Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents an interesting performance profile on the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination. The data shows a system capable of high frame rates, but the relationship between settings and resolution reveals a clear hierarchy in performance scaling. This analysis breaks down the measured results to determine the optimal configuration and the role each component plays.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this combination suggests that the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all tested resolutions. At 3840x2160, High produces an average of 74 FPS, which is playable and visually rich. Moving to the Medium preset at 4K yields 81 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High is only a 7 FPS cost (81 to 74 FPS), which is a minor penalty for a significant visual upgrade. The Ultra preset, however, is punishing, dropping to 47 FPS at 4K, which makes it less suitable for smooth gameplay at that resolution.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset is the clear choice, but it comes with substantial visual compromises. At 1920x1080, Low achieves 250 FPS, which is 72 FPS higher than High (178 FPS). The data shows that Low is the only preset that breaks the 200 FPS barrier at 1080p. At 2560x1440, Low still delivers an excellent 173 FPS, and at 4K it maintains a solid 103 FPS. This indicates that Low is the best option for high-refresh-rate displays, especially at 1440p or 1080p.

The Ultra preset is the least efficient choice, as the performance cost is steep. At 1080p, it drops from High's 178 FPS to 114 FPS, a 36% reduction. This trend continues at 1440p (123 to 79 FPS) and 4K (74 to 47 FPS). While Ultra may offer marginal visual improvements, the data suggests it is not worth the significant frame rate loss. The Medium preset serves as a middle ground, providing a 136 FPS average at 1440p and 196 FPS at 1080p, but the relative jump to High is small, making High the superior choice for those with capable displays. Therefore, the recommended path is to play on High for the best visual-to-performance ratio, or Low for maximum fluidity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications align with the measured results. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This immense memory subsystem is a key factor in the high frame rates seen at 4K resolution, where memory bandwidth is often a bottleneck. The data shows that even at the demanding Ultra preset at 3840x2160, the system manages an average of 47 FPS, a figure that is heavily dependent on the GPU's raw processing power.

The RTX 4090's clock speeds are also relevant. With a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, the GPU can sustain high throughput in Greedfall. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. For instance, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 250 FPS, a number that is likely constrained by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls rather than the GPU's rendering capacity. This is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck at low resolutions and low settings.

The GPU's architecture, Ada Lovelace, with 16,384 shading units and 128 RT cores, provides the compute headroom for this game. The measured FPS at 4K High (74 FPS) shows that the GPU has ample resources for this title, as it is not a modern, heavily demanding release. The 24 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Greedfall's textures, meaning that memory capacity is not a limiting factor in any tested configuration. The performance scaling from Medium to High to Ultra suggests that the GPU's shader and ROP throughput are being taxed more heavily at the higher presets, but the card still delivers playable results at 4K on High.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and setting combination for 60 FPS gameplay?

A: The data shows that the High preset at 3840x2160 delivers an average of 74 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS target. For a higher refresh rate experience, the High preset at 2560x1440 averages 123 FPS, and the Low preset at 4K achieves 103 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: The Ultra preset is significantly more demanding. At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 178 (High) to 114 (Ultra), a 36% decrease. At 1440p, it falls from 123 to 79, and at 4K, it drops from 74 to 47. The visual gains from Ultra are not justified by the large performance penalty.

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

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions and settings. For example, at 4K Ultra, the system produces 47 FPS, which is a GPU-bound scenario. However, at 1080p Low, the 250 FPS average suggests a CPU bottleneck, as the RTX 4090 is capable of far more frames than the Core Ultra 7 165H can supply in this scenario.

Q: Can this combo handle high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p?

A: Yes, the measured data confirms this. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the average FPS is 173. With High settings, it remains high at 123 FPS. Even the Medium preset maintains a 136 FPS average, making it suitable for 144Hz displays.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Medium presets?

A: The gap between Low and Medium is substantial. At 1080p, the average FPS drops from 250 to 196, a 54 FPS difference. At 1440p, it falls from 173 to 136, and at 4K, it drops from 103 to 81. This suggests that the Medium preset introduces significant visual effects that impact the rendering pipeline.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM necessary for Greedfall?

A: While the 24 GB VRAM is a specification of this GPU, the measured FPS data does not indicate that VRAM capacity is a bottleneck. The game runs at high frame rates across all settings, suggesting that the memory capacity is more than sufficient for this title, and the game's requirements are well within the GPU's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results provide a complete matrix of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system shows its highest frame rates. The Low preset leads with an average of 250 FPS. The Medium preset follows with 196 FPS, showing a minimum of 167 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS. High settings produce 178 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings up the rear with 114 FPS. This resolution showcases the CPU's limitations, as the differences between presets are less about raw GPU power and more about the processing overhead of higher visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the scaling is more linear. Low settings achieve 173 FPS. Medium settings average 136 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS. High settings deliver a strong 123 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 79 FPS. The data shows that the GPU begins to take a more significant role here, as the frame rates scale down more predictably with increased graphical load.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4090's power is put to the test. The Low preset still manages to produce a high average of 103 FPS. Medium settings are next with 81 FPS, showing a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. High settings follow closely with 74 FPS, and the Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding an average of 47 FPS. This resolution is clearly GPU-bound, and the performance drops are more pronounced, particularly when moving from High to Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS reduction from 1080p to 4K is a clear indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 250 at 1080p to 173 at 1440p and then to 103 at 4K. This represents a 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 59% drop from 1080p to 4K. These large decreases suggest that even at Low settings, the GPU's rendering load at higher pixel counts is a significant factor, though the initial drop to 1440p also points to the CPU's struggle to maintain the ultra-high frame rates seen at 1080p.

For the High preset, the scaling is 178 FPS at 1080p, 123 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 58% drop from 1080p to 4K. The consistent percentage drops across presets indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at these higher resolutions. The data shows that the performance halving from 1080p to 4K is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, where the number of pixels to render increases fourfold.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest absolute declines: 114 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. This is a 31% drop to 1440p and a 59% drop to 4K. The fact that the relative scaling is similar across all presets suggests that the game's engine is scaling consistently with resolution, and the RTX 4090's performance is the limiting factor at 4K. The data implies that for a 4K experience, the High preset is the optimal target, as it stays above 60 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls below the playable threshold for many users.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Greedfall, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds a rank of 837 out of 3703 total combinations. This places the combo in the top 22.6% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The rank reflects the overall performance across all tested settings and resolutions, and it confirms that this is a high-performing combination for this title.

The CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H, has an average benchmark score of 34083 and sits in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, which is 0.3% faster, and the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, which is 0.5% slower. This indicates that the CPU is a solid performer, but it is not the top of the pack. The GPU, the RTX 4090, is in the 88th percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 60347. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc Pro A60, have a negligible 0% delta, showing that the GPU is a top-tier component.

The combination's rank of 837 is likely influenced by the CPU's mid-range standing. While the RTX 4090 is a flagship GPU, the Core Ultra 7 165H's performance is closer to its rivals, which can limit the overall combo in CPU-bound scenarios. However, the data shows that for Greedfall, the high rank is justified by the excellent frame rates achieved, particularly at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU's power is fully utilized. This pairing is a capable one, and the rank reflects its ability to deliver high performance in this game.