Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates CPU and GPU responsibilities. Testing the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 reveals a configuration that is capable at mainstream resolutions but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The data shows a system where the graphics card becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, while the processor provides ample headroom for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 119 FPS, which is a very playable and smooth experience. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate falls to 83 FPS, a 30% reduction. The most dramatic decline occurs when jumping to 4K High, where the average FPS plummets to 49, representing a 59% drop from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is a classic indicator of a GPU-limited scenario.

The data from the Low preset reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 167 FPS, demonstrating the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with frames. However, at 4K Low, the average FPS is only 69. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the 4K Low result to be much closer to the 1080p Low result, as lowering settings reduces the GPU load. Instead, the frame rate at 4K Low is still lower than the 1080p High result, which confirms that the Radeon RX 9060's rendering capabilities are the ceiling at higher resolutions.

The scaling between presets at a fixed resolution further highlights the GPU's role. At 4K, the difference between Low (69 FPS) and Medium (54 FPS) is 15 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High (49 FPS) is another 5 FPS. The most severe penalty comes from enabling Ultra settings, which drops the frame rate to 31 FPS, a 55% reduction from the High preset. This indicates that the most demanding graphics options are particularly taxing on the GPU's 8 GB memory buffer and processing power, making 4K Ultra an unrealistic target for smooth gameplay. The overall trend shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU can maintain high frame rates, while 4K requires significant settings compromises to stay above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Greedfall, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 holds a rank of 1672 out of 2938 combos. This places it in the 57th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms more than half of the configurations in our database for this specific game. This is a solid mid-pack result, indicating that while the combo is not a top-tier performer for Greedfall, it is far from being underpowered.

The ranking suggests that this system is well-balanced for the game's demands but is held back by the GPU's performance ceiling. The CPU, which ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested, is clearly not the limiting factor. The GPU, on the other hand, sits in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, which aligns with the combo's overall ranking. This consistency implies that the combo's performance is directly tied to the GPU's capabilities, and the CPU's high performance does not boost the system beyond what the graphics card can deliver.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals in the database further contextualizes the ranking. The Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. It is also 1% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 370X and the AMD Radeon RX 7700. These are marginal differences, indicating that the RX 9060 is firmly in the performance class of these other cards. In Greedfall, this translates to a system that will deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p but will be outclassed by higher-tier GPUs at 4K. The combo's rank is a direct reflection of this mid-range GPU performance.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the defining component in this combo's gaming performance. It is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a Navi 44 chip and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The 8 GB memory capacity is a critical factor in Greedfall, as the game's Ultra preset appears to be particularly memory-hungry, causing a significant frame rate drop. The card's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the raw pixel-pushing power, and its boost clock of 2990 MHz is relatively high, aiding in single-threaded rendering tasks.

The benchmark results for the GPU show a mixed profile. Its Passmark G3D score is 17631, which is respectable and places it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. However, its performance in DirectX 12 is notably weak, with a score of just 44 in the Passmark DirectX 12 test. This is a stark contrast to its DirectX 11 score of 182 and DirectX 10 score of 104. This suggests that the RDNA 4.0 architecture may have driver or hardware inefficiencies in the DirectX 12 API, which is the primary API used by Greedfall. This could explain why the card's in-game performance, especially at higher resolutions, falls short of what its raw G3D score might suggest.

The GPU's role as the bottleneck is clear when analyzing the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 31 FPS, a figure that is far below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. Even at 4K Medium, the frame rate of 54 FPS is borderline, with the minimum FPS dipping to 46. This indicates that the GPU is struggling to fill the frame buffer at high resolutions with the most demanding settings. The card's 8 GB memory is also a concern, as Greedfall at 4K with high-quality textures can easily exceed this limit, leading to potential stuttering or texture pop-in, although the min FPS data for High and Ultra presets is not recorded. The evidence points to a GPU that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming but is not equipped to handle 4K gaming at high quality settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Greedfall with this combo for a smooth experience?

A: The data shows that 1440p High settings deliver an average of 83 FPS, while 1080p High achieves 119 FPS and 1080p Low reaches 167 FPS. For a consistently smooth experience above 60 FPS, 1440p High is the most demanding setting that comfortably achieves this target, while 1080p offers the highest frame rates.

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but with significant compromises. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 69, which is playable. However, at 4K Medium, the average drops to 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 49 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset is not viable, as it produces only 31 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 or the AMD Radeon RX 9060 the limiting factor in this game?

A: The benchmark data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU has a high Passmark multithread score of 49682 and ranks in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 59th percentile. The significant frame rate drops when increasing resolution or settings point to the graphics card being the bottleneck.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon RX 9060 compare to its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti?

A: According to the database, the RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti's score of 16129. This makes them statistically equivalent in overall performance, and in-game performance for Greedfall is expected to be very similar.

Q: What is the impact of the Ultra graphics preset on performance?

A: The Ultra preset has a severe performance penalty. At 1080p, enabling Ultra drops the frame rate from 119 FPS (High) to 76 FPS. At 1440p, it drops from 83 FPS to 53 FPS, and at 4K, it plummets from 49 FPS to 31 FPS. This suggests the Ultra preset uses graphics options that are particularly demanding on the GPU's 8 GB memory and processing power.

Q: Does the CPU's performance leave any headroom for this game?

A: Yes, the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 167 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that is unlikely to be limited by the processor. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and single-core score of 5960 show it is a powerful processor capable of handling the game's logic and physics without issue.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 1440p is the recommended starting point. This configuration yields an average of 83 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the minimum FPS is not recorded, but the average suggests a stable experience. This provides a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset while maintaining a high refresh rate.

For gamers with 1080p monitors, the High preset is an excellent choice, delivering 119 FPS. This allows for use of high-refresh-rate displays without sacrificing visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p also performs well at 131 FPS, with a minimum of 112 FPS, and could be used to further increase the frame rate headroom. The Low preset at 1080p offers the highest frame rate at 167 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play or if the user prioritizes maximum fluidity over graphics.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combo. Even at 1080p, it reduces the average FPS to 76, which is a 36% drop from the High preset. At 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and at 4K, it is unplayable at 31 FPS. The performance cost of the Ultra preset is not justified by the marginal visual improvements it offers in Greedfall, especially given the GPU's memory constraints. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only viable option, providing 69 FPS, but users should be prepared for a significant reduction in visual quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a high-end desktop processor that provides ample performance for Greedfall. It features 20 cores and 20 threads, a base clock of 2.40 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is crucial for gaming, as it ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is often the limiting factor in game logic and physics. The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores reflect its capability, with a single-core score of 5960 and a multi-core score of 42216. These scores place the CPU in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested, indicating that it is a top-tier processor for gaming workloads.

The CPU's performance in Greedfall is more than sufficient to keep up with the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 167 FPS, which is a very high value. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would see this number plateau at a lower value, regardless of the GPU's capabilities. The fact that the frame rate scales down when the resolution increases points to the GPU being the limiting factor, not the CPU. The CPU's high Passmark single-thread score of 4689 and multithread score of 49682 further confirm its ability to handle the game's demands without causing a performance bottleneck.

The processor's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s also contribute to its strong gaming performance. These features help to reduce memory latency and ensure that the CPU can quickly access game data. The CPU's TDP of 65 W is relatively modest for a 20-core processor, but this does not impact its gaming performance. In summary, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a powerful and capable CPU that provides a solid foundation for gaming. In this specific combo, it is not the limiting factor, and its performance allows the AMD Radeon RX 9060 to reach its full potential at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The system's overall rank of 1672 out of 2938 combos in Greedfall reflects the CPU's strength, as it prevents the GPU from being further held back.