Greedfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM4 platform with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. For a game like Greedfall, an Action RPG, the CPU's role is to manage game logic, AI routines, and the overall simulation layer that frames the GPU's rendering work. The measured data for this combo shows a clear pattern: the CPU is not the primary constraint at higher settings. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 145 FPS, while at 4K Ultra, it produces 60 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, which indicates the rendering load is shifting heavily onto the GPU as resolution rises. Conversely, the CPU's multi-threaded capability, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429, is sufficient to keep feeding frames even at the lower-resolution, high-FPS scenarios where CPU overhead is most likely to surface. The 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are standard for this class, and the data suggests they do not bottleneck the RTX 4080 in this title, as the 1080p High preset still achieves 226 FPS.

The processor's single-thread performance, shown by a Geekbench single-core score of 1730 and a Cinebench R20 single-core score of 973, is a more relevant metric for older or less optimized game engines that rely on fewer threads. Greedfall, released in 2019, may not perfectly scale across all 12 threads, but the 12-thread capability ensures that background tasks and game logic have dedicated resources. The percentile ranking of 73 for the CPU against all tested CPUs places it in an upper-mid tier, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, is only 0.1% behind in average benchmark score, while the Intel Core i5-12500 is 0.4% ahead. This indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500 is a competent, balanced processor that will not hold back a high-end GPU in most gaming scenarios, which is confirmed by the high frame rates observed at 1080p and 1440p in the measured data.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 in Greedfall at 1080p?

A: The data shows the opposite. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 318 FPS, and at 1080p High, it still achieves 226 FPS. These are exceptionally high frame rates that would be impossible if the CPU were severely limiting the GPU's output. The CPU's 12 threads and 4.20 GHz boost clock provide enough processing power to keep up with the GPU's rapid frame generation at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the most demanding setting for this combo in Greedfall?

A: The Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing 145 FPS at 1080p, 100 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. This represents a significant performance cost compared to the High preset, which yields 226 FPS at 1080p and 157 FPS at 1440p. The jump from High to Ultra appears to introduce effects that heavily tax the GPU, as the CPU is unlikely to be the cause of such a large frame rate drop at a given resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM factor into performance?

A: The RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Greedfall, being a 2019 title, does not appear to be VRAM-limited at any of the tested settings, as the average FPS scales predictably with resolution changes. The memory capacity is more than sufficient for this game, meaning the frame rate differences across presets are driven by compute and shader load rather than memory capacity constraints.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of performance and visual quality?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p High is a strong candidate, delivering 157 FPS. This is a high refresh rate experience that is 33% faster than the 4K High result of 94 FPS, while still offering a higher resolution than 1080p. For those with a 144Hz monitor, 1440p High fits perfectly, while 4K High is more suited to a 60Hz or 120Hz display.

Q: Is the combo's performance consistent across all settings at a given resolution?

A: The data shows consistent scaling. At 1440p, the average FPS progresses from 220 (Low), to 173 (Medium), to 157 (High), and finally to 100 (Ultra). This linear progression indicates a predictable workload increase with each preset level, with no anomalous dips or spikes that would suggest driver issues or thermal throttling.

Q: How does the combo's ranking compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo is ranked 254 out of 3703 tested combinations. This puts it in the top 7% of all systems in the database for this game, which is an exceptionally strong result. The high ranking confirms the balance between the Ryzen 5 5500's processing power and the RTX 4080's raw graphics capability.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the High preset is the recommended starting point. At 1080p, High delivers 226 FPS, which far exceeds the refresh rate of nearly all monitors. At 1440p, High yields 157 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays (144Hz or 165Hz). The data shows that the step from High to Ultra is expensive: at 1440p, it drops from 157 FPS to 100 FPS, a 36% performance loss. This suggests that Ultra settings introduce features like higher-quality shadows or ambient occlusion that are visually subtle but computationally heavy. For a smoother experience at 4K, the Medium preset, which averages 103 FPS, is a better choice than High (94 FPS) or Ultra (60 FPS), as it maintains a framerate above the 60 FPS threshold while providing a visual fidelity upgrade over Low.

