Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the AMD Radeon 880M integrated graphics. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is consistently constrained by its GPU, with the CPU’s substantial multi-threaded capabilities providing ample headroom. This analysis examines the performance data, ranking, and component roles to understand the practical gaming experience this combo delivers.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the most significant drops occurring between 1080p and 1440p. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 51 FPS at 1920x1080 to 35 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 16 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 21 FPS, another 14 FPS lower. This scaling pattern strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon 880M is the primary limiting component, as the pixel throughput requirements at higher resolutions overwhelm the integrated GPU's capabilities.

The Low settings preset offers a similar scaling trend but from a higher baseline. At 1920x1080, Low settings yield 71 FPS, which falls to 49 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 29 FPS at 3840x2160. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is 22 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 20 FPS. This near-linear decline suggests that the GPU is operating at its maximum capacity across all resolution points, with no sign of a CPU bottleneck that would flatten the curve at lower resolutions.

Medium settings provide the only complete data set with min and max FPS values, offering insight into frame pacing. At 1920x1080, the average is 56 FPS with a minimum of 47 and maximum of 64. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 39 FPS with a range of 33 to 44. At 3840x2160, the average falls to 23 FPS with a range of 20 to 26. The consistent gap between min and max FPS of roughly 17 FPS at 1080p, 11 FPS at 1440p, and 6 FPS at 4K suggests that frame variance compresses as the GPU becomes more saturated, which is typical of a render-bound scenario.

Ultra settings show the most severe scaling, with averages of 32 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p, and just 13 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset, indicating that this configuration is only marginally playable in the most demanding scenario. The resolution scaling data implies that the integrated GPU’s fill rate and shading throughput are exhausted well before the CPU’s processing power becomes relevant, making the Radeon 880M the definitive bottleneck in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and AMD Radeon 880M combination ranks 2870 out of 2938 tested combos for Greedfall, placing it in the bottom 2.3% of all configurations. This rank, while low in absolute terms, must be contextualized by the nature of the components. The Radeon 880M is an integrated GPU with a 43rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, meaning it outperforms only 43% of the discrete and integrated graphics solutions in the database. The CPU, by contrast, sits at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, indicating a massive imbalance in capability between the two components.

The combo rank of 2870 suggests that the vast majority of tested systems, which likely include discrete GPUs, deliver superior frame rates in Greedfall. However, the data also shows that this combo is not the absolute worst, with 68 other configurations ranking below it. For an integrated graphics solution, the 880M’s performance in this game is expected to be modest, and the rank reflects that reality. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX with an average score of 8427 and a delta of 0.1%, the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 at 8458 with a -0.3% delta, and the AMD Radeon HD 8870M at 8462 with a -0.3% delta. These older discrete GPUs perform nearly identically to the 880M in synthetic benchmarks, yet the combo ranking suggests that Greedfall’s specific workload may be less favorable to the integrated solution.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-13790F with a delta of 0.1% and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G at -0.2%, show that the 265HX is competitive with other high-end processors. This reinforces the notion that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo’s low rank. The data implies that if the same CPU were paired with a stronger GPU, the combo rank would improve dramatically, but as configured, the integrated graphics cap the gaming experience at a level far below what the processor can support.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 880M is built on the RDNA 3.5 architecture and features 768 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 16 render output units. Its base clock is 400 MHz with a boost clock of 2900 MHz, and it operates with system-shared memory, meaning bandwidth is system dependent. The GPU’s pixel rate is 46.40 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 139.2 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 4.454 TFLOPS. These specifications position the 880M as a capable integrated solution for light gaming, but the measured Greedfall results show its limitations under sustained load.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 880M achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 535, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 31285, and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 40006. Its Passmark G3D score is 7615, with a GPU compute score of 3719. The GPU’s 43rd percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates that it sits slightly below the median performance level, which aligns with the measured FPS in Greedfall. The DirectX 11 Passmark score of 73 and DirectX 12 score of 32 suggest that the GPU handles older APIs more efficiently, which is relevant given Greedfall’s 2019 release.

The system-shared memory for VRAM means that the GPU uses the same DDR5 memory as the CPU, with bandwidth dependent on the system configuration. This architecture creates a potential bottleneck in memory-intensive scenes, as the CPU and GPU compete for the same memory bandwidth. The measured FPS drops at higher resolutions are consistent with this limitation, as larger framebuffers require more memory bandwidth, which the shared configuration struggles to provide. The GPU’s boost clock of 2900 MHz is relatively high for an integrated part, helping to mitigate some of the bandwidth constraints, but it cannot fully compensate for the lack of dedicated VRAM.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Low settings preset at 1920x1080 provides the most playable experience, with an average of 71 FPS. This is the only configuration that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a compromise with 56 FPS average, which is still playable but with a minimum of 47 FPS that may cause noticeable stutters in demanding scenes. For users prioritizing visual quality, High at 1080p delivers 51 FPS, but the drop below 60 FPS may be noticeable.

