Greedfall

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Greedfall with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 shows a wide range of performance across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest tested resolution, the frame rates are exceptionally high. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 270.3, which is the fastest result in the entire measurement set. Medium settings at 1080p produce an average of 248.3 FPS, while High settings drop slightly to 241.9 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still delivers an average of 160.3 FPS at this resolution. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a reduction of roughly 41% in average frame rate, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional load compared to the lower tiers.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains very strong but shows the expected impact of increased pixel count. Low settings at 1440p average 240.4 FPS, which is only about 11% lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium settings at 1440p deliver 191.3 FPS, High settings average 175 FPS, and Ultra drops to 109.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is approximately 55%, which is a larger relative difference than at 1080p, suggesting that the Ultra preset's effects become more costly as resolution rises.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens considerably. Low settings still produce a very playable 142.5 FPS average, while Medium settings fall to 114.8 FPS and High settings to 106.5 FPS. Ultra at 4K is the most demanding configuration tested, yielding an average of 63.7 FPS. This is the only preset and resolution combination in the entire dataset that falls below the 100 FPS mark, and it sits just barely above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is approximately 55%, mirroring the proportional drop seen at 1440p, but the absolute numbers are much lower due to the 2.25x increase in pixel count from 1440p to 4K.

The data does not include separate min or max FPS values; only average FPS was recorded for each configuration. This means the analysis relies entirely on mean frame rates, which can mask occasional stutters or frame time spikes. However, given the high averages even at 4K Ultra, the system is unlikely to experience sustained drops below playable levels in typical gameplay.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU in this combination have recorded benchmark scores that place them in specific positions relative to other hardware. The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254 across a range of tests, placing it at the 47th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 with a delta of -0.2%, meaning the i5-9400 is essentially tied with it. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, a 0.3% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a 0.4% delta. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, a -0.4% delta. These four processors are all within 0.8% of the i5-9400's average score, so any of them would produce nearly identical CPU-bound behavior in Greedfall. For practical purposes, swapping the i5-9400 for any of these chips would result in no measurable difference in frame rates, since the game is likely GPU-bound in most scenarios.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347, placing it at the 88th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are intriguing because they are not consumer gaming cards but rather professional or workstation-oriented products. The Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60326, a 0% delta, meaning it matches the RTX 4090's average score almost exactly. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, a 0.3% delta, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, a -2.5% delta. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, a 2.9% delta. These comparisons suggest that in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4090's raw compute performance is comparable to several professional GPUs, but the RTX 4090's gaming-specific features, such as its massive 24 GB GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, likely give it an advantage in actual game rendering that these synthetic scores do not fully capture. The data shows that the RTX 4090 sits in a class of its own for consumer gaming, even though its nearest database rivals are professional cards.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded FPS data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are so high that the CPU likely becomes a limiting factor in some scenarios. The i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, is a mid-range processor from 2018, and its 47th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is not a top-tier part. However, at 1080p Low, the 270.3 FPS average suggests that even this older CPU can feed the RTX 4090 enough data to achieve extremely high frame rates, though the GPU is certainly not being fully utilized at such high FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p, from 270.3 to 160.3 FPS, is a 41% reduction, which is primarily driven by GPU load as the RTX 4090 works harder on more complex shading and lighting.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The Low preset drops from 240.4 FPS at 1440p to 142.5 FPS at 4K, a 41% reduction, while the High preset drops from 175 FPS to 106.5 FPS, a 39% reduction. These proportional drops align closely with the pixel count increase, indicating that the RTX 4090 is the dominant factor at these settings. The CPU's influence fades as resolution rises because the GPU takes longer to render each frame, giving the CPU more time to prepare the next frame without becoming a bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the 63.7 FPS average is heavily GPU-bound, and the i5-9400's slower single-core performance (935 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is unlikely to matter much, as the GPU is clearly the constraining component.

