Greedfall

Greedfall on the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination shows a clear picture of a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card, particularly at higher resolutions. The data indicates a GPU-bound experience where the CPU’s substantial multi-threaded capabilities are largely left idle, while the RX 9060’s 8 GB VRAM and mid-range compute performance define the frame rate ceilings. The measured results provide a practical look at how this pairing handles a 2019 Action RPG across three resolutions and four quality presets, with the most playable experiences found at 1440p and 1080p on medium to high settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, pointing directly at the GPU as the primary limiter. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 119 at 1920x1080 to 83 at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 30%, and then plummets to 49 at 3840x2160, which is a 59% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling behavior is classic for a graphics-card-bound scenario; if the CPU were the bottleneck, the 1080p to 1440p gap would be much smaller, with performance plateauing as resolution increases. Instead, every step up in resolution exacts a heavy toll, showing that the RX 9060’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor.

The trend holds across all presets. At Low settings, the system achieves 167 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 116 at 1440p and 69 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is even larger here — 59% — mirroring the High preset’s scaling. At Ultra, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers: 76 FPS at 1080p, 53 at 1440p, and 31 at 4K. The fact that even the lowest quality preset cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K confirms that the GPU’s raw pixel-pushing power is insufficient for 2160p in this title, regardless of how light the rendering load is. The data suggests that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is never the limiting factor in this game; its 24 cores and 5.50 GHz boost clock are more than capable of feeding the GPU at all tested resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, built on a 3 nm process. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253 and a single-core score of 2439, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. In the context of Greedfall, these numbers are largely irrelevant because the game’s frame rates are so clearly tied to the GPU. The CPU’s role here is to avoid being a bottleneck, and the data shows it succeeds admirably; even at 1080p Low, where CPU overhead is highest, the system hits 167 FPS, indicating no meaningful CPU limitation.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus sits at an average benchmark score of 93785, which is essentially identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P at 93786 (0% delta). It trails the AMD EPYC 4564P by 1.5%, the EPYC 9175F by 1.9%, and the EPYC 4565P by 2.1%. These are server-class processors, and the difference is negligible for gaming. In Greedfall specifically, the CPU’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (115.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide ample headroom for the game’s logic and asset streaming. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it a flexible desktop part, but for this game, the takeaway is simple: the CPU is never the reason for a low frame rate. The bottleneck is entirely on the graphics side.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the decisive component in this pairing. With a Navi 44 chip on the RDNA 4.0 architecture, it features 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, running at a boost clock of 2990 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivers 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a modest figure for modern standards. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score is 17631, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 16014 sits just 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129), making it a direct performance peer. The data confirms that this is a mid-range card, and Greedfall’s measured FPS reflects that positioning.

The 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 31, which is not just a compute limitation but also a likely memory capacity issue, as the card struggles to hold the necessary textures and geometry. Even at 4K High, the card only manages 49 FPS, falling well short of the 60 FPS target. At 1440p, the card performs better, with 91 FPS at Medium and 83 FPS at High, showing that it can handle the resolution with some headroom. The GPU’s 21.43 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 334.9 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 191.4 GPixel/s pixel rate is stretched thin at 4K. The card’s nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti, would likely perform within a few percentage points, reinforcing that this is a solid 1440p card, not a 4K solution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates across all presets. Low settings average 167 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth and indicates the GPU is not fully taxed, leaving room for higher settings. Medium settings average 131 FPS with a min of 112 and a max of 151, providing a good balance of visual quality and speed. High settings average 119 FPS, still far above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings drop to 76 FPS, which is playable but shows the first significant penalty for maxing out the game’s visual features. For 1080p users, the data suggests that High is the sweet spot, as it offers nearly the same frame rate as Medium while providing better visuals, and Ultra is still viable if you prioritize image quality over smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates become more moderate. Low settings average 116 FPS, which is excellent for a 1440p panel. Medium settings average 91 FPS with a min of 77 and a max of 105, which is a very comfortable range for most gamers. High settings average 83 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS target, making it the recommended preset for 1440p gaming. Ultra settings drop to 53 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold but still playable for single-player titles. The step from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 30 FPS, a significant penalty that suggests the Ultra preset’s extra effects (likely shadows and post-processing) are disproportionately heavy for this GPU.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings average 69 FPS, which is the only preset that breaks the 60 FPS barrier, but it comes with significant visual compromises. Medium settings average 54 FPS with a min of 46 and a max of 62, meaning you will experience dips below 50 FPS in demanding scenes. High settings average 49 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Ultra settings average 31 FPS, which is simply too low for a smooth experience and indicates that the 8 GB VRAM is overwhelmed. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this GPU in Greedfall, and users should stick to 1440p or lower for a consistent experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 69 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 54 FPS with minimums as low as 46 FPS, and at High it falls to 49 FPS. Ultra is not playable at 31 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM and mid-range GPU compute are insufficient for 2160p in this title.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Greedfall?

A: 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At High settings, the system averages 83 FPS, and at Medium it averages 91 FPS with a min of 77 and a max of 105. This provides a smooth experience without the visual compromises of 1080p or the performance issues of 4K.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44253 and sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, yet frame rates scale directly with resolution and settings, which is a hallmark of GPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the system hits 167 FPS, showing no CPU constraint.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129). It is 1% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862) and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 (15852). This places it firmly in the mid-range tier, consistent with its 59th percentile ranking.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM enough for Greedfall?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, yes. The game runs well at High settings (119 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p) without VRAM-related stutters. At 4K Ultra, the 31 FPS average suggests VRAM capacity is a contributing factor to the poor performance, as the card cannot hold the necessary assets.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset at 1080p?

A: It is playable at 76 FPS, but the cost is significant. Compared to High (119 FPS), you lose 43 FPS for the Ultra preset’s visual improvements. If you have a 144 Hz monitor, High is the better choice to maintain high frame rates, while Ultra is only recommended if you prioritize image quality over smoothness.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience that maximizes both visual quality and frame rate, the data points to the High preset at 2560x1440 as the optimal configuration. The system averages 83 FPS at this setting, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium. The jump from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 30 FPS (from 83 to 53), which is a steep price for marginal visual gains, making Ultra a poor choice unless you have a variable refresh rate monitor that can handle 53 FPS. At 1080p, High is equally recommended, averaging 119 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The Ultra preset at 1080p (76 FPS) is acceptable but not optimal, as the frame rate drop is disproportionately large relative to the visual improvement.

If you are playing on a 4K display, the only viable option is Low settings, which averages 69 FPS. Medium at 4K (54 FPS) is borderline, with minimums dipping to 46 FPS, which can cause noticeable stutter in combat. High at 4K (49 FPS) is playable but not recommended for a game with real-time action. The Medium preset at 1440p (91 FPS) is a solid fallback if you want extra headroom for frame-time spikes, but the High preset’s average of 83 FPS is high enough that the extra visual quality is worth the 8 FPS difference. For users who prefer maximum smoothness over visuals, the Low preset at 1440p (116 FPS) is an option, but it sacrifices too much detail for a game that is not competitive in nature. The measured data consistently supports High at 1440p as the best overall experience for this hardware combination.