Greedfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and Intel Arc B580 pairing delivers a playable but highly variable experience in Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. The data reveals a system that is clearly capable of high frame rates at mainstream resolutions, yet struggles to maintain smooth performance at the highest settings and pixel counts. This analysis examines how the measured FPS shifts across resolutions and settings, what that implies about the workload, and where this specific combination stands among the thousands of tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic and predictable decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 105 FPS at 1080p to 73 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 32 FPS, and then further to 43 FPS at 4K, a total loss of 62 FPS from the baseline. This steep curve indicates that the rendering workload scales heavily with pixel count, which is typical for a GPU-bound title at these settings. The fact that the 1080p High result is 105 FPS, while the 4K High result is 43 FPS, suggests the Intel Arc B580's compute and memory subsystems are being pushed to their limits as resolution climbs.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced when looking at the Low settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 147 FPS, but at 1440p Low it falls to 102 FPS, and at 4K Low it drops to 61 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is from 147 to 61 FPS, a 58.5% reduction. This massive decrease at the lowest settings points directly to the GPU being the limiting component; if the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain more constant across resolutions since the CPU workload would not change. The fact that even Low settings lose so much performance at 4K confirms that the GPU is saturated by the pixel throughput, not the CPU.

Comparing the Medium settings data reinforces this. At 1080p Medium, the average is 115 FPS, with a min of 98 and max of 133. At 1440p Medium, the average falls to 80 FPS (min 68, max 92). At 4K Medium, the average is just 48 FPS (min 41, max 55). The frame time variance also appears to increase at 4K, as the gap between min and max FPS is 14 FPS at 4K, compared to 11 FPS at 1440p and 35 FPS at 1080p. This suggests that not only does performance drop, but it also becomes less stable at higher resolutions, likely due to inconsistent GPU workload spikes.

The data implies that for this combo, 1080p is the sweet spot for high refresh rate gaming, with 1440p being viable for 60+ FPS on lower settings, while 4K is only playable on Low settings. The Ultra preset is punishing at every resolution, with 4K Ultra delivering a mere 28 FPS, which is below playable thresholds. This scaling behavior is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario where the Arc B580's 12 GB of VRAM and its bandwidth are the primary factors determining output.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580, with its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, provides a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is a critical resource for a game like Greedfall, which features dense environments and detailed textures. The benchmark results show that the GPU's performance is strongly tied to this memory subsystem. At 4K Ultra, the system only achieves 28 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire dataset. This suggests that the combination of high resolution and Ultra settings creates a demand for texture data that likely exceeds what the memory system can efficiently supply, leading to severe frame rate drops.

The GPU's clock speeds are a constant 2670 MHz for both base and boost, which is a modest clock for a modern graphics card. The FP32 compute rating is 13.67 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s. These specifications, while not top-tier, are adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The measured results confirm this: the GPU can push 147 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating it has enough raw throughput for lighter loads. However, the 4K results show that the GPU's fill rate and shading power are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at that resolution, regardless of the settings.

The GPU's role as the primary bottleneck is further highlighted by the scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K. The difference between 4K Low (61 FPS) and 4K High (43 FPS) is 18 FPS, and between 4K High and 4K Ultra (28 FPS) is another 15 FPS. This steep penalty for each settings tier indicates that the GPU is struggling with the increased shader complexity and texture filtering, not the CPU. The Arc B580 has 2560 shading units and 160 TMUs, which are tasked with all the pixel and texture work. The data shows that these units are overwhelmed at 4K, particularly with the Ultra preset.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and Intel Arc B580 holds a combo rank of 2787 out of 3703 total combos. This places it in the lower 25th percentile of all tested systems, which is a surprising result given the individual components' scores. The CPU itself has a percentile rank of 73, meaning it outperforms 73% of all tested CPUs, and the GPU has a percentile of 68. Yet, when combined, the system ranks in the bottom quarter for Greedfall.

This discrepancy suggests that while each component is individually strong, their combination might be suboptimal for this specific game. The data does not provide a direct comparison to other combos, but the low rank implies that many other systems, possibly with more balanced pairings, achieve higher frame rates. For example, a CPU with a higher single-thread score might feed the GPU more effectively, or a GPU with a higher bandwidth might handle the game's memory demands better. The combo rank is a stark reminder that individual component performance does not always translate to combined performance.

