Greedfall

Greedfall on the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Intel Arc B390 presents a stark picture of a system where the graphics processor is the overwhelming constraint. The measured data reveals a massive gap between the CPU’s robust processing capabilities and the GPU’s modest output, making this pairing one of the most lopsided combinations in the benchmark database. The performance profile across resolutions and settings consistently points to the Intel Arc B390 as the component determining playability, while the Ryzen 5 5500X3D operates with considerable headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly exposes the limiting component. At 1080p with High settings, the system delivers an average of 60 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average falls to 42 FPS, a 30% reduction. At 2160p High, the average plummets to 25 FPS, which is 58% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline is a textbook symptom of a GPU-bound scenario; the pixel throughput requirement at 4K is simply too much for the Arc B390’s capabilities.

The scaling pattern across all settings reinforces this conclusion. With Low settings, the system goes from 84 FPS at 1080p to 58 FPS at 1440p (a 31% drop) and then to 35 FPS at 4K (a 58% drop from 1080p). The consistency of this ~30% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and ~58% reduction from 1080p to 4K, regardless of the graphics preset, is telling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the percentage decline would be less severe at higher resolutions, as the CPU work per frame remains relatively constant while GPU work increases.

Instead, the data shows that the Arc B390’s rendering pipeline is saturated at even 1080p. The jump from 1080p to 1440p increases the pixel count by 78%, yet the FPS only drops by roughly 30%, indicating that the GPU is not purely pixel-bound but is also limited by other factors like shader complexity and memory bandwidth. At 4K, the pixel count quadruples from 1080p, and the FPS nearly halves, suggesting the GPU is hitting a hard architectural wall, likely related to its 24 ROPs and limited texture rate. The measured results imply that this combo is only viable for 1080p gaming, with any attempt at higher resolutions resulting in a sub-30 FPS experience on most presets.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its performance percentile of 9 versus all GPUs places it in the bottom tier, and its nearest rivals in the database are legacy mobile and OEM parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710, with delta percentages of 1.3% and 2.7% respectively. This context is crucial: the Arc B390 is not competing with discrete graphics cards; it is competing with the most basic display adapters.

The GPU’s specifications support this modest performance standing. It features 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. Its boost clock is listed at 2500 MHz, with a base clock of 300 MHz. The texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s and the pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s. In Greedfall, these specs translate directly to the measured FPS. The 24 ROPs are a severe limitation for 4K rendering, as the pixel fill rate is insufficient to handle the 8.3 million pixels at 3840x2160, explaining the 25 FPS average on High.

Furthermore, the memory configuration is a critical weakness. The Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory with a type of "System Shared" and bandwidth that is "System Dependent". This means the GPU relies on the system’s DDR4 RAM, which is shared with the CPU. The memory bus width is also "System Shared", which in practice means a narrow and slow pathway for graphics data. This is a major bottleneck, as Greedfall’s open-world environments require constant texture streaming, and the shared memory interface cannot provide data fast enough, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 reflects this overall lack of graphics horsepower, a score that is only 1.3% higher than the GT 520MX.

CPU Role

In stark contrast to the GPU, the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a highly capable desktop processor. It is a 6-core, 12-thread part based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) on a 7 nm process, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. Its 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a significant asset for gaming, providing fast access to frequently used data. The CPU’s Passmark multithread score is 20363, and its single-thread score is 2941. This places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong performance.

Its nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, Intel Core Ultra 5 225, and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, with average scores of 36945, 36938, and 37093 respectively. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D’s average benchmark score of 37018 sits comfortably within this group, with delta percentages of only 0.2% to -0.3%. This shows that the CPU is more than sufficient for modern gaming workloads, including an Action RPG like Greedfall, which relies on physics and AI calculations. The Passmark physics score of 2282 and the floating-point math score of 34511 further underscore its capacity for complex game logic.

However, in this specific combo, the CPU is effectively idle. The benchmark results show that the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution and setting. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 84 FPS, which is the highest recorded. The CPU is certainly capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls and game state updates at this rate. But when the resolution increases, the FPS drops, not because the CPU cannot process the game logic, but because the Arc B390 cannot render the frames fast enough. The CPU’s potential is never fully utilized; its headroom is vast. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a discrete GPU would yield dramatically higher frame rates, as the CPU would not be the constraining factor in almost any scenario. The CPU is a powerhouse, but it is being held back by a component that is an order of magnitude weaker.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined system ranks 2595 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems in the database, a poor showing that is directly attributable to the Intel Arc B390. The CPU’s high percentile (85th) is completely overshadowed by the GPU’s low percentile (9th). This massive disparity is the defining characteristic of this pairing.

