Greedfall

Greedfall is an Action RPG from 2019, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the AMD Radeon 890M integrated graphics paints a clear picture: this is a configuration for 1080p gaming at medium to high settings, with playability dropping sharply as resolution increases. The measured frame rates show the AMD Radeon 890M is the dominant bottleneck, and the CPU’s performance, while strong in synthetic tests, does not translate into high frame rates in this title because the integrated GPU simply cannot feed the display with enough frames. The data shows a narrow band of playable settings, and the analysis below breaks down exactly where this combo succeeds and where it falls short.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data is decisive: the best experience for this hardware in Greedfall is the 1080p Low preset. This is the only tested configuration that delivers an average frame rate above 60 FPS, with an average of 75 FPS at 1920x1080. Every other settings level at 1080p falls below the 60 FPS threshold, with High at 53, Medium at 59, and Ultra at a stutter-prone 34 average.

For users prioritizing visual fidelity over raw frame rate, 1080p Medium is the highest playable tier. At an average of 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 68 FPS, it offers the best compromise between visual quality and smooth motion. The 1 FPS difference from the 60 FPS target is within a reasonable margin, and the minimum frame rate of 50 FPS is still acceptable for a single-player action RPG. In contrast, 1080p High, while averaging 53 FPS, likely introduces more frequent drops, though the data does not list minimums for that setting.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. At 1080p, it averages only 34 FPS, which is a 41 FPS drop from Low. The frame rate also suffers an enormous penalty when moving to 1440p, where Ultra averages 24 FPS, and at 4K, it collapses to 14 FPS. This setting appears to be out of reach for this iGPU at any resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 890M is the limiting component in this configuration. The benchmark results show that the GPU is an RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics chip with 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. It has 16 RT cores, and its boost clock is 2900 MHz. The GPU's average benchmark score is 9210, which places it in the 45th percentile of all GPUs.

This performance level is comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, which has an average score of 9273, a difference of -0.7%. The Radeon 890M is also within 1% of the AMD Radeon Vega 8 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 850M. This is a mid-range integrated GPU, and in Greedfall, that translates to the measured frame rates. The GPU's memory is "System Shared", meaning it uses the main system RAM, which can impact performance in memory-heavy scenes.

The VRAM situation is important: the GPU has no dedicated VRAM, relying on the system's main memory. This means the GPU must share bandwidth with the CPU, which can cause frame rate drops in data-heavy areas. The pixel rate is 92.80 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 185.6 GTexel/s, but these theoretical numbers do not translate into high playable frame rates in this game, as the FPS data shows.

The GPU's performance is the primary bottleneck at every resolution. At 1080p Low, the CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU is. The data suggests that the GPU can only sustain 75 FPS on the lowest settings at 1080p, and this number does not improve with a better CPU, because the GPU is the limiting component. This is a typical integrated graphics scenario, where the GPU and CPU share the system's memory and power budget.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is severe, and it is primarily due to the integrated GPU's limited fill rate and memory bandwidth. At 4K (3840x2160), the frame rates are almost unplayable. The High preset averages 22 FPS, Low averages 31 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS, and Ultra averages only 14 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is overwhelmingly the limiting component, as the CPU does not scale well with resolution.

From 1080p to 1440p, the drop is significant. For example, at the Low preset, 1080p averages 75 FPS while 1440p averages 52 FPS, a 23 FPS drop, or about 31%. At the High preset, 1080p averages 53 FPS while 1440p averages 37, a 16 FPS drop. This shows that the GPU performance does not scale linearly with pixel count, as the GPU's limited ROPs and texture units become a massive bottleneck.

From 1440p to 4K, the drop becomes even more pronounced. At High settings, 1440p averages 37 FPS while 4K averages 22, a 15 FPS drop. At Medium, 1440p averages 41 FPS while 4K averages 24, a 17 FPS drop. This is a clear sign that the GPU is completely overwhelmed at 4K, and the system is not suitable for this resolution in Greedfall.

