Greedfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers a playable but demanding experience in Greedfall, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The measured data shows a steep drop-off as pixel count increases, moving from a comfortable 1080p experience to a struggling 4K one.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-limited scenario. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 99 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 68 FPS, a reduction of 31 FPS (roughly 31%). The jump to 3840x2160 further reduces the average to 41 FPS, another 27 FPS decline (about 40% from 1440p). This consistent halving of performance as resolution increases points squarely at the RTX 2060's rendering capacity being exhausted.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The 1080p Ultra average of 63 FPS falls to 44 FPS at 1440p (a 19 FPS drop) and then collapses to 26 FPS at 4K (an 18 FPS drop from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 26 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating the GPU's 6 GB frame buffer and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the highest fidelity at that resolution.

Low settings tell a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 138 FPS, which drops to 96 FPS at 1440p and 57 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low figure of 57 FPS is actually higher than the 4K High result of 41 FPS, showing that lowering settings can recover performance more effectively than reducing resolution alone. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 31 FPS (57 vs 26), demonstrating the massive cost of the Ultra preset's additional effects.

The data indicates the scaling penalty from 1080p to 4K is roughly 70% at High settings (99 to 41 FPS) and 59% at Low settings (138 to 57 FPS). This disproportionate drop at higher settings suggests the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become increasingly strained as both resolution and quality increase. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, does not appear to be the limiting factor here, as the frame rate degradation follows a pattern consistent with GPU-bound rendering.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 109 FPS average with a minimum of 92 FPS and maximum of 125 FPS. This is the sweet spot for smooth gameplay, as it stays well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining visual quality. The High preset at 99 FPS is also viable, but the 10 FPS gap to Medium may not justify the visual gains for competitive play. Ultra at 63 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, Medium produces 75 FPS average (64 min, 87 max), which is the recommended choice for a balanced experience. High at 68 FPS is acceptable but approaches the lower bound of what most players would consider smooth. Ultra at 44 FPS is too low for comfortable gameplay, and Low at 96 FPS sacrifices too much visual fidelity for the resolution.

For 3840x2160, only Low settings (57 FPS) approach playability. Medium at 45 FPS is marginal, while High at 41 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS are unsuitable for anything but screenshots. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant compromises, and even then, the experience is not ideal. The minimum frame rates recorded for Medium at 4K (38 FPS) and 1440p (64 FPS) indicate occasional dips that could cause noticeable stutter in action-heavy scenes.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p Medium, which combines a 109 FPS average with a 92 FPS floor. This preset offers the highest minimum frame rate among all tested configurations while maintaining reasonable visual quality. For players prioritizing frame rate over fidelity, 1080p Low at 138 FPS is the optimal choice.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060's specifications help explain its performance ceiling in Greedfall. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, the card achieves 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz and boosts to 1680 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These figures place the card in the 58th percentile of all GPUs based on its average benchmark score of 15290.

The VRAM capacity appears to be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the 26 FPS average suggests the card is struggling to manage textures and geometry within its 6 GB frame buffer. The 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs provide enough compute for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results indicate the memory subsystem is overwhelmed. The card's FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS and texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s are adequate for mid-range gaming but insufficient for high-resolution, high-fidelity workloads.

The nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores highlight the RTX 2060's position. It sits within 0.8% of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (15171 vs 15290) and 0.6% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199 vs 15290). The AMD Radeon 680M integrated solution is nearly identical at 15270, a 0.1% difference. These close margins suggest the RTX 2060 is competitive with modern mid-range options, though its end-of-life production status and 160 W TDP remain relevant considerations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings range shows the combo's capability. Low settings produce 138 FPS average, Medium 109 FPS (92 min, 125 max), High 99 FPS, and Ultra 63 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 75 FPS, demonstrating the significant cost of the highest preset. The Medium preset's 92 FPS minimum is the highest floor among all 1080p configurations, making it the most consistent option.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 96 FPS Low, 75 FPS Medium (64 min, 87 max), 68 FPS High, and 44 FPS Ultra. The drop from High to Ultra is 24 FPS, the largest single-settings jump at this resolution. The Medium preset's 64 FPS minimum is still above the 60 FPS threshold, but High's lack of a recorded minimum suggests potential dips below that level.

