Greedfall

Greedfall is an Action RPG released in 2019, and this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 produces results that are heavily constrained by the graphics card. The data shows a combination that ranks 3581 out of 3703 tested combos for this game, placing it in the bottom 3% of all tested configurations. The CPU is a top-tier desktop part, but the GTX 1650, with its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, becomes the definitive bottleneck, keeping frame rates low across all resolutions and presets.

FAQ

Q: What average frame rate can I expect at 1920x1080 with Low settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 73 FPS at 1920x1080 on Low settings. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that breaks the 60 FPS threshold, making it the sole preset capable of delivering a fluid experience on a standard 60 Hz monitor.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Greedfall?

A: No, not in a playable sense. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 14 FPS on Ultra to 30 FPS on Low settings. Even at Low, the 30 FPS average is borderline, and the High preset drops to 21 FPS, which is a stuttery experience.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in general GPU benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1650's average benchmark score is 7472, placing it in the 40th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A310, scores 7550, which is 1% higher, while the AMD Radeon HD 8850M is 0.3% lower. This indicates it's a low-end part, and its performance in Greedfall reflects that.

Q: What is the frame time variance like on Medium settings?

A: The data provides minimum and maximum FPS only for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the frame rate fluctuates between 48 and 66 FPS, with an average of 57. At 2560x1440, it averages 40 FPS, ranging from 34 to 45. At 3840x2160, it averages 24 FPS, ranging from 20 to 27.

Q: Given the CPU's strength, why are the frame rates so low?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a high-end processor with 20 cores and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. However, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a much weaker component, falling in the 40th percentile of GPUs. The benchmark results clearly indicate that the GPU's rendering capacity is the limiting factor at all tested resolutions.

Q: Does the CPU's performance in other benchmarks suggest it can handle this game's logic?

A: Yes, absolutely. The CPU scores 35850 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2020 in single-core, and its average benchmark score is 70879. These are very strong numbers, indicating that the processor has ample headroom to handle game logic and physics. The bottleneck is entirely on the GPU side.

Settings Recommendations

The data provides a clear picture of what this hardware can achieve, and the settings recommendations are driven entirely by the GTX 1650's limitations. For a playable experience, 1920x1080 is the only viable resolution, and Low settings are the only way to achieve a consistently smooth frame rate.

At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the measured average is 73 FPS. This is the only preset that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, making it the best choice for any form of competitive or fast-paced play. Moving up to Medium settings drops the average to 57 FPS, with dips to 48 FPS, which will be noticeable as occasional stutter. High settings average 52 FPS, which is still playable but lacks the headroom of the Low preset. Ultra settings should be avoided, as the average plummets to 33 FPS.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset at 2560x1440 averages 50 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced Action RPG, but it's not ideal. The Medium preset averages 40 FPS, which is the threshold for playability, but the minimum of 34 FPS will be noticeable. High and Ultra presets at this resolution are not recommended.

The 3840x2160 resolution is effectively unplayable with this combination. Every preset averages below 30 FPS, with Ultra dropping to 14 FPS. The recommendation is to avoid this resolution entirely. The best experience, based on the measured data, is to set the resolution to 1920x1080 and the quality preset to Low. This provides the highest average FPS and the most consistent frame pacing, which is the most important factor for a responsive game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the primary performance limiter in this configuration. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s, which is a severe constraint for a 2019 title like Greedfall. The GPU's base clock is 1485 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz, and it features 896 shading units. Its compute power is rated at 2.984 TFLOPS.

The benchmark data shows a clear and direct correlation between the GPU's workload and the frame rates. At the lowest tested settings (Low at 1920x1080), the GPU manages 73 FPS. As the resolution and quality settings increase, the demand on the GPU rises, and the FPS drops accordingly. The most telling indicator is the 4K performance, where the GPU is completely overwhelmed, producing an average of only 14 FPS on Ultra settings.

This GPU is in the 40th percentile of all GPUs and has an average benchmark score of 7472. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A310, is 1% faster, while the AMD Radeon R7 350 is 0.6% slower. This places the GTX 1650 firmly at the entry-level tier. The 4 GB VRAM is also likely a contributing factor to the poor performance at higher settings, as texture data may be spilling into slower system memory. The data suggests that the GTX 1650 is only suitable for 1080p gaming at the lowest quality presets in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's capabilities across three resolutions and four quality presets.

At 3840x2160, the results are all below the threshold of playability. The Low preset achieves an average of 30 FPS. The Medium preset averages 24 FPS, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 27. High settings drop to an average of 21 FPS. Ultra settings are the worst, averaging only 14 FPS. There is no viable configuration at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes borderline. The Low preset averages 50 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution. Medium settings average 40 FPS, with a frame time range of 34 to 45 FPS. The High preset averages 36 FPS. Ultra settings are not recommended, as the average falls to 23 FPS. While Low is playable, the experience is not smooth for all users.

At 1920x1080, the best results are found. The Low preset averages 73 FPS, providing a fluid experience. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 48 and a maximum of 66, which is a solid 60 Hz experience but with occasional dips. High settings average 52 FPS, which is still acceptable. Ultra settings average 33 FPS, which is not recommended for consistent gameplay. The progression shows a clear 21 FPS drop from Low to Medium, a 5 FPS drop from Medium to High, and a 19 FPS drop from High to Ultra at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 3581 out of 3703 tested combos for Greedfall. This rank places it in the bottom 3% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a very low-performing configuration for this game.

The ranking is a direct result of the stark imbalance between the two components. The CPU is a top-tier part, ranking in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is a low-end part, sitting in the 40th percentile of all GPUs. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor, and no amount of CPU headroom can compensate for its lack of rendering power. This is not a balanced pairing for a game like Greedfall, and the low rank reflects the GPU's inability to keep up with the game's demands at any resolution above 1080p Low.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a high-end desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake architecture. It features 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It has a substantial 30 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory. The CPU's benchmark scores are excellent, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35850 and a single-core score of 2020. It also scores 23085 in Geekbench multicore and 2713 in single-core.

In this specific test, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data and handle the game's simulation logic. Given its high performance, it is more than capable of handling these tasks without becoming a bottleneck. The 20 cores and high clock speeds ensure that there is plenty of processing headroom. The data shows that the CPU is not the cause of the low frame rates; the GPU is. If this CPU were paired with a more powerful graphics card, the frame rates would be significantly higher. The passmark single-thread score of 4928 and the passmark physics score of 3731 further confirm that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing. The CPU's performance in Greedfall is effectively masked by the GPU's limitations.