Greedfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. For this Action RPG, the CPU's role is significant but secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions, as the multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924) provides ample headroom for game logic and AI, while the strong single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648) ensures that frame pacing remains stable. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for the open-world exploration and real-time combat systems in Greedfall. The processor sits in the 90th percentile compared to all CPUs, indicating that its overall compute capability is well above average, though in this specific game it is not the bottleneck.

The Core Ultra 5 245's 14 threads are arranged without hyperthreading, which is a departure from previous Intel designs, but the benchmark data shows that this does not hinder its performance relative to its nearest rivals. Compared to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which has an average benchmark score of 49196, the Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, a negligible 0.4% difference. Similarly, it trails the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (score 49228) by only 0.5%, while it leads the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (score 48698) by 0.6% and the Intel Core i5-14600K (score 48618) by 0.8%. These tight margins indicate that in synthetic workloads, the CPU is competitive with a broad range of processors, but in gaming, the actual impact is felt through its ability to feed the GPU with data quickly. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combination achieves 359 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle even high refresh rate scenarios without creating a bottleneck, as the GPU is not fully stressed at that resolution and settings level.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the primary driver of performance in Greedfall, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. Its massive compute resources, including 21760 shading units and 170 RT cores, allow it to handle the game's rendering demands, lighting effects, and character models with ease. The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs underscores its position as a top-tier part, and the benchmark results confirm that it scales well with increasing resolution and settings. The 32 GB VRAM capacity is far more than Greedfall requires, but it ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution assets are never constrained by memory limits, even at 4K with Ultra settings where the average FPS drops to 68.

The RTX 5090's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are somewhat unexpected, as it is compared to data center and workstation parts. It outperforms the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB by 0.3% (score 79605 vs 79842), and the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB by 0.6% (score 79396). It also leads the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT by 1.1% (score 78940), but trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X by 1.4% (score 80959). These deltas are minimal, suggesting that the RTX 5090's raw compute power is comparable to these specialized parts, but for gaming, its real advantage lies in the modern architecture and driver optimizations. In Greedfall, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases; at 1080p, the CPU can keep up, but at 4K, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, as evidenced by the FPS dropping from 164 at 1080p Ultra to 68 at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 compare to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G?

A: The Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, which is 0.4% lower than the Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G's score of 49196. This indicates nearly identical synthetic performance, with the difference being within measurement error.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High settings, the combination achieves 256 FPS, while at 4K High settings it drops to 106 FPS. This represents a 58.6% reduction in frame rate, highlighting the GPU's increased workload at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 have enough VRAM for Greedfall at Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, which is more than sufficient for Greedfall. The game's Ultra settings at 4K produce an average FPS of 68, and the VRAM capacity ensures no texture pop-in or memory-related stuttering.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings yield 249 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 113 FPS. This is a 54.6% decrease in performance, showing the significant impact of graphical fidelity settings on the GPU load.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 83rd out of 2938 tested combinations in Greedfall, placing it in the top 2.8% of all configs. This indicates that it is a very high-performing pairing for this game.

Q: What is the FPS at 4K Medium settings, and what are the min and max values?

A: At 4K Medium settings, the average FPS is 117, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS. This shows a stable frame rate with only a 35 FPS variance, indicating good frame pacing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 83 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the top 2.8% of all configurations, which is an exceptional result for a pairing that includes a mid-range CPU and a flagship GPU. The high rank suggests that the RTX 5090's immense graphics power is not being significantly held back by the Core Ultra 5 245, even at lower resolutions where CPU load is typically higher. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 359 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that only a few other combinations can match. This performance level indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to saturate its capabilities, even in a scenario where the GPU is not the bottleneck.

However, the rank of 83 also implies that there are 82 other combinations that perform better. These are likely to feature higher-end CPUs, such as the Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9 series, which have higher multi-threaded scores. The Core Ultra 5 245's 90th percentile CPU ranking suggests it is not a top-tier part, but its performance is sufficient to keep the RTX 5090 well-fed in most gaming scenarios. The delta between the Core Ultra 5 245 and its nearest rivals is small (less than 1%), but in a game like Greedfall, which can be CPU-bound in certain areas with many NPCs, a faster CPU could yield slightly higher average FPS. Nevertheless, the combo's rank demonstrates that for practical purposes, the Core Ultra 5 245 does not meaningfully detract from the RTX 5090's gaming performance, and the pairing is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1440p and smooth 4K gaming.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the system scales across resolutions, showing a clear trend of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 359 at 1080p to 249 at 1440p and then to 149 at 4K. This represents a 30.6% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 40.2% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck as resolution rises, because the number of pixels being rendered increases, which directly impacts the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. At 1080p, the CPU and GPU are more balanced, but the GPU still has enough headroom to produce very high frame rates.

At High settings, the scaling is similar but with lower absolute FPS: 256 FPS at 1080p, 178 FPS at 1440p, and 106 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 30.5% (1080p to 1440p) and 40.4% (1440p to 4K), which are nearly identical to the Low settings scaling. This consistency suggests that the resolution scaling is independent of the graphics settings, and the GPU's performance is scaling linearly with the pixel count. At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 164 at 1080p to 113 at 1440p and 68 at 4K, representing drops of 31.1% and 39.8%, respectively. The fact that the scaling pattern is consistent across all settings indicates that the RTX 5090 is not hitting any memory or compute limits at lower resolutions, and the FPS is purely limited by the GPU's rendering pipeline. This also implies that the CPU is not a limiting factor even at 1080p Ultra, as the FPS is still very high at 164.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The detailed FPS measurements for Greedfall with the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 are as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 359 FPS average
• Medium: 282 FPS average, with a minimum of 240 FPS and a maximum of 325 FPS
• High: 256 FPS average
• Ultra: 164 FPS average

At 1080p, the system delivers exceptionally high frame rates, even at Ultra settings where the average is 164 FPS. The Medium settings show a 85 FPS variance between min and max, indicating some frame time variability, but the overall experience is smooth. The jump from Ultra to High is significant, with a 92 FPS increase, suggesting that Ultra settings impose a heavy load on the GPU, likely due to enhanced shadows and post-processing effects.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 249 FPS average
• Medium: 196 FPS average, with a minimum of 166 FPS and a maximum of 225 FPS
• High: 178 FPS average
• Ultra: 113 FPS average

At 1440p, the system remains highly capable, with Low settings still exceeding 240 FPS. The Medium settings show a 59 FPS variance, which is tighter than at 1080p, indicating better frame pacing. The drop from High to Ultra is 65 FPS, which is a 36.5% decrease, consistent with the trend seen at 1080p. This resolution is likely the sweet spot for the RTX 5090, as it provides high FPS while utilizing the GPU's capabilities without being overly demanding.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 149 FPS average
• Medium: 117 FPS average, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS
• High: 106 FPS average
• Ultra: 68 FPS average

At 4K, the system still delivers playable frame rates, with Low settings exceeding 144 FPS. The Medium settings show a 35 FPS variance, which is the tightest of all resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is more consistently loaded. The Ultra setting at 68 FPS is the lowest measured, but it remains playable for a slow-paced Action RPG. The difference between High and Ultra is 38 FPS, which is a 35.8% drop, similar to the scaling at other resolutions. Overall, the data shows that the RTX 5090 is capable of handling 4K gaming with this CPU, but users seeking maximum frame rates should consider adjusting settings from Ultra to High or Medium.