The rank of 2595 means that the vast majority of other CPU-GPU combinations, even those with older or weaker CPUs, will outperform this system in Greedfall. For context, the GPU’s nearest rivals are the GT 520MX and GT 710, which are ancient parts. This combo is effectively performing at the level of a system from over a decade ago, despite having a modern, powerful CPU. The data implies that the combo’s rank is almost entirely a function of the GPU. If one were to swap in a discrete GPU that scores even in the 50th percentile, the combo’s rank would skyrocket, as the CPU would allow the new GPU to perform to its full potential.

The measured FPS data corroborates this low ranking. At 1080p Ultra, the system only manages 38 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target that most gamers consider smooth. At 1440p, the best case is 58 FPS on Low, but the playable presets (Medium and High) fall to 46 and 42 FPS respectively. At 4K, the system is unplayable on all presets, with the highest average being 35 FPS on Low. These results are consistent with a system that is ranked in the bottom 12%, as they show an inability to maintain playable frame rates at common resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the only viable way to play Greedfall with this hardware is at 1920x1080 resolution. At this resolution, the system can achieve a 60 FPS average on High settings, which is the baseline for a playable experience. The data shows that the 1080p High preset (60 FPS) is the sweet spot, offering a balance between visual fidelity and performance. The 1080p Medium preset achieves 66 FPS, which is slightly higher, but the jump to High provides a noticeable visual improvement in an Action RPG that is worth the minor FPS cost.

For players seeking maximum smoothness, the 1080p Low preset delivers an 84 FPS average, which is significantly higher and would be preferable for fast-paced combat. However, the visual downgrade to Low is substantial. The Ultra preset at 1080p is not recommended, as it drops the average to 38 FPS, which is below the playable threshold and will result in stuttering and a poor experience.

At 1440p, the situation is grim. The Low preset at 58 FPS is the only option that approaches a playable frame rate, but it is still below 60. The Medium preset at 46 FPS and High at 42 FPS are not recommended for a game that requires responsiveness. 4K is not a viable option for this combo, as all presets result in average frame rates below 35 FPS, making the game feel sluggish and unresponsive.

Therefore, the clear recommendation is to play at 1080p with the High preset. This gives the best experience per the measured rows, providing a stable 60 FPS average that is both smooth and visually acceptable. If a higher frame rate is desired, the Low preset is the fallback, but the visual compromise is steep. The data is clear: this is a 1080p-only system for Greedfall.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured FPS data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and Intel Arc B390 combination in Greedfall.

• 1920x1080 (1080p)
• Ultra: Average FPS: 38
• High: Average FPS: 60
• Medium: Average FPS: 66 (min: 56, max: 76)
• Low: Average FPS: 84

• 2560x1440 (1440p)
• Ultra: Average FPS: 27
• High: Average FPS: 42
• Medium: Average FPS: 46 (min: 39, max: 53)
• Low: Average FPS: 58

• 3840x2160 (4K)
• Ultra: Average FPS: 16
• High: Average FPS: 25
• Medium: Average FPS: 27 (min: 23, max: 32)
• Low: Average FPS: 35

The data shows a linear progression: as resolution increases, frame rates drop consistently across all settings. The only preset that comes close to a playable 60 FPS at 1440p is Low with 58 FPS, but it falls short. At 4K, even the Low preset cannot break 35 FPS. The medium preset at 1440p and 4K shows the only min/max data, with a range of 39 to 53 FPS at 1440p and 23 to 32 FPS at 4K, indicating significant frame time variance that would be noticeable as stutter. The 1080p Medium preset shows a range of 56 to 76 FPS, which is the most stable of the playable options.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution that provides playable frame rates. At 1080p, the system achieves 60 FPS on High settings, while at 1440p, the best average is 58 FPS on Low, and at 4K, the highest average is 35 FPS on Low.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D or the Intel Arc B390 the bottleneck in this system?

A: Benchmark results indicate the Intel Arc B390 is the overwhelming bottleneck. The GPU’s performance percentile is 9, while the CPU’s is 85. The FPS drops dramatically with increasing resolution, which is a characteristic of a GPU-limited system, not a CPU-limited one.

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

A: The Arc B390’s average benchmark score of 1482 is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. This indicates that its performance is in the same class as these very old, low-end graphics parts.

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K with any settings?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 16 on Ultra to 35 on Low. None of these results are close to a playable 60 FPS, and even 30 FPS is only achieved on the Low preset.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Greedfall?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 84, which occurs at 1080p with the Low settings preset. The highest average FPS at a visually acceptable setting is 60, achieved at 1080p with the High preset.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37018. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, scores 37093, a delta of -0.2%, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36945, a delta of 0.2%. This shows the CPU is competitively matched with its peers.