Greedfall

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Greedfall with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling when moving up in resolution. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 110.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 76.4 FPS at 2560x1440, then drops sharply to 43.1 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 61% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial hit that points squarely at the graphics card as the primary constraint.

The scaling behavior becomes even more telling when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 155.9 FPS — a figure that suggests the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU at very high rates. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 106 FPS, and at 4K Low the average settles at 63 FPS. The percentage decline from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is roughly 60%, nearly identical to the High preset drop. This consistency across settings indicates that resolution is the dominant variable, and the GPU's pixel throughput is what limits performance at higher resolutions.

Interestingly, the Ultra preset tells a more extreme story. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 70.7 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it collapses to 26.5 FPS — a 62% loss. The fact that even at 1080p Ultra the frame rate is below 100 FPS suggests that the heavier visual effects in Greedfall's Ultra preset put significant strain on the RX 7600's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus, making the GPU the bottleneck even at the lowest resolution tested.

What does this imply about the system balance? At 1080p Low, the 155.9 FPS result shows headroom in the CPU, since the Ryzen 5 5500's 6 cores and 12 threads can keep up with the GPU's output. However, the data also hints that if the GPU were significantly faster, the CPU might become a limiting factor at very high frame rates. The 3DMark single-thread score of 836 and multi-thread score of 5411 suggest modest single-core performance, which is relevant for a game like Greedfall that relies heavily on game logic and AI. But in the measured rows, resolution scaling is clearly the GPU's domain, and the CPU is not the primary constraint at any resolution above 1080p Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination ranks 1176 out of 1705 tested combos specifically for Greedfall. This places the pair in the lower-middle tier of all possible system configurations, with roughly 69% of tested combos performing better in this title. The ranking reflects a system that delivers playable performance at 1080p and 1440p but falls short of the high-end experiences that top-ranked combos would provide at 4K.

To contextualize this rank, consider the individual components' standings. The CPU sits at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms about 79% of processors in general benchmark suites. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, scores 20897 on average — just 0.1% higher than the Ryzen's 20875. This near-tie suggests that the CPU is a solid mid-range choice, but not a standout performer. The GPU, meanwhile, ranks at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20258. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, scores 20146, which is 0.6% lower — meaning the RX 7600 actually edges out its XT sibling in average benchmark performance, a curious data point given the XT's typically higher specs.

The gap between the CPU's 79th percentile and the GPU's 63rd percentile is telling. In Greedfall, the combo rank of 1176/1705 suggests that the GPU is the weaker link, dragging the overall system down relative to what the CPU could support. If the GPU were replaced with a higher-tier card, the combo rank would likely improve substantially, as the CPU has headroom at lower resolutions. The data shows a system that is balanced for 1080p gaming but becomes GPU-limited at 1440p and especially 4K, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 brings 6 cores and 12 threads to the table, built on the Zen 3 architecture with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. This is a 7 nm part from TSMC, featuring 10,700 million transistors on a 180 mm² die. For Greedfall, an Action RPG released in 2019, the core count is more than adequate, as the game's engine is not known for pushing beyond 8 threads effectively. The 16 MB of L3 cache is shared across the cores, which helps with data locality in open-world segments.

The CPU's benchmark scores reveal its character. In Cinebench R23, it scores 16429 in multicore and 2319 in single-core. The single-core score is moderate, and this matters for Greedfall because the game's frame pacing is often tied to the primary game thread. The 3DMark single-thread score of 836 and 2-thread score of 1645 indicate that the CPU's per-core performance is adequate but not exceptional. At 1080p Low, where the CPU is most likely to be a factor, the combo hits 155.9 FPS — a strong result that shows the Ryzen 5 5500 can handle high refresh rates without bottlenecking the RX 7600.

However, the data also shows that the CPU's performance ceiling is not the limiting factor in this pairing. The nearest CPU rivals — the Intel Core i5-12500 at 20897 (deltaPct -0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE at 20900 (deltaPct -0.1%) — are virtually identical in average benchmark score. This means that swapping to a different mid-range CPU would yield negligible gains in Greedfall's frame rates, as the GPU is the bottleneck at most settings. The CPU's 65 W TDP and AM4 socket make it an efficient choice, but the benchmark results indicate that Greedfall's performance is more sensitive to the GPU than to the CPU's core count or clock speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 155.9 FPS on Low, 120.1 FPS on Medium, 110.7 FPS on High, and 70.7 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 85.2 FPS, representing a 55% reduction. This wide spread indicates that Greedfall's Ultra preset includes heavy post-processing and shadow effects that significantly tax the RX 7600.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 106 FPS on Low, 83.7 FPS on Medium, 76.4 FPS on High, and 47 FPS on Ultra. The Low-to-Ultra drop is 59 FPS, a 56% reduction — similar to the 1080p scaling, but with lower absolute numbers. At 1440p, even the Low preset cannot reach 120 FPS, which suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are 63 FPS on Low, 50.4 FPS on Medium, 43.1 FPS on High, and 26.5 FPS on Ultra. The Low-to-Ultra drop is 36.5 FPS, a 58% reduction. Notably, 4K Low is just barely playable at 63 FPS, while 4K High dips below 45 FPS, and 4K Ultra is effectively unplayable for smooth gameplay. The only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS at 4K is the Low preset, and even that is marginal.

