Greedfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a strictly entry-level gaming experience in Greedfall, with the GPU acting as the overwhelming performance ceiling. The measured data shows that this combination ranks 2595th out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. While the Ryzen 5 5500 offers ample processing headroom, the Arc B390's integrated graphics solution consistently bottlenecks the system, particularly at higher resolutions where frame rates collapse to unplayable levels.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K reveals an extreme GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 84 FPS, but this falls to 58 FPS at 1440p and 35 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and another 40% reduction from 1440p to 4K. Such dramatic scaling is the signature of a graphics solution that is completely overwhelmed by pixel count, rather than a balanced system.

The pattern intensifies at higher quality presets. With Ultra settings, the drop from 38 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 1440p is a 29% decline, and then to 16 FPS at 4K is another 41% decline. The 4K Ultra result of 16 FPS is effectively a slideshow, demonstrating that this configuration cannot handle high-fidelity rendering at modern resolutions. The Arc B390, with its 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 24 ROPs, simply lacks the raw fill rate and shading power for 4K workloads.

The scaling behavior indicates that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. The Ryzen 5 5500, with 6 cores and 12 threads, is far more capable than what the Arc B390 can utilize. At 1080p Low, the system manages 84 FPS, but the CPU is not the constraint here; the data shows a consistent pattern where reducing resolution at the same setting yields proportional gains, a classic GPU-limited signature. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and single-core score of 2319 suggest it could drive far higher frame rates if paired with a stronger graphics solution.

The transition from Medium to High settings at each resolution shows modest gains, but the jump from High to Ultra is punishing. At 1440p, High produces 42 FPS while Ultra drops to 27 FPS — a 36% penalty for the highest preset. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU that runs out of memory bandwidth or shading units when forced to compute additional effects. The Arc B390's memory being "System Shared" and bandwidth "System Dependent" means it competes with the CPU for memory access, further exacerbating the bottleneck at higher resolutions where memory pressure increases.

Settings Recommendations

For playable frame rates, the data clearly points to Low settings as the only viable option for most resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 84 FPS average provides a smooth experience that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered acceptable. Medium at 1080p yields 66 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 21% performance cost for the visual upgrade. High at 1080p drops to 60 FPS exactly, hitting the minimum acceptable threshold but leaving no headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1440p, Low settings produce 58 FPS, which is marginally below the 60 FPS target but remains playable. Medium at 1440p drops to 46 FPS, which is borderline for action RPGs where combat responsiveness matters. High at 1440p produces 42 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27 FPS — the latter being a poor experience. For 1440p users, Low is the recommended preset, with Medium acceptable only if the user prioritizes visuals over smoothness.

4K is not viable for this combo. The best result at 4K is Low at 35 FPS, which is below playable thresholds for a combat-focused game. Medium at 4K produces 27 FPS, and High drops to 25 FPS. Ultra at 4K is 16 FPS. Given these figures, 4K should be avoided entirely with this configuration; the data suggests that even the lowest settings cannot deliver an acceptable frame rate at this resolution.

The most balanced experience is 1080p Low, offering 84 FPS with the lowest visual quality. For users who can tolerate some stutter, 1080p Medium at 66 FPS provides a better image without falling below 56 FPS in the measured minimum. The Medium preset at 1080p shows a minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 76 FPS, indicating some volatility but generally stable performance. The data does not support using High or Ultra at any resolution if frame rate is the priority, as the performance penalties are severe relative to the visual gains.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Greedfall at 60 FPS?*

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low or Medium settings. The measured data shows 84 FPS at 1080p Low and 66 FPS at 1080p Medium. At 1080p High, the average is exactly 60 FPS, leaving no margin. At 1440p, the best result is 58 FPS at Low, which falls short of 60 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 a bottleneck for the Ryzen 5 5500 in this game?

A: Yes, overwhelmingly. The GPU's nearest rival in benchmark scores is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, and it sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU, in contrast, is in the 73rd percentile with an average benchmark score of 19593. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are severe and consistent across all settings, indicating the GPU cannot keep pace with even the CPU's moderate capabilities.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1080p is the only resolution that provides consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, all settings except Ultra exceed 38 FPS, with Low reaching 84 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (58 FPS) approaches playability, and at 4K, even Low (35 FPS) is below acceptable thresholds for an action RPG.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. It is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% faster than the GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are all extremely low-end parts, confirming the B390's entry-level positioning.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5500 have enough cores and threads for this game?

A: Yes. The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and single-core score of 2319, are far beyond what Greedfall requires. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-12500 (0.4% faster) and Intel Core i7-10700F (0.5% slower), showing it is a competent mid-range processor that is not the limiting factor here.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this setup?