The scaling between presets also tells a story. At each resolution, the jump from Low to Medium costs roughly 15-20% of frame rate, while the jump from High to Ultra costs significantly more. For example, at 1440p, Medium to High drops from 191.3 to 175 FPS (about 9%), but High to Ultra drops from 175 to 109.1 FPS (about 38%). This nonlinear scaling suggests that the Ultra preset enables effects that are disproportionately expensive, likely including higher-quality shadows, ambient occlusion, and post-processing. The data indicates that the CPU matters most at 1080p Low, where the frame rate ceiling is highest, but for all other tested configurations, the GPU is the clear performance driver.

The Verdict

The verdict from the database is unambiguous: this combination can run Greedfall at all tested resolutions and presets above the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 3840x2160, the playable settings include High, Low, Medium, and Ultra, with the best settings being Ultra at an average of 63.7 FPS. This is just barely above the 60 FPS threshold, meaning that while Ultra at 4K is technically playable, there is very little headroom for demanding scenes or extended gameplay sessions. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 109.1 FPS, which provides substantial margin above the threshold. At 1920x1080, all presets are also playable, with Ultra averaging 160.3 FPS, making this resolution the most comfortable for high-refresh-rate displays.

The data shows that the system can handle Greedfall without any configuration falling below 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is the 4K Ultra result at 63.7 FPS, which still clears the playability bar by nearly 4 FPS. For gamers who prioritize visual fidelity at 4K, the Ultra preset is viable, but those who want steady performance with more overhead might prefer High settings at 4K, which average 106.5 FPS. At 1440p and 1080p, even the most demanding preset offers well over 100 FPS, making this combo suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors at those resolutions. The only caveat is that the data does not include minimum FPS values, so it is impossible to know whether there are occasional dips below 60 FPS in specific scenes, but the high averages suggest such dips would be rare and brief.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the recorded data shows an average of 63.7 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average is 270.3 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its closest rivals in the database?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, placing it within 0.4% of the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, Intel Core i7-10710U, and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, making these processors effectively equivalent in performance.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's performance in Greedfall similar to any other GPU in the database?

A: The RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60347 is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326, 0% delta), but the RTX 4090's gaming-specific capabilities likely differ significantly from that professional card.

Q: Which resolution and preset combination has the least headroom above 60 FPS?

A: The 4K Ultra configuration has the least headroom, averaging 63.7 FPS, which is only 3.7 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU become the limiting factor at lower resolutions?

A: At 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 270.3 FPS, suggesting the CPU may limit performance at very high frame rates, but at all other tested configurations the GPU is the dominant factor.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the best settings are defined as the most demanding preset that still maintains an average FPS at or above 60. At 3840x2160, the answer is Ultra, which averages 63.7 FPS. This is the only preset at 4K that comes close to the threshold, but it does clear it. At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best settings choice, averaging 109.1 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin. At 1920x1080, Ultra again is the best settings option, with an average of 160.3 FPS. In all three cases, the Ultra preset is the most visually demanding option tested, and the data confirms that it remains playable at every resolution. The database does not test settings beyond Ultra, so there are no higher presets to consider. For gamers who want to maximize visual quality, Ultra is the clear choice at every resolution, with the only caveat being the relatively small margin at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 218th out of 3703 tested combinations in Greedfall, placing it in the top 6% of all systems in the database. This is a strong ranking, but it is notable that the CPU is a relatively modest part while the GPU is among the most powerful available. The i5-9400's 47th percentile CPU ranking suggests that many of the 217 combinations ranked above this one likely feature more powerful processors, even if their GPUs are weaker. The RTX 4090's 88th percentile GPU ranking is the primary driver of this combo's high position. The rank of 218 out of 3703 indicates that this system outperforms the vast majority of tested hardware, but it is not at the very top, which would require a more capable CPU to fully complement the RTX 4090's immense rendering power. The data suggests that in GPU-bound scenarios, this combo performs nearly as well as any other, but in CPU-bound situations at low resolutions, the i5-9400's age could hold back the RTX 4090 from reaching its absolute maximum frame rates.