The data shows that the sweet spot for this combo is 1080p with Medium or High settings, where the frame rates are well above 100 FPS, offering a smooth experience for an Action RPG. At 1440p, High settings at 76.4 FPS are still playable, but Ultra at 47 FPS may cause noticeable stutter in combat-heavy scenes. At 4K, the combo is only viable on Low settings, and even then, the 63 FPS average leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, featuring 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1720 MHz, with a boost clock of 2655 MHz and a game clock of 2250 MHz. The memory runs at 2250 MHz, effective 18 Gbps.

In Greedfall, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor. The game's Ultra preset at 4K likely exceeds 8 GB of VRAM usage, which would explain the 26.5 FPS result — the card may be spilling into system memory, causing severe performance degradation. Even at 1080p Ultra, the 70.7 FPS result suggests that the GPU is working hard, but the VRAM capacity is not yet a bottleneck at that resolution. At 1440p Ultra (47 FPS) and 4K Ultra (26.5 FPS), the combination of high memory pressure and the 128-bit bus bandwidth limitation becomes evident.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a passmark G3D score of 16634 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2310. These scores place it at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20258. Its nearest rival, the RX 7600 XT, scores 20146 (0.6% lower), which is surprising given the XT's typically higher VRAM and clock speeds. This suggests that the RX 7600's performance in synthetic benchmarks is well-tuned, but Greedfall's real-world results depend heavily on memory bandwidth and capacity, where the 128-bit bus is a limitation.

The pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s provide theoretical throughput, but the measured FPS data shows that the card is not able to sustain high frame rates at 4K Ultra. The 21.75 TFLOPS FP32 performance is respectable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but Greedfall's engine appears to be more sensitive to memory bandwidth than raw compute. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is sufficient for this GPU, as the data does not show any bandwidth starvation at the system level.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Greedfall?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the strongest resolution, with all presets except Ultra exceeding 100 FPS (Low: 155.9, Medium: 120.1, High: 110.7). At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium exceed 80 FPS, while at 3840x2160, only Low reaches 63 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset affect performance compared to High?

A: At 1080p, Ultra drops from 110.7 FPS (High) to 70.7 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 76.4 FPS to 47 FPS, a 38% reduction. At 4K, the drop is from 43.1 FPS to 26.5 FPS, a 38% reduction. The Ultra preset consistently costs about a third of the frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p Low. The CPU's 155.9 FPS at 1080p Low shows it can feed the GPU adequately, but the GPU's performance drops significantly with resolution increases, suggesting it is the limiting component.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p gaming in Greedfall?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 1440p High, the average is 76.4 FPS, which is playable. At 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 47 FPS, which may be too low for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 106 FPS offers the best experience at this resolution.

Q: How does the RX 7600 compare to its closest rival in benchmarks?

A: The RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 20258, while the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 20146, a deltaPct of 0.6% in favor of the RX 7600. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, which is 1.3% higher, and the Intel Arc B570 scores 20556, which is 1.5% higher.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1176 out of 1705 tested combos for Greedfall, placing it in the lower-middle tier. The CPU ranks at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

For the best measured experience with this combo in Greedfall, the data clearly points to 1920x1080 with the High preset, yielding 110.7 FPS average. This provides a smooth frame rate while maintaining visual quality that is only marginally below Ultra. The Medium preset at 120.1 FPS offers a slight performance boost with minimal visual degradation, making it a viable alternative for players who prioritize frame rate over fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the recommended preset is High at 76.4 FPS, which balances visual quality and playability. The Medium preset at 83.7 FPS is also acceptable, but the Ultra preset at 47 FPS is not recommended due to the significant frame rate drop. For players with 1440p monitors, sticking to High settings ensures a consistent experience without the stutter that may occur at Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the only viable option is the Low preset at 63 FPS. The Medium preset at 50.4 FPS and High at 43.1 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold, which is generally considered the minimum for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 26.5 FPS is effectively unplayable. Therefore, 4K gaming with this combo requires significant settings compromises, and the data suggests that 1080p or 1440p are the intended resolutions for this hardware pairing.

The overall pattern across all resolutions is that the Ultra preset offers diminishing returns for a substantial performance cost. The measured data shows a consistent 55-58% reduction from Low to Ultra at every resolution, which indicates that the GPU is being pushed to its limits regardless of the resolution chosen. For the best experience per the measured rows, selecting High settings at 1080p or 1440p provides the optimal balance of visual quality and frame rate, while avoiding the steep performance penalty of the Ultra preset.