Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 action RPG from Spiders, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly across both resolution and graphical presets. The measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination reveals a system capable of high refresh rates at lower resolutions, but one that requires careful settings management to maintain fluidity at 4K. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics to determine the optimal configuration for this specific hardware pairing.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data indicates that the "High" preset offers the most balanced experience across all tested resolutions, delivering playable frame rates without sacrificing the visual fidelity that the game's detailed environments benefit from. At 3840x2160, the High preset achieves an average of 69 FPS, which is a solid baseline for a smooth gameplay experience. While the "Medium" preset provides a slight performance boost to 76 FPS, the difference is marginal and may not justify the visual downgrade. The "Ultra" preset, which produces an average of 44 FPS at 4K, falls below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience, making it unsuitable for this resolution without significant compromises elsewhere.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the "Low" preset at 1440p and 1080p yields exceptionally high averages of 162 FPS and 234 FPS, respectively. However, this comes at the cost of the game's atmospheric lighting and texture detail. The data suggests that the "High" preset remains the sweet spot, as it provides 116 FPS at 2560x1440 and 167 FPS at 1920x1080, which are well above the standard 60 FPS target and offer a substantial improvement over the Medium preset's 127 FPS and 184 FPS at those resolutions, respectively. The "Ultra" preset, while producing 107 FPS at 1080p and 74 FPS at 1440p, shows a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, indicating it is not a stable choice for this combination.

Based on the measured rows, the "High" preset is the recommended starting point. It delivers the most consistent performance relative to its visual demands, ensuring that the GPU is utilized efficiently without causing frame rate drops that would detract from the experience. The data shows a clear pattern: High is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS at 4K, while also providing excellent triple-digit performance at lower resolutions. For those with high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p displays, High is the definitive choice for maximizing both visual quality and responsiveness.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, is the primary driver of the performance scaling observed in the data. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a substantial 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical asset for Greedfall's detailed textures at higher resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz are the key factors in its raw processing capability, allowing it to handle the game's rendering workloads efficiently. The 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs contribute to the pixel throughput, with a pixel rate of 322.6 GPixel/s.

The data reveals that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The transition from 1440p to 4K at the High preset results in a significant frame rate drop from 116 FPS to 69 FPS, a reduction of 47 FPS. This performance scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the increased pixel count demands more from the rendering hardware. The RX 9070's 16 GB VRAM is sufficient for Greedfall, as there is no indication of memory-related stuttering or texture pop-in in the measured data. The GPU's compute performance, evidenced by a Passmark G3D score of 25381, supports its position as a capable mid-to-high-end part, with its nearest rival being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which has an average score of 24170, placing the RX 9070 at a 1.2% lead.

The RX 9070's performance percentile of 69 among all GPUs indicates it is a solid performer, but not a top-tier flagship. This is reflected in the 4K Ultra results, where the average FPS of 44 falls below the 60 FPS target. The GPU's ability to handle the game's shaders and effects is strong, but the demands of 4K Ultra push it past its comfort zone. The data clearly shows that while the GPU is powerful enough for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, and even playable 4K at High settings, it requires a reduction in settings to achieve a locked 60 FPS at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination ranks 844th out of 2938 tested combos for Greedfall, placing it in the 71st percentile of all systems tested. This rank is a composite measure of the system's ability to run the game, and it indicates that this hardware pairing delivers a performance level that is better than roughly 71% of all other configurations tested. While this is a respectable position, it is not among the top-tier setups, which likely feature more powerful GPUs.

The CPU in this combo is a high-end part, ranking in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has a very similar average score of 83807, with a delta of only 0.2%. This indicates that the 290K Plus is not a significant performance leap over its predecessor in general compute tasks. However, the GPU's 69th percentile ranking is the more limiting factor in this combo's overall game rank. The GPU's performance is closely matched with the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, which has a delta of -0.8%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile, which has a delta of 1.1%.

