Greedfall

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Greedfall, though the data reveals a significant dependency on resolution and settings. At 1080p, the combination is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower presets, but the engine's scaling behavior shifts the bottleneck as resolution increases. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the four presets and three resolutions provide a clear picture of where this hardware excels and where its limits appear.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a classic scaling curve, but with notable variances depending on the quality preset. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 261 at 1080p to 181 at 1440p, a reduction of 80 frames, and then to 108 at 4K, another 73-frame decrease. This represents a 58.6% performance loss from 1080p to 4K at Low, indicating that the GPU is the primary scaling factor, but the CPU is still feeding it enough data to maintain exceptionally high frame rates.

The High preset shows a slightly steeper decline in relative terms. Starting at 186 FPS at 1080p, the average falls to 129 at 1440p (a 30.6% drop) and then to 77 at 4K (a 40.3% drop from 1440p). The transition from 1080p to 4K at High results in a 58.6% performance reduction, identical to the Low preset's percentage loss, though the absolute frame counts are lower. This consistency suggests that the game's rendering workload scales nearly linearly with pixel count at these settings.

Medium settings present the only rows with min/max FPS data, offering additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 205 FPS, with a minimum of 174 and a maximum of 236. Moving to 1440p Medium drops the average to 142 FPS (min 121, max 163), and 4K Medium yields 85 FPS (min 72, max 98). The variance between minimum and maximum frames narrows as resolution increases—from a 62-frame spread at 1080p to a 42-frame spread at 1440p and a 26-frame spread at 4K—indicating that higher resolutions smooth out frame time fluctuations, likely because the GPU becomes the consistent limiting factor.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling penalty. The average FPS at 1080p is 119, dropping to 82 at 1440p (a 31.1% reduction) and 49 at 4K (a 40.2% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 49 FPS is the only sub-60 average in the entire dataset, suggesting that this preset pushes the engine's rendering pipeline to its limits even with the RTX 5090's substantial compute resources. The pattern across all presets indicates that the CPU, the Core Ultra 9 275HX, is not the primary constraint at any resolution; the scaling behavior is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario throughout.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090's specifications in the data are substantial: 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. In Greedfall, the 32 GB frame buffer is not a limiting factor at any of the tested resolutions, as the game's demands at 4K Ultra do not approach this capacity. The memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is more than sufficient for the pixel throughput required, allowing the GPU to maintain high fill rates without stuttering.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 104.8 TFLOPS FP32, are reflected in the benchmark results. At 1080p Low, the 261 FPS average indicates that the GPU is processing frames far faster than the display refresh rate of typical monitors, suggesting headroom for higher settings or resolutions. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p—261 versus 119 FPS—shows that the GPU's performance scales with the increased shading and texture work required by higher presets, but the absolute performance remains high.

At 4K, the RTX 5090's role becomes more pronounced. The difference between Low (108 FPS) and Ultra (49 FPS) at 4K is 59 FPS, a 54.6% reduction, which is proportionally larger than the 54.4% reduction seen at 1080p (261 to 119). This indicates that the GPU's shading units and texture mapping units are the critical components at higher resolutions, as the increased pixel count directly impacts the workload. The 680 TMUs and 176 ROPs are tasked with more pixel and texture operations, and the data shows they handle 4K High (77 FPS) comfortably, but Ultra pushes them to their limits.

The GPU's benchmark percentile of 92 versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842, places it in the top tier. Its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (deltaPct 0.3) and AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (deltaPct 1.1), have comparable average scores, but Greedfall's results show the RTX 5090's architectural strengths in a real-world gaming workload. The 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores, while not directly utilized in standard rasterization, contribute to the overall feature set, though their impact on these specific measured FPS numbers is indirect.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all four presets deliver playable results, but the data suggests that High (186 FPS) or Ultra (119 FPS) provide the best balance between visual fidelity and performance. The 261 FPS at Low is excessive for most displays, and the jump to Medium (205 FPS) offers a significant visual improvement with a modest 21.5% performance cost. Ultra at 1080p still maintains a 119 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended preset for users with high-refresh-rate monitors who prioritize image quality.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts. Ultra (82 FPS) remains viable, but High (129 FPS) and Medium (142 FPS) provide more headroom for VRR displays. The 82 FPS at Ultra is playable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes, while High's 129 FPS offers a smoother experience. Medium at 142 FPS is the highest average below Ultra, and its min/max data (121 to 163) indicates consistent frame delivery. For a 1440p monitor with a 144 Hz refresh rate, High is the safest recommendation, as it stays above 120 FPS on average.

At 3840x2160, the choices are more constrained. Ultra (49 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold, so it is not recommended for a smooth experience. High (77 FPS) and Medium (85 FPS) both provide playable frame rates, with Medium offering a slight performance advantage. Low (108 FPS) is the highest average at 4K, but the visual compromise may be significant. The data indicates that Medium at 4K is the sweet spot, as it provides 85 FPS average with a minimum of 72 FPS, ensuring no drops below 60 FPS in the measured data. High is a viable alternative for those who prefer higher settings, but Medium's higher average and narrower min/max spread (72 to 98) suggest more consistent performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Greedfall?

