. The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth ensure data can be fed to the GPU quickly.

At 1080p Low, the system hits 299 FPS, which is a clear sign that the CPU is reaching its limit. The single-core performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, is strong enough to drive high frame rates, but the game's engine likely has a ceiling around the 300 FPS mark. The multi-core score of 25891 in Cinebench R23 shows the CPU has ample headroom for background tasks and game logic, but Greedfall doesn't appear to be a heavily multi-threaded title based on this data.

The Core Ultra 5 225 is positioned in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score is 36938. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores nearly identically at 36945 (a 0% deltaPct). This indicates that in synthetic workloads, these two CPUs are equivalent. In Greedfall, this means the Ultra 5 225 will not be a limiting factor at 1440p or 4K, but at 1080p, users are more likely to see performance plateau due to the CPU hitting its architectural limits rather than the GPU being unable to render frames.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear picture of performance at three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. Low settings produce an average of 299 FPS. Medium settings yield 235 FPS (with a minimum of 200 and maximum of 270). High settings produce 213 FPS. Ultra settings, however, cause a significant drop to 136 FPS. This 136 FPS figure at Ultra is notable because it is a 36% reduction from High, suggesting that Ultra settings introduce effects that are disproportionately heavy on the GPU, even at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains high. Low settings average 207 FPS. Medium settings average 163 FPS (with a minimum of 138 and maximum of 187). High settings produce 148 FPS. Ultra settings again cause a large dip, averaging 94 FPS. The step from High to Ultra at this resolution is a 36% drop, which is identical to the percentage drop observed at 1080p. This consistency suggests the Ultra preset adds a fixed, heavy load that scales with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings average 124 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium settings average 97 FPS (with a minimum of 83 and maximum of 112). High settings produce 88 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of 56 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is 36%, mirroring the pattern at lower resolutions. The data shows that for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, users should stick to High settings or below. The system ranks 284th out of 2938 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the top 10% of all systems tested, which is a strong overall result.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K with a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: Yes, but only on certain presets. The data shows High settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 88 FPS, which is well above 60. However, Ultra settings drop to an average of 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings at 4K average 97 FPS, providing a comfortable buffer for a 60 FPS cap.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The CPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 1080p. The system reaches 299 FPS at Low settings, which is near the engine's apparent ceiling. At High settings, the frame rate only drops to 213 FPS, indicating that the GPU has headroom but the CPU is struggling to issue draw calls fast enough to push frame rates higher.

Q: How much performance is lost when switching from 1440p to 4K?

A: The performance loss is substantial and consistent across settings. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 148 FPS at 2560x1440 to 88 FPS at 3840x2160, a 40% decrease. At Low settings, the drop is from 207 FPS to 124 FPS, which is a 40% reduction as well.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings average 163 FPS (with a minimum of 138 and maximum of 187), while High settings average 148 FPS. The difference is 15 FPS, or roughly a 9% performance gain by dropping from High to Medium. This is a relatively small penalty for the visual upgrade that High presumably provides.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT in this pairing?

A: Based on average benchmark scores, the RTX 5070 Ti scores 49957, which is 3.1% higher than the RX 6800 XT's score of 48477. The data suggests that in Greedfall, the RTX 5070 Ti should deliver frame rates that are a few percent higher than what an RX 6800 XT would achieve with the same CPU.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: The data suggests it is not, unless you have a very high refresh rate monitor. At 1080p, Ultra drops the average FPS from 213 (High) to 136, a 36% reduction. At 1440p, it drops from 148 to 94, another 36% reduction. The consistent penalty suggests the Ultra preset adds intense effects that are not worth the frame rate loss for most users.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience balances visual fidelity with frame rate stability. For users with a 1920x1080 monitor, the High preset is the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 213 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, drops the frame rate to 136 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant performance sacrifice for diminishing returns. If you have a 240Hz monitor, High settings will keep you close to the refresh rate ceiling.

For 2560x1440 users, the High preset is again the recommended choice. It produces an average of 148 FPS, which is excellent for a 144Hz monitor. If you prefer to maximize visual quality and have a 120Hz display, Ultra might be acceptable at 94 FPS, but High offers a much more comfortable margin. The Medium preset (163 FPS) is an option if you want to ensure you stay above 144 FPS at all times, but the visual downgrade from High is likely noticeable.

For 3840x2160 users, the choice is more constrained. The High preset is the highest setting that maintains a solid 60 FPS experience, averaging 88 FPS. This is the recommended preset for 4K gaming. The Medium preset (97 FPS) provides extra headroom and is a good choice if you want to ensure no drops below 60 FPS. Ultra should be avoided for 4K unless you are willing to tolerate an average of 56 FPS, which will cause noticeable stuttering on standard 60Hz displays. Low settings at 4K (124 FPS) are not necessary, as High provides a better visual experience without compromising the 60 FPS target.