Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates capable hardware from struggling configurations. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570. The data reveals a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint across all tested scenarios, leading to a specific set of playable settings and resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frames per second (FPS) data, the optimal experience for this combination is found at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This configuration produces an average of 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 and a maximum of 66 FPS. This provides a stable and fluid experience that avoids the visual degradation of the Low preset while maintaining a frame rate well above the threshold for playable performance.

The High preset at the same resolution yields an average of 52 FPS, which is only a marginal 5 FPS reduction compared to Medium. While this is a viable alternative for users prioritizing visual fidelity, the Medium preset offers a better balance for consistent frame pacing, as the minimum FPS data is not available for High, making the Medium preset's 49 FPS floor a more reliable indicator of performance stability.

Moving to higher resolutions with this GPU is not advisable for a smooth experience. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset drops to an average of 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS, which will feel noticeably less fluid. The High preset at this resolution further reduces the average to 36 FPS. While these are technically playable for some, the 1080p Medium configuration is the clear recommendation for a consistent and responsive experience.

The Low preset at 1920x1080 achieves the highest average frame rate of 73 FPS. This is the only setting that pushes the system into a high-refresh-rate territory. However, the significant visual compromises associated with the Low preset are generally not worth the 16 FPS gain over Medium, especially when Medium already provides a solid 57 FPS average. Therefore, for the best balance of visual quality and performance, Medium at 1080p is the recommended setting.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the definitive performance bottleneck in this configuration. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are clearly insufficient for the demands of Greedfall at higher resolutions. The GPU features 2048 shading units and a boost clock of 1244 MHz, contributing to a 5.095 TFLOPS FP32 performance figure. These specifications place it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, but its performance in this game is heavily constrained.

The data shows a clear correlation between resolution and frame rate, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited scenario. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system achieves 52 FPS. When the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by 31% to 36 FPS. This steep decline indicates that the GPU's rendering throughput is being saturated. The RX 570's 32 ROPs and 128 TMUs are not sufficient to handle the increased pixel and texture workload at higher resolutions.

This bottleneck is further emphasized by the GPU's performance relative to its closest rivals. The data shows the RX 570 is a mere 0.7% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 M295X and 1.2% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 in average benchmark scores. This places it in a performance tier that is simply not designed for high-resolution, high-detail gaming in modern titles like Greedfall. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is likely a major factor, as texture-heavy scenes at 1440p and 4K can easily exceed this limit, causing significant frame rate drops.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance penalty as resolution increases, confirming the GPU-bound nature of this setup. Starting from the 1920x1080 Medium preset's 57 FPS average, moving to 2560x1440 results in a 30% drop to 40 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more punishing, with the average FPS falling to 24, a further 40% reduction from the 1440p figure.

This scaling pattern is indicative of a system where the CPU is not the limiting factor. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has ample headroom, but the RX 570 cannot keep up with the increasing pixel count. The 4K results are particularly telling. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only manages an average of 30 FPS. The High preset at this resolution falls to 22 FPS, and the Ultra preset is virtually unplayable at 14 FPS.

The frame time consistency also degrades with resolution. At 1920x1080 Medium, the delta between the average and minimum FPS is 8 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, this delta grows to 6 FPS. While the numerical difference is smaller, the percentage impact is greater, and the absolute frame times are longer, making stutters more noticeable. The data clearly shows that 1080p is the only viable resolution for this GPU to maintain a reasonably smooth experience across all presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand context of all tested hardware combinations for Greedfall, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks at 2825 out of 2938 total combinations. This places it in the bottom 4% of all tested systems, a position that underscores the significant mismatch between the high-end CPU and the entry-level GPU.

The low rank is almost entirely attributable to the graphics card. The RX 570's 74th percentile standing among all GPUs is misleading in this context, as its performance in Greedfall is poor due to the game's specific requirements. The combo's rank of 2825 indicates that the vast majority of other GPU and CPU pairings deliver a superior experience in this title.

This ranking is a stark illustration of how a single weak component can define the overall system performance. While the CPU is a top-tier part, it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations in a graphically intensive game. The system effectively performs as a low-end gaming rig, and its position in the 2825th spot out of 2938 combos is a quantitative confirmation of that reality. Users with this configuration should temper their expectations and stick to the recommended settings to achieve a playable frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus plays a minimal role in the gaming performance of this system, as it is vastly overpowered relative to the GPU. This 24-core, 24-thread processor, based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its processing power is evidenced by a strong Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. These figures place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Greedfall, this CPU is never the bottleneck. The frame rates are determined almost solely by the GPU's ability to render frames. For example, the consistent performance drop from 57 FPS at 1080p Medium to 40 FPS at 1440p Medium is a direct result of the GPU's workload increasing, not the CPU's. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with data far faster than the RX 570 can process it.

This is supported by the CPU's nearest rivals, which include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and AMD EPYC processors. The performance delta between the 290K Plus and the 285K is a negligible 0.2%. This level of performance headroom means that for this specific game, the choice of a high-end CPU has virtually no impact on the final frame rate. The system's performance is entirely constrained by the GPU, making the CPU role in this pairing secondary and almost irrelevant to the gaming experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting to use for this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The optimal configuration is the Medium preset at 1920x1080, which delivers an average of 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K resolution?

A: Technically yes, but not at a playable frame rate. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 30 FPS on the Low preset, with the High and Ultra presets falling to 22 and 14 FPS respectively.

Q: How does this system's performance compare to other tested combinations?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 570 combo ranks 2825th out of 2938 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom 4% of all systems.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The CPU is in the 96th percentile and has ample power, but the GPU's performance caps the frame rate at all tested resolutions and settings.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 73 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of 33 FPS, a difference of 40 FPS.

Q: Is the High preset at 1440p a viable option?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 produces an average of 36 FPS. While this is a playable frame rate for some, it is significantly less smooth than the 57 FPS average achieved at the Medium preset on a 1080p display.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 570 combination in Greedfall.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :---------- | :---------- | :---------- |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 73 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 57 | 49 | 66 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 52 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 33 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 51 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 40 | 34 | 46 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 36 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 23 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 30 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 24 | 20 | 27 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 22 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 14 | N/A | N/A |

The data confirms a strictly GPU-limited scenario. The 1080p Medium preset is the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience, with a 57 FPS average and a 49 FPS minimum. The performance drops off sharply at 1440p and is essentially unplayable at 4K, with the Ultra preset at that resolution hitting a low of 14 FPS. The system's overall rank of 2825 out of 2938 combos reflects this significant hardware imbalance.