Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, places significant demands on system hardware, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX processor with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 graphics card produces a wide spectrum of performance outcomes. The measured data shows this pairing is capable of delivering high refresh rate experiences at 1080p and smooth 60+ FPS gameplay at 4K, but the scaling patterns reveal a complex relationship between resolution, settings, and component bottlenecks. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to provide a clear picture of what this specific CPU and GPU combo can achieve in Greedfall.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates classic resolution scaling behavior, with the most significant FPS drops occurring when moving from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 174 FPS at 1080p to 121 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of approximately 30%, before dropping further to 72 FPS at 4K, which is another 40% decrease. This pattern indicates that the RTX 5080 remains the primary performance driver at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU, but the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as pixel count rises.

The Low settings data reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 244 FPS, showing that the Core Ultra 9 275HX can push frame rates well beyond typical high-refresh displays. At 1440p Low, this drops to 169 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 101 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (about 31%) is nearly identical to the drop seen at High settings, suggesting that the scaling penalty is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven at these levels.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 111 FPS, which drops to 77 FPS at 1440p Ultra and then plummets to 46 FPS at 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra result shows a 41% reduction from 1440p Ultra, a more severe drop than the 30-31% seen at Low and High settings. This suggests that Ultra settings introduce additional GPU-intensive effects that disproportionately impact performance at higher resolutions, pushing the RTX 5080 to its limits. The scaling data indicates that the limiting component shifts between CPU and GPU depending on the configuration, with the CPU potentially becoming a factor at 1080p Low where frame rates exceed 200 FPS, while the GPU is clearly the bottleneck at 4K Ultra where frame rates fall below 50 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining 60+ FPS in Greedfall with this combo?

A: The data shows that 3840x2160 at Medium settings delivers 79 FPS average, and High settings at 4K still achieves 72 FPS. For Ultra settings, 2560x1440 provides 77 FPS, making 1440p the highest resolution where Ultra quality remains above 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when enabling Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra yields 111 FPS compared to 174 FPS at High, a drop of 63 FPS. At 2560x1440, the difference is 44 FPS (77 vs 121), and at 4K, Ultra produces 46 FPS versus 72 FPS at High, representing a 26 FPS reduction.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck this system?

A: Benchmark results indicate that the RTX 5080 becomes the limiting factor at 4K resolutions, especially with Ultra settings where frame rates drop to 46 FPS. At 1080p Low settings with 244 FPS, the Core Ultra 9 275HX’s 24 cores and 5.40 GHz boost clock are sufficient to keep the GPU well-fed, pointing to GPU dominance as resolution increases.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU holds a 0.6% advantage over the AMD Radeon 8060S and a 0.7% lead over the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, while trailing the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE by 2.2%. These are synthetic average scores, not Greedfall-specific results.

Q: What frame rate can players expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 192 FPS, with a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 221 FPS, ensuring a consistently smooth experience even during demanding scenes.

Q: Does the combo rank highly among all tested configurations in Greedfall?

A: This pairing ranks 760th out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the top 26% of all configurations, which is respectable given the game’s age and the demanding nature of 4K Ultra settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 plays a decisive role in Greedfall’s performance, particularly as resolution and settings increase. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for this game’s textures and effects at 4K. The core clock runs at a base of 2295 MHz with a boost up to 2617 MHz, and the card’s 10752 shading units handle the game’s rendering workload efficiently. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s capabilities are fully exercised at 4K Ultra, where the average frame rate falls to 46 FPS, indicating that the card’s 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is challenged by the game’s maximum quality settings.