A: No. The highest average frame rate at 4K is 35 FPS on Low settings. Medium yields 27 FPS, High yields 25 FPS, and Ultra yields 16 FPS. All of these are below the 30 FPS minimum typically considered the threshold for playability, and the 16 FPS Ultra result is effectively unresponsive.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 84 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce this to 66 FPS, with a measured minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 76 FPS. High settings produce exactly 60 FPS on average. Ultra settings drop sharply to 38 FPS, representing a 55% reduction from Low. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 46 FPS, demonstrating the GPU's sensitivity to graphical complexity.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. Low settings average 58 FPS, which is a 31% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS. High settings produce 42 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 31 FPS, a smaller absolute spread than at 1080p but a steeper percentage decline, indicating that the GPU is running out of resources at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system is heavily compromised. Low settings average 35 FPS, which is a 58% drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 27 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and maximum of 32 FPS. High settings produce 25 FPS, and Ultra drops to 16 FPS. The 4K results show a compressed range from 16 to 35 FPS, suggesting the GPU is hitting a hard architectural limit rather than scaling gracefully with settings. The 4K Medium result of 27 FPS with a 23 FPS minimum indicates frequent frame drops that would disrupt gameplay.

The measured data includes minimum and maximum values only for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the 56-76 FPS range shows a 20 FPS variance, which is significant but manageable. At 1440p Medium, the 39-53 FPS range shows a 14 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the 23-32 FPS range shows a 9 FPS variance. The tightening variance at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is consistently saturated, leaving less room for fluctuation but also indicating sustained low performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2595th out of 2938 tested combinations, placing it in the 12th percentile of all systems. This low ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's poor performance, as the CPU is comparatively strong. The Arc B390's percentile rank of 9th among all GPUs is exceptionally low, and its average benchmark score of 1482 places it in the company of ancient discrete GPUs. The GPU's nearest rival, the GeForce GT 520MX, is a mobile part from over a decade ago, underscoring how underpowered the B390 is for gaming.

In contrast, the Ryzen 5 5500 ranks in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19593. Its nearest rivals show it is a solid mid-range part: the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 is 0.1% faster, the Intel Core i5-12500 is 0.4% faster, and the Intel Core i7-10700F is 0.5% slower. This CPU is capable of far more than the Arc B390 can deliver, making the combo's low rank a direct consequence of GPU limitations rather than a balanced system deficiency.

The combination's rank of 2595 out of 2938 means that 88% of tested systems outperform it. This is consistent with the GPU's 9th percentile ranking, which suggests that the CPU is not contributing to the poor performance but also cannot compensate for the GPU's weaknesses. The data indicates that users with this combo should expect performance in line with integrated graphics solutions rather than discrete GPUs, and the 1080p Low result of 84 FPS is actually the best case scenario for this pairing.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Cezanne. It operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts to 4.20 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU has 16 MB of L3 cache, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 64 KB of L1 cache per core. These specifications are more than adequate for Greedfall, which is not a CPU-intensive title by modern standards.

Benchmark data confirms the CPU's strength. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and single-core score of 2319 demonstrate strong computational performance. The Geekbench multi-core score of 7976 and single-core score of 1730 are similarly solid. The 3DMark scores show scaling from 836 single-thread to 5411 max-threads, indicating good multi-threading efficiency. The PassMark multi-thread score of 19330 and single-thread score of 3058 further validate the CPU's capability.

The CPU's role in this combo is to feed frames to the GPU, but the Arc B390 cannot accept them fast enough. The measured frame rates do not show CPU bottlenecks at any resolution; instead, they show GPU saturation. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 84 FPS while 4K Low achieves 35 FPS, with the same CPU, proves the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, frame rates would remain similar across resolutions, which is not the case.

The Ryzen 5 5500's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s and dual-channel DDR4 support are sufficient for this workload. The CPU's PCIe Gen 3 interface is also adequate, as the Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory and an IGP bus interface, meaning it does not benefit from higher-bandwidth PCIe connections. The CPU's 7 nm process and 10,700 million transistors indicate a modern, efficient design that runs cool within its 65 W TDP, allowing sustained performance without thermal throttling.

Ultimately, the CPU is a capable mid-range processor that is wasted in this configuration. The data shows that users would need a significantly stronger GPU to unlock the Ryzen 5 5500's potential in Greedfall, but with the Arc B390, the system is firmly limited to 1080p Low/Medium gaming. The combo's low rank is entirely attributable to the GPU, and any upgrade path should focus on replacing the graphics solution rather than the processor.