Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG, presents an interesting test for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination. The measured data shows a pairing that is capable of delivering smooth gameplay at lower resolutions but which begins to strain under the demands of 4K and maximum settings. This analysis examines the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, the role of each component, and how this combination ranks against other tested configurations in the database.

FAQ

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

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. At this resolution, the combo achieves an average FPS of 119 on High settings, 131 on Medium, and 167 on Low. Even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains a playable 76 FPS average. While 2560x1440 is also viable, with an 83 FPS average on High settings, the 4K results show a significant performance drop, with High settings averaging 49 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High settings across different resolutions?

A: The performance cost of Ultra is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 119 on High to 76 on Ultra, a 36% decrease. At 2560x1440, the drop is from 83 to 53, a 36% decrease as well. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset yields a 31 FPS average, which is 18 FPS lower than the High preset's 49 FPS average and is below the threshold for smooth, consistent play.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among all tested hardware combinations for Greedfall?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination is ranked 1672 out of 2938 tested combos. This places it in the middle of the performance distribution, indicating it is a solid mid-range performer for this title, capable of handling most settings at 1080p but not competing with top-tier hardware.

Q: Does the CPU benchmark performance align with its in-game results?

A: The CPU's synthetic benchmark scores are respectable. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 16429, and its single-core score is 2319. In Greedfall, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads appear to be sufficient, as the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor at 1080p, where the system achieves high FPS, but its performance is a part of the overall mid-range package.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and High presets at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers an average FPS of 69, which is significantly higher than the High preset's 49 FPS. This 20 FPS difference demonstrates that lowering graphics settings can reclaim substantial performance when the GPU is under heavy load. However, even the Low preset at 4K does not reach the 83 FPS average seen at 1440p with High settings.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark percentile compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 has a percentile rank of 59 versus all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, has an average benchmark score that is 0.7% higher. Another rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7700, has a score that is 1% higher. This places the RX 9060 in the same performance class as these cards, with very small performance deltas between them.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the central figure in determining Greedfall's performance, especially at higher resolutions. Its memory configuration includes 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. This memory capacity is a key factor, as Greedfall's demands can increase at 4K, and the 8 GB pool is sufficient for most settings but may be a constraint at Ultra. The GPU's clocks are significant: a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. These clock speeds allow the GPU to process the game's rendering tasks effectively.

The data from the measured FPS clearly shows the GPU's influence. At 1920x1080, the GPU is able to push frame rates high, with an average of 119 FPS on High settings and 167 FPS on Low. This indicates that at 1080p, the RX 9060 has ample headroom and is not fully saturated. As the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain respectable, with an 83 FPS average on High settings. However, the progression to 3840x2160 reveals the GPU's limitations. At 4K, the High preset only manages a 49 FPS average, and the Ultra preset drops to a 31 FPS average. This substantial drop-off suggests that the GPU's compute power and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at this resolution.

The GPU's architecture, RDNA 4.0, and its 1792 shading units are responsible for its processing capabilities. With a texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s, the GPU has the raw throughput to handle Greedfall's graphics. However, the 128-bit memory bus, while paired with fast GDDR6, may limit performance in memory-intensive scenarios at 4K. The benchmark scores for the GPU, such as a Passmark G3D score of 17631 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322, provide a synthetic measure of its capabilities. The nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and AMD Radeon RX 7700, have average benchmark scores that are within 1% of the RX 9060, confirming its position in the mid-range segment.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear guide for the optimal settings to use with this hardware combination. For players targeting the highest frame rates, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers an exceptional average of 167 FPS. However, for a balanced experience that maintains high visual quality without sacrificing smoothness, the High preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended choice, offering an average of 119 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth gameplay experience. The Medium preset at 1080p also performs well, with a 131 FPS average and a minimum FPS of 112, ensuring consistent performance.

Moving up to 2560x1440, the High preset is again the best option for a quality experience, with an average of 83 FPS. This is still playable and offers a good balance between visual fidelity and performance. The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 91 FPS, but the High preset's improved visuals are worth the 8 FPS average reduction. For 4K gaming, the situation is more challenging. The High preset at 3840x2160 produces a 49 FPS average, which is below the ideal for fast-paced action. The Low preset at 4K, with a 69 FPS average, is the only 4K option that approaches a smooth experience. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it yields 76 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and a stutter-prone 31 FPS at 4K.

The data suggests a clear hierarchy: for the best experience, use High settings at 1080p. If a higher resolution is desired, High at 1440p is a viable alternative. For 4K, lowering to Low settings is necessary to achieve playable frame rates. The Ultra preset, while visually impressive, imposes a performance penalty that this mid-range combination cannot consistently overcome. The 8 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for High settings at all resolutions, but the GPU's compute power is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination holds a rank of 1672 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This rank places it in the 57th percentile of all combinations, indicating that it outperforms a slight majority of tested systems but is also outclassed by a significant portion of higher-end hardware. This is a mid-table result, consistent with the mid-range nature of both components.

