Greedfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing delivers a playable but demanding experience in Greedfall, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows a system that excels at 1080p, remains strong at 1440p, but requires settings adjustments to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, revealing a classic GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 128 FPS at 1920x1080 to 89 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 39 FPS, and then further to 53 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 59% decrease in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a substantial hit that points directly to the RTX 4060's rendering limits rather than any CPU constraint.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced at the Ultra preset. The system manages 82 FPS at 1080p, drops to 57 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to just 34 FPS at 4K. The 48 FPS gap between 1080p and 4K Ultra is the largest of any preset, indicating that the most demanding settings amplify the GPU's workload disproportionately as pixel count increases. This makes sense given the 8 GB VRAM capacity and 128-bit memory bus, which become increasingly stressed at higher resolutions.

Interestingly, the Low preset shows the smallest absolute drop, from 180 FPS at 1080p to 125 FPS at 1440p and 74 FPS at 4K. The 106 FPS difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low is still massive, but the percentage drop (59%) is similar to High. This suggests that even at minimal settings, the resolution scaling is dominated by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, both of which are limited by the RTX 4060's specifications.

The Medium preset provides the only complete data set with min and max FPS values. At 1080p, the range spans 120 to 163 FPS with an average of 141. At 1440p, the range tightens to 83 to 113 FPS with an average of 98. At 4K, the range narrows further to 50 to 67 FPS with an average of 58. The shrinking range at higher resolutions indicates that frame times become more consistent as the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor, eliminating any potential CPU-induced stutters.

The data shows a clear inflection point between 1440p and 4K. At 1440p, all presets except Ultra maintain averages above 89 FPS, which is comfortably smooth. At 4K, only the Low preset exceeds 60 FPS, and even then only marginally at 74 FPS. This indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant visual compromises, while 1440p offers a much more balanced experience.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060's specifications directly explain the observed performance patterns. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 272.0 GB/s bandwidth, the card is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming but faces challenges at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS is particularly telling, as it suggests the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and maxed-out settings in Greedfall.

The GPU's clock speeds provide some context for its performance. The base clock of 1830 MHz and boost clock of 2460 MHz are relatively high for a 115 W TDP card, allowing it to maintain competitive frame rates at lower resolutions. The 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and 236.2 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for 1080p Ultra at 82 FPS, but the 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate becomes a bottleneck at 4K, where the pixel workload quadruples.

The memory configuration is likely the limiting factor at 4K. The 8 GB VRAM capacity may be insufficient for Ultra settings at 3840x2160, potentially causing texture thrashing or reduced draw distances. The 128-bit bus width and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest by modern standards, and the data shows this clearly: the gap between 1440p Ultra (57 FPS) and 4K Ultra (34 FPS) is a 23 FPS drop, whereas the gap between 1080p High (128 FPS) and 1440p High (89 FPS) is 39 FPS. The diminishing returns at higher resolutions suggest memory bandwidth saturation.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in context. With a PassMark G3D score of 19545 and a percentile ranking of 61 against all GPUs, the RTX 4060 sits in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, 0.2% faster) and AMD Radeon 780M (17588, 0.3% slower), which are vastly different architectures but score similarly in synthetic tests. This indicates that the RTX 4060's real-world gaming performance, as shown in the Greedfall results, is stronger than its synthetic scores might suggest, particularly at 1080p.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 further confirms its mid-range positioning. The Ada Lovelace architecture with 3072 shading units and 24 RT cores provides modern feature support, but the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are the clear weak points for 4K gaming. The data shows that at 4K Medium, the system achieves 58 FPS average, which is the best playable result at that resolution, but it requires dropping from Ultra to Medium to gain 24 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1555 out of 2938 tested combinations in Greedfall, placing it in the 47th percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings. This is a mid-pack position that reflects the balanced but not exceptional nature of this hardware pairing. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides solid CPU performance, while the RTX 4060 delivers competent but not top-tier GPU performance.

The CPU's benchmark results help contextualize the combo's ranking. With an average benchmark score of 37018 and a percentile ranking of 85 against all CPUs, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a strong processor. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0.2% slower) and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, 0.2% faster), showing that it sits in a tightly contested performance band. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 20363 and single-thread score of 2941 indicate it is well-matched to the GPU's capabilities, neither bottlenecking nor being underutilized.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 61 against all GPUs is notably lower than the CPU's 85, suggesting that the GPU is the weaker component in this pairing. This asymmetry is reflected in the combo's overall rank of 1555 out of 2938, which is slightly below the median. The data indicates that pairing this CPU with a stronger GPU would likely yield better overall results, as the CPU has headroom to support higher frame rates.

