Greedfall

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 produces a combination that ranks 2423 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the lower tier of the database for this title. This is a pairing where a high-end 2024-era CPU meets an older mid-range GPU, and the benchmark results reflect that imbalance clearly across resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2423 out of 2938 tested combinations means it sits in roughly the 18th percentile of all tested systems for Greedfall. That is a low position, and the data indicates the graphics card is the primary constraint. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 84003, which places it in the 96th percentile among all tested CPUs, while the GPU’s average benchmark score is 9780, placing it in the 47th percentile among all tested GPUs. This stark contrast in relative standing—96th versus 47th—explains why the combo ranks so poorly: the processor has far more headroom than the graphics card can utilize in a GPU-bound game like Greedfall.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX, and 1.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9135, while trailing the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. These deltas are tiny, meaning the CPU’s compute power is essentially on par with those other high-end processors. However, those rivals are all server or high-end desktop chips, and their scores do not translate into meaningful FPS advantages here because the GTX 1070 becomes the bottleneck well before the CPU’s limits are reached.

For the GPU, the GTX 1070’s nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W5000, which scores 0.2% higher, and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, which scores 0.5% higher, while the NVIDIA Tesla M10 and Tesla C2070 score 0.6% and 0.7% lower, respectively. These are all older or workstation-class parts, and the GTX 1070’s position at the 47th percentile confirms it is a mid-range performer by current database standards. In Greedfall, the measured FPS data shows this GPU struggling to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions, which is consistent with its percentile ranking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It is built on a 3 nm process node from TSMC, with 17,800 million transistors and a die size of 243 mm². The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is dual-channel DDR5, with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, and it supports ECC memory. The CPU also includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units, though this game relies on the discrete GPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 5214 in Cinebench R15 multicore, 736 in singlecore, 21727 in Cinebench R20 multicore, 3067 in singlecore, and 51731 in Cinebench R23 multicore. Passmark results show 60860 in multithread, 4823 in single thread, and 3315 in physics. These numbers place it far above what Greedfall requires, as the game’s engine is not known for heavy multi-threading. The 24 cores and 24 threads are largely underutilized in this title, where most workloads are handled by a few threads at most.

The CPU’s percentile of 96 versus all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database. However, in Greedfall, the FPS data shows no sign of CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 125 FPS average, which is the highest measured value across all settings. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see FPS plateau even at low settings and resolutions, but instead the FPS scales consistently with settings and resolution, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor throughout.

The boost clock of 5.80 GHz is high, and single-core performance is strong, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 7303. But Greedfall’s measured FPS does not reflect this strength because the GTX 1070 cannot push enough frames to expose any CPU weakness. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 57 FPS, which is far below what the CPU could support if given a faster GPU. The data suggests that swapping in a more powerful graphics card would yield substantial FPS gains, whereas upgrading the CPU would produce negligible improvement in this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is built on the Pascal architecture with the GP104 chip, using a 16 nm process node from TSMC. It has 7,200 million transistors and a die size of 314 mm². The GPU has 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. Its base clock is 1506 MHz with a boost clock of 1683 MHz, and memory runs at 2002 MHz with 8 Gbps effective speed. The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory sits on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The card has a TDP of 150 W and requires a single 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 450 W. It supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In synthetic benchmarks, the GTX 1070 scores 1082 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 18801 in Geekbench Metal, 44700 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 22121 in Geekbench Vulkan. Passmark results show 13498 in G3D and 6102 in GPU compute. Its percentile of 47 places it in the lower half of all GPUs in the database, which is expected for a card released in mid-2016 with an end-of-life production status.

The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is adequate for Greedfall at 1080p and 1440p, but the measured FPS at 4K reveals its limits. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 23, which is unplayable, and at High it reaches only 37 FPS. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 6.463 TFLOPS and texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, and Greedfall’s rendering demands at 4K simply exceed what this card can deliver. The boost clock of 1683 MHz is typical for this generation, but it does not compensate for the older architecture’s lower efficiency compared to newer GPUs.

The GTX 1070’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD FirePro W5000 and NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, are also older parts, confirming its position as a legacy mid-range card. In Greedfall, the GPU is the clear bottleneck at every resolution and settings combination measured. The CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU’s rendering throughput caps the FPS. For example, at 1440p High, the combo averages 62 FPS, while at 1080p High it averages 89 FPS. This scaling pattern is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where reducing resolution or settings directly increases FPS because the GPU has less work to do per frame.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in Greedfall?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the GTX 1070 ranks 2423 out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the lower portion of the database for this game.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU has a percentile of 96 versus all CPUs, while the GPU has a percentile of 47 versus all GPUs. Measured FPS scales consistently with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 9780. The AMD FirePro W5000 scores 0.2% higher, the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M scores 0.5% higher, the NVIDIA Tesla M10 scores 0.6% lower, and the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 0.7% lower.

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 125, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest average FPS is 23, measured at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the CPU’s high core count help in Greedfall?