The data shows that the 890M is not a 4K-capable GPU for this game. Even at the lowest settings, 4K Low averages only 31 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and likely causes noticeable stuttering. The resolution scaling is steep, with the difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings being 44 FPS (75 vs 31). This indicates that the GPU's performance scales inversely with pixel count, and the system is best suited for 1080p or lower.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Here is the complete FPS data from the benchmark runs for Greedfall with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and AMD Radeon 890M.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 75 FPS average
• Medium: 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68
• High: 53 FPS average
• Ultra: 34 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 52 FPS average
• Medium: 41 FPS average, with a minimum of 35 and maximum of 47
• High: 37 FPS average
• Ultra: 24 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 31 FPS average
• Medium: 24 FPS average, with a minimum of 21 and maximum of 28
• High: 22 FPS average
• Ultra: 14 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern: for each resolution, the frame rate drops as settings increase. The lowest setting always provides the highest FPS, and the Ultra setting always provides the lowest. The difference between Low and Ultra at each resolution is substantial. At 1080p, the difference is 41 FPS (75 vs 34); at 1440p, it is 28 FPS (52 vs 24); and at 4K, it is 17 FPS (31 vs 14). This indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the performance penalty for higher settings is severe.

The 1080p Low is the only setting that reaches above 60 FPS, and even 1080p Medium almost hits 60 FPS. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, users must stick to 1080p Low. The Medium preset at 1080p is close, but the minimum of 50 FPS means there are occasional hiccups. In a game like Greedfall, which requires precise combat, the 60 FPS target is important.

FAQ

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

A: The best experience is at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, averaging 75 FPS. For a better balance of visual quality, 1080p Medium averages 59 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K?

A: No. The highest average frame rate at 4K is 31 FPS at Low settings, which is far below the 60 FPS target. The 4K Ultra preset averages only 14 FPS.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 890M compare to other GPUs in benchmarks?

A: Its average benchmark score is 9210, which is within 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (deltaPct -0.7%) and the AMD Radeon Vega 8 (deltaPct -0.1%), indicating it is a low-end GPU.

Q: What is the CPU performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX?

A: The CPU has 20 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.3 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 40642, and single-core is 5737. Its average benchmark score is 63173, which is in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The frame rates are low across all resolutions, and the CPU is not the limiting factor. For example, at 1080p Low, the GPU can only produce 75 FPS.

Q: Is the Medium preset at 1080p playable?

A: Yes, it is playable. It averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS. This is a smooth experience for an action RPG, though it does not reach a constant 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The CPU in this configuration, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX, is a high-end mobile processor. It has 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.6 GHz and a boost clock of 5.3 GHz. It is based on the Arrow Lake architecture and is manufactured on a 3 nm process node. Its TDP is 55 W.

In CPU benchmarks, it performs exceptionally well. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 40642, and single-core is 5737. In Passmark, the multi-thread score is 47985, and single-thread is 4500. The average benchmark score is 63173, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13790F with an average score of 63080 (deltaPct 0.1%), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G with a score of 63331 (deltaPct -0.2%).

However, this CPU's power is not fully utilized in Greedfall. The measured FPS data shows that the game is entirely GPU-limited. For instance, at 1080p Low, the CPU could theoretically run the game at a high frame rate, but the GPU caps it at 75 FPS. The CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution; the GPU is.

The CPU's high core count and fast clock speeds do not translate to higher frame rates in this game because the GPU is the weak link. In a game with more CPU-intensive AI or physics, the Ultra 7 265HX would likely keep up well, but Greedfall's engine is not heavily CPU-bound. The data shows that the CPU's performance is not the limiting factor, as the FPS does not improve when lowering the resolution, which would normally reduce the CPU load, but the FPS still drops due to the GPU's limits. The CPU's strong scores are irrelevant to the game's frame rate, which is the GPU's domain.