At 3840x2160, the results are 57 FPS Low, 45 FPS Medium (38 min, 52 max), 41 FPS High, and 26 FPS Ultra. The Medium preset's 38 FPS minimum is the lowest recorded value in the entire dataset, indicating severe frame time spikes. The 26 FPS Ultra average is the worst result across all resolutions and settings, confirming that 4K Ultra is not viable with this hardware.

Comparing the same settings across resolutions, the 1080p to 1440p penalty ranges from 30% at Low (138 to 96) to 30% at Medium (109 to 75), 31% at High (99 to 68), and 30% at Ultra (63 to 44). The 1440p to 4K penalty is steeper: 41% at Low (96 to 57), 40% at Medium (75 to 45), 40% at High (68 to 41), and 41% at Ultra (44 to 26). This consistent ~30% and ~40% scaling indicates a linear relationship between pixel count and performance, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + RTX 2060 combination ranks 2932 out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the bottom 21% of all configurations. This rank reflects the pairing's mid-range GPU with a budget CPU, resulting in performance that is adequate for 1080p but falls short at higher resolutions. The rank of 2932 suggests that most tested combinations deliver better frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs or more balanced CPU-GPU pairings.

The CPU's benchmark performance provides context for its contribution. The Ryzen 5 5500 scores 16429 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2319 in single-core, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (19617 avg, -0.1% delta) and Intel Core i5-12500 (19668 avg, -0.4% delta), showing the 5500 is competitive with modern mid-range processors. However, the GPU's 58th percentile ranking pulls the combo down, as the RTX 2060 is outclassed by newer options.

The 3703 total combos indicate a large test pool, and the 2932 rank means this pairing is below the median. For Greedfall specifically, the data shows that the combo struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 1440p with High settings (68 FPS) and cannot achieve playable frame rates at 4K with Medium or higher presets. The rank reflects this limitation, as most other tested combinations likely offer better GPU performance.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 5500's 6 cores and 12 threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture (Cezanne codename), provide sufficient processing power for Greedfall. The CPU runs at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts to 4.20 GHz, with 16 MB of L3 cache. Its single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 at 2319, is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in most scenarios.

The CPU's 3DMark scores show scaling from 836 (single-thread) to 5411 (max threads), indicating good multi-threading capability. The PassMark multi-thread score of 19330 and single-thread score of 3058 further confirm balanced performance. In Greedfall, the frame rate patterns across resolutions suggest the CPU is not the limiting factor, as performance scales predictably with pixel count rather than showing CPU-related stutters or inconsistent frame times.

The lack of a recorded minimum FPS for most settings (except Medium) makes it difficult to assess CPU-induced frame drops. However, the Medium presets at 1080p (92 min) and 1440p (64 min) show reasonable consistency, suggesting the CPU can maintain frame pacing. The 4K Medium minimum of 38 FPS is more likely GPU-related, as the 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are stretched at that resolution.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and AM4 socket compatibility make it a power-efficient option that pairs well with the RTX 2060's 160 W TDP. The combined system would require a 450 W PSU per the GPU's suggested specification, which is modest for a gaming rig. The CPU's 7 nm process node and 10,700 million transistors contribute to its efficiency, though the GPU's 12 nm process and 10,800 million transistors are less efficient by comparison.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings achieve playable frame rates. At 1080p, even Ultra produces 63 FPS average, while at 1440p, only Low and Medium exceed 60 FPS, and at 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 99 at 1080p to 41 at 4K, a 58 FPS reduction (about 59%). At Low settings, the drop is from 138 to 57 FPS, a 81 FPS reduction (about 59%). The percentage loss is consistent across settings.

Q: Which settings preset offers the highest minimum FPS?

A: The 1080p Medium preset has the highest recorded minimum at 92 FPS, followed by 1440p Medium at 64 FPS. The 4K Medium preset has the lowest minimum at 38 FPS, indicating significant frame drops at that resolution.

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

A: The performance scaling across resolutions indicates a GPU bottleneck. Frame rates drop proportionally with pixel count (about 30% from 1080p to 1440p, and 40% from 1440p to 4K), which is consistent with GPU-bound rendering. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking and strong multi-thread scores support this conclusion.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2932 out of 3703 tested combinations in Greedfall, placing it in the bottom 21% of all systems. This is below the median, reflecting the GPU's 58th percentile ranking and its limitations at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the maximum playable configuration at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 75 FPS average with a 64 FPS minimum, which is the highest settings that maintains a comfortable frame rate. High at 68 FPS is close, but the lack of a recorded minimum for High leaves uncertainty about potential dips.