Greedfall

Greedfall is an Action RPG that scales heavily with both CPU and GPU, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a wide performance envelope depending on your resolution and settings. The data shows a system that can dominate at 1080p, remain exceptionally smooth at 1440p, and still deliver playable frame rates at 4K, though the performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck shifts. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to provide practical guidance for getting the most out of this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The most telling statistic in the dataset is the performance drop as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 318 FPS at 1920x1080 to 220 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 131 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 41% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that at lower resolutions, the system is heavily CPU-limited; the Ryzen 5 5600 cannot feed frames fast enough to keep the RTX 4080 fully occupied. The 220 FPS at 1440p is still exceptionally high, but the fact that it does not scale linearly with the pixel count suggests the processor is holding back the graphics card.

At High settings, the pattern is similar but with a slightly different curve. The average FPS drops from 226 at 1080p to 157 at 1440p, a 31% reduction, and then to 94 at 4K, a 40% reduction. The 1080p to 1440p drop is smaller than at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is starting to take on more of the workload. However, the 4K result of 94 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, showing that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the higher resolution without becoming the sole limiting factor.

Ultra settings paint a different picture entirely. At 1080p, the average FPS is 145, at 1440p it is 100, and at 4K it falls to 60. The 1440p to 4K drop is exactly 40%, which is a clear sign that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck. The RTX 4080 is working hard to push all those pixels with maximum detail, and the CPU has enough headroom to keep up. The 60 FPS average at 4K Ultra is a hard cap for many players, and the data suggests that this is a GPU-bound scenario. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra is a 31% drop, which is consistent with the High preset, but the 4K result shows that the GPU’s limits are being reached.

The takeaway is clear: at 1080p and 1440p, the Ryzen 5 5600 is the limiting component at Low and Medium settings, but the GPU becomes the limit at Ultra. At 4K, the RTX 4080 is always the bottleneck, regardless of settings. This means that players with high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p monitors will see diminishing returns from lowering settings, as the CPU will cap the frame rate anyway.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of presets, and the choice of which to use depends entirely on your target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the Low preset delivers 318 FPS, which is far beyond any consumer display’s refresh rate. However, the jump to Medium only reduces the average to 249 FPS, a 22% drop for a significant visual improvement. High drops it to 226 FPS, and Ultra to 145 FPS. For 1080p, the best experience is the High preset: it offers a massive visual uplift over Low with a 29% reduction in frame rate, but still leaves you with 226 FPS, which is more than enough for any monitor.

At 1440p, the story is similar. Low delivers 220 FPS, Medium 173 FPS, High 157 FPS, and Ultra 100 FPS. The Medium preset is the sweet spot here, providing 173 FPS with a noticeable improvement in visual quality over Low. High is also viable at 157 FPS, but the 9% difference between Medium and High is smaller than the 27% difference between Low and Medium. For 1440p, High is the recommended preset if you have a 144Hz monitor, as it keeps you above the refresh rate ceiling in most scenes. Ultra is the only preset that drops below 144 FPS, so it should be reserved for players who prioritize visual fidelity over raw speed.

At 4K, the choices narrow significantly. Low delivers 131 FPS, Medium 103 FPS, High 94 FPS, and Ultra 60 FPS. The Medium preset provides a good balance, offering 103 FPS with min FPS of 88 and max FPS of 119, which indicates a stable experience. High is also playable at 94 FPS, but the 9% drop from Medium is not worth the visual gain for many players. Ultra is a 60 FPS lock, which is playable but leaves no headroom for dips. For 4K, the Medium preset is the best recommendation, as it keeps the average above 100 FPS while maintaining a solid minimum.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a powerhouse, and its role in Greedfall becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for Greedfall, even at 4K Ultra, where the game’s textures and effects are unlikely to exceed the memory capacity. The clock speeds are also relevant: a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz provide the raw compute throughput needed to maintain high frame rates.

The benchmark scores confirm the GPU’s position. The RTX 4080 has a passmark G3D score of 34457 and an average benchmark score of 54247, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a delta of only 0.1%, meaning the two are effectively identical in performance. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, which is 2.6% higher, but that is within the margin of error for most games.

