Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG from 2019, pairs the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 in this benchmark set. The measured results show a combination that is capable of playable frame rates at most settings, but the data clearly illustrates where the performance ceiling lies. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. The Radeon RX 7700, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, brings 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a boost clock of 2459 MHz. The interaction between these two components determines the frame rates measured across resolutions and settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end desktop processor, and its specifications suggest it is not the limiting factor in Greedfall for this combo. With 24 cores and 24 threads, it offers substantial parallel processing capability, which is reflected in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731. Its single-core performance is also strong, as shown by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303, which is critical for games that rely on a few heavily loaded threads. The processor's boost clock of 5.80 GHz is a high figure, and when combined with the 36 MB of shared L3 cache, it provides the necessary headroom for gaming workloads.

The benchmark data supports the notion that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing. Across all tested settings and resolutions, the frame rates scale in a manner consistent with GPU limitations. For example, at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 191 FPS. This high frame rate is possible because the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at lower graphical loads. However, the data shows a significant drop when moving to Ultra settings at the same resolution, falling to 87 FPS, which indicates that the increased graphical workload is now the primary constraint. The CPU's performance percentile is 96, meaning it outperforms 96% of all CPUs in the database, further confirming its capability to handle the demands of Greedfall without becoming a bottleneck.

The processor's architecture, codenamed Arrow Lake Refresh, is built on a 3 nm process node by TSMC, with 17,800 million transistors. This modern design contributes to its efficiency and performance. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus supports DDR5 memory, which is the current standard, and its dual-channel memory bus provides a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. While memory bandwidth is not typically the primary factor in game performance, the platform's modern features ensure that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's data requests. The data shows that this processor is more than adequate for Greedfall, as the frame rate differences between settings are more indicative of GPU workload than CPU limitations.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the Radeon RX 7700 handles Greedfall at various presets. At 1080p, the Medium preset yields an average of 150 FPS, with a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 172 FPS. This is a very smooth experience, well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 1080p produces an average of 136 FPS, which is still excellent. The Low preset pushes the frame rate to 191 FPS, but the visual quality is likely reduced. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to an average of 87 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant downgrade in smoothness compared to Medium.

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1080p appears to be the sweet spot. The minimum FPS of 127 ensures that there will be no stutters or dips below the refresh rate of a typical 144Hz monitor. At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers an average of 104 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS. This is also a solid option for users with a 1440p display, as it maintains a playable frame rate while offering a higher resolution. The High preset at 1440p averages 94 FPS, which is slightly lower but still acceptable. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 60 FPS, which is the minimum for a smooth experience, but the lower average suggests that this setting is not ideal for this resolution.

At 4K, the situation changes. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS, but the minimum FPS of 53 indicates that there will be noticeable dips in demanding scenes. The High preset at 4K averages 56 FPS, which is close to playable but not consistently smooth. The Low preset at 4K averages 79 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial. The Ultra preset at 4K averages only 36 FPS, which is not recommended for a playable experience. Therefore, the data suggests that for 4K, Medium is the highest preset that can be considered, and even then, users may need to accept some frame rate variability.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling across resolutions is a classic indicator of GPU-bound performance. Looking at the Medium preset, the average FPS drops from 150 at 1080p to 104 at 1440p, and then to 62 at 4K. This represents a drop of approximately 31% from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, which is typical for a GPU that is heavily utilized. The fact that the frame rate drops significantly as resolution increases indicates that the Radeon RX 7700 is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance is not affected by resolution.

The data for the High preset shows a similar trend. The average FPS is 136 at 1080p, 94 at 1440p, and 56 at 4K. This is a drop of 31% from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40% from 1440p to 4K, showing a consistent pattern. This consistent scaling across presets suggests that the GPU's rendering capabilities are the primary constraint. The CPU's role is to prepare frames, and since it can do so at a rate exceeding the GPU's render rate, the GPU becomes the bottleneck as the pixel count increases.

