Greedfall

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Greedfall, with the GPU doing the heavy lifting across all tested configurations. The recorded data shows that this combination never drops below the 60 FPS threshold at any resolution, even when the most demanding preset is applied.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 62.6 FPS. This is a narrow margin, just 2.6 FPS above the playable threshold, meaning the Ultra preset is technically viable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. High settings at this resolution average 100.6 FPS, offering a much more comfortable experience, while Medium averages 106.5 FPS and Low reaches 138 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 105.9 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. This is the best settings choice for this resolution, as it provides the maximum visual quality while maintaining a fluid frame rate. High averages 167.6 FPS, Medium averages 186.6 FPS, and Low reaches 232.4 FPS, showing that even the most demanding preset leaves substantial performance reserves.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 156.2 FPS, making it the clear best setting for this resolution. The gap between presets narrows significantly here, with High averaging 242.1 FPS, Medium averaging 247.1 FPS, and Low reaching 269.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is only 22.5 FPS, suggesting the game becomes increasingly CPU-bound at lower resolutions with this particular processor.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a distinct shift in bottleneck behavior across resolutions. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor, as evidenced by the large frame rate differences between presets. The jump from Low to Medium at 4K is a drop of 31.5 FPS, and from Medium to High another 5.9 FPS, with Ultra costing an additional 43.9 FPS. This pattern indicates the RTX 5080 is working at its limits, with the Core i5-9400 providing sufficient data to keep the GPU fed.

At 2560x1440, the scaling between presets becomes more moderate. Low to Medium costs 45.8 FPS, Medium to High costs 19 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 61.7 FPS. The larger absolute drops suggest the GPU still dominates, but the CPU begins to matter more, particularly in the lower presets where frame rates exceed 200 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the CPU role becomes most apparent. The difference between Low and Medium is only 22.5 FPS, and between Medium and High just 5 FPS. However, the jump from High to Ultra is substantial at 85.9 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional GPU workload finally shifts the balance back toward the graphics card. The i5-9400's six cores and six threads appear to cap frame rates in the lower presets, as the 269.6 FPS Low result is only 27.5 FPS higher than the High preset, a relatively small gain compared to the 4K scaling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the recorded average frame rates are as follows: Low averages 138 FPS, Medium averages 106.5 FPS, High averages 100.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 62.6 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 75.4 FPS, representing a 45.4% reduction in performance when moving from the least to most demanding preset.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 232.4 FPS, Medium at 186.6 FPS, High at 167.6 FPS, and Ultra at 105.9 FPS. The total spread here is 126.5 FPS, with Ultra costing 54.4% of the Low preset's performance.

At 1920x1080, the averages are: Low at 269.6 FPS, Medium at 247.1 FPS, High at 242.1 FPS, and Ultra at 156.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 113.4 FPS, or 42.1% of the Low result. Notably, the Medium and High presets are nearly identical at this resolution, separated by just 5 FPS, which suggests the CPU is the limiting factor for both settings.

The Verdict

This PC configuration can run Greedfall at every resolution and preset combination recorded in the database. The verdict data confirms that all four settings at all three resolutions are playable, with average frame rates never dropping below the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset just barely clears the threshold with a 62.6 FPS average, making it a valid but tight choice. The 2560x1440 and 1920x1080 resolutions provide much more comfortable margins, with Ultra presets averaging 105.9 FPS and 156.2 FPS respectively.

For players prioritizing visual fidelity, the 2560x1440 Ultra setting appears to be the sweet spot, offering a strong average frame rate with the full suite of graphical effects enabled. The 3840x2160 Ultra configuration is playable but leaves only 2.6 FPS of headroom, which could become problematic in scenes with heavy particle effects or large crowds.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Core i5-9400's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 0.2% lower on average, and the Intel Core i7-10710U, which scores 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is 0.4% ahead, while the Intel Core i3-10305 trails by 0.4%. These differences are negligible, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Greedfall when paired with the RTX 5080, as the game's performance at higher resolutions is dictated by the GPU.

For the GPU, the closest alternatives are the AMD Radeon 8060S, which averages 0.6% lower scores, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, which is 0.7% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X sits 2.3% behind, while the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE is 2.2% ahead. These small deltas suggest that swapping the RTX 5080 for any of these cards would result in very similar Greedfall performance, with the RX 9070 GRE potentially offering a slight edge and the Pro W5700X a slight deficit.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, the 3840x2160 Ultra preset averages 62.6 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a small margin.

Q: What is the best resolution and preset combination for maximum visual quality?

A: The 2560x1440 Ultra preset provides the highest visual quality with a comfortable 105.9 FPS average, offering more headroom than the 4K Ultra configuration.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from Low to Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 269.6 FPS while Ultra averages 156.2 FPS, a reduction of 113.4 FPS or approximately 42% of the Low result.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the small difference between Medium (247.1 FPS) and High (242.1 FPS) presets suggests the Core i5-9400 becomes a limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of higher output in lower presets.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset safe for competitive play?

A: The 62.6 FPS average leaves only 2.6 FPS of margin above the 60 FPS threshold, making it less stable than the 4K High preset at 100.6 FPS.

Q: How does this combination rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 247th out of 3703 tested combinations in Greedfall, placing it in the top 6.7% of all configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 247th out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it comfortably in the upper tier of configurations. This high ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the i5-9400 sits in the 47th percentile among all CPUs while the RTX 5080 sits in the 87th percentile among all GPUs. The performance data confirms that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor at standard gaming resolutions, with the GPU's capabilities shining through at 1440p and 4K. The ranking suggests that users with this configuration are getting near the top of what is achievable in this game, with only a small fraction of more powerful or better-matched combinations outperforming it. The modest CPU does create some bottlenecks at 1080p in lower presets, but this has minimal impact on the overall ranking, as the game's most demanding settings at higher resolutions are where the combination excels.