Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for a modern high-end pairing like the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. The measured data shows a combination that is powerful enough to push very high frame rates at mainstream resolutions, but which also reveals clear performance scaling characteristics that point to the GPU as the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. The benchmark results indicate a system that excels at 1080p and 1440p gaming, while still delivering playable performance at 4K with the right settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 235 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 163 FPS, a reduction of approximately 31%. This significant drop suggests that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, the increased pixel count begins to strain the graphics card. The transition from 1440p to 4K High is even more pronounced, with the average FPS falling from 163 to 97, a further 40% decrease. This escalating rate of decline as resolution increases strongly indicates that the GeForce RTX 5080 is the limiting component in this configuration for Greedfall.

The pattern holds true across all settings presets. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 329 FPS at 1080p to 228 FPS at 1440p, and then to 136 FPS at 4K. The relative drops are consistent, reinforcing that the workload is scaling with the number of pixels rendered. The gap between 1080p and 1440p performance is substantial, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is even larger, which is typical for a game that is heavily dependent on fill rate and memory bandwidth. The RTX 5080's 960.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth is clearly being taxed more heavily as resolution increases, and the data suggests this is where the performance ceiling lies.

The scaling between Low and Ultra presets at each resolution also provides insight. At 1080p, the difference between Low (329 FPS) and Ultra (150 FPS) is a factor of about 2.2x. At 1440p, the difference between Low (228 FPS) and Ultra (104 FPS) is also about 2.2x. At 4K, the difference between Low (136 FPS) and Ultra (62 FPS) is again roughly 2.2x. This consistent multiplier across resolutions indicates that the performance cost of each settings tier is relatively uniform, and that the GPU is handling the increased graphical complexity in a linear fashion. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as the consistent scaling pattern is a hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset delivers an average of 150 FPS, which is exceptionally smooth for a fast-paced Action RPG. For users with high refresh rate monitors, the High preset at 235 FPS or even the Medium preset at 259 FPS would be excellent choices to maximize fluidity. The Low preset at 329 FPS offers the absolute highest performance but with a significant visual fidelity trade-off that is likely unnecessary given the headroom available.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset provides an average of 104 FPS, which is a solidly playable frame rate that balances visual quality and performance. The High preset at 163 FPS is the sweet spot for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, offering a substantial frame rate boost over Ultra while still maintaining high visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 179 FPS is another strong option for those prioritizing performance above all else, though the jump from High to Medium is less impactful than the jump from Ultra to High. The Low preset at 228 FPS is only recommended for extreme esports-style play where every frame counts.

At 4K, the situation becomes more nuanced. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 62 FPS, which is just on the cusp of being playable for many, but may feel inconsistent in demanding scenes. The High preset at 97 FPS is the clear recommendation for 4K, providing a much more comfortable performance margin while still offering excellent visual detail. The Medium preset at 107 FPS offers a slight performance boost over High, which could be worthwhile for users who are sensitive to frame rate dips. The Low preset at 136 FPS is viable for those who prioritize frame rate over graphical fidelity, but the visual downgrade from High to Low is substantial. The measured minimum FPS for Medium at 4K is 91 FPS, indicating that even the Medium preset maintains a high floor, making High the best overall choice for a smooth 4K experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with High settings?

A: The measured average frame rate for the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and GeForce RTX 5080 combination at 3840x2160 resolution with High settings is 97 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 4K?

A: The data shows an average of 62 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is a playable frame rate, but it is significantly lower than the 97 FPS average seen at High settings. Users sensitive to frame rate drops may prefer the High preset.

Q: How does the CPU perform in this game at 1080p?

A: The benchmark results indicate that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 329 FPS, and with Ultra settings, it reaches 150 FPS. This high level of performance suggests the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is not a limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the measured minimum FPS is 152 and the maximum FPS is 206, with an average of 179 FPS.

Q: Which resolution provides the best balance of high frame rate and visual quality?

A: Based on the data, 2560x1440 with High settings offers an excellent balance, delivering an average of 163 FPS. This is a substantial step up in visual quality from 1080p while maintaining a frame rate well above the 144Hz refresh rate threshold.

Q: Is there a large performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes, the difference is significant. The average frame rate at 1080p Low is 329 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it drops to 150 FPS, representing a performance range of over 2x depending on the chosen preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following breakdown details the exact measured average frame rates for each resolution and settings preset combination.

