Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG from Spiders, presents an interesting study in hardware scaling when paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is capable and consistent, though the performance curve shows distinct bottlenecks depending on the settings chosen. This analysis breaks down the data to show exactly where this combo excels and where it begins to strain.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K demonstrates a classic GPU-bound progression, but with some notable nuances at the extremes. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 182 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that figure to 125.7 FPS, a reduction of approximately 31%, which is a typical load increase for the GPU. However, the jump to 4K Low yields 76.8 FPS, another significant step down. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4060 is the primary driver of performance at lower quality presets, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames.

The scaling becomes more erratic when the quality preset is raised. At High settings, the frame rate goes from 130.5 FPS at 1080p to 88.7 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 53.6 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is a 39.5% reduction, which is substantial and highlights the heavy demand of 4K resolution on the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and memory bandwidth. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic falloff, starting at 80.2 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 56.3 FPS at 1440p, and collapsing to 33.5 FPS at 4K. This 4K Ultra result is barely playable, suggesting that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings overwhelms the GPU.

Looking at the data, the limiting component shifts based on resolution. At 1080p, the gap between Low (182 FPS) and Ultra (80.2 FPS) is massive, a 101.8 FPS difference that shows the GPU is the bottleneck. At 4K, the difference between Low (76.8 FPS) and Ultra (33.5 FPS) is 43.3 FPS, still significant but with a lower ceiling. The data suggests that the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor at 4K, especially on Ultra, while the Ryzen 5 3600 provides enough processing power to avoid being a major constraint even at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 180 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is listed at 2460 MHz. These specifications directly influence the measured results. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in Greedfall, particularly at 4K resolution where texture and geometry data can quickly fill the frame buffer. The significant frame rate drop from 1440p High (88.7 FPS) to 4K High (53.6 FPS) suggests that the GPU is not only compute-bound but also potentially hitting memory capacity limits, forcing the engine to manage assets more aggressively.

The GPU's performance percentile is 66, placing it in the upper third of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 23181, which puts it in close competition with the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which scores 23321, a delta of -0.6%. This indicates that the RTX 4060 is a solid mid-range performer, but it is not designed for maximum fidelity at 4K. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with settings at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result of 33.5 FPS is a clear indicator that this configuration is not suited for that workload.

The RTX 4060 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is relevant for Greedfall's rendering features. However, the measured data shows that even with this modern API support, the GPU is the primary limiter at high resolutions. The frame rate at 4K Medium is 56.8 FPS, which is only slightly better than High, suggesting that the cost of increasing from Medium to High is relatively small, but the jump from High to Ultra (from 53.6 to 33.5 FPS) is steep, likely due to specific Ultra settings that heavily tax the GPU's shading units and memory subsystem.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks shows a strong multi-threaded capability, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045 and a single-core score of 2124. The processor's percentile vs all CPUs is 76, indicating it performs better than most. Its average benchmark score is 18129, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-11400's 18150, a delta of -0.1%.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role is to maintain a high frame rate ceiling. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 182 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that requires the CPU to process game logic and draw calls quickly. The Ryzen 5 3600 manages this without becoming a bottleneck, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate is still high. However, the data does not show a scenario where the CPU is the limiting factor. Even at 1080p Ultra, the frame rate is 80.2 FPS, which is a GPU-bound result.

The CPU's 12 threads are likely sufficient for Greedfall, which was released in 2019 and may not scale perfectly beyond a certain core count. The benchmark results show that the CPU's multi-threaded performance is strong, but the single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2124) is adequate for this title. The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 3600 is a well-matched partner for the RTX 4060, as it does not hold back the GPU in most scenarios. The only potential CPU limitation would be at very high frame rates, but the 182 FPS at 1080p Low shows that the CPU can push well beyond what a typical 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor would require.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 977 out of 1705 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the bottom half of all tested configurations, which is a somewhat surprising result given the individual component scores. The GPU's percentile is 66, and the CPU's is 76, but the combined rank suggests that other pairings might offer better overall performance for this specific game.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Ryzen 5 3600 is closely matched with the Intel Core i5-11400, which has an average score of 18150 versus the Ryzen's 18129, a delta of -0.1%. This indicates that swapping the CPU for a slightly newer or differently clocked processor would not yield significant changes in Greedfall. Similarly, the GPU is closely contested by the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which scores 23321, just 0.6% higher than the RTX 4060's 23181. This suggests that the combo's rank is not due to a weak individual component, but rather the specific performance profile of the pair in this game.

The rank of 977 out of 1705 means that a significant number of other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher average frame rates in Greedfall. This could be due to the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM being a limiting factor at higher resolutions, or it could be that the Ryzen 5 3600's architecture does not fully utilize the GPU's capabilities in this title. The data shows that the combo performs well at 1080p, but the 4K Ultra result of 33.5 FPS drags down the overall average in a way that might not be representative of a typical gaming session.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 130.5 FPS, which is an excellent result for a smooth and visually detailed experience. The Medium preset at 142.1 FPS is also highly playable and offers a slight performance boost. The Ultra preset at 80.2 FPS is still above 60 FPS and provides the highest visual quality, but the frame rate is lower than what the High preset achieves. For a balance of visual fidelity and performance at 1080p, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it sits comfortably above the 120 FPS mark while looking significantly better than Low.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 88.7 FPS, which is a very good result for a higher resolution. The Medium preset at 96.5 FPS is also a solid option, offering a bit more headroom. The Ultra preset drops to 56.3 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stutter on some displays. The Low preset at 125.7 FPS is fast but sacrifices too much visual quality. For 1440p, the High preset is the optimal choice, as it provides a near-90 FPS experience with good visuals.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The High preset produces 53.6 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 56.8 FPS is only marginally better. The Low preset at 76.8 FPS is the only option that provides a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS, but it comes with a significant reduction in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 33.5 FPS is not recommended. For 4K, the Low preset is the most practical choice, as it allows the game to run at a smooth 76.8 FPS, though players who prioritize visuals over smoothness may accept the High preset's 53.6 FPS. The data clearly indicates that this combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where it can deliver high frame rates with High or Medium settings.