The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play or extreme frame rate chasing, as it produces 318 FPS at 1080p and 220 FPS at 1440p. These numbers are far beyond what is necessary for a single-player Action RPG, and the visual compromises are likely to be noticeable. The Medium preset at 1440p (173 FPS) is a good alternative for those who want a high framerate with a moderate visual boost. Ultimately, the choice depends on the display's refresh rate and resolution, but the data strongly favors the High preset for its balanced performance across all three resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 254 out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall. This placement places it within the top 6.9% of all systems tested, indicating a high level of overall performance. The RTX 4080's individual percentile rank is 86, meaning it outperforms 86% of all GPUs in the database. The CPU's percentile rank is 73, showing it is a solid mid-to-high tier processor. The discrepancy between the GPU's higher percentile and the CPU's lower percentile suggests that the CPU is the weaker link in this pairing, but the ranking shows it is not a significant hindrance. The combo outperforms many systems with more powerful CPUs but weaker GPUs, highlighting that the RTX 4080 is the primary driver of the excellent frame rates.

Compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 4080 SUPER is 0.1% faster in average benchmark score, a negligible difference. In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% slower, and the AMD Radeon 8060S is 2.7% slower. These deltas are small, but they confirm that the RTX 4080 is at the peak of its class. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, is 0.1% slower, while the Intel Core i7-10700F is 0.5% faster. These minor differences in synthetic benchmarks do not translate to meaningful gaming performance gaps, as the measured FPS data shows the combo is capable of delivering extremely high frame rates that are well beyond the needs of most displays.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend when scaling from 1080p to 4K. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 226 at 1080p, to 157 at 1440p, and finally to 94 at 4K. This represents a 30% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40% drop from 1440p to 4K. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The CPU's workload in Greedfall is relatively constant regardless of resolution, as the game logic and draw calls do not significantly increase with pixel count. However, the GPU's workload increases dramatically as it must render more pixels, leading to a substantial frame rate decline.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. For example, at the Ultra preset, the FPS drops from 145 at 1080p to 100 at 1440p, and then to 60 at 4K. The 4K result is exactly half of the 1080p result, which indicates a strict pixel-count relationship. This behavior is typical of a GPU that is saturated by the rendering load. The RTX 4080 has 9728 shading units and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, but even this powerful GPU is eventually limited by the sheer number of pixels at 4K. The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game, as the frame rates at 1080p are so high that any CPU bottleneck would likely manifest as inconsistent frame times or a plateau in FPS, neither of which is observed in the average FPS data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers extremely high frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 318 FPS, the Medium preset averages 249 FPS with a minimum of 212 FPS and a maximum of 287 FPS, the High preset averages 226 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 145 FPS. These numbers indicate that the system is heavily GPU-bound at this resolution, as the CPU has ample headroom to process the game's logic. The 1080p results are suitable for the fastest 240Hz or 360Hz esports monitors, even at High settings.

Moving to 1440p, the performance remains excellent. Low averages 220 FPS, Medium averages 173 FPS (min 147, max 199), High averages 157 FPS, and Ultra averages 100 FPS. The 1440p High result is a sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming, offering a 45% performance increase over 4K High. The Ultra preset at 1440p, while demanding, still maintains a 100 FPS average, which is perfectly playable on a 100Hz or 120Hz display.

At 4K, the rendering load becomes the dominant factor. Low averages 131 FPS, Medium averages 103 FPS (min 88, max 119), High averages 94 FPS, and Ultra averages 60 FPS. The 4K High result is very close to the 4K Medium result, suggesting that the High preset offers a substantial visual upgrade for a relatively small performance cost. The 4K Ultra result of 60 FPS is exactly at the threshold for standard 60Hz displays, making it viable for those who prioritize maximum visuals over frame rate. The data shows that 4K is where the RTX 4080's limitations are finally exposed, but even so, it maintains playable frame rates at all presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end GPU based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and the AD103 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It is equipped with 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. Its base clock is 2205 MHz, with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory operates on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. These specifications place it in the top tier of graphics cards, as reflected by its 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

In Greedfall, the GPU's role is to render the game's environments, characters, and effects. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is fully saturated, producing 60 FPS. The GPU's 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores do not appear to be heavily utilized in this game, as Greedfall does not feature prominent ray tracing effects. Instead, the raw rasterization power of the 9728 shading units is what drives the frame rates. The GPU's performance is consistent with its nearest rivals, being 0.1% slower than the RTX 4080 SUPER but 2.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. The data confirms that the RTX 4080 is a powerful GPU capable of delivering high frame rates even at 4K, but the frame rate scaling across resolutions clearly shows that it is the component that limits performance when the resolution is increased.