Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + Intel Arc B370

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B370 delivers playable frame rates at 1080p in Greedfall, but the integrated graphics solution becomes the clear limiting factor as resolution climbs. This combination ranks 2699th out of 2938 tested combos for this title, placing it in the lower percentile of systems. The data reveals a hardware pairing where the CPU's substantial compute resources are largely underutilized, while the GPU struggles to maintain consistent performance across all but the most modest settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 76 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops performance to 53 FPS, a reduction of 23 FPS (approximately 30%). At 4K Low, the average falls further to 31 FPS, representing a 45 FPS total drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B370, with its 25 W TDP and integrated graphics design, is heavily resolution-bound — the rendering workload at higher pixel counts exceeds what the GPU can sustain.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced at higher settings. At High settings, the system delivers 54 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at High is 16 FPS (about 30%), while the drop from 1440p to 4K is another 16 FPS (about 42%). This suggests that the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity are the dominant constraints — the 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate and 96.00 GTexel/s texture rate simply cannot keep up with the pixel count at 4K.

Ultra settings tell an even more extreme story. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 35 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it falls to 24 FPS; at 4K Ultra, the system bottoms out at 14 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling — this is a 60% reduction from the already-marginal 1080p Ultra performance. The data clearly shows that the limiting component across all resolutions is the GPU, not the CPU. The CPU's 5.80 GHz boost clock and 24 threads are more than capable of feeding frames, but the Arc B370's 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs create a hard ceiling.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution built on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a Panther Lake chip. Its specifications reveal why it struggles in Greedfall: 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 ROPs, with 10 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and boosts to 2400 MHz, producing 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 12.29 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1). Memory is system-shared, meaning bandwidth is system-dependent rather than dedicated — this creates additional performance variability depending on system memory configuration.

The GPU's benchmark results are modest. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile versus all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2% delta), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5% delta), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7% delta), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, +1.4% delta). These comparisons place the Arc B370 in a performance tier that is over a decade old in terms of discrete GPU capabilities.

In Greedfall specifically, the GPU's limitations manifest clearly. At 1080p Medium, the system produces 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS — this is the only settings/resolution combination where the system maintains a consistent 60+ FPS frame rate. At 1440p Medium, performance drops to 41 FPS average (35 min, 48 max), and at 4K Medium, it falls to 25 FPS average (21 min, 28 max). The min-to-max spread at Medium settings is relatively tight (18 FPS at 1080p, 13 FPS at 1440p, 7 FPS at 4K), suggesting the GPU is consistently saturated rather than experiencing intermittent bottlenecks.

The system-shared memory architecture is worth noting. With no dedicated VRAM, the Arc B370 relies on system memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent. This means the measured performance could vary across different system configurations with the same GPU. The GPU's 25 W TDP and IGP slot width confirm its integrated nature — it is not designed for high-end gaming workloads, and the Greedfall data reflects this.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end desktop processor with 24 cores and 24 threads, based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture fabricated on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates at a 3.70 GHz base clock and boosts to 5.80 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 36 MB shared L3. Memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 115.2 GB/s bandwidth, plus ECC support. The CPU connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes.

This processor is exceptionally capable by any measure. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 51731 and single-core score is 7303. The PassMark multithread score is 60860, with a single-thread score of 4823. The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 96, meaning it outperforms 96% of all tested processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (avg score 83807, +0.2% delta), AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090, +1.1% delta), AMD EPYC 9135 (82980, +1.2% delta), and AMD EPYC 7F72 (85072, -1.3% delta). The average benchmark score is 84003.

However, in Greedfall, the CPU's vast compute resources are largely irrelevant to the measured frame rates. The game is GPU-bound at every resolution and settings combination tested. The CPU's 24 threads and 5.80 GHz boost clock ensure that physics, AI, and game logic never become a bottleneck — but this capability goes unused when the GPU can only produce 76 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows no scenario where CPU performance would meaningfully improve the measured FPS; instead, the GPU's 5th percentile ranking dictates the overall experience.

The CPU's integrated graphics (Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU) is a separate component from the Arc B370 GPU used in this combination. The fact that the system uses a discrete (albeit integrated-form) GPU suggests the CPU's own graphics are not being utilized for this benchmark. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s could theoretically support the system-shared GPU memory, but the GPU's modest shading resources remain the constraint.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides the best balance between visual quality and performance. The system achieves 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS. This is the only settings level that maintains an average of 60 FPS or higher while offering more than Low visual quality. The Low preset at 1080p produces 76 FPS average, but the visual downgrade is substantial for only a 16 FPS gain over Medium.