At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 49 FPS, which is marginally playable but not ideal for action-oriented gameplay. Medium at 1440p drops to 39 FPS, and High falls to 35 FPS, both below the threshold for smooth performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages just 22 FPS, making it unsuitable for anything but static scenes. At 3840x2160, only Low settings approach playability with 29 FPS, while Medium drops to 23 FPS and High to 21 FPS. Ultra at 4K is effectively unplayable at 13 FPS.

The data suggests that the optimal experience is achieved by prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. The Low preset at 1080p offers the best frame pacing, as evidenced by the lack of reported min FPS issues, and it nearly doubles the performance of Ultra at the same resolution. For users with 1080p displays, Medium settings provide a reasonable balance, but the 47 FPS minimum may be a concern. The recommendation is to start with Low at 1080p and adjust upward only if the minimum frame rates remain acceptable, as the measured data shows diminishing returns for quality settings beyond this point.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 71 FPS, Medium produces 56 FPS with a minimum of 47 and maximum of 64, High produces 51 FPS, and Ultra produces 32 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 39 FPS, representing a 55% performance penalty for the highest quality preset. The Medium preset’s min and max values indicate a frame pacing that is consistent but with occasional drops.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 49 FPS for Low, 39 FPS for Medium with a minimum of 33 and maximum of 44, 35 FPS for High, and 22 FPS for Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 27 FPS. The Medium preset shows a tighter range of 11 FPS between min and max, suggesting more consistent frame delivery at this resolution, likely due to the GPU being more fully utilized.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 29 FPS for Low, 23 FPS for Medium with a minimum of 20 and maximum of 26, 21 FPS for High, and 13 FPS for Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is 16 FPS. The Medium preset’s range of 6 FPS indicates that the GPU is saturated, with frame times becoming more uniform as the render workload reaches its ceiling. Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently outperforms Ultra by a margin that narrows as resolution increases, from 39 FPS at 1080p to 16 FPS at 4K, reflecting the GPU’s diminishing ability to differentiate between quality settings at higher pixel counts.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system in Greedfall?

A: The data shows that Low settings at 1920x1080 provides the highest average FPS of 71, making it the only configuration to exceed 60 FPS. This is the recommended setup for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 880M compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The 880M has an average benchmark score of 8436, placing it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX, 0.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce MX330, and 0.3% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8870M. It outperforms the AMD Radeon R9 M375X by 1.3%.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX a bottleneck for this GPU?

A: No, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The 265HX ranks in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, while the 880M ranks in the 43rd percentile. The measured FPS scaling with resolution indicates the GPU is the primary constraint.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 49 FPS, while Ultra averages 22 FPS. This represents a 27 FPS difference, with Ultra performing at less than half the frame rate of Low.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at any resolution in Greedfall?

A: According to the measured data, only the Low preset at 1920x1080 reaches 60 FPS or above, with an average of 71 FPS. No other resolution or settings combination achieves 60 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 2870 out of 2938 tested combos for Greedfall, placing it in the bottom 2.3% of all systems. There are 68 configurations that rank lower.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor from the Arrow Lake-HX series, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its L3 cache is 30 MB shared, with 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 per core. The CPU supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 40642 and a single-core score of 5737, along with a Passmark multithread score of 47985 and a single-thread score of 4500.

The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs places it well above the median, with an average benchmark score of 63173. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13790F with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G at -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P185 at 0.5%. This level of performance indicates that the 265HX is more than capable of handling Greedfall’s CPU demands, which are moderate for a 2019 Action RPG. The game does not appear to stress the processor heavily, as the measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU limitation at any resolution.

The CPU’s 20 cores and 20 threads provide substantial multi-threaded throughput, which is beneficial for background tasks and system responsiveness, but Greedfall likely utilizes only a fraction of these resources. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is more relevant for gaming. The data suggests that the CPU sits idle for much of the gaming session, as the GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates. This imbalance is the defining characteristic of this combo: a high-end processor paired with an entry-level integrated GPU, resulting in a system where the CPU’s potential is unrealized in gaming scenarios. The measured FPS values across all settings and resolutions are consistently GPU-bound, confirming that the 265HX’s role is to provide a stable platform without introducing any performance ceilings of its own.