At 1920x1080, the data shows a wide range of performance. With Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 329 FPS. Moving to Medium settings, the average FPS is 259, with a minimum of 220 and a maximum of 297. The High preset delivers an average of 235 FPS. At the highest visual fidelity, the Ultra preset still manages an average of 150 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset yields an average of 228 FPS. The Medium preset provides an average of 179 FPS, with a minimum of 152 and a maximum of 206. High settings result in an average of 163 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, produces an average of 104 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly under the most strain. The Low preset is the only one to break the 100 FPS barrier, with an average of 136 FPS. The Medium preset averages 107 FPS, with a minimum of 91 and a maximum of 123. High settings average 97 FPS. The Ultra preset significantly drops to an average of 62 FPS. These numbers demonstrate that for a consistent 4K experience, the High preset is the most suitable, as it offers a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing for Greedfall, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured performance. The GPU is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This high bandwidth is crucial for handling the large texture loads and high resolutions in Greedfall, and the data shows that the frame rate scales inversely with resolution, a key indicator of a memory-bandwidth-sensitive workload.

The GPU's core clocks are listed with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2617 MHz. This substantial boost clock contributes to the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. The RTX 5080's compute capabilities are also significant, with an FP32 throughput of 56.28 TFLOPS. However, the benchmark results suggest that in Greedfall, the raw compute power is less of a limiting factor than the memory subsystem. The consistent 2.2x performance difference between Low and Ultra presets across all resolutions indicates that the GPU is scaling its work proportionally with the settings, and the absolute frame rates are high enough to suggest it is not compute-bound in the traditional sense.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 87 compared to all other GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 56083, place it as a high-end part. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon 8060S with a score of 55757 and a deltaPct of 0.6, and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE with a score of 57367 and a deltaPct of -2.2, are all within a tight performance band. This indicates that the RTX 5080 is not at the absolute top of the performance hierarchy, but it is within a highly competitive tier. In Greedfall, this translates to excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, and very good performance at 4K with adjusted settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a high-core-count processor that plays a supporting role in this game. With 24 cores and 24 threads, and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, it provides ample processing power to ensure the GPU is never starved of data. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44253 and a single-core score of 2439, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. This high single-thread performance is particularly relevant for gaming, as many game engines, including the one powering Greedfall, rely heavily on a few primary threads.

The data from the measured FPS supports the conclusion that the CPU is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low settings, where the CPU workload is at its highest relative to the GPU, the combo achieves 329 FPS. If the CPU were a limiting factor, we would expect to see this frame rate cap remain relatively constant even as resolution decreases. Instead, the frame rate scales directly with the GPU's workload, indicating that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has more than enough headroom to handle the game's logic and draw calls.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Xeon 6520P with a deltaPct of 0, the AMD EPYC 4564P with a deltaPct of -1.5, and the AMD EPYC 9175F with a deltaPct of -1.9. These rivals are all enterprise-focused processors, but their similar average benchmark scores show that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is in a class of its own for desktop gaming. Its 36 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support contribute to its low latency and high throughput, which are beneficial for maintaining consistent frame times, even if they do not directly translate to higher average FPS in a GPU-bound scenario like Greedfall.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is ranked 188th out of 2938 tested combos for Greedfall, placing it in the top 6.4% of all configurations. This is a strong ranking that reflects the high performance of both components. The rank is a composite measure that considers the overall frame rate performance across the various resolutions and settings tested. Given that the combo achieves very high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, and respectable frame rates at 4K, the high rank is expected.

The ranking is particularly notable because it is achieved against a background of 2938 other combinations, many of which will include more expensive or newer components. The data suggests that this pairing is exceptionally well-balanced for Greedfall. The CPU's high single-core performance ensures that there is no bottleneck in the game logic, while the GPU's high memory bandwidth and compute power are sufficient to drive high resolutions. The fact that the combo is in the top 7% of all tested combinations indicates that it is a very capable system for this title, offering a level of performance that will satisfy most users.

The rank also highlights the efficiency of the pairing. The RTX 5080's 16 GB of VRAM is sufficient for all settings, and the CPU's 24 cores are more than enough for the game's threading model. There is no single weak point in the system that would drag the rank down. This is not a case where one component is clearly holding the other back; instead, both are working in concert to deliver a high-quality gaming experience. The only area where the combo does not excel is at 4K Ultra, where the 62 FPS average is lower than what some enthusiasts might prefer, but this is a limitation of the game's optimization and the GPU's absolute performance ceiling, not a flaw in the pairing itself.