Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents a demanding environment where the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a wide spectrum of performance, ranging from highly playable to exceptionally fast, depending on the chosen settings and resolution. The measured data indicates that this combination is capable of pushing high frame rates across the board, though the relationship between settings and resolution reveals distinct bottlenecks and optimization opportunities for this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark data places this Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination at rank 127 out of 2938 tested combos for Greedfall. This placement within the top percentile of all tested systems suggests that the pairing is exceptionally well-suited for this game, significantly outperforming the vast majority of other hardware configurations. The ranking implies a level of synergy where neither component is severely hindering the other's ability to render the game world, resulting in a smooth and high-fidelity experience that most users would not be able to replicate with lesser hardware.

The raw performance of the components reinforces this top-tier ranking. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads provide substantial multi-threaded capability, which is reflected in its strong Cinebench scores, including a multicore score of 51,731 in Cinebench R23 and a Passmark multithread score of 60,860. This computational headroom ensures that the processor is unlikely to become a limiting factor in most gaming scenarios. The GPU, with its massive 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 16,384 shading units, is a powerhouse designed for high-resolution rendering, making it a natural partner for a game that scales well with graphical fidelity.

While the combo's rank of 127 is impressive, it is important to note the context provided by the individual component benchmarks. The CPU sits at the 96th percentile when compared to all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 84,003 is very close to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with a score of 83,807, a mere 0.2% difference. This suggests that while the processor is top-tier, its performance is not uniquely superior to its closest competitors within this game. The GPU, while ranking in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, has an average benchmark score of 60,347, placing it in a statistical tie with the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60,326, and is only 2.9% faster than the AMD Radeon PRO V710. This indicates that the absolute performance of the RTX 4090, while excellent, is part of a more tightly contested performance band at the very top.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combo suggests that the optimal settings are highly dependent on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the data shows that even the Ultra preset is capable of delivering an average of 160 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. However, dropping to the High preset increases the average to 250 FPS, a substantial gain that could be leveraged for competitive play or on very high refresh rate displays. The Low preset at this resolution hits an average of 351 FPS, which is an extreme performance level that is likely unnecessary for a game like Greedfall, but it demonstrates the immense headroom this combo has at 1080p.

The analysis becomes more nuanced at 2560x1440. The High preset delivers an excellent average of 174 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. The Medium preset offers a slightly lower but still very smooth 191 FPS average, which is interesting as it suggests a non-linear scaling where the High preset might be applying more demanding effects that have a disproportionate impact on frame rate. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 111 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 36% performance hit compared to High. For the best balance of visual quality and performance at this resolution, the High preset appears to be the sweet spot, offering a significant frame rate advantage over Ultra with presumably a minor visual compromise.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the choice becomes more critical. The High preset manages an average of 104 FPS, which is excellent for 4K gaming and provides a smooth experience on most displays. The Medium preset is not far behind at 114 FPS, which is curious as it is faster than High, suggesting that the High preset may include specific features that are more taxing at this resolution. The Ultra preset, however, sees a dramatic drop to an average of 66 FPS. While this is still within the range of playability, the substantial performance cost of Ultra settings at 4K may not be justified. The data strongly suggests that for 4K gaming, the High preset offers the most compelling experience, providing near-100 FPS performance without requiring the significant performance sacrifice that Ultra demands.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three tested resolutions reveals a clear trend: performance scales inversely with resolution, but the rate of decline is not uniform across all settings. For the High preset, the average FPS drops from 250 at 1080p to 174 at 1440p, a 30% decrease, and then to 104 at 4K, a further 40% decrease from the 1440p figure. This consistent and significant drop as resolution increases is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4090 is being tasked with rendering more pixels, and its performance scales accordingly, demonstrating that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions with these settings.

The scaling for the Low preset is even more dramatic. From 351 FPS at 1080p, it falls to 243 FPS at 1440p and then 145 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 31% and 40%, respectively. This steeper decline at lower settings further confirms that the workload is almost entirely on the GPU. With simpler graphics, the CPU can feed the frames quickly, but the GPU's pixel-pushing capabilities become the bottleneck as the resolution climbs. The fact that the 4K Low average of 145 FPS is still very high shows just how powerful the GPU is, but the trend is unmistakable.

