Greedfall

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, pairing with 36 MB of shared L3 cache. In this Greedfall benchmark set, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at lower resolutions, where the frame rates exceed the GPU’s typical output ceiling. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 316 FPS, a figure that suggests the processor and memory subsystem are feeding frames faster than the graphics card would need at higher settings. The CPU’s 125 W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s are consistent with a high-end desktop part that does not bottleneck this Action RPG. The data shows that at 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 248, while at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 144 FPS; this scaling pattern indicates that even a 24-thread processor has plenty of headroom, as the performance delta is driven more by the graphics load than by core count. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and single-core score of 7303 corroborate that this CPU ranks in the 96th percentile against all processors, meaning it is positioned far above typical gaming requirements. The passmark single-thread score of 4823 also supports strong per-core performance, which is often critical for game logic and draw calls in titles like Greedfall. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K scores an average of 83807, which is 0.2% lower than this chip’s average of 84003, demonstrating that the 290K Plus is marginally faster in general compute, though that advantage rarely translates into measurable FPS gains here. The EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 trail by 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively, while the EPYC 7F72 is 1.3% ahead, but those server-class parts are not typical gaming comparisons. For Greedfall specifically, the 24 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient; the game does not appear to leverage the full thread count, as evidenced by the fact that the 1080p Low result (316 FPS) is only 40% higher than the 1440p Low result (219 FPS), which is a pattern typical of GPU-bound workloads rather than CPU limitations. The 5.80 GHz boost clock is the key spec for this game’s frame pacing, as higher single-thread frequency directly improves NPC AI and collision calculations, which are often serialized. Overall, the CPU role in this combo is to provide a stable platform with enough throughput to avoid dips, but it is not the component dictating the playable experience at higher settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with 10240 shading units, place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. The measured FPS data shows that this card is the primary limiter when pushing Greedfall to its visual limits. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 59 FPS, which is a hard drop from the 4K High result of 93 FPS, indicating that the card’s VRAM capacity and memory bandwidth are saturated by the Ultra preset’s textures and effects. The 16 GB frame buffer is not a constraint at 1080p or 1440p, where the card easily sustains over 100 FPS at all settings, but at 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 72 FPS (from 131 to 59), which is a 55% reduction. This performance curve aligns with the GPU’s DLSS and ray tracing capabilities, though those are not measured in this data set; the raw rasterization performance is what drives these numbers. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s passmark G3D score of 34245 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 reflect its strong compute throughput, but in Greedfall, the real-world results show that the card scales almost linearly with resolution when the preset is held constant. For example, moving from 1080p High (225 FPS) to 1440p High (156 FPS) to 4K High (93 FPS) shows a consistent drop of about 30% per resolution step, which is a classic sign of a GPU that is well-matched to a high-refresh monitor at 1440p but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. The card’s 320 W TDP and triple-slot cooler are typical for this performance class, and its 86th percentile ranking means it outperforms the majority of installed GPUs, but it is not an absolute top-tier part. Compared to its nearest rivals, the standard RTX 4080 scores 54247 on average, which is 0.1% higher than the SUPER’s 54209, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.7% lower and the Radeon 8060S is 2.8% lower. These small deltas suggest that the RTX 4080 SUPER’s advantage comes from its 16 GB VRAM and higher bandwidth rather than raw shader count, as the 12 GB rival would likely hit memory limits at 4K Ultra in this game. The GPU’s memory clock of 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective) is a critical factor for the 4K Medium result, which shows a minimum FPS of 87 and maximum of 118, indicating frame pacing that is stable but not perfectly smooth at that setting. For Greedfall, the RTX 4080 SUPER’s role is to provide headroom for high-refresh 1440p gaming and playable 4K at High settings, but the Ultra preset at 4K is beyond its comfortable operating range.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear resolution scaling pattern that identifies the GPU as the limiting component. Starting at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 316 FPS, which drops to 219 FPS at 1440p Low (a 31% reduction) and further to 131 FPS at 4K Low (a 40% reduction from 1440p). This scaling is predictable for a GPU-bound scenario, as the number of pixels increases by 2.25x from 1080p to 1440p and by 4x from 1080p to 4K, but the FPS does not drop proportionally because the CPU and memory bandwidth help mitigate some of the load. At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 248 at 1080p to 172 at 1440p (a 31% drop) and 103 at 4K (a 40% drop from 1440p), showing a consistent pattern across presets. The High preset shows a similar trend: 225 FPS at 1080p, 156 FPS at 1440p (a 31% drop), and 93 FPS at 4K (a 40% drop). However, the Ultra preset behaves differently: 144 FPS at 1080p drops to 100 FPS at 1440p (a 31% drop) and then to 59 FPS at 4K (a 41% drop). This indicates that the Ultra preset’s additional effects, such as higher shadow quality and ambient occlusion, are disproportionately expensive at 4K, likely due to memory bandwidth saturation. The ratio between 1080p and 4K FPS is roughly 2.4x for Low (316 vs 131), 2.4x for Medium (248 vs 103), 2.4x for High (225 vs 93), and 2.4x for Ultra (144 vs 59), which is close to the pixel count ratio of 4x, but not exact, suggesting that the CPU is still contributing at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, the combo is almost never GPU-limited, as even Ultra exceeds 144 FPS, which is beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. At 1440p, the combo is still GPU-limited at Ultra (100 FPS), but the High preset (156 FPS) is well above 144 Hz, making that resolution the sweet spot for high-refresh gaming. At 4K, the