Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG from Spiders, presents an interesting case study when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. The benchmark data for this combination reveals a system where the graphics card is the clear limiting factor, with the processor's substantial capabilities largely held in reserve. This analysis examines the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, the combination's standing against other tested hardware pairings, and the specific roles the CPU and GPU play in shaping the gameplay experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable yet pronounced decline as resolution increases, which strongly indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the primary bottleneck in this system. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 99 FPS, but this drops to 68 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 41 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 31 FPS loss when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 27 FPS loss when stepping up to 4K. The scaling pattern suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being saturated as the pixel count increases.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution further underscores the GPU-bound nature of this pairing. At 4K, the difference between Low (57 FPS) and Ultra (26 FPS) is a substantial 31 FPS, showing that the RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are stretched thin by the highest quality presets at this resolution. The data implies that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is not the constraining factor; even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU would typically be most stressed, the system achieves 138 FPS, suggesting the processor can feed frames well beyond what the GPU can render at higher loads.

Interestingly, the Medium preset at 4K shows a min FPS of 38 and max of 52, providing a narrow window of performance. This consistency, compared to the unknown variance in other settings, suggests that Medium is where the GPU's resources are balanced enough to maintain a stable frame delivery. The resolution scaling data points to a simple conclusion: for higher resolutions, the user must rely on lower settings to maintain playable frame rates, as the GPU's compute resources—6.451 TFLOPS FP32 and 1920 shading units—are simply not sufficient for maxed-out 4K performance.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 3,703 tested combos for Greedfall, this particular pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks at position 2,932. This places it in the lower percentile of tested configurations, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's mid-range standing rather than the CPU's high-end positioning. The CPU alone sits in the 94th percentile when compared to all processors, while the GPU only reaches the 58th percentile against all graphics cards. This disparity between component classes is the primary reason for the combination's modest ranking.

When contextualizing this rank, it is helpful to look at the GPU's nearest rivals based on average benchmark scores. The RTX 2060 is statistically tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, showing a 0% deltaPct, and is only 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon 680M. It is 0.6% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM and 0.8% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 7600. These rival comparisons indicate that the GPU's performance class is rather crowded, and in a game like Greedfall, which appears to be graphically demanding based on the FPS drops, the RTX 2060's position at the 58th percentile does not translate to a high rank when paired with a top-tier CPU.

The combination's rank of 2,932 out of 3,703 means that roughly 79% of tested combos perform better in this specific game. This does not imply the system is unplayable, but it does suggest that for a CPU as powerful as the Core Ultra 7 265K—which boasts an average benchmark score of 70,879 and rivals like the Intel Core i7-14700KF—the GPU is holding back the overall gaming experience. The data shows that the CPU's potential is largely untapped in Greedfall, as the game's performance ceiling is defined by the GPU's capabilities across all tested resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data suggests that 1920x1080 with High settings is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 99 FPS. Pushing to Ultra at this resolution yields 63 FPS, which is still playable but shows a significant 36 FPS drop from High, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional graphical effects are costly on the RTX 2060.

At 2560x1440, the High preset provides 68 FPS, which is acceptable for most players, while the Medium preset offers 75 FPS with a tighter frame time variance (min 64, max 87). For users who prioritize frame rate stability over maximum visual fidelity, Medium at 1440p appears to be the most balanced choice, as it maintains an average above 60 FPS without the potential dips that might occur with High. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 96 FPS, but this comes with a significant reduction in visual quality that may not be worth the performance gain for a game like Greedfall, which relies on atmospheric environments.

The 4K resolution is where compromises become severe. The only preset that achieves a playable average above 50 FPS is Low, which hits 57 FPS. Medium drops to 45 FPS, High to 41 FPS, and Ultra is effectively unplayable at 26 FPS. For 4K gaming, the data strongly recommends Low settings if the user insists on this resolution, but the more sensible approach is to drop to 1440p or 1080p to enjoy higher quality presets. The measured data shows that the jump from Low to Medium at 4K costs 12 FPS, which is a substantial hit for marginal visual improvements, making Low the only viable option for 4K on this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 138 on Low to 63 on Ultra, with Medium at 109 FPS and High at 99 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p has a documented min FPS of 92 and max of 125, showing a 33 FPS variance that could be noticeable during intense scenes.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 96 FPS on Low, 75 FPS on Medium, 68 FPS on High, and 44 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset here shows a min of 64 and max of 87, which is a 23 FPS variance—tighter than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is working more consistently under load. The High preset at 1440p does not have min/max data, but its 68 FPS average is close to the Medium's 75 FPS, indicating that the visual quality increase is relatively cheap in performance terms.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop significantly: 57 FPS on Low, 45 FPS on Medium, 41 FPS on High, and 26 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K is the only one with full min/max data, showing 38 to 52 FPS. This data reveals that the RTX 2060 is barely able to maintain a 40 FPS average at 4K with High settings, and the Ultra preset's 26 FPS average is a clear indication that this card is not designed for 4K gaming. The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent pattern: the Ultra preset costs roughly half the FPS of the Low preset, regardless of resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Greedfall at 60 FPS on 1080p Ultra?

