Greedfall

Greedfall on the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a remarkably smooth experience across most configurations, but the data clearly indicates that High settings provide the optimal balance of visual fidelity and performance. The measured frame rates show that this combination is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p it is capable of pushing well beyond the refresh rates of standard monitors. The benchmark results position this combo in the top quarter of all tested configurations, making it a strong pairing for this Action RPG.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data makes a decisive case for the High preset as the best overall experience for this hardware combination. At 4K, the High preset averages 73 FPS, which is perfectly playable and only 8 FPS below the Medium preset's 81 FPS average. However, the jump from High to Ultra at 4K is punishing; the average FPS plummets from 73 to 47, a 26 FPS drop that pushes the experience below the 60 FPS threshold that most gamers consider the baseline for smooth gameplay. This indicates that the Ultra preset's additional visual demands are not justified by the performance cost at this resolution.

At 1440p, the High preset shines even brighter. It achieves an average of 123 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS requirement and provides a significant margin for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset at 1440p only offers a 12 FPS advantage over High (135 FPS vs. 123 FPS), which is a negligible gain for what is likely a noticeable reduction in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 1440p, similar to 4K, sees a massive performance hit, dropping to 78 FPS. While this is still playable, it sacrifices the headroom that makes the High preset feel effortless.

The 1080p results further solidify the High preset as the recommended choice. High at 1080p averages 177 FPS, which is an excellent result for competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming. The Medium preset at 1080p provides 195 FPS, an 18 FPS improvement, but this is unlikely to be perceivable on most displays. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 248 FPS, but the visual compromise is severe and unnecessary given the performance already available at High. The Ultra preset at 1080p manages 113 FPS, but again, the performance cost relative to High is substantial. The data shows that High is the "sweet spot" where the GPU's capabilities are utilized efficiently without wasting performance on settings that yield diminishing returns.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary driver of performance in this pairing, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This memory configuration proves sufficient for Greedfall at all tested settings, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and preset changes. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz, combined with its 5888 shading units, delivers the raw compute power needed to handle the game's rendering demands.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is capable of feeding the RTX 4070 enough data to achieve frame rates exceeding 240 FPS on the Low preset. However, at 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the limiting factor. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K on the High preset shows a drop from 177 FPS to 73 FPS, a 104 FPS reduction. This indicates that the RTX 4070's processing power, not the CPU's ability to provide draw calls, is the primary constraint at the higher resolution.

The RTX 4070's architectural features also play a role. With 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores, the GPU is well-equipped for modern graphical effects, though Greedfall's implementation of these features is not detailed in the data. The GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s are substantial figures that translate directly into the high frame rates observed. The data confirms that this GPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p, but rather a powerful component that scales well until the 4K resolution overwhelms its capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern across resolutions, which underscores the GPU-bound nature of this configuration. Moving from 1080p to 1440p on the High preset, the average FPS drops from 177 to 123, a 54 FPS reduction (a 30.5% decrease). Scaling further from 1440p to 4K, the average FPS drops from 123 to 73, a 50 FPS reduction (a 40.7% decrease). This pattern shows that the performance penalty for each resolution step-up is significant, confirming that the rendering resolution is the dominant factor in determining frame rate.

The scaling is not linear, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios. The transition from 1440p to 4K is more punishing in percentage terms than the transition from 1080p to 1440p. This is because 4K (3840x2160) has over twice the pixel count of 1440p (2560x1440), while the difference between 1440p and 1080p is less dramatic. The data shows that the RTX 4070 can handle 1440p with ease, but 4K pushes it to its limits, particularly on the Ultra preset where the average FPS drops to 47.

The Low preset scaling provides additional insight. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 248, which drops to 172 at 1440p and then to 103 at 4K. This pattern indicates that even at the lowest settings, the GPU still struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, further proving that resolution is the primary bottleneck. The data also shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor at 1080p, as the Low preset achieves nearly 250 FPS, which is near the practical limit for most CPUs. The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU, and users seeking 4K gameplay should stick to the High or Medium presets to maintain playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 694th out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This places the pairing in the top 23.6% of all configurations tested, which is a strong result for a desktop setup. The rank is a composite measure reflecting the overall performance across all tested resolutions and settings, and it demonstrates that this hardware combination is well-above average for this specific game.

The ranking makes sense given the individual component strengths. The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648 and sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. The Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062 and sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The combination of a top-quartile GPU and a near-top-decile CPU results in a system that is consistently capable of delivering high frame rates, as evidenced by the measured data. The combo rank of 694 indicates that while many other systems may outperform it, a significant majority of tested systems are slower.

This rank also suggests that the system is well-balanced for Greedfall. The CPU's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085, ensures that it can keep up with the GPU's demands at lower resolutions. The GPU's robust performance, evidenced by its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854, ensures that it can render the game's environments effectively at higher resolutions. The result is a system that has no clear weak point, which is reflected in its solid rank among a large pool of tested hardware combinations.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Greedfall with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1440p on the High preset offers the best balance, with an average of 123 FPS. This provides a high-quality visual experience while maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS. While 4K is playable on High (73 FPS), 1440p offers a more comfortable margin for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using on this system?

A: No, the measured FPS data indicates that the Ultra preset is not worth the performance cost. At 1440p, the average FPS drops from 123 on High to 78 on Ultra, a 45 FPS reduction. At 4K, the drop is even more severe, falling from 73 to 47 FPS. The visual improvements from Ultra are not justified by this significant loss in performance.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall performance?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is essentially tied with its closest rivals. It is 0.1% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.2% faster than the AMD EPYC 4364P, while being 0.1% slower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Will this system hit 240 FPS at 1080p?

A: The data shows that the Low preset at 1080p achieves an average of 248 FPS, which exceeds 240 FPS. However, the High preset averages 177 FPS, which is below that threshold. For 240 FPS gameplay, users would need to sacrifice visual quality by using the Low or Medium presets.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Medium and High presets at 4K?

A: The Medium preset at 4K averages 81 FPS, while the High preset averages 73 FPS. The difference is only 8 FPS, making the High preset the better choice for improved visual fidelity without a substantial performance penalty. The Medium preset does have a recorded minimum FPS of 69, but the average is still comfortably above 60.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. This is evidenced by the significant FPS drops when moving from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 248 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. The GPU's performance scaling across resolutions is the primary determinant of frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination. Minimum and maximum FPS are only available for the Medium preset at each resolution.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 103 FPS average
• Medium: 81 FPS average (min 69, max 93)
• High: 73 FPS average
• Ultra: 47 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 172 FPS average
• Medium: 135 FPS average (min 115, max 155)
• High: 123 FPS average
• Ultra: 78 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 248 FPS average
• Medium: 195 FPS average (min 166, max 224)
• High: 177 FPS average
• Ultra: 113 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: the Low preset provides the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. The Medium preset is the only configuration with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, indicating a stable frame delivery with a 24 FPS range at 4K, a 40 FPS range at 1440p, and a 58 FPS range at 1080p. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS average threshold, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. All other configurations deliver an average of 69 FPS or higher, ensuring a playable experience across the board.