The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the Intel Core i5-12500, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with a delta of -0.4%. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, has a delta of 0.6%. This indicates that these components are in a tight performance bracket, but the combo rank suggests that Greedfall may be sensitive to specific architectural features that this pairing lacks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance, with a full matrix of resolutions and settings. Starting with 1920x1080, the results are strong across the board. At Low settings, the system averages 147 FPS, which is excellent for esports-style play or high refresh rate monitors. Medium settings drop to 115 FPS (min 98, max 133), still very smooth. High settings bring the average down to 105 FPS, and Ultra settings cut it to 67 FPS. The 1080p data shows a clear progression, with each higher preset costing roughly 10-40 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance is still respectable but shows the GPU's strain. Low settings average 102 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. Medium settings drop to 80 FPS (min 68, max 92), and High settings to 73 FPS. Ultra settings take a significant hit, landing at 46 FPS. At 1440p, the Ultra preset is no longer ideal for a consistent 60 FPS experience, and users would need to compromise with High or Medium settings.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly out of its depth for high settings. Low settings average 61 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that provides a consistently playable experience. Medium settings drop to 48 FPS (min 41, max 55), which is borderline. High settings average 43 FPS, and Ultra settings plummet to 28 FPS. The 4K data indicates that the system is not suitable for high-fidelity 4K gaming in Greedfall, and users should stick to 1080p or 1440p for the best experience.

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. It has a 16 MB L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. In Greedfall, the CPU's role is to process game logic, AI, and physics, while also feeding the GPU with draw calls. The benchmark results suggest that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, but it may still limit performance at 1080p.

At 1080p Low, the system achieves 147 FPS, which is a high frame rate. The CPU's multi-threaded performance, as indicated by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429, suggests it has the capability to handle the game's threading. However, the single-thread score of 2319 in Cinebench R23 might be a limiting factor. Greedfall, like many Action RPGs, may have a significant single-threaded component. The fact that the FPS does not scale perfectly with resolution at Low settings (147 at 1080p, 102 at 1440p) implies that the CPU is still being utilized heavily at 1080p.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s could also be a factor. With a modern GPU like the Arc B580, which has its own 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the CPU's memory subsystem is much slower. This disparity can cause performance hiccups if the CPU needs to shuttle data to the GPU. The data shows that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-limited, as the GPU has headroom to go faster. This is evidenced by the fact that the FPS at 1080p Low (147) is not dramatically higher than at 1080p Medium (115), suggesting that the CPU is holding back the GPU from reaching higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Greedfall with this combo?

A: The data suggests 1920x1080 is the best resolution, as it offers the highest average frame rates across all settings, ranging from 147 FPS at Low to 67 FPS at Ultra.

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K smoothly?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 61 FPS. At Medium and above, the average frame rate falls below 48 FPS, which is not considered smooth for most players.

Q: How does the Ultra preset affect performance?

A: The Ultra preset is very demanding. At 1080p, it drops the average frame rate to 67 FPS, at 1440p to 46 FPS, and at 4K to 28 FPS, making it only playable at 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU appears to be a limiting factor, as the frame rates are high but the GPU has headroom. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, as performance drops significantly with resolution.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 28 FPS, which was measured at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset.

Q: How does the frame rate vary between Medium and High settings?

A: The difference is modest. At 1080p, there is a 10 FPS drop from Medium (115 FPS) to High (105 FPS). At 1440p, the drop is 7 FPS (80 to 73 FPS), and at 4K, the drop is 5 FPS (48 to 43 FPS).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the ideal settings depend on the user's target resolution and desired frame rate. For players with a 1080p monitor, the High preset offers an excellent balance, with an average of 105 FPS. This provides a smooth and visually rich experience without the heavy performance cost of Ultra. For those seeking maximum smoothness on a high refresh rate monitor, the Low preset at 147 FPS is the best choice, though it sacrifices visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 115 FPS is a good middle ground for 1080p.

For 1440p users, the High preset at 73 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it stays above the 60 FPS threshold for most of the time. The Medium preset at 80 FPS is also viable and offers a slight performance boost, but the visual difference may be noticeable. The Low preset at 102 FPS is excellent for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 46 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the smoothness threshold and may cause noticeable stuttering.

At 4K, the options are limited. The Low preset at 61 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently playable experience. The Medium preset at 48 FPS is borderline and may be acceptable for some players, but the High and Ultra presets at 43 FPS and 28 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience. In summary, 1080p High or Medium and 1440p High or Medium are the best configurations for this combo, with 4K Low being the only viable option at that resolution.