Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

This combination pairs a 6-core/12-thread Zen 3 processor with the flagship Ada Lovelace GPU, producing a system that behaves differently depending on resolution and settings. The measured FPS data shows a setup that can handle Greedfall at high refresh rates across all resolutions, but with important caveats about CPU limitations at lower resolutions and GPU strain at 4K Ultra. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth provide ample headroom for this 2019 Action RPG, while the Ryzen 5 5500's 3.60 GHz base and 4.20 GHz boost clocks determine the ceiling at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions that gradually shifts toward GPU limitation as pixel count rises. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 250 at 1920x1080 to 174 at 2560x1440, then to 104 at 3840x2160. The percentage drops are steep: 1440p costs 30.4% of the 1080p performance, and 4K costs another 40.2% relative to 1440p. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4090 is being held back by the Ryzen 5 5500 at 1080p, where the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads become the limiting factor.

Looking at Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The system achieves 340 FPS at 1080p, but this falls to 243 at 1440p (-28.5%) and then to 145 at 4K (-40.3%). The fact that 1080p Low produces 340 FPS suggests the CPU is near its maximum throughput for this game, as the GPU is nowhere near its capacity at that resolution. The 4K Low figure of 145 FPS is still highly playable, but the massive drop from 1080p Low shows that resolution scaling is not linear — the pixel count increase from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is 4x, yet FPS only drops by roughly 57%, indicating some CPU bottleneck remains even at 4K.

Medium settings provide the only complete data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 276 FPS with a minimum of 234 and maximum of 317. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 191 FPS with a range of 163 to 220. At 4K Medium, the average is 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 and maximum of 131. The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases — from 83 FPS at 1080p to 57 FPS at 1440p to 34 FPS at 4K — which suggests that higher resolutions smooth out frame time variance because the GPU becomes the consistent bottleneck.

Ultra settings tell a different story. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 160, at 1440p Ultra it is 111, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 66. The 4K Ultra result is the only sub-100 FPS figure in the entire dataset, and it represents a 58.8% drop from 1080p Ultra. This is the clearest indication that Greedfall's Ultra preset imposes a significant GPU workload that even the RTX 4090 cannot fully overcome at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p Ultra (-30.6%) is nearly identical to the High preset scaling, but the 1440p to 4K drop (-40.5%) is slightly steeper, suggesting the Ultra preset adds GPU-intensive effects that scale disproportionately with pixel count.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz place it in the mid-range desktop segment, with a 65 W TDP that keeps thermals manageable. The 16 MB L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support provide 51.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is sufficient for most gaming workloads but not exceptional.

Benchmark data shows this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5386 versus the 2-thread score of 1645 highlights the scaling capability of the 6-core design. The Ryzen 5 5500 sits in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19593. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (delta -0.1%), Intel Core i5-12500 (delta -0.4%), Intel Core i7-10700F (delta +0.5%), and Intel Core i5-11600KF (delta -0.7%). These tight deltas suggest the Ryzen 5 5500 performs within a narrow band of its contemporaries.

In Greedfall specifically, the CPU's role becomes evident when comparing FPS across resolutions at the same settings. At High settings, the jump from 1080p (250 FPS) to 1440p (174 FPS) represents a 30.4% drop, which is larger than the pure pixel count increase would suggest for a GPU-bound scenario. This indicates that at 1080p, the Ryzen 5 5500 is likely limiting the RTX 4090's output. The 3DMark single-thread score of 836 and PassMark single-thread score of 3058 provide context — Greedfall appears to have significant single-threaded dependencies, as the game launched in 2019 when 6-core/12-thread CPUs were mainstream but not yet the standard for high-refresh gaming.

The processor's 7 nm manufacturing and 10,700 million transistors on a 180 mm² die show it is a mature design. The lack of integrated graphics means the RTX 4090 handles all display output. The PCIe Gen 3 interface could theoretically bottleneck the RTX 4090's PCIe 4.0 x16 bus, but the measured FPS data does not show anomalies that would indicate severe bandwidth limitations. The cache hierarchy — 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 16 MB shared L3 — provides adequate data locality for this game's world traversal and combat scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in Greedfall?

A: Yes, particularly at 1080p. The data shows 250 FPS at 1080p High versus 174 FPS at 1440p High — a 30.4% drop that is larger than expected if the GPU were fully utilized at 1080p. The 340 FPS at 1080p Low further suggests the CPU is hitting its ceiling, as this is an exceptionally high frame rate that the RTX 4090 could exceed if the processor allowed.

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

A: 1440p offers the best balance. At High settings, 174 FPS average is excellent, and at Ultra, 111 FPS remains smooth. The 4K experience is playable at Medium (114 FPS) and High (104 FPS), but Ultra drops to 66 FPS, which may be too low for high-refresh displays.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM affect Greedfall performance?

A: The 24 GB GDDR6X memory is far more than Greedfall requires, as evidenced by the consistent performance across settings. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures texture streaming is never a bottleneckched. This game from 2019 does not stress the memory capacity or bandwidth of this GPU.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset or lower settings?