combo drops below 100 FPS at all settings except Low, and the Ultra preset falls to 59 FPS, which is barely playable on a 60 Hz display. The scaling analysis confirms that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU, because if the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively constant across resolutions, but instead we see a consistent 30-40% drop per resolution step. The 4K Medium data includes a minimum FPS of 87 and maximum of 118, which shows that even at that setting, the GPU is capable of delivering a smooth experience, but the average of 103 FPS suggests that the game is not fully optimized for high-resolution rendering. Overall, the data indicates that for 4K gaming, users should stick to High settings or lower, while 1440p allows for Ultra settings with a high refresh rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with Low averaging 316 FPS, Medium 248 FPS, High 225 FPS, and Ultra 144 FPS. The data shows that there is no reason to use Low or Medium at 1080p, as the High preset (225 FPS) still leaves a massive margin for any high-refresh monitor, and Ultra (144 FPS) is also above 120 FPS, making it the best choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The 1440p results are more nuanced: Low (219 FPS) and Medium (172 FPS) are overkill for most displays, but High (156 FPS) is ideal for 144 Hz monitors, while Ultra (100 FPS) is suitable for 60-100 Hz displays. The data suggests that 1440p High is the best balance, as it maintains a high average FPS while reducing the load on the GPU compared to Ultra. At 4K, the recommendations change drastically. Low (131 FPS) is playable but looks poor, Medium (103 FPS) is a good compromise for 60 Hz displays, High (93 FPS) is also smooth, but Ultra (59 FPS) dips to the edge of playability and should be avoided for competitive or fast-paced action. The 4K Medium data includes a minimum FPS of 87, which indicates that there are occasional drops below the average, but still above 60 FPS, making it a safe choice. The 4K High result of 93 FPS has no minimum data, but given the scaling pattern, it is likely to have similar frame pacing to Medium. For the best overall experience per the measured rows, 1440p High offers the highest FPS per visual quality at 156 FPS, which is 56% faster than 4K High (93 FPS) and 56% faster than 1440p Ultra (100 FPS). If 4K is a requirement, then High settings (93 FPS) are recommended over Ultra (59 FPS) because the 36% FPS increase is worth the reduction in shadow and texture quality, especially since Greedfall’s art style does not rely heavily on the Ultra preset’s effects. The data also shows that the gap between Medium and High at 4K is only 10 FPS (103 vs 93), so High is the better value in terms of visual quality per frame. For users with a 60 Hz 4K monitor, Medium (103 FPS) provides a 74% margin over the refresh rate, which is more than enough to prevent screen tearing with V-Sync off. In summary, the measured rows indicate that this combo is best used at 1440p High for high-refresh gaming, or 4K High for a cinematic experience, with Ultra reserved for screenshots or slower-paced exploration.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 223rd out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the top 7.6% of all configurations. This ranking is driven by the GPU’s 86th percentile performance and the CPU’s 96th percentile ranking, but the game’s engine does not fully utilize the CPU’s 24 threads, so the combo’s overall position is more indicative of the GPU’s rasterization power. The rank of 223 suggests that there are 222 other combos that achieve higher average FPS in this game, likely featuring even more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or newer generation cards, but the data does not specify what those combos are. Compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (which has a 0.2% lower average CPU score) would likely perform identically in this game, as the 0.2% delta is far below the FPS measurement granularity. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135, which are 1.1% and 1.2% slower in CPU benchmarks, would also show no real-world difference in Greedfall, since the game does not scale with more cores beyond 8-16 threads. On the GPU side, the standard RTX 4080 (which is 0.1% faster in GPU benchmarks) would produce nearly identical FPS, meaning that the SUPER version’s advantage is negligible in this title. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which is 2.7% slower, would likely show a more significant FPS drop at 4K Ultra due to its smaller VRAM, but the data does not include that combo’s measured FPS. The rank of 223 out of 2938 is a strong result, but it also indicates that Greedfall is not a title that rewards the absolute highest-end hardware, as the game’s 2019 release date and relatively modest graphics requirements allow mid-range GPUs to achieve playable frame rates. The combo’s position in the 92nd percentile of tested combos means that it outperforms 2715 other configurations, which is impressive but not top-tier. The data shows that the CPU and GPU are well-matched, as neither is severely bottlenecking the other at standard resolutions, but the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, which is reflected in the 59 FPS result. For users comparing this combo to others in the database, the 223rd rank suggests that it is a high-end choice that will handle any game at 1440p and most games at 4K, but there is room for improvement with a more powerful GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K High settings with this combo?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is 93 FPS. This is a smooth experience for 60 Hz monitors, but it is below the 100 FPS threshold that some users prefer for high-refresh displays.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807) and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090). The AMD EPYC 7F72 is 1.3% higher at 85072.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 144 FPS, which is high enough to suggest that the GPU is still the primary driver, but the CPU’s 24 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecks. The data shows that the FPS drops to 100 at 1440p Ultra, indicating a GPU limitation.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium?

A: The minimum FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 87 FPS, with a maximum of 118 FPS and an average of 103 FPS. This indicates that the frame pacing is stable enough for 60 Hz displays.

Q: How many combos does this pairing outperform in the database?

A: This combo ranks 223rd out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall, meaning it outperforms 2715 other configurations. This places it in the top 7.6% of all tested combos.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s, which is sufficient for 4K High (93 FPS) but becomes a constraint at 4K Ultra (59 FPS). The 16 GB VRAM is not a bottleneck, but the bandwidth limits the Ultra preset’s texture streaming.