The GPU’s memory configuration proves sufficient across all tested settings, as no data suggests VRAM limitations. At 4K Medium, the combo achieves 79 FPS with a minimum of 68 FPS, showing that the 16 GB frame buffer handles high-resolution textures without stuttering. The RTX 5080’s 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores do not appear to provide a distinct advantage in this title, as Greedfall does not heavily utilize ray tracing or DLSS features according to the measured data. The boost clock behavior is evident in the scaling patterns: at 1080p Low, the GPU is not the limiting factor, with 244 FPS indicating the card has additional headroom, but at 4K Ultra, the 46 FPS result suggests the GPU is operating at its performance ceiling.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmark scores provide context for its gaming performance. The Passmark G3D score of 36565 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 8637 place the RTX 5080 in the 87th percentile among all GPUs, confirming its high-end positioning. The nearest rival data shows the card is closely matched with the AMD Radeon 8060S, trailing by only 0.6%, which suggests that in synthetic workloads, the RTX 5080 and its closest competitor are nearly interchangeable. However, in Greedfall specifically, the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (46 FPS) indicates that even this high-end GPU requires settings adjustments to maintain playable frame rates at the highest resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and RTX 5080 combination ranks 760th out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This top 26% placement reflects the system’s strong overall performance, though it does not crack the top quartile of configurations. The CPU’s individual standing is notably higher, with a 94th percentile ranking among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 87th percentile among all graphics cards. This discrepancy suggests that Greedfall’s performance ceiling is more dependent on GPU capability than CPU strength, which aligns with the resolution scaling data showing GPU bottlenecks at higher settings.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Xeon w5-3525, which scores 0.3% higher on average, and the AMD EPYC 4484PX at 0.5% higher. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX trails by 0.6%, while the Intel Xeon 6515P scores 0.7% lower. These tiny deltas indicate that the Core Ultra 9 275HX is positioned in a highly competitive performance tier, where single-digit percentage differences separate top-tier workstation processors. The CPU’s 35589 Cinebench R23 multicore score and 2204 single-core score demonstrate balanced performance that prevents CPU-induced frame drops in Greedfall, even at 1080p Low where 244 FPS is achieved.

The GPU’s 87th percentile ranking places it below the very top tier of graphics cards, and its nearest rival data confirms this positioning. The RTX 5080’s average benchmark score of 56083 is only 0.6% higher than the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55757, and 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 2.3%, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE leads by 2.2%. This tight clustering means that in Greedfall, the RTX 5080’s performance is representative of a specific performance tier, and the 760th overall combo rank reflects how this tier handles the game’s demands.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 4K displays, High settings provide the best balance, delivering 72 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium settings at 4K offer a slight safety margin with 79 FPS and a minimum of 68 FPS, making this the recommended choice for players who prioritize consistent frame times over maximum visual fidelity. Ultra settings at 4K are not advisable, as the 46 FPS average falls below playable thresholds for most users.

At 2560x1440, High settings deliver 121 FPS, providing an excellent experience for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings at 1440p yield 133 FPS with a 113 FPS minimum, making this the best choice for competitive play where frame consistency matters most. Ultra settings at 1440p produce 77 FPS, which remains playable but introduces a noticeable quality-versus-performance tradeoff. The data suggests that 1440p High is the sweet spot for this resolution, offering nearly double the frame rate of 4K Ultra while maintaining high visual quality.

For 1920x1080, even Ultra settings achieve 111 FPS, ensuring all presets are viable. Low settings reach 244 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors, making Medium (192 FPS) or High (174 FPS) the practical choices for most users. The 1080p Medium result of 192 FPS with a minimum of 163 FPS provides a substantial buffer against frame drops, making it the recommended preset for users with 144Hz or 165Hz displays. Players with 240Hz monitors may prefer Low settings to maximize frame rates, though the visual compromise is significant.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured results show a clear performance hierarchy across settings. Low settings average 101 FPS, Medium averages 79 FPS with a minimum of 68 FPS and maximum of 91 FPS, High averages 72 FPS, and Ultra drops to 46 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs 22 FPS, while Medium to High costs only 7 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 26 FPS, indicating that Ultra introduces disproportionately heavy effects at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the data reveals more headroom. Low settings produce 169 FPS, Medium delivers 133 FPS with a 113 FPS minimum and 153 FPS maximum, High reaches 121 FPS, and Ultra manages 77 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium shows a 36 FPS drop, while Medium to High costs 12 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 44 FPS. This pattern suggests that Ultra settings at 1440p require substantially more GPU resources than High, making High the more efficient choice.

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its highest performance levels. Low settings achieve 244 FPS, Medium delivers 192 FPS with a minimum of 163 FPS and maximum of 221 FPS, High reaches 174 FPS, and Ultra still produces 111 FPS. The differences between presets are smaller in percentage terms at 1080p, with Low to Medium costing 52 FPS, Medium to High costing 18 FPS, and High to Ultra costing 63 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result of 111 FPS remains above the 90 FPS threshold for most high-refresh displays, making this preset viable for users who prioritize visual quality at lower resolutions.