A: No, the measured data shows an average of 63 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is above 60 but with no min FPS data to guarantee consistency. The High preset at 99 FPS provides a safer margin for maintaining 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU pairing?

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 with Medium settings, which yields 75 FPS average with a min of 64 and max of 87. This offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, as 4K requires Low settings to stay near 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15,290. It is essentially tied with the GTX 580 (15,283, 0% delta) and the Radeon 680M (15,270, 0.1% delta), and is 0.6% ahead of the RTX 3050 OEM and 0.8% ahead of the RX 7600.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K bottlenecking the RTX 2060?

A: No, the benchmark data indicates the opposite. The CPU is in the 94th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is in the 58th percentile. The FPS data shows the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU's 20 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for this game.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 96 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 44 FPS. This is a 52 FPS difference, which is substantial and shows the high cost of the Ultra preset's graphical features.

Q: Does the data show any consistent frame time variance?

A: The Medium preset has min/max data for all three resolutions. At 1080p, the variance is 92 to 125 (33 FPS spread); at 1440p, it is 64 to 87 (23 FPS spread); and at 4K, it is 38 to 52 (14 FPS spread). This suggests that frame pacing becomes more consistent as resolution increases, likely due to the GPU becoming fully saturated.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a high-end desktop processor with 20 cores and 20 threads, based on the Arrow Lake architecture on a 3 nm process node from TSMC. Its base clock is 3.90 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it has a substantial L3 cache of 30 MB shared. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 35,850 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,020 in single-core, which places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 70,879 puts it just 1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F.

In the context of Greedfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the data shows that it is more than capable of doing so. The fact that the combo achieves 138 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU can handle high frame rates without breaking a sweat. The processor's 20 threads and high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensure that even the most demanding single-threaded tasks in the game are handled efficiently. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,928 and multi-thread score of 58,594 further confirm that the CPU is not the bottleneck.

Given that the GPU is end-of-life and the CPU is actively produced, the pairing is heavily skewed towards the processor. The CPU's performance in data compression (665,554 in Passmark) and encryption (48,246) tests indicates strong general-purpose computing, but these capabilities are largely irrelevant for gaming performance in Greedfall. The benchmark results imply that the CPU has significant headroom for future GPU upgrades, as even at 4K Ultra, the system's 26 FPS is clearly GPU-limited, and a more powerful graphics card would allow the CPU to stretch its legs further.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU manufactured on a 12 nm process, featuring 1,920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. It has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card includes 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, supporting DirectX 12 Ultimate, and its FP32 performance is rated at 6.451 TFLOPS. In terms of raw compute, it scores 14,111 in Passmark G3D and 5,488 in GPU compute, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role in Greedfall is dominant, as the FPS data shows it is the primary determinant of performance. The card's 6 GB VRAM is a potential limitation at 4K, where High settings push the average down to 41 FPS. The memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the card struggles to maintain playable frame rates on anything above Low settings. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,242 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 65,846 suggest that the card performs adequately in modern APIs, but its age is showing in demanding titles.

The GPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the GTX 580 (0% delta), Radeon 680M (0.1% delta), RTX 3050 OEM (0.6% delta), and RX 7600 (0.8% delta). This clustering indicates that the RTX 2060 is at the lower end of modern gaming performance. For Greedfall, the data shows that the card can handle 1080p High at 99 FPS and 1440p Medium at 75 FPS, but for 4K, users must accept Low settings at 57 FPS. The GPU's 160 W TDP and PCIe 3.0 x16 interface are adequate for this level of performance, but the card's 12 nm process and 10,800 million transistors highlight its age compared to the CPU's 3 nm process.