The most telling data point comes from the Medium and Ultra presets. For Medium, the average FPS is 276 at 1080p, 191 at 1440p, and 114 at 4K. This represents a 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 40% drop from 1440p to 4K. The Ultra preset shows a similar pattern: 160 FPS at 1080p, 111 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K, with drops of 31% and 41%. The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings strongly suggests that the game's performance at these resolutions is almost purely a function of GPU rendering load. The CPU, with its 24 cores and up to 5.80 GHz boost clock, is providing more than enough frame data at all times, and the scaling is simply a measure of the GPU's ability to handle the increasing pixel count.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at this combo's performance in Greedfall. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across the board. The Low preset yields an average of 351 FPS, while Medium reaches 276 FPS, with a minimum of 234 FPS and a maximum of 317 FPS, showing excellent frame pacing. The High preset delivers 250 FPS average, and even the most demanding Ultra preset achieves an average of 160 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, this combination is never challenged, and the limiting factor would be the monitor's refresh rate rather than the hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains stellar but begins to show the influence of the higher resolution. The Low preset still produces an average of 243 FPS, a 31% reduction from 1080p. The Medium preset's average of 191 FPS (with a minimum of 163 and a maximum of 220) is a 31% drop. The High preset follows the trend with an average of 174 FPS, a 30% decrease. The Ultra preset is where the impact is felt most, dropping to an average of 111 FPS, a 31% decrease from its 1080p counterpart. These consistent drops reinforce the GPU-bound nature of the game at these settings, but all averages remain comfortably above 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the data shows where the performance ceiling of this combo lies. The Low preset still manages an excellent average of 145 FPS. The Medium preset provides a very playable average of 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 and a maximum of 131, suggesting some frame variance but no severe stuttering. The High preset is also playable at an average of 104 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, is the only setting that falls below the 100 FPS mark, achieving an average of 66 FPS. This is the only configuration in the measured data where the combo's performance could be considered less than fluid, indicating that Ultra settings at 4K are too demanding for a consistently high-refresh-rate experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090's role in Greedfall is pivotal, as the resolution scaling analysis clearly shows it to be the primary performance bottleneck in most configurations. The GPU's massive 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s, is likely a key reason why high-resolution textures and effects do not cause severe frame drops. This is especially relevant for an Action RPG like Greedfall, which features detailed environments and character models that can consume significant VRAM at 4K.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2235 MHz and a boost of 2520 MHz, are the engine that drives its raw performance. The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with a component that is working at its limit. For example, the 40% drop in average FPS on the High preset going from 1440p to 4K is a direct measure of the GPU's pixel throughput limit. The fact that it can maintain an average of 104 FPS at 4K on High settings confirms its power, but the data shows that it is this component that determines the final frame rate in most scenarios.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 271,631, attest to its immense compute capabilities. These capabilities translate directly to the high frame rates seen in the game's measured data. However, it's interesting to note that the GPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are not other top-tier gaming cards, but rather professional and workstation GPUs like the Intel Arc Pro A60 and AMD Radeon Pro W6600M. This suggests that while the RTX 4090 is a top performer in gaming, its average benchmark score is influenced by a wide range of tests, some of which are not directly relevant to gaming performance. In Greedfall specifically, its position as the bottleneck at high resolutions is the defining characteristic of its role.

FAQ

Q: Is this CPU and GPU combo capable of running Greedfall at 4K with high settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 104 FPS at 3840x2160 with the High preset. This indicates a very playable and smooth experience at 4K, making it an excellent choice for high-resolution gaming.

Q: What is the best preset to use for a 1440p monitor with a high refresh rate?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 174 FPS, which is ideal for taking full advantage of high-refresh-rate displays. The Ultra preset drops to 111 FPS, making High the better choice for maximizing smoothness.

Q: How does the performance at 1080p compare to 4K on the Ultra preset?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 160, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 66. This represents a 59% reduction in performance, highlighting the immense graphical load that 4K Ultra settings place on the GPU.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU more likely to limit performance in this game?

A: The data strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor. The percentage drop in FPS from 1080p to 4K is very consistent across all settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU has ample headroom to feed frames.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1440p produces an average of 111 FPS, which is still very playable. However, the High preset at 1440p achieves 174 FPS, a 36% performance increase. If a higher frame rate is prioritized over the marginal visual gains of Ultra, High is a more efficient choice.

Q: How does this combo's performance compare to other tested systems in Greedfall?

A: This combination is ranked 127th out of 2938 tested combos for this game. This places it in the top 5% of all tested systems, indicating that it is in the upper echelon of performance for Greedfall.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus plays a supporting, yet crucial, role in this combo's performance in Greedfall. The benchmark data indicates that it is not the primary limiting factor, as the FPS scaling with resolution is consistent with a GPU bottleneck. However, its substantial processing power ensures that it can keep up with the RTX 4090's demand for frame data. With 24 cores and 24 threads, the processor can handle the game's background tasks and physics calculations without being a source of frame drops or stuttering.

The CPU's high clock speeds, with a base of 3.70 GHz and a boost up to 5.80 GHz, are critical for ensuring strong single-threaded performance. This is often the most important factor for gaming, as many core game logic systems are not perfectly multi-threaded. The CPU's single-core performance is evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303 and its Passmark single-thread score of 4,823. These scores are top-tier, ensuring that the processor can rapidly process game instructions and communicate with the GPU.

The fact that the combo ranks at 127 out of 2938 systems suggests a well-balanced pairing, but the CPU's individual benchmark scores show it is performing at a level very close to its closest rivals. For instance, its average score of 84,003 is only 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. This indicates that while the CPU is powerful, its performance headroom in Greedfall is not being fully tested. The game's performance is being dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities, and the CPU is simply providing a stable and fast foundation. The processor's 36 MB of L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory likely contribute to this stability, ensuring that data can be fed to the GPU efficiently without introducing latency that would impact frame times.