In Greedfall specifically, the GPU’s role is to carry the load at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rate scales directly with the pixel count. The 60 FPS average at 4K Ultra reflects the GPU’s capability, as many titles would struggle to maintain that level of performance. The 94 FPS at 4K High shows that the GPU has headroom to spare, and players can afford to run High settings without sacrificing smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 318 FPS, Medium 249 FPS with a min of 212 and max of 287, High 226 FPS, and Ultra 145 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium is 212, which is still far above the refresh rate of most monitors, indicating a stable experience. The gap between Low and Ultra is 173 FPS, showing that the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains high but begins to show the GPU’s influence. Low averages 220 FPS, Medium 173 FPS with a min of 147 and max of 199, High 157 FPS, and Ultra 100 FPS. The min FPS at Medium is 147, which is close to the 144Hz refresh rate, suggesting that some dips below the average are possible. The Ultra preset drops to 100 FPS, which is still playable but indicates that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the GPU takes over completely. Low averages 131 FPS, Medium 103 FPS with a min of 88 and max of 119, High 94 FPS, and Ultra 60 FPS. The min FPS at Medium is 88, which is a significant dip from the average and could be noticeable in busy scenes. The Ultra preset locks to 60 FPS, which is a hard cap for this combination. The 94 FPS at High is a good target for 4K, as it provides a high refresh rate experience without the visual compromises of Low.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, 94 FPS at High, and 103 FPS at Medium. For a smooth experience, the Medium preset is recommended, as it offers a minimum FPS of 88, which is above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The frame rates at Low (318 FPS) and Medium (249 FPS) are so high that the Ryzen 5 5600 cannot feed the RTX 4080 fast enough. The gap between Low and Ultra is 173 FPS, which is a CPU-induced cap.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: The High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 157 FPS. This keeps the frame rate above the 144Hz refresh rate in most scenes. The Ultra preset drops to 100 FPS, which would not fully utilize a 144Hz display.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%. This means the two GPUs are effectively identical in performance, with less than 1% difference.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM on the RTX 4080 cause any issues in Greedfall?

A: No. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than sufficient for Greedfall, even at 4K Ultra. The game does not appear to be memory-limited, as the frame rate scales with resolution and settings without any anomalous drops.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1080p Medium and 1440p Medium?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 212, and at 1440p Medium, it is 147. Both are well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating a stable experience with no major dips.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AM4 socket. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark scores show a strong single-thread performance, which is critical for Greedfall’s frame pacing. The Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2584, and the Geekbench single-core score is 1936, both of which are solid for a 2022 release.

The CPU’s role in Greedfall is most evident at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rate does not scale linearly with the GPU’s capabilities, indicating that the CPU is the bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 5600’s 3DMark single-thread score of 882 and 2-thread score of 1737 suggest that it can handle the game’s single-threaded workload, but it caps the frame rate at around 318 FPS on Low settings. This is not a practical limitation for most players, as 318 FPS exceeds any display’s refresh rate, but it does mean that lowering settings below High at 1080p yields no additional benefit.

At 1440p and 4K, the CPU’s influence diminishes. The frame rate drops are more consistent with GPU-bound scaling, and the CPU has enough headroom to keep up with the RTX 4080. The Ryzen 5 5600 has a 74th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20468, placing it just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G. This puts it in a competitive position for a mid-range processor, though it is not a top-tier part.

The CPU’s 65W TDP and 7nm process node are also worth noting, as they allow for efficient operation without generating excessive heat. This makes the Ryzen 5 5600 a capable partner for the RTX 4080, though the GPU’s 320W TDP and triple-slot cooler will require a robust power supply and case airflow. The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache is beneficial for gaming, as it reduces memory latency and improves frame pacing in CPU-bound scenarios.

In summary, the Ryzen 5 5600 is the limiting factor at 1080p, but it is not a hindrance at higher resolutions. The data shows that the CPU can deliver over 200 FPS at 1440p on Low settings, and it does not prevent the system from achieving 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. For players who primarily use 1440p or 4K displays, this CPU is more than adequate. For those chasing maximum frame rates at 1080p, the CPU will cap performance, but the resulting frame rates are so high that this is unlikely to be a practical issue.