A: No. The CPU has 24 cores and 24 threads, but Greedfall’s measured FPS is limited by the GPU. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 125 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra it drops to 57 FPS, showing the GPU is the bottleneck, not the CPU.

Q: What is the GPU’s VRAM capacity and memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p in Greedfall, but at 4K the GPU’s compute limits are the issue, not VRAM capacity.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of degradation as resolution increases, which confirms the GPU-bound nature of this combo. Starting at 1920x1080 on Low settings, the average FPS is 125. Moving to 2560x1440 on Low settings drops that to 86 FPS, a 31% reduction. At 3840x2160 on Low settings, the average FPS falls to 52, which is 58% lower than the 1080p figure. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is being progressively overloaded as pixel count increases.

At High settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The average FPS at 1080p High is 89, at 1440p High it is 62, and at 4K High it is 37. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30%, and from 1080p to 4K is 58%. Medium settings show 98 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K, with min and max values of 83 and 113 at 1080p, 58 and 78 at 1440p, and 34 and 47 at 4K. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 57 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K.

The percentage drops between resolutions are nearly uniform across settings, suggesting that the GPU’s rendering load scales linearly with pixel count. For example, going from 1080p to 1440p increases pixels by 78%, but the FPS drop is around 30% across most settings. This is because the GTX 1070 has fixed rendering resources, and as resolution increases, the time per frame grows proportionally. The CPU’s role is unchanged; it delivers frames as fast as the GPU can render them, but the GPU’s throughput is the hard limit.

At 4K, the combo is not playable at any settings. The highest 4K average FPS is 52 on Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold considered smooth by most standards. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 23 is a slideshow. This indicates that the GTX 1070 is simply not capable of handling 4K in Greedfall, regardless of settings. The 1080p results, by contrast, are playable from Medium upwards, with 98 FPS at Medium and 89 FPS at High, and even Ultra at 57 FPS is borderline acceptable.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average FPS of 98 and a minimum of 83. This is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. High settings at 1080p yield 89 FPS average, which is also acceptable, but Medium’s higher minimum FPS of 83 versus High’s unspecified min suggests better frame pacing. Ultra at 1080p drops to 57 FPS, which is below 60 and may feel less smooth, but it is still playable for those who prioritize visuals.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the safest choice, with an average FPS of 86. Medium at 1440p averages 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58, which is close to the 60 FPS line but may dip below in demanding scenes. High at 1440p averages 62 FPS, which is technically playable but leaves little headroom. Ultra at 1440p is not recommended, as it averages only 39 FPS. For a consistently smooth experience at 1440p, Low is the best option, while Medium can be considered if the user accepts occasional dips below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, no settings preset provides a satisfactory experience. Low averages 52 FPS, which is below 60, and Medium averages 40 FPS with a minimum of 34. High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is not viable for this combo in Greedfall. Users should stick to 1080p or 1440p, where the GTX 1070 can still deliver playable frame rates. The Medium preset at 1080p is the recommended starting point, as it offers the highest minimum FPS among all measured configurations (83 FPS) while maintaining a high average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best performance. On Low settings, the average FPS is 125, which is the highest measured in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 98 FPS average, with a minimum of 83 and maximum of 113. High settings produce 89 FPS average. Ultra settings drop to 57 FPS average. These numbers show that at 1080p, the combo is capable of smooth gameplay from Low through High, with Ultra being the only preset that falls below 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance decreases noticeably. Low settings average 86 FPS, which is still smooth. Medium settings average 68 FPS, with a minimum of 58 and maximum of 78. High settings average 62 FPS. Ultra settings average 39 FPS, which is not smooth. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, with Low falling from 125 to 86 FPS, Medium from 98 to 68, High from 89 to 62, and Ultra from 57 to 39. This indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles across all settings. Low settings average 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. Medium settings average 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 47. High settings average 37 FPS. Ultra settings average 23 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with even the lowest settings failing to reach 60 FPS. The difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low is 73 FPS, a 58% reduction, highlighting the GPU’s inability to handle high pixel counts.

The Medium settings at each resolution provide the only complete data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 83 to 113 FPS, with an average of 98. At 1440p Medium, the range is 58 to 78 FPS, with an average of 68. At 4K Medium, the range is 34 to 47 FPS, with an average of 40. These ranges show that the frame time variance increases at higher resolutions, which is expected as the GPU becomes more heavily loaded. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 34, which is barely playable, while the maximum of 47 is still below 60.

The data across all settings and resolutions paints a consistent picture: the GTX 1070 is the bottleneck, and the CPU has no impact on the measured FPS. The CPU’s high scores in synthetic benchmarks, such as 51731 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4823 in Passmark single thread, are irrelevant to Greedfall’s performance because the GPU cannot keep up. For users with this CPU, upgrading the GPU would provide a significant FPS boost, while the CPU can be kept as-is without any loss in this game. The combo’s rank of 2423 out of 2938 reflects this imbalance, and the measured FPS confirms that the system is GPU-limited at every point tested.