A: The Ultra preset costs significantly: 160 FPS at 1080p versus 250 FPS at High (36% drop), and 66 FPS at 4K versus 104 FPS at High (36.5% drop). If your display is 1440p or lower, Ultra is viable, but at 4K the High preset provides a much better experience at 104 FPS.

Q: Is this system overkill for Greedfall?

A: The RTX 4090 is overkill in raw performance terms — even at 4K Ultra it produces 66 FPS, which is playable. The Ryzen 5 5500 is the more balanced component, sitting at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. The combo rank of 172 out of 3703 combinations indicates this is a strong pairing, but the CPU holds back the GPU at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its nearest rivals in overall CPU performance?

A: The average benchmark score of 19593 places it within 0.7% of the Intel Core i5-11600KF, 0.5% of the Intel Core i7-10700F, and 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-12500. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 is essentially identical at -0.1% delta. Performance parity is the theme here.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 340 FPS, Medium reaches 276 FPS (min 234, max 317), High achieves 250 FPS, and Ultra falls to 160 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 52.9% performance penalty for the highest preset. The Medium preset's min-max range of 234-317 FPS indicates some frame time variability, but all values remain well above refresh rate thresholds.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 243 FPS at Low, 191 FPS at Medium (min 163, max 220), 174 FPS at High, and 111 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset's minimum of 163 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The drop from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 28.5% at Low to 36.7% at High, showing that the resolution penalty is relatively consistent across settings.

At 3840x2160, the averages decrease further: 145 FPS at Low, 114 FPS at Medium (min 97, max 131), 104 FPS at High, and 66 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset's minimum of 97 FPS is the only sub-100 figure in the entire dataset outside Ultra settings. The 4K Ultra result of 66 FPS is the clear outlier, representing a 41.4% drop from 4K High. This suggests the Ultra preset at 4K pushes the RTX 4090 beyond its comfortable operating range for this title.

Comparing the three resolutions at High settings: 250 FPS at 1080p, 174 FPS at 1440p, 104 FPS at 4K. The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K is 58.4%. At Ultra settings, the progression is 160 FPS, 111 FPS, and 66 FPS, a cumulative drop of 58.8%. The similarity in these percentages across High and Ultra indicates that the scaling behavior is consistent, with the TAA or post-processing effects in Ultra not disproportionately impacting resolution scaling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die. Its base clock of 2235 MHz boosts to 2520 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for any workload.

The GPU's 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs deliver 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores enable ray tracing and DLSS features, though the measured FPS data does not specify whether these are enabled. The 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate indicate massive rasterization capability. The RTX 4090 sits at the 88th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 60347.

Its nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (delta 0%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (delta +0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (delta -2.5%), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (delta +2.9%). These comparisons show the RTX 4090's score of 60347 is essentially tied with workstation-class GPUs, though the gaming-specific performance is what matters here.

In Greedfall, the GPU's role becomes GPU-bound at 4K Ultra, where the 66 FPS result indicates the RTX 4090 is working near its limit. The fact that 4K High produces 104 FPS — a 57.6% improvement over Ultra — shows that the Ultra preset adds substantial GPU workload. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth prevents any memory bandwidth bottleneck, as evidenced by the smooth performance at 4K Medium (114 FPS average with 97 FPS minimum). The 24 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game's textures and geometry, even at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's 450 W TDP and 850 W suggested PSU rating indicate high power requirements, but the measured performance shows this power is put to good use. The triple-slot design and 1x 16-pin power connector are physical considerations for case compatibility. The display outputs include 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, supporting high refresh rate monitors at various resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, the Medium preset (114 FPS average, 97 FPS minimum) is the safest choice, but High (104 FPS) offers better visuals with only a 8.8% performance penalty. The 4K Ultra preset (66 FPS) should be avoided unless you have a 60 Hz display and prioritize image quality over frame rate. The data clearly shows that 4K Ultra is the only configuration that drops below 100 FPS, making it the least desirable option for smooth gameplay.

At 1440p, the High preset (174 FPS) provides an excellent balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset (111 FPS) is also viable, offering higher quality settings while maintaining triple-digit frame rates. The Medium preset (191 FPS) is the best choice if you have a 240 Hz monitor and want to maximize refresh rate utilization. The Low preset (243 FPS) is unnecessary unless you are chasing maximum competitive advantage in combat scenarios.

For 1080p, the High preset (250 FPS) is the recommended starting point, as it provides strong visuals with frame rates that exceed most high-refresh displays. The Medium preset (276 FPS) offers slightly better performance if your monitor supports 240 Hz or higher. The Ultra preset (160 FPS) is the only setting at this resolution that drops below 200 FPS, and the visual difference versus High may not justify the 36% performance hit. The Low preset (340 FPS) is only relevant for extreme refresh rate displays (360 Hz or higher) or if you experience CPU-bound stuttering.

The overarching recommendation is to use the High preset as your default, regardless of resolution. It provides the most consistent performance across all three resolutions — 250 FPS at 1080p, 174 FPS at 1440p, and 104 FPS at 4K — with no sub-100 FPS results. The Ultra preset should only be used at 1080p or 1440p, where the 160 FPS and 111 FPS averages respectively remain playable. The Medium preset is a fallback if you need extra headroom for recording or streaming, as it provides the only complete min/max data in the measured results, showing stable frame pacing.