Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents a demanding workload for the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B390 combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics processor, particularly at higher resolutions, while the CPU demonstrates sufficient headroom to support playable frame rates at 1080p. This analysis examines the performance metrics, scaling behavior, and component roles based on the provided benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the GPU becoming the primary performance limiter. At 1080p High settings, the combo achieves an average of 60 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 42 FPS, a 30% reduction. Pushing further to 2160p High, the average falls to 25 FPS, which is a 40% decrease from the 1440p figure and a 58% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the Intel Arc B390's rendering capabilities are quickly saturated as pixel count increases.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. For Medium settings, the averages are 66 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 2160p. Low settings show 84 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 35 FPS at 2160p. The scaling from 1440p to 2160p is particularly punishing, with roughly a 40% performance loss in each case. This suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth, listed as "System Dependent," and its 24 ROPs are insufficient to handle the pixel throughput required at 4K, regardless of the graphical preset chosen.

The data implies that at 1080p, the system is more balanced, with the Ryzen 5 5600X able to feed the GPU adequately. However, the gap widens dramatically at higher resolutions. The 27 FPS average at 1440p Medium and 25 FPS at 2160p High are both below the generally accepted 30 FPS threshold for playable frame rates, indicating that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this configuration. The limiting component is unambiguously the Intel Arc B390, as its benchmark data (with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482) places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, a very low position that explains its struggle with higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Greedfall, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and Intel Arc B390 ranks at 2595 out of 2938 combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested, a ranking that reflects its performance limitations in this specific title. The low percentile ranking of the GPU (9th percentile vs. all GPUs) is the dominant factor dragging down the overall combo position, as the CPU's percentile rank of 75 is comparatively strong.

The combination's rank suggests that while the CPU is capable, the GPU's performance is a significant bottleneck. The measured frame rates, which top out at 84 FPS only at 1080p Low, indicate that this system is not designed for high-refresh-rate or high-fidelity gaming in Greedfall. The data shows a system that struggles to maintain smooth performance even at medium settings in 1440p, with the 4K results being largely unplayable.

This ranking is consistent with the GPU's nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. The Arc B390 is only 1.3% faster than the GT 520MX in the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark. These are entry-level or legacy graphics solutions, and their performance class is reflected in the overall combo rank for this game. The CPU, in contrast, is in a different performance tier, with its nearest rivals being the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H and the Intel Core i7-11700, both of which have average scores within 0.6% of the 5600X.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal experience for this configuration is at 1920x1080 resolution. The only presets that achieve an average of 60 FPS or higher at this resolution are Low (84 FPS) and High (60 FPS). Medium comes close with 66 FPS. At 1440p, the best average is 58 FPS on Low settings, which is playable but not ideal. The 1080p High preset offers a good balance, providing a solid 60 FPS average.

For a smoother experience with more headroom, the 1080p Medium preset is a reasonable choice, delivering 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS. This ensures that frame pacing remains consistent. The 1080p High preset, while averaging 60 FPS, does not have a recorded minimum FPS, so its consistency is unknown. The 1080p Low preset, at 84 FPS, offers the most performance but at a visual cost.

At 1440p, the Medium preset (46 FPS) and High preset (42 FPS) are too close in performance to justify the visual upgrade of High over Medium, as both are below 60 FPS. The only way to approach a 60 FPS experience at 1440p is to use Low settings, which yields an average of 58 FPS. The 4K resolution is not recommended, as all presets fail to reach 30 FPS, with Ultra providing a measly 16 FPS average. The data strongly suggests that users should stick to 1080p with High or Medium settings for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 84 FPS, Medium produces 66 FPS (with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 76), High produces 60 FPS, and Ultra produces 38 FPS. This shows a clear and consistent scaling, with a 46 FPS difference between the lowest and highest presets.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. Low settings yield 58 FPS, Medium yields 46 FPS (with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53), High yields 42 FPS, and Ultra yields 27 FPS. The scaling here is steeper, with a 31 FPS difference between Low and Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at the High setting, where performance falls from 60 FPS to 42 FPS, a 30% reduction.