The rank can be understood by examining the individual component performance. The CPU, AMD Ryzen 5 5500, has a percentile rank of 73 versus all CPUs, suggesting it is a solid performer in synthetic benchmarks. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, which has a 0.1% lower average benchmark score, and the Intel Core i5-12500, which is 0.4% lower. This indicates the CPU is competitive with other mid-range options. The GPU, AMD Radeon RX 9060, has a lower percentile rank of 59 versus all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti and AMD Radeon RX 7700, have average scores that are 0.7% and 1% higher, respectively. The GPU's lower percentile rank than the CPU suggests that the GPU is the more limiting component in this pairing for Greedfall.

The combination's rank of 1672 means there are 1266 other tested combinations that perform worse. This is not a bottom-tier result, but it also does not place the system in the upper echelon. The data implies that for Greedfall, this combo is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but will struggle at 4K, which aligns with the measured FPS. The rank is a holistic measure that accounts for the combined performance of the CPU and GPU, and this combination's mid-pack position is a reflection of its balanced but not exceptional capabilities. The deltaPct values for the GPU's rivals, such as the 2.1% higher score for the AMD Radeon Pro W5500, show that the RX 9060 is tightly clustered with its peers, meaning small performance differences separate it from other cards in its class.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its 16 MB of L3 cache and support for DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus provide a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. In Greedfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic, physics, and AI. The benchmark results for the CPU, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319, indicate a capable processor for gaming.

The measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck for this combination in Greedfall. At 1920x1080, the system achieves high frame rates, with 119 FPS on High settings and 167 FPS on Low. These high numbers imply that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at this resolution. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates to plateau regardless of resolution or settings. Instead, the data shows a clear drop in FPS as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the limiting factor. For example, at 4K High, the FPS drops to 49, while at 1080p High, it is 119. This 70 FPS difference is primarily due to the increased pixel count and rendering workload on the GPU, not the CPU.

The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for Greedfall's threading model. Its 3DMark scores, such as 5386 for 16 threads and 836 for single-thread, show a balanced performance profile. The Passmark multithread score of 19330 and single-thread score of 3058 further confirm its capability. The CPU's nearest rivals, like the Intel Core i7-10700F with a 0.5% higher average score, perform similarly, indicating that the Ryzen 5 5500 is well-matched for this game. The data implies that the CPU provides a stable foundation, and any performance issues at higher resolutions are attributable to the GPU's limits. The CPU's low TDP of 65 W also means it does not present a thermal challenge, allowing sustained performance. The 4.20 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded performance is adequate for the game's main logic thread.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are strong across the board. The Low preset delivers an average FPS of 167, which is the highest measured in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 131 FPS, with a minimum of 112 and a maximum of 151, showing consistent performance. The High preset averages 119 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 76 FPS. This progression shows that each settings tier imposes a significant but manageable performance cost at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low preset averages 116 FPS, a 30.5% decrease from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 91 FPS, with a min of 77 and max of 105. The High preset averages 83 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 53 FPS. The drop from 1080p High to 1440p High is from 119 to 83 FPS, a 30.3% reduction, which is consistent with the increased pixel count of 1.78 times. The Ultra preset at 1440p, at 53 FPS, is below the 60 FPS threshold but still playable for some.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. The Low preset averages 69 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that achieves a frame rate above 60. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS, with a min of 46 and max of 62, indicating some frame pacing issues. The High preset averages 49 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 31 FPS. The difference between 1440p High and 4K High is from 83 to 49 FPS, a 41% reduction. The Ultra preset's 31 FPS average is below the threshold for enjoyable gameplay and suggests that this setting is not viable at 4K. The data also shows that the gap between Low and High settings widens at 4K. At 1080p, the difference is 48 FPS (167 vs 119), at 1440p it is 33 FPS (116 vs 83), and at 4K it is 20 FPS (69 vs 49). This narrowing gap indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that the visual quality settings have a smaller absolute impact on frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals the scaling behavior of this hardware combination in Greedfall. When moving from 1080p to 1440p, the pixel count increases by 78%. The measured FPS on High settings drops from 119 to 83, a 30.3% decrease. On Low settings, the drop is from 167 to 116, a 30.5% decrease. This near-linear scaling with pixel count suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at these resolutions. The frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in rendering workload, which is expected when the GPU is fully utilized.

The transition from 1440p to 4K involves a 2.25 times increase in pixel count. The High preset FPS drops from 83 to 49, a 41% decrease. This is a less-than-proportional drop, which indicates that the GPU is becoming more constrained by other factors, such as memory bandwidth. The 8 GB of VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth may be insufficient to feed the GPU's cores efficiently at 4K, leading to stalls and reduced frame rates. The Low preset drops from 116 to 69 FPS, a 40.5% decrease. The Medium preset shows a similar trend, dropping from 91 to 54, a 40.7% decrease.

The scaling data implies that the limiting component changes as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound in some scenarios, as the GPU has enough headroom to produce high frame rates. However, the fact that FPS scales nearly perfectly with pixel count from 1080p to 1440p suggests the GPU is still the main constraint. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, and the system's performance is dictated by the RX 9060's raw compute power and memory subsystem. The 31 FPS average at 4K Ultra is a stark illustration of this, as the GPU simply cannot handle the combined load of 4K resolution and maximum settings. The data suggests that for this combo, 1080p and 1440p are the sweet spots, with 4K requiring significant settings reductions to be playable. The scaling is not perfectly linear, which points to the GPU's architecture and memory bandwidth playing a crucial role in determining performance at higher resolutions.