Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents an interesting scalability challenge for high-end hardware. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D. The data set provides a clear picture of how this combination handles the game across three resolutions and four quality presets, with this specific combo ranking first out of 2,938 tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 383 FPS at 1920x1080 to 159 FPS at 3840x2160, a dramatic reduction of 224 FPS. This indicates that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the 4K resolution imposes a massive workload that the GPU must process, scaling down performance by nearly 60%. The trend continues across all presets, but the percentage drop varies significantly depending on the settings level.

At Medium settings, the transition from 1080p (301 FPS) to 1440p (209 FPS) represents a 92 FPS loss, and then dropping to 4K (125 FPS) costs another 84 FPS. This linear degradation suggests that the game is highly sensitive to pixel count, and the RTX 5090 D's raw compute power is being consumed by the sheer number of pixels being rendered. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, showing that the jump in resolution is not a linear increase in cost but an exponential one.

The Ultra preset shows the same pattern but with lower absolute numbers. The frame rate goes from 175 FPS at 1080p to 121 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 72 FPS at 4K. This 103 FPS total drop from 1080p to 4K is the smallest absolute change among all presets, but it represents a 59% reduction in performance. The data suggests that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, especially with higher graphical loads.

Notably, the scaling between Low and Ultra at 1080p shows a 208 FPS difference (383 vs 175), which is a massive gap. At 4K, the same comparison yields just an 87 FPS difference (159 vs 72). This compression of the frame rate range at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K, while the CPU has more headroom to influence performance at 1080p. The benchmark results indicate that users targeting 4K will see less variation between presets in terms of raw FPS, but the visual quality difference remains significant.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a formidable piece of silicon with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is far beyond what Greedfall requires, even at 4K Ultra settings. The data shows that the GPU never runs out of memory headroom, as evidenced by the playable frame rates even at the highest preset. The GPU's base clock of 2017 MHz and boost clock of 2407 MHz provide the foundation for its compute capabilities, which include 21,760 shading units and 176 ROPs.

The GPU's performance in this game is impressive but not uniform across settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 72 is the only measurement that dips below the 100 FPS threshold, indicating that the game's most demanding configuration can still stress the RTX 5090 D. The GPU's raw throughput is taxed by Greedfall's rendering techniques at this resolution, but the fact that it maintains 72 FPS average shows that the card is not completely overwhelmed.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database provides context for its overall capability. The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, which is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904) and 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940). This places it in a tight competitive cluster, though these rivals are mobile parts. The GPU's percentile ranking of 92 versus all GPUs indicates it outperforms the vast majority of graphics cards available.

The measured FPS data suggests that the GPU's role in Greedfall is dominant at higher resolutions. The transition from Medium to High at 4K shows a 12 FPS drop (125 to 113), while the jump from High to Ultra costs 41 FPS (113 to 72). This steep penalty for Ultra settings indicates that the preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU's shading units and texture processing capabilities, despite the card's high texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K provides the processing foundation for this test system. With 20 cores and 20 threads, it lacks hyperthreading but compensates with a high boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The CPU's architecture, Arrow Lake-S, is built on a 3 nm process node from TSMC and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel configuration delivering 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory bandwidth is sufficient for feeding the GPU in Greedfall, which is not a memory-bandwidth-intensive title.

The CPU's benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 35,850 in multi-core and 2,020 in single-core tests. Geekbench results are similarly robust at 23,085 multi-core and 2,713 single-core. These scores place the CPU in the 94th percentile versus all CPUs, indicating it is among the top tier of processors available. Its average benchmark score of 70,879 puts it within 1% of the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70,163) and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69,996).

In Greedfall, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the 1080p results. At Low settings, the 383 FPS average suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond what most displays can show, but the game engine still limits performance. The difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 82 FPS (383 to 301), which indicates that the CPU can handle the additional draw calls and game logic required by higher settings without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU's influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rate differences between presets are driven more by GPU load than CPU capability. However, the CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide adequate data locality for the game's assets, preventing stutter and maintaining consistent frame pacing. The measured data shows no anomalies or dips that would suggest CPU-related bottlenecks, even at the highest frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing the gameplay experience with this hardware combination. The Medium preset emerges as the sweet spot for most users. At 4K, Medium delivers 125 FPS average with a minimum of 106 FPS and maximum of 143 FPS. This frame rate is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and provides a 53 FPS improvement over Ultra settings at the same resolution. The minimum FPS of 106 ensures that even the most demanding scenes remain fluid.

For users with high refresh rate displays at 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice. It delivers 190 FPS average, which is sufficient for 144Hz monitors and provides a 69 FPS advantage over Ultra settings (121 FPS). The jump from Medium to High at 1440p costs only 19 FPS (209 to 190), making it a worthwhile trade for improved visual fidelity. Pushing to Ultra at this resolution yields 121 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices significant performance for marginal visual gains.

At 1080p, the data shows that even Ultra settings provide 175 FPS average, which is more than enough for any display. The Medium preset at 301 FPS is overkill for most users, but it does showcase the CPU's ability to drive high frame rates. The recommendation for 1080p is to use Ultra settings, as the 175 FPS average still provides a comfortable margin above 144Hz refresh rates while delivering the best visual quality. The High preset at 273 FPS offers a middle ground for those who prioritize maximum frame rates.

The Low preset is not recommended for any resolution, as it sacrifices too much visual quality for performance gains that are unnecessary given the hardware's capability. Even at 4K, the Low preset's 159 FPS is not a meaningful improvement over Medium's 125 FPS when considering the drastic reduction in graphical fidelity. The benchmark results clearly indicate that Medium or High presets provide the best balance of performance and visual quality across all resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable at 4K with this hardware?

A: The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 159, achieved with the Low settings preset. The Medium preset delivers 125 FPS, High delivers 113 FPS, and Ultra delivers 72 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rival in overall benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, which is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904) and 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940).

Q: Is the Core Ultra 7 265K a bottleneck at 1080p in Greedfall?

A: The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 383 FPS, indicating the CPU is not a bottleneck. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking and high single-core performance support its ability to feed the GPU effectively at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The only configuration with a recorded minimum FPS is the Medium preset. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 106 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 178 FPS; and at 1920x1080, it is 256 FPS. Other presets did not report minimum FPS data.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from High to Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 190 FPS average, while Ultra delivers 121 FPS. This represents a 69 FPS drop, or approximately 36% reduction in performance for the higher preset.

Q: How does this CPU and GPU combo rank among all tested configurations for Greedfall?

A: This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks first out of 2,938 tested combos in the game's benchmark database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the complete measured FPS results for Greedfall with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Ultra: 72 FPS average
• High: 113 FPS average
• Medium: 125 FPS average, 106 FPS minimum, 143 FPS maximum
• Low: 159 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Ultra: 121 FPS average
• High: 190 FPS average
• Medium: 209 FPS average, 178 FPS minimum, 240 FPS maximum
• Low: 266 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Ultra: 175 FPS average
• High: 273 FPS average
• Medium: 301 FPS average, 256 FPS minimum, 346 FPS maximum
• Low: 383 FPS average

The data reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions: Medium provides the best balance of performance and visual quality, while Ultra incurs a heavy performance penalty. The 4K Ultra setting is the only configuration that drops below 100 FPS, making it the most demanding scenario for this hardware. The 1080p Low setting at 383 FPS is the highest recorded performance, demonstrating the CPU's capability to drive extreme frame rates when GPU load is minimal.