Greedfall

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a surprisingly robust experience in Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. This combination ranks 1224th out of 2938 tested combos for this specific title, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all possible pairings. The benchmark data, which is measured rather than estimated, reveals a system that is consistently capable across resolutions, though the balance of responsibility shifts meaningfully from the CPU to the GPU as resolution climbs. This analysis breaks down exactly how this pairing performs, where its strengths lie, and what settings provide the most balanced experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1224 out of 2938 tested configurations places it within the top 42% of all possible CPU-GPU pairings for Greedfall. This is a solid, above-average standing, but it does not suggest a top-tier, max-everything machine. Instead, the data indicates a pairing that is well-matched for high-refresh 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the ability to push into 4K at more modest settings. The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all tested resolutions and presets, and it is clear that the combination’s strength is its consistency rather than its peak performance ceiling.

Looking at the individual components, the CPU’s overall benchmark percentile is 93, meaning it outperforms 93% of all tested processors in general compute tasks. Its average benchmark score is 64,640. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing are the AMD EPYC 4464P with an average score of 64,823 (a 0.3% lead for the EPYC), the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F at 64,438 (0.3% behind), the AMD EPYC 7343 at 64,202 (0.7% behind), and the AMD EPYC 9124 at 65,104 (0.7% lead). These deltas are tiny, indicating that the Core Ultra 7 265 is in a very tightly contested performance band for general processing. For Greedfall specifically, this strong CPU foundation helps prevent frame rate drops in scenes with many characters or complex AI.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3070 sits in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,208. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (score 17,083, a 0.7% lead for the RTX 3070), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17,037, a 1% lead), the AMD Radeon HD 7970M (17,019, a 1.1% lead), and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17,468, a 1.5% deficit). The RTX 3070 is essentially neck-and-neck with these cards in synthetic workloads, but in Greedfall the measured FPS shows it is more than sufficient for the game’s demands, especially considering the game’s 2019 release date. The pairing’s overall rank is thus a product of a top-tier CPU lifting a mid-to-high-tier GPU, resulting in a balanced system that avoids severe bottlenecks.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the primary driver of visual output in this configuration. It is built on the Ampere architecture and uses the GA104 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process by Samsung. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is adequate for Greedfall at 1080p and 1440p, but it becomes a potential limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings, where the graphical demands can strain the 8 GB capacity. The card’s base clock is 1500 MHz, with a boost clock of 1725 MHz. Memory operates at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 3070 scores 22,214 in Passmark G3D and 11,195 in Passmark GPU Compute. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3,162. These numbers place it in a competitive position against its nearest rivals. The data shows that in Greedfall, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU enough frames to reach very high averages, but at 4K, the GPU’s raw throughput and memory bandwidth dictate the performance ceiling. The RTX 3070’s 5888 shading units and 96 ROPs are put to work heavily at higher resolutions, and the measured FPS drops confirm this shift.

The card’s 8 GB VRAM is a critical detail. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 38, which is likely a combination of compute limits and memory pressure. The game’s textures and geometry at Ultra settings can approach the 8 GB limit, causing the GPU to manage memory less efficiently. At 4K Medium, the average FPS jumps to 66, and at 4K Low it reaches 84, showing that reducing memory and shading load has a dramatic positive impact. The GPU’s 220 W TDP and dual-slot design are consistent with its performance class, but the benchmark results are what matter most: this is a GPU that can handle Greedfall well at most settings, but it is not a 4K Ultra powerhouse.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the system is heavily CPU-bound, with the GPU having plenty of headroom. At Low settings, the average FPS is 204, which is exceptionally high and indicative of a CPU that can push frames far beyond what the GPU can render at higher settings. Even at Ultra, 1080p yields an average of 93 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a 54% drop in average FPS, from 204 to 93, which is a significant but expected cost for higher visual fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable but still keep the game highly playable. Low settings produce an average of 141 FPS, which is a 31% reduction from the 1080p Low score. High settings at 1440p average 101 FPS, and Medium averages 111 FPS. Ultra at 1440p averages 64 FPS, which is a 31% drop from the 1080p Ultra score of 93. This pattern shows that the GPU is starting to take on more of the workload, but the CPU is still capable of maintaining high frame rates. The 1440p results are the sweet spot for this combo, offering a strong balance between visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 84 FPS, which is a 40% drop from the 1080p Low score. Medium averages 66 FPS, and High averages 60 FPS. Ultra drops to 38 FPS, which is a 59% reduction from the 1080p Ultra score. This scaling demonstrates that the RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM and compute capabilities are insufficient for 4K Ultra, but the card can still deliver playable frame rates at Medium and High settings. The data suggests that at 4K, the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU’s influence on FPS diminishes significantly when the pixel count increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings average 204 FPS, Medium settings average 160 FPS with a minimum of 136 and a maximum of 184, High settings average 146 FPS, and Ultra settings average 93 FPS. The Medium preset’s min-max range of 136-184 FPS shows good frame time consistency, with no severe dips. The gap between Medium and High is only 14 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 53 FPS, indicating that Ultra settings impose a heavy cost on the GPU.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 141 FPS, Medium averages 111 FPS with a minimum of 94 and a maximum of 128, High averages 101 FPS, and Ultra averages 64 FPS. The Medium preset’s min-max range of 94-128 FPS is wider than at 1080p, suggesting some stutter under load, but the average remains solid. The difference between Medium and High is 10 FPS, while the difference between High and Ultra is 37 FPS. This reinforces that Ultra is the most demanding preset, requiring a significant performance sacrifice.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low averages 84 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 and a maximum of 76, High averages 60 FPS, and Ultra averages 38 FPS. The Medium preset’s min-max range of 56-76 FPS is the widest across all measurements, indicating that the GPU is struggling to maintain consistent frame times at this resolution. The drop from High to Ultra is 22 FPS, which is substantial. The data clearly shows that 4K is only viable at Low to High settings, with 60 FPS achievable at High and 38 FPS at Ultra being borderline unplayable for a smooth experience.

