Greedfall

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 pairing delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Greedfall, with performance scaling predictably as resolution increases. The measured data shows a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the processor’s substantial core count keeps frame rates high at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and presets, contextualizes the combo’s standing against other tested systems, and examines the specific roles of the GPU and CPU in shaping the final results.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic shift in bottleneck dynamics. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 177 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset drops performance to 123 FPS, a reduction of 54 FPS (approximately 30%). The jump to 3840x2160 is even more severe, with the average falling to 73 FPS, a further drop of 50 FPS (approximately 41%) from the 1440p result. This progressive decline indicates that the RTX 4070 is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets. At Low settings, the system pushes 248 FPS at 1080p, 172 FPS at 1440p, and 103 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low is 76 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 69 FPS. This near-linear degradation suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute throughput are being saturated at higher resolutions, rather than any CPU limitation. The 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth on the RTX 4070 are sufficient for the game’s demands, but the sheer pixel workload at 4K overwhelms the card’s shading units.

At Medium settings, the measured minimum and maximum FPS provide additional insight. At 1080p, the average is 195 FPS with a minimum of 166 FPS and maximum of 224 FPS. At 1440p, the average drops to 135 FPS with a range of 115 to 155 FPS. At 4K, the average is 81 FPS with a range of 69 to 93 FPS. The minimum FPS at 4K (69) is notably close to the average (81), indicating that frame pacing remains stable even under heavy load. This suggests the GPU is consistently working near its limit, with no sudden spikes or drops caused by CPU stalls.

The data indicates that 4K Ultra is the only setting where the system dips below 60 FPS, averaging just 47 FPS. This is a significant outlier compared to the 4K High result of 73 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K costs 26 FPS, a 36% reduction, which is far larger than the relative cost at lower resolutions. At 1080p, High to Ultra costs 64 FPS (177 to 113), while at 1440p it costs 45 FPS (123 to 78). The disproportionate penalty at 4K Ultra points to specific rendering features in that preset that heavily tax the GPU’s ROPs and memory subsystem.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 694th out of 2938 tested combos for Greedfall. This places the pairing in the top 24% of all tested systems, a strong showing that reflects the balanced nature of the components. The rank is determined by aggregate performance across all measured resolutions and settings, favoring systems that maintain high frame rates consistently.

The combo’s rank is influenced primarily by the GPU’s performance ceiling. While the CPU is capable of pushing very high frame rates at 1080p Low (248 FPS), the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K Ultra (47 FPS). This variance in performance across settings means the combo’s overall rank is a compromise between its excellent low-resolution performance and its more moderate high-resolution results. A system with a stronger GPU would rank higher due to better 4K performance, while a weaker CPU might not significantly harm the rank given the game’s GPU-bound nature at higher resolutions.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing sits comfortably in the upper quartile. The rank of 694 out of 2938 means that 2244 other combinations performed worse, while 693 performed better. The data suggests that this is a well-balanced setup for Greedfall, offering high refresh rate capability at 1080p and 1440p, with playable frame rates at 4K on lower presets. The rank does not account for any specific settings preferences, so users targeting 4K Ultra may find the combo less competitive than those targeting 1440p High.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the dominant component in determining Greedfall’s performance at higher resolutions. The GPU features 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines. These specifications, combined with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, allow for a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s. The card’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for feeding the shading units at 4K resolution.

The GPU’s 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores are present but have minimal impact on Greedfall, as the game does not heavily utilize ray tracing or DLSS in the measured presets. The card’s FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS is the primary driver of traditional rasterization performance. The benchmark results show that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, where the average FPS drops to 73 at High settings. This is a direct consequence of the pixel workload exceeding the GPU’s fill rate capabilities.

The measured FPS data confirms that the RTX 4070 scales predictably with resolution. At 1080p High, the card produces 177 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s limit for this game. At 1440p, the GPU still has headroom, producing 123 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is fully saturated, producing 73 FPS. The difference between 1440p and 4K at High settings (50 FPS) is larger than the difference between 1080p and 1440p (54 FPS), indicating that the GPU’s memory bandwidth is becoming a constraint. The card’s 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1440p but struggles to keep up with the 4K pixel data.