The combo's position in the rankings is consistent with the measured FPS data. At 1080p, the system achieves 180 FPS on Low and 82 FPS on Ultra, which are respectable but not class-leading numbers. The 4K results, particularly the 34 FPS Ultra score, drag down the overall ranking, as many competing combos with more powerful GPUs would handle 4K better. The rank of 1555 out of 2938 puts this combo in the lower half of tested configurations, reflecting its mid-range GPU limitation at high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves 180 FPS average, providing maximum frame rates for competitive or high-refresh-rate play. Medium settings yield 141 FPS average with a range of 120 to 163 FPS, offering a good balance of visual quality and speed. High settings drop to 128 FPS average, still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings produce 82 FPS average, which is playable but shows a significant 46 FPS drop from High, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional effects are taxing.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected resolution penalty. Low settings achieve 125 FPS average, a 55 FPS drop from 1080p. Medium settings average 98 FPS with a range of 83 to 113 FPS, providing smooth gameplay with good visual fidelity. High settings average 89 FPS, which is still comfortable for most displays. Ultra settings drop to 57 FPS average, which is borderline for smooth play, falling just below the 60 FPS target. The 32 FPS gap between Medium and Ultra at 1440p highlights the cost of maxing out settings.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings achieve 74 FPS average, which is playable but below the 1080p Low result by 106 FPS. Medium settings average 58 FPS with a range of 50 to 67 FPS, providing a playable experience with some dips below 60 FPS. High settings drop to 53 FPS average, which is marginal for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings produce just 34 FPS average, which is not recommended for action gameplay. The 40 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K shows the extreme sensitivity to settings at this resolution.

The Medium preset offers the most complete picture with min and max FPS data at all resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum of 120 FPS ensures no noticeable stutters. At 1440p, the minimum of 83 FPS maintains smoothness, though it's closer to the edge. At 4K, the minimum of 50 FPS indicates occasional dips below 60 FPS, which could be noticeable in fast-paced combat. The maximum values of 163, 113, and 67 FPS at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively show the headroom available in less demanding scenes.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the optimal resolution, with High settings achieving 89 FPS average and Medium achieving 98 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 82 FPS, but 1440p offers a better visual experience while maintaining smooth frame rates. At 3840x2160, only Low settings exceed 60 FPS at 74 FPS average.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, High settings average 128 FPS while Ultra drops to 82 FPS, a 46 FPS difference. This indicates the Ultra preset's additional effects cost significant performance. For a 60 Hz display, both are sufficient, but for high-refresh displays, High is the better choice.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Yes, but with significant compromises. At 3840x2160, Low settings achieve 74 FPS average, Medium achieves 58 FPS, High achieves 53 FPS, and Ultra achieves only 34 FPS. Medium settings provide the best playable experience at 4K, with a 50 FPS minimum, though some dips below 60 FPS may occur.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37018, which is 0.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and 0.2% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093). It also outperforms the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938) by 0.2% and trails the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112) by 0.3%.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks in the 61st percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its PassMark G3D score is 19545, and it scores 2302 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. This places it in the mid-range tier, well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 1555 out of 2938 tested CPU-GPU combinations in Greedfall, placing it in the lower half of tested configurations. The CPU's high percentile ranking (85) contrasts with the GPU's lower ranking (61), indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium achieves 141 FPS average with a tight range of 120 to 163 FPS, providing smooth gameplay with good visual fidelity. At 1440p, Medium averages 98 FPS with a range of 83 to 113 FPS, which is ideal for most monitors. At 4K, Medium is the only preset besides Low that maintains a playable average above 55 FPS, hitting 58 FPS with a 50 FPS minimum.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset is the clear choice. At 1080p, it achieves 180 FPS average, and at 1440p, it hits 125 FPS. Even at 4K, Low delivers 74 FPS average, making it the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS at that resolution. However, the visual quality drop from Medium to Low is noticeable, and the data shows that Medium provides a 39 FPS improvement over Low at 1080p (from 141 to 180), suggesting that Low's minimal settings are not necessary for smooth play at lower resolutions.

The High preset is a reasonable middle ground for 1080p and 1440p users. At 1080p, it achieves 128 FPS average, and at 1440p, it hits 89 FPS. However, the 13 FPS difference between High and Medium at 1080p (128 vs 141) and the 9 FPS difference at 1440p (89 vs 98) suggest that High's visual improvements come at a measurable cost. At 4K, High's 53 FPS average is below the 60 FPS target, making Medium the better choice for that resolution.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution based on the data. At 1080p, it achieves 82 FPS, which is playable but 46 FPS below High. At 1440p, it drops to 57 FPS, which is borderline. At 4K, it falls to 34 FPS, which is not suitable for action gameplay. The performance cost of Ultra is substantial, and the data shows that Medium or High provides a much better experience with only a modest reduction in visual effects.

In summary, Medium settings at 1440p provide the best overall experience, with 98 FPS average and strong visual quality. For 4K users, Medium is the only viable option besides Low, with 58 FPS average. For 1080p users, Medium at 141 FPS offers the best balance, while Low at 180 FPS is available for those with high-refresh displays. The data consistently shows that Medium is the sweet spot for this hardware combination in Greedfall.