At 3840x2160, performance is severely limited. Low settings average 35 FPS, Medium averages 27 FPS (with a minimum of 23 and maximum of 32), High averages 25 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 19 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly low, and the data suggests that even the Low preset cannot provide a consistently smooth experience, as its average of 35 FPS is below 40.

The data also shows that the minimum FPS figures are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. This indicates that the benchmark's variance tracking was limited, but the provided numbers (56 min at 1080p, 39 min at 1440p, and 23 min at 2160p) show that frame dips occur, making the experience feel less stable than the average suggests.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the clear performance bottleneck in this configuration. Its specifications, including a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, are those of an integrated graphics processor (IGP). It features 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and only 24 ROPs, which is a low number for handling the pixel fill rate required at high resolutions. Its pixel rate is listed as 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate as 120.0 GTexel/s.

The GPU's memory is "System Shared," with a bandwidth that is "System Dependent." This means it relies on the system's main memory (DDR4 in this case), which is a significant disadvantage compared to dedicated VRAM. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 1482 places the Arc B390 in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its entry-level status. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% faster), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1.5% faster), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (2.5% faster).

This data explains the performance collapse at higher resolutions. With a shared memory architecture and limited ROPs, the GPU cannot efficiently manage the bandwidth and pixel shading demands of 1440p and 4K. The 25 FPS average at 2160p High is a direct consequence of these hardware limitations. The GPU's low FPS results at 4K (16 FPS on Ultra) highlight that it is not a viable solution for high-resolution gaming, as it is fundamentally outclassed by dedicated discrete GPUs in this scenario. The TDP of 80 W and its "IGP" slot width further underscore its position as a mobile or integrated solution, not a high-performance desktop part.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K resolution?

A: No, the data indicates it cannot. At 3840x2160, the best average FPS is 35 on Low settings, with Medium at 27 FPS, High at 25 FPS, and Ultra at 16 FPS. All of these are below the 30 FPS threshold generally considered playable.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves an average of 60 FPS, and the Medium preset achieves 66 FPS. The Low preset is the only one to exceed 60 FPS at other resolutions, with 58 FPS at 1440p.

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

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark, it is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M, and 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM. Its overall GPU percentile rank is 9, indicating it is in the bottom 9% of all GPUs.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X a limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests it is not the primary limiter. The CPU has a 75th percentile rank and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, have nearly identical average benchmark scores. The sharp FPS drops at higher resolutions point to the GPU as the bottleneck.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 1440p on High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 60. At 1440p High, the average FPS drops to 42. This is a 30% reduction in performance when moving to a higher resolution.

Q: Does the system have a dedicated VRAM pool?

A: No, the Intel Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, with a type and bus width listed as "System Shared." Its memory bandwidth is "System Dependent," meaning it relies on the system's main DDR4 memory rather than a dedicated high-speed VRAM pool.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (codenamed Vermeer). It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 32 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s) provide a solid foundation for gaming. The CPU's benchmarks are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11838 and a single-core score of 1541, along with a Geekbench multi-core score of 9173.

The CPU's performance is far superior to the GPU's, as evidenced by its 75th percentile rank versus the GPU's 9th percentile. Its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H and Intel Core i7-11700, all have average benchmark scores within 0.6% of the 5600X, confirming its strong competitive position. However, in Greedfall, this CPU power is largely left untapped. The frame rates are so low at 1440p and 4K that the CPU is not being stressed to its full potential; the GPU is unable to render frames fast enough to create a CPU bottleneck.

The data implies the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's logic and draw calls. At 1080p Low, where the GPU is less burdened, the system reaches 84 FPS, which is likely closer to the CPU's limit in this scenario. Yet even this is a modest result for a processor of this class. The lack of a CPU bottleneck is also supported by the fact that the FPS drops are consistent across all settings presets at a given resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers regardless of the graphical settings. Instead, we see a 46 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p, which clearly points to the GPU's rendering speed as the key variable.

The Ryzen 5 5600X, with its 65W TDP and 7nm process node, is a modern and efficient processor. However, its performance in this pairing is wasted, as it is held back by the Intel Arc B390. The CPU is ready to deliver far higher frame rates than the GPU can provide, especially at higher resolutions. This analysis confirms that for Greedfall, the CPU is a non-factor in the overall performance, with the GPU's limitations defining the entire experience.