The GPU’s VRAM capacity of 12 GB is not a limiting factor in Greedfall, as the game’s textures at 4K Ultra fit comfortably within this allocation. The absence of any memory-related stuttering or texture pop-in in the measured data supports this conclusion. The card’s end-of-life production status does not affect its current performance in this title, but it suggests that future driver optimizations may be limited.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering 195 FPS with a minimum of 166 FPS. This ensures smooth gameplay on high refresh rate monitors without the performance cost of Ultra, which drops to 113 FPS. The High preset at 177 FPS is also viable, but Medium provides a more comfortable margin above 144 Hz.

At 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice, averaging 123 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience on standard 144 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 135 FPS offers a slight improvement, but the visual fidelity gain from High is worth the 12 FPS reduction. The Ultra preset at 78 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action sequences, as the minimum FPS was not measured but the average is close to 60.

For 4K displays, the Low preset is the only viable option for high refresh rate gaming, averaging 103 FPS. The Medium preset at 81 FPS is acceptable for 60 Hz displays, but the High preset at 73 FPS is borderline. The Ultra preset at 47 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stuttering. For a 60 Hz 4K display, the Medium preset provides the best combination of visual quality and performance, with a minimum FPS of 69 ensuring no major dips.

The data shows that the Ultra preset offers diminishing returns at all resolutions. At 1080p, the jump from High to Ultra costs 64 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 1440p, the cost is 45 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 4K, the cost is 26 FPS, a 36% reduction. This consistent penalty suggests that Ultra enables effects that are particularly taxing on the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset averages 248 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Medium preset averages 195 FPS, with a minimum of 166 FPS and maximum of 224 FPS. The High preset averages 177 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 113 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 135 FPS, indicating that the CPU is capable of pushing very high frame rates when the GPU load is low.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong. The Low preset averages 172 FPS. The Medium preset averages 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 FPS and maximum of 155 FPS. The High preset averages 123 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 78 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 94 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is starting to become a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The Low preset averages 103 FPS. The Medium preset averages 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and maximum of 93 FPS. The High preset averages 73 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 47 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 56 FPS, which is the narrowest across all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is fully saturated.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at all three resolutions. This provides insight into frame-time consistency. At 1080p, the range is 58 FPS (166 to 224). At 1440p, the range is 40 FPS (115 to 155). At 4K, the range is 24 FPS (69 to 93). The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is working more consistently, with less variation in frame times.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 provides ample processing power for Greedfall, ensuring that the GPU is not held back at lower resolutions. The CPU features 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This configuration is built on the Arrow Lake architecture and manufactured on a 3 nm process. The 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per core L2 cache provide quick access to game data.

The CPU’s benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. The PassMark multi-thread score of 49682 and single-thread score of 4689 further confirm its capabilities. These scores place the CPU in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of processors on the market.

In Greedfall, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the system achieves 248 FPS. This high frame rate is only possible if the CPU can feed the GPU with enough draw calls and physics calculations. The 20 cores handle the game’s background tasks efficiently, while the high boost clock ensures that the main game thread runs at maximum speed. The CPU’s 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth on the dual-channel DDR5 interface is sufficient for the game’s data transfer needs.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, including the AMD EPYC 4464P and Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, show similar average benchmark scores, with delta percentages of -0.3% and 0.3% respectively. This indicates that the 265 is competitively positioned within its performance class. The CPU’s 65W TDP is modest for a 20-core processor, suggesting efficient power management that avoids thermal throttling.

The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. At 4K Ultra, the GPU produces 47 FPS, which is far below the CPU’s capability. Even at 1080p Low, the CPU can push 248 FPS, which is likely near the game’s engine limit. The CPU’s performance is consistent with its 93rd percentile ranking, providing a solid foundation for the RTX 4070.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 248, achieved with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this combo capable of maintaining 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 47, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among other tested systems for Greedfall?

A: The combo ranks 694th out of 2938 tested combinations, placing it in the top 24% of all systems.

Q: What is the CPU’s single-thread performance score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 scores 5960 in the Cinebench R23 single-core test.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and size?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s.

Q: At which resolution does the GPU become the primary bottleneck?

A: The GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at 3840x2160, where the average FPS drops significantly across all presets compared to 1920x1080 and 2560x1440.