Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG released in 2019, responds predictably to the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT. The measured data shows a system where the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the powerful 24-core CPU ensures headroom remains at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results for this specific pairing, focusing on scaling, component roles, and actionable settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly indicates a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 130 FPS at 1920x1080 to 90 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 40 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 54 FPS, which is a 76 FPS decrease from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern—where each step up in resolution costs a significant number of frames—is classic evidence that the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the limiting factor, not the processor.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 182 at 1080p to 126 at 1440p, and finally to 75 at 4K. This represents a 58.5% performance loss from 1080p to 4K. Similarly, at Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 83 at 1080p to 57 at 1440p and then to 34 at 4K, a 59% reduction. The consistency of this percentage drop across presets reinforces that the resolution is the dominant factor, as the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU becomes increasingly irrelevant when pixel count rises.

The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for high refresh rate gameplay. While 1080p offers triple-digit averages, the 1440p results remain playable, with the High preset hitting 90 FPS. The 4K results, however, fall below the 60 FPS threshold for all but the Low preset, indicating that this combination is not suited for 4K gaming without significant compromises. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with an average loss of 36 FPS across all settings, showing that the RX 6700 XT’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are saturated at the higher resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the central figure in these results, and its specifications explain the observed frame rates. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for 1440p and even 4K textures, but the sheer volume of pixels at 3840x2160 strains the 64 ROPs and 160 TMUs. The GPU’s boost clock of 2581 MHz and game clock of 2424 MHz are high for its generation, yet they cannot compensate for the raw fill rate demands of 4K.

The card’s compute capabilities, rated at 13.21 TFLOPS FP32, are the primary driver of the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 34 is a clear sign that the GPU is overworked. In contrast, at 1080p Low, the average of 182 FPS shows the GPU has ample headroom, but the CPU is still capable of keeping up. The GPU’s 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 27425, places it as a mid-to-high-tier part, which aligns with its performance in this game.

The nearest rival data for the GPU shows it is closely matched with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, with a delta of 0%. This means the RX 6700 XT’s performance in synthetic benchmarks is nearly identical to that mobile part. However, in Greedfall’s measured results, the 12 GB VRAM is never explicitly maxed out, but the 4K data suggests the GPU is hitting a wall in terms of shading and texturing throughput, not just memory capacity. The 4K Medium preset’s minimum FPS of 50, compared to the average of 59, indicates frame time spikes, which are typical of a GPU struggling to maintain consistent output.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT holds a rank of 1502 out of 2938 combos for Greedfall. This places it in the 51st percentile, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of all tested configurations. This rank is a holistic measure of the combo’s performance across all resolutions and settings, and it highlights that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU holds the overall result back.

The CPU’s individual standing is far higher. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has a percentile rank of 96 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83807 (a 0.2% delta), and the AMD EPYC 4584PX, which scores 83090 (a 1.1% delta). This indicates the Ultra 9 290K Plus is at the very top of the CPU performance hierarchy. The combo’s mid-pack rank is therefore entirely attributable to the GPU, which sits at the 72nd percentile.

The discrepancy between the CPU’s elite status and the combo’s average rank is a critical insight. It suggests that in Greedfall, the game engine is not heavily multithreaded enough to fully utilize the CPU’s 24 cores, and the GPU becomes the bottleneck even at 1440p. For users upgrading from a weaker CPU, this combo shows that the GPU is the limiting factor, and any CPU upgrade would yield minimal gains. The rank of 1502 serves as a warning that this is not a balanced high-end system for this title, despite the CPU’s prowess.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance of visual quality and performance is found at the High preset. At 1920x1080, High delivers an average of 130 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard and suitable for high refresh rate monitors. At 2560x1440, High still maintains a solid 90 FPS average, offering a smooth experience without needing to drop to Medium. The jump from High to Ultra is significant, costing 47 FPS at 1080p and 33 FPS at 1440p, with only a marginal visual improvement typically seen in this game.

For 4K, the High preset is not viable, as it averages only 54 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K offers an average of 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target, but its minimum of 50 FPS suggests occasional stutter. The Low preset at 4K averages 75 FPS, which is playable but requires a substantial visual downgrade. Therefore, the recommendation is to use High for 1080p and 1440p, and to choose between Medium and Low for 4K depending on whether smoothness or fidelity is prioritized.

The data shows that the Ultra preset is not worth the performance cost on this GPU. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 34 is below the threshold for comfortable play, and even at 1080p, the 83 FPS average is lower than what the High preset achieves at 1440p. Users should avoid Ultra unless they have a variable refresh rate monitor and are sensitive to input lag over visual detail. The Medium preset, with its recorded min and max FPS values (e.g., 122-164 at 1080p), shows more consistent frame times than Low, making it a better choice for 4K than Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a granular view of performance across all scenarios. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 182 FPS, Medium averages 143 FPS with a range of 122 to 164, High averages 130 FPS, and Ultra averages 83 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 99 FPS, which is substantial, and the Medium preset’s minimum of 122 FPS still exceeds the High average, showing that Medium is a strong option for competitive play.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 126 FPS, Medium at 99 FPS (with a range of 84 to 114), High at 90 FPS, and Ultra at 57 FPS. The 1440p results show a tighter grouping than 1080p, with a 69 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. The Medium preset’s minimum of 84 FPS indicates that it remains fluid even during demanding scenes. At 3840x2160, the averages drop to: Low at 75 FPS, Medium at 59 FPS (with a range of 50 to 68), High at 54 FPS, and Ultra at 34 FPS.

The 4K data is notable for the Medium preset’s min-max range of 50-68 FPS, which is a wider spread than at lower resolutions. This variability suggests that the GPU is working near its limits, and frame pacing can become inconsistent. The Low preset at 4K, averaging 75 FPS, is the only preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS, but it does so by sacrificing most graphical features. For users with a 1440p monitor, the High preset’s 90 FPS average is the sweet spot, as it offers a 33% performance uplift over Ultra while maintaining high visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The average frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings is 90 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra preset compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 4K Ultra preset averages 34 FPS, which is 49 FPS lower than the 1080p Ultra average of 83 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as frame rates drop significantly with resolution increases, while the CPU has high benchmark scores (e.g., 96th percentile).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is 122 FPS.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top half of all tested configurations?

A: Yes, the combo ranks 1502 out of 2938, placing it in the 51st percentile.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT has a memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a formidable processor, but its role in Greedfall is more about ensuring the GPU is never starved of data. With 24 cores and 24 threads, a base clock of 3.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, this CPU provides massive headroom. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and single-core score of 7303 indicate that both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads are handled with ease. In Greedfall, which is not a heavily multithreaded title, the CPU’s single-core performance is more relevant.

The CPU’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for game logic and draw calls. However, the measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the average of 182 FPS is not limited by the CPU, as the GPU is still the primary constraint. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003, confirms it is among the fastest available. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, is only 0.2% slower in average benchmark scores, showing the 290K Plus is at the apex.

The CPU’s role becomes evident when comparing the 1080p Low and 4K Low results. At 1080p Low, the average is 182 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 75 FPS. This 107 FPS difference is entirely due to the GPU’s workload, as the CPU is capable of maintaining high frame rates regardless of resolution. The data suggests that even at 1080p with a faster GPU, this CPU would not bottleneck. Its 3 nm process node and 125 W TDP make it an efficient choice, but for Greedfall specifically, the CPU’s high performance does not translate to a higher combo rank because the GPU cannot keep up.