A: The highest measured average is 261 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the peak performance across all tested configurations.

Q: Is the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM necessary for Greedfall?

A: No. The measured FPS data shows that the game runs at 4K Ultra with 49 FPS, but the 32 GB frame buffer is not a constraint. The game's memory usage does not approach this capacity at any tested resolution or preset.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 9 275HX perform relative to its rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 9 275HX has an average benchmark score of 67469, which is 0.3% lower than the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (67673) and 0.5% lower than the AMD EPYC 4484PX (67822). It is 0.7% higher than the Intel Xeon 6515P (67006) and 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX (67868).

Q: What is the performance difference between 4K High and 4K Ultra?

A: At 3840x2160, High settings produce an average of 77 FPS, while Ultra produces 49 FPS. This is a 28 FPS difference, representing a 36.4% reduction in performance when moving from High to Ultra.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: The data suggests no. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across presets, with the GPU being the primary factor. For example, at High settings, the average drops from 186 FPS at 1080p to 77 FPS at 4K, a 58.6% reduction that aligns with pixel count scaling.

Q: Which preset provides the most consistent frame delivery at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 have a min/max spread of 121 to 163 FPS, which is a 42-frame difference. High settings at the same resolution have no min/max data, but the average of 129 FPS suggests a similar or narrower spread.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is ranked 595 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the top 20.3% of all configurations tested for this game. The rank reflects the combined performance of both components, and given the high FPS numbers measured, the ranking is likely limited by the game's engine optimization rather than the hardware's capabilities.

The CPU's percentile of 94 versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 67469, indicates it is a high-end processor. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (deltaPct -0.3) and AMD EPYC 4484PX (deltaPct -0.5), have marginally higher average scores, but these differences are within 1%, making them negligible in gaming scenarios. The GPU's percentile of 92 versus all GPUs, with an average score of 79842, places it in the top tier, though its nearest rivals include the Tesla P100 (deltaPct 0.3) and RX 6850M XT (deltaPct 1.1).

The combo rank of 595 out of 2938 suggests that there are 594 configurations that perform better in Greedfall. These could include desktop CPUs with higher single-thread performance or GPUs with different driver optimizations. However, the measured FPS data shows that this combo achieves playable frame rates at all resolutions except 4K Ultra, where it still manages 49 FPS. The rank is a relative measure, and the absolute performance is strong, particularly at 1080p and 1440p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 55 W. In Greedfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the data indicates it does this effectively. At 1080p Low, the 261 FPS average shows that the CPU can sustain high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck, as the GPU is clearly the limiting factor at this resolution.

The CPU's cache hierarchy—192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 36 MB shared L3—is sufficient for the game's data requirements. The high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2458, ensures that the main game thread has enough headroom. The multi-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589 and a Passmark multithread score of 55759, is also strong, though Greedfall may not fully utilize all 24 threads.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (avgScore 67673, deltaPct -0.3) and AMD EPYC 4484PX (avgScore 67822, deltaPct -0.5), have similar average benchmark scores, but the Core Ultra 9 275HX's gaming performance is more dependent on its single-thread capabilities. The data shows that at 4K, the CPU is not a constraint, as the GPU's workload increases with resolution, and the FPS drops are consistent with GPU scaling. The 55 W TDP, while low for a 24-core chip, does not appear to limit performance in this game, as the measured FPS are consistently high.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset of measured FPS provides a detailed view of this combo's performance. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 261 (Low) to 119 (Ultra). The Medium preset shows 205 FPS average, with a minimum of 174 and a maximum of 236. High settings produce 186 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at Ultra, the system maintains a frame rate above 100 FPS, making 1080p gaming exceptionally smooth.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 181 (Low), 142 (Medium), 129 (High), and 82 (Ultra). The Medium preset's min/max data (121 to 163) shows a 42-frame spread, which is the widest of any resolution at Medium, indicating that 1440p Medium has more frame time variability than 4K Medium. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 82 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS, making it a viable option for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 108 (Low), 85 (Medium), 77 (High), and 49 (Ultra). The Medium preset's min/max data (72 to 98) shows a 26-frame spread, which is the narrowest of any Medium preset, suggesting that 4K Medium provides the most consistent frame delivery. The Ultra preset at 49 FPS is the only configuration below 60 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 4K, with 108 FPS, is the highest average at this resolution, indicating that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the pixel count when the graphical load is reduced.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K for each preset is as follows: Low drops from 261 to 108 (58.6% reduction), Medium from 205 to 85 (58.5% reduction), High from 186 to 77 (58.6% reduction), and Ultra from 119 to 49 (58.8% reduction). These percentages are nearly identical across presets, reinforcing that the resolution scaling is consistent and GPU-bound. The data confirms that this combo is highly capable in Greedfall, with the only sub-60 FPS result occurring at the most demanding configuration of 4K Ultra.