At 2560x1440, no settings preset achieves 60 FPS. The Low preset delivers 53 FPS average, which is the highest performance available at this resolution. Medium drops to 41 FPS, High to 38 FPS, and Ultra to 24 FPS. For 1440p gaming, Low is the only viable option for reasonably smooth gameplay, though the 53 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target. For users who prioritize visual quality over smoothness, Medium at 41 FPS average (35 min, 48 max) may be acceptable, but the frame rate dips below 35 FPS at times.

At 3840x2160, the system is not capable of delivering a smooth experience at any settings level. The Low preset produces 31 FPS average, Medium 25 FPS (21 min, 28 max), High 22 FPS, and Ultra 14 FPS. None of these reach even 30 FPS consistently at 4K. The Ultra preset at 4K is effectively unplayable at 14 FPS. For 4K, users should consider this combination unsuitable for Greedfall, or accept significant compromises.

The data indicates that the Medium preset at 1080p is the sweet spot — it maintains a 60 FPS average while providing better visual fidelity than Low. The min FPS of 51 at this setting shows that the system rarely dips below playable levels. The Low preset at 1440p (53 FPS) is the only other combination worth recommending, for users who must play at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2699th out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems. This low ranking is directly attributable to the GPU's performance limitations — the CPU ranks in the 96th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 5th percentile among all GPUs. The massive disparity between the CPU's compute capability and the GPU's rendering capability creates an imbalanced system that cannot translate processor horsepower into gaming performance.

The combo rank of 2699 out of 2938 means that 2698 other combinations tested in Greedfall delivered better performance. This places the system in the bottom tier for this specific title, despite the high-end CPU. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a much stronger discrete GPU would yield dramatically better results, as the CPU's 24 cores and 5.80 GHz boost clock would not bottleneck any reasonable GPU. However, with the Arc B370, the system is constrained to the performance levels shown in the measured FPS data.

The GPU's nearest rivals — all older integrated or entry-level discrete graphics solutions — confirm this placement. The ATI Radeon HD 5770, a GPU from the early 2010s, scores within 0.5% of the Arc B370 in 3DMark Steel Nomad. This positions the Arc B370 as a very low-end gaming solution, and the Greedfall results reflect that positioning. The combo rank is consistent with what the individual component rankings would predict — a top-tier CPU paired with a bottom-tier GPU produces bottom-tier gaming performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Greedfall?

A: The best combination is 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which delivers 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS. This is the only measured configuration that maintains an average of 60 FPS while offering more than Low visual quality.

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the system produces 31 FPS at Low, 25 FPS at Medium (21 min, 28 max), 22 FPS at High, and 14 FPS at Ultra. None of these settings achieve 30 FPS consistently, making 4K gameplay impractical for this title.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to other GPUs in benchmark performance?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 5th percentile among all GPUs. It performs within 0.7% of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192), and within 1.4% of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this system's Greedfall performance?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus ranks in the 96th percentile among CPUs, while the Arc B370 ranks in the 5th percentile among GPUs. The frame rate drops as resolution increases, indicating the GPU cannot handle higher pixel counts.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems in Greedfall?

A: This combination ranks 2699th out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested for this game. The low rank is due to the GPU's limited rendering capability.

Q: Does the CPU's integrated graphics affect the measured performance?

A: The measured performance uses the Intel Arc B370 GPU, which is separate from the CPU's integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU. The CPU's integrated graphics are not a factor in these results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents all measured FPS data for this combination in Greedfall:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 22 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 31 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 25 | 21 | 28 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 14 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | High | 38 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 53 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 41 | 35 | 48 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 24 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | High | 54 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 76 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 60 | 51 | 69 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 35 | — | — |

At 1080p, the system scales from 35 FPS at Ultra to 76 FPS at Low, with Medium and High landing at 60 FPS and 54 FPS respectively. The Medium preset shows the tightest frame time consistency with a 51-69 FPS range. At 1440p, performance ranges from 24 FPS at Ultra to 53 FPS at Low, with Medium at 41 FPS (35-48 range) and High at 38 FPS. At 4K, all settings produce sub-35 FPS averages, with Ultra at 14 FPS representing the worst-case scenario. The data shows a clear pattern: each resolution step roughly halves the available GPU headroom, and each settings step adds approximately 10-20% additional load.