Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, stresses hardware differently depending on resolution. With the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B570, the measured data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. At 1080p, the combo delivers smooth performance across most settings, but 4K Ultra becomes a slideshow. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to determine the optimal settings, the role of each component, and how this pairing ranks against other tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frames per second (FPS) data for this Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B570 combination clearly indicates that the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, particularly for higher resolutions. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves an average of 92 FPS, which is a substantial 33 FPS higher than the 59 FPS average of the Ultra preset. While the Low preset (130 FPS) and Medium preset (102 FPS) are faster, High provides a significant visual upgrade over Low with only a 38 FPS penalty, and it is only 10 FPS slower than Medium, making it the sweet spot for a 60Hz or higher refresh rate monitor.

The argument for High becomes even more compelling when moving to 2560x1440. Here, the High preset delivers a 64 FPS average, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. In contrast, the Ultra preset drops to a less fluid 41 FPS average at this resolution. The Medium preset at 1440p (71 FPS) is only 7 FPS faster than High, but the visual detail loss is more noticeable. For users with a 1440p display, the High preset is the clear recommendation, as it maintains the frame rate necessary for a responsive experience while preserving the game's visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The High preset produces a 38 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable at 24 FPS. The Medium preset (42 FPS) and Low preset (54 FPS) are the only viable options for 4K, but they require significant compromises in visual quality. Given the steep performance drop at 4K, the data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. For 4K, users should expect to use the Low or Medium presets to achieve playable frame rates, but the High preset is the recommended starting point for the best overall experience on this hardware, accepting that it may not be ideal for 4K.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary driver of graphical performance in this pairing. Its specifications, including 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, provide a 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth. This memory configuration is a critical factor in Greedfall's performance, as the game's texture streaming and asset loading can be demanding. The benchmark results show that the GPU's average benchmark score of 20556 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer. Its nearest rivals, based on average score, include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, 0.1% delta) and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, -0.1% delta), showing it is competitively positioned against these cards.

The Arc B570's clock speeds, with a base and boost of 2500 MHz, are consistent. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming with High settings, as evidenced by the measured FPS. However, the 4K results suggest that the memory bus width and bandwidth become limiting factors at higher resolutions. The 160-bit bus is narrower than what is typically found on higher-end cards, which can restrict performance when the GPU needs to access large amounts of texture data at 4K. The data shows a significant drop in average FPS from 1440p High (64 FPS) to 4K High (38 FPS), a 26 FPS decrease, which aligns with the GPU struggling to feed the renderer with enough data at the higher resolution.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support is notable for a modern title like Greedfall. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 72, while not directly comparable to in-game FPS, suggests the hardware is capable of handling the API's features. However, the overall performance profile, with a PassMark G3D score of 14195, indicates that the Arc B570 is a solid 1080p and capable 1440p card, but its 4K performance is limited. The data confirms that the GPU is the component that scales the most with resolution, and its limitations are exposed when the pixel count is quadrupled from 1080p to 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested hardware combinations for Greedfall, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2344th out of 2938 combos. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems, which is a significant finding. This rank is likely dragged down by the GPU's performance, as the CPU is a much stronger component. The combo's rank suggests that while it can run the game, it does so with less headroom than most other tested configurations.

The rank of 2344 out of 2938 is a stark indicator that this is not a high-performance pairing for Greedfall. It means that a large majority of other CPU and GPU combinations tested on this benchmark database achieve higher average FPS. This is not to say the experience is broken, but it does highlight that the Arc B570 is a limiting factor. The data shows that the system can achieve playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but its overall position in the rankings reflects its struggles at higher settings and resolutions.

To put this rank in perspective, the CPU itself is a top-tier performer. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, 0.1% delta) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, -0.1% delta), showing it is on par with some of the best mobile and desktop processors. The fact that this high-performing CPU is paired with a mid-range GPU results in a combo rank that is much lower than the CPU's percentile, clearly showing that the GPU is the bottleneck in this system for Greedfall.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. The Low preset hits an average of 130 FPS, while Medium averages 102 FPS (with a minimum of 87 FPS and maximum of 117 FPS). The High preset, as previously noted, averages 92 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that dips below 60 FPS, with a 59 FPS average. This demonstrates that for 1080p, the combo is very capable, with the High preset providing a smooth and visually pleasing experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset is still very playable at 90 FPS, and Medium follows at 71 FPS (minimum 60 FPS, maximum 81 FPS). The High preset maintains a solid 64 FPS average, which is suitable for most gamers. The Ultra preset drops to 41 FPS, which is a noticeable step down and may be too choppy for some users. The data here shows a clear pattern: the system is well-suited for 1440p gaming as long as the Ultra preset is avoided.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become apparent. The Low preset averages 54 FPS, which is playable but requires significant visual compromises. Medium averages 42 FPS (minimum 36 FPS, maximum 48 FPS), and High drops to 38 FPS. The Ultra preset is the worst performer, with an average of just 24 FPS. This data confirms that 4K gaming is not a strength of this combo. The drop from Low to Medium at 4K is 12 FPS, and from Medium to High is another 4 FPS, showing that each increase in settings has a significant cost at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the system's bottleneck. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 92 at 1080p to 64 at 1440p, a 30% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, it drops from 64 to 38, a 41% decrease. This pattern, where the percentage drop increases with resolution, is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The Intel Arc B570 is being pushed harder as the pixel count increases, and its performance degrades accordingly.

The data for the Low preset further confirms this. The average FPS drops from 130 at 1080p to 90 at 1440p (a 31% decrease) and then to 54 at 4K (a 40% decrease). The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain more consistent across resolutions, as the CPU's workload would not change as dramatically with resolution.

This resolution scaling data strongly suggests that the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is not the limiting component in this pairing. The CPU has more than enough headroom to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions. The GPU's rendering capabilities are what cap the frame rates, and this is particularly evident at 4K, where the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing power are insufficient to maintain high frame rates. The system's performance is, therefore, directly tied to the GPU's capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a powerful processor that provides ample headroom for Greedfall. With 14 cores and 14 threads, it is more than capable of handling the game's logic and AI. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensure that single-threaded performance is strong, which is important for game engines. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085. This places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, showing it is a high-end part.

In the context of this game, the CPU's role is to ensure that the GPU is not starved of data. The measured FPS data shows that the system's performance scales with resolution in a way that is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, the CPU is able to feed the GPU enough data to achieve high frame rates, but the GPU's limits are still the primary constraint. The CPU's performance is so robust that it is unlikely to be the cause of any frame rate drops or stutters in Greedfall.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache is also beneficial for gaming, as it can hold frequently accessed game data. Its architecture, Arrow Lake-S, is modern and efficient. The data shows that this CPU is a top-tier performer, with its average benchmark score of 46062 being nearly identical to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, -0.1% delta). This confirms that the CPU is not a weak link in this system. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, as the CPU has the power to support much higher frame rates than the Arc B570 can deliver, especially at higher resolutions.