The combo's rank of 844 suggests that while the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU, the GPU's performance ceiling prevents this system from reaching the upper echelons of the ranking table. The data implies that the overall gaming performance is being constrained by the graphics card, as the CPU's high percentile rank would allow it to support a more powerful GPU. This is a classic case of a balanced mid-to-high-end system where the GPU is the primary determinant of gaming performance, and the CPU provides ample headroom for the GPU to operate at its full potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at how the system performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates excellent performance, with the Low preset achieving an average of 234 FPS, the Medium preset at 184 FPS, and the High preset at 167 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution still delivers a very playable 107 FPS average. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 156 and a maximum of 211, indicating a stable frame time distribution. This resolution is clearly not a challenge for the RX 9070, as all presets deliver well above 100 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected scaling. The Low preset averages 162 FPS, the Medium preset averages 127 FPS with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS, and the High preset averages 116 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 74 FPS, which is still a good experience for most users, but the gap between High and Ultra becomes more pronounced. The data indicates a 42 FPS difference between the High and Ultra presets at this resolution, highlighting the significant cost of the highest settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance demands become clear. The Low preset averages 97 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset averages 76 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS, showing that it can dip below the 60 FPS target during intense scenes. The High preset averages 69 FPS, which is acceptable, but the Ultra preset takes a significant hit, averaging only 44 FPS. This represents a 25 FPS drop from High to Ultra at 4K, making Ultra impractical for a smooth experience. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming with this combo is best suited to the High preset or lower.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and consistent performance penalty as resolution increases. Comparing the High preset, which is the most balanced, the average FPS drops from 167 at 1080p to 116 at 1440p, a decrease of 51 FPS. The further increase to 4K results in an average of 69 FPS, which is a 98 FPS total drop from 1080p. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 24 threads and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, is more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and draw calls at all resolutions, meaning the frame rate is being dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities.

The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 30.5% (from 167 to 116 FPS), and the drop from 1440p to 4K is approximately 40.5% (from 116 to 69 FPS). This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being increasingly taxed as the pixel count rises. The RX 9070's 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth is a strong asset, but it is still a limiting factor at 4K. The data indicates that the system is never CPU-bound in Greedfall, as even at 1080p with the Low preset, where the CPU would be most likely to be a bottleneck, the FPS of 234 is exceptionally high, suggesting the GPU is still the limiting factor.

This resolution scaling analysis confirms that the "limiting component" for this game is the GPU. The CPU's performance headroom is so large that it does not constrain the frame rate at any point in the test matrix. The steep drop-off at 4K, particularly with the Ultra preset, underscores that the GPU's processing power is the primary constraint for high-resolution gaming. Users with 4K displays will need to adjust settings to compensate, while those with 1080p or 1440p monitors can fully utilize the system's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this CPU and GPU combo for a balance of quality and performance?

A: The data suggests that 2560x1440 with the High preset is the optimal balance, yielding an average of 116 FPS. This provides high visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate well above the 60 FPS target, offering a superior experience to 4K, which requires dropping to Medium or High for acceptable performance.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K with the High preset, the system averages 69 FPS, which is playable. However, the Ultra preset drops to 44 FPS, which is not recommended. The Low preset at 4K averages 97 FPS, making it viable for high-refresh-rate 4K displays if visual quality is not the priority.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus or the AMD Radeon RX 9070 the bottleneck in this system?

A: The benchmark data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 96th percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 69th percentile. The frame rates scale significantly with resolution, a classic sign of a GPU limit, and the CPU's high performance ensures it can feed the GPU without issue.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its closest rivals in general GPU performance?

A: The RX 9070's average benchmark score of 23877 places it slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which has a score of 24170, meaning the 9070 is 1.2% faster. It also leads the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile by 1.1%, but trails the AMD Radeon RX 6800S by 0.8%.

Q: What is the advantage of using the High preset over the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 1440p produces an average of 116 FPS, while Medium produces 127 FPS. The performance gain from switching to Medium is only 11 FPS, which is a 9% increase. Given the significant visual improvements typically associated with High settings, the data suggests High is the better choice for this resolution.

Q: Does the 16 GB of VRAM on the RX 9070 cause any issues in Greedfall?

A: The measured data shows no evidence of VRAM-related problems, such as stuttering or frame rate hitches. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than sufficient for Greedfall at all tested settings and resolutions, as the game's requirements are well within this capacity.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, featuring 24 cores and 24 threads. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz provide substantial processing power. In Greedfall, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls, and its performance is more than adequate for this task. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, demonstrate its immense capability. Its 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its position as a top-tier part, with an average benchmark score of 84003, placing it just 0.2% ahead of its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.

The data from the measured FPS suggests that the CPU is never a limiting factor in this game. The frame rates are consistently high across all resolutions, and the scaling pattern is entirely consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. Even in the most CPU-intensive situation, which would be 1080p with the Low preset, the system achieves an average of 234 FPS, which is far beyond what the GPU can render at that resolution, indicating the CPU is not holding it back. The combination of high single-thread and multi-thread performance ensures that Greedfall's engine can run without any CPU-related bottlenecks.

The CPU's large L3 cache of 36 MB and support for DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s further enhance its ability to feed data to the GPU efficiently. While the GPU is the primary driver of the gaming performance, the CPU's role is to provide a stable and powerful foundation that allows the GPU to operate at its maximum potential. The combo rank of 844 out of 2938 reflects this dynamic, as it shows the system's overall performance is strong but not top-tier, due to the GPU's mid-high range positioning. The CPU is a high-end component that has significant headroom for future GPU upgrades, making it a sturdy base for a gaming system.