Looking at the progression from 1080p to 4K at each setting: Low drops from 204 to 84 FPS (a 59% reduction), Medium drops from 160 to 66 FPS (a 59% reduction), High drops from 146 to 60 FPS (a 59% reduction), and Ultra drops from 93 to 38 FPS (a 59% reduction). This uniform 59% drop across all settings confirms that the scaling is purely resolution-driven, with the GPU’s pixel throughput being the sole limiter at 4K. The CPU’s performance is consistent across all resolutions, as evidenced by the high 1080p Low score of 204 FPS, which far exceeds what the GPU can render at higher settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, with a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This is a desktop-class processor with a 65 W TDP, which is relatively modest for its core count.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 7 265 demonstrates strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 42,216, and its single-core score is 5,960. In Cinebench R20, it scores 6,268 multicore and 884 single-core. Passmark results show a multithread score of 49,682 and a single-thread score of 4,689. The CPU’s percentile rank of 93 indicates it is in the top 7% of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 64,640 places it just 0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 4464P and 0.7% behind the AMD EPYC 9124, while being 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F and 0.7% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7343.

For Greedfall, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p, where the frame rates exceed 200 FPS at Low settings. This indicates that the CPU can process game logic, AI, and draw calls faster than the GPU can render frames, even at the lowest settings. The 20 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for a game from 2019, which likely uses fewer threads. The high boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures strong single-thread performance, which is often more critical for game logic. At 1440p, the CPU still provides enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck, as evidenced by the 141 FPS Low score. At 4K, the CPU’s influence is minimal, with performance being entirely GPU-bound. The data shows that this CPU will not limit the RTX 3070 in Greedfall at any resolution, making it an excellent pairing for this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset is the best choice for most users, offering an average of 146 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium, which averages 160 FPS but with lower fidelity. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 93 FPS, which is still playable, but the 53 FPS drop from High to Ultra is a steep price for the extra visual effects. For competitive or high-refresh displays, the Medium preset at 160 FPS is also excellent, but High is the sweet spot for image quality.

At 1440p, the High preset is again the recommended option, with an average of 101 FPS. This provides a smooth experience on 144Hz monitors, and the visual quality is high. The Medium preset at 111 FPS is slightly faster but with a wider min-max range of 94-128 FPS, which could introduce occasional stutters. The Ultra preset at 64 FPS is borderline for a 60Hz display but may not be smooth enough for 144Hz screens. Therefore, High is the best balance of performance and fidelity at 1440p. The Low preset at 141 FPS is unnecessarily fast for most users, sacrificing too much visual quality for frame rates that exceed most display refresh rates.

At 4K, the choice is more constrained. The High preset averages exactly 60 FPS, which is playable on a 60Hz display but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset averages 66 FPS, which is slightly better and provides a more comfortable margin, though the min-max range of 56-76 FPS indicates some variability. The Low preset at 84 FPS is the smoothest option but significantly reduces visual quality. For a 4K experience, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it offers a playable frame rate with a reasonable trade-off in fidelity. The Ultra preset at 38 FPS is not recommended, as it is below the smoothness threshold for most gamers. The data suggests that the best overall experience for this combo is 1440p High, which delivers 101 FPS with strong visual quality, while 4K Medium is viable for those prioritizing resolution over frame rate.