The difference between Low and Ultra settings further reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p, the Low preset averages 191 FPS, while Ultra averages 87 FPS. This is a large gap, but it is due to the increased graphical load on the GPU. At 4K, the Low preset averages 79 FPS, while Ultra drops to 36 FPS. The fact that the CPU can achieve 191 FPS at 1080p Low shows that it is not the limiting factor, as the GPU is unable to maintain that rate at higher resolutions or settings. The data strongly suggests that the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the component that determines the frame rates in this game for this combo.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Greedfall?

A: The highest average frame rate is 191 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the Ultra settings preset playable at 4K resolution?

A: No, the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of only 36 FPS, which is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is 88 FPS, with an average of 104 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731, which is 0.2% higher than its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which has an average score of 83807.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all GPUs in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 has a percentile of 58, meaning it performs better than 58% of all GPUs in the database.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 191 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 87 FPS, a difference of 104 FPS.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is a mid-to-high-range GPU based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, with a chip codenamed Navi 32. It has a boost clock of 2459 MHz and a game clock of 2041 MHz, which are the clocks that determine its real-world performance. The GPU is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This amount of VRAM is substantial for Greedfall, a game from 2019, and is unlikely to be a limiting factor even at 4K resolution with high-quality textures.

The GPU's compute capabilities are defined by its 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 96 raster output units (ROPs). It also has 40 ray tracing cores, though Greedfall does not heavily utilize this feature. The GPU's FP32 performance is 25.18 TFLOPS, which is a measure of its raw compute power. The benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 20974, which places it at the 58th percentile of all GPUs. This indicates that it is a capable performer, but not at the top of the range.

The measured frame rates in Greedfall are consistent with the GPU's performance tier. At 1080p, the GPU can handle the game at very high frame rates, but as resolution increases, the performance drops off. The 16 GB of VRAM is a significant asset, as it ensures that the game does not experience texture loading issues or stutters due to memory limitations. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s is also sufficient to feed the rendering pipeline at 4K, as the bottleneck appears to be the compute performance of the GPU itself, rather than memory throughput. The GPU's TDP is 200 W, which is reasonable for its performance class, and it requires a 550 W power supply.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high across all settings. The Low preset averages 191 FPS. The Medium preset averages 150 FPS, with a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 172 FPS. The High preset averages 136 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 87 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the combo is more than capable of delivering a smooth experience on any preset, with the Low and Medium presets being particularly well-suited for high refresh rate displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease but remain playable. The Low preset averages 132 FPS. The Medium preset averages 104 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS. The High preset averages 94 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 60 FPS. At this resolution, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it maintains an average above 100 FPS. The High preset is also a good option, but the Ultra preset is borderline, with its average exactly at 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 79 FPS. The Medium preset averages 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. The High preset averages 56 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 36 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is only viable with the Low or Medium presets, and even then, the frame rates are not consistently above 60 FPS. The minimum FPS of 53 at Medium settings indicates that there will be noticeable dips during intense scenes. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as the average frame rate of 36 FPS is below the threshold for a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 7700 has a combo rank of 1307 out of 2938 tested combinations in Greedfall. This places it in the 44th percentile of all tested combos, meaning that 44% of the tested combinations perform better. This ranking is a reflection of the GPU's performance, as the CPU is a high-end part that is unlikely to be the limiting factor. The GPU's percentile of 58 is higher than the combo's rank, which suggests that the GPU is performing as expected, but the overall rank is pulled down by the fact that many other combos use more powerful GPUs.

The combo's rank relative to other tested combinations indicates that it is a mid-pack performer for Greedfall. It is not at the top of the range, which would be occupied by systems with top-tier GPUs, but it is also not at the bottom. The data shows that the combo can achieve playable frame rates at most settings and resolutions, except for 4K Ultra. The rank of 1307 out of 2938 is a reasonable position for this hardware pairing, and it accurately reflects the balance of CPU and GPU performance. The CPU's high percentile of 96 ensures that there is no bottleneck from the processor, allowing the GPU to deliver its full potential. The combo's overall performance is therefore determined by the GPU, which is a mid-range part that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but struggles at 4K with high settings.