Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG from Spiders, places a notable load on both processor and graphics hardware. In this analysis, the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is examined across a range of resolutions and settings. The data, measured directly from this pairing, reveals a system that is capable of smooth gameplay at mainstream resolutions, but one that shows clear limitations as the resolution climbs to 4K. The measured results show a combination rank of 1776 out of 2938 tested combinations for this game, indicating a mid-pack performance tier. The following sections break down the scaling behavior, component roles, and practical settings for this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking aspect of the measured data is how frame rates scale from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the RTX 5050 and Ryzen 5 7400F achieve an average of 160 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings, that average drops to 111 FPS, and then to 66 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 31% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all settings, demonstrating that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count.

The behavior at High settings is particularly telling. At 1080p High, the system produces 114 FPS. At 1440p High, it falls to 79 FPS, a 31% reduction. At 4K High, the average is just 47 FPS, a 41% drop from 1440p. This consistent percentage-based scaling across settings suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RTX 5050, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, is being increasingly taxed as the pixel workload expands. The data indicates that at 4K, the card is running out of headroom, with the 30 FPS average at Ultra settings being a clear indicator of this strain.

The scaling pattern also implies a shift in the limiting component. At 1080p, the system can push well above 100 FPS at most settings, which suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data. However, the steep decline at 4K points to the GPU becoming the sole constraint. For instance, the jump from 1080p Medium (126 FPS) to 1440p Medium (87 FPS) is a 31% loss, while the jump from 1440p Medium to 4K Medium (52 FPS) is a 40% loss. This accelerating decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the memory bandwidth and shader throughput of the RTX 5050 are insufficient for the massive pixel load of 4K. The data shows that this system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K requiring significant settings compromises to maintain playable frame rates.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. The system achieves an average of 114 FPS at High settings and 126 FPS at Medium settings here, ensuring a fluid experience. At 2560x1440, performance is still respectable, with 79 FPS at High, but 4K performance drops to 47 FPS at High, making it less desirable for smooth play.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 perform at 4K Ultra settings in this game?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 30 FPS. This is a marginal result, likely dipping into the high 20s during demanding scenes. The data suggests that Ultra settings at 4K are not viable for this hardware combination, as the frame rate is at the edge of playability.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 7400F a bottleneck for the RTX 5050 in Greedfall?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at most settings. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 160 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is keeping up. The consistent frame rate drops when moving to higher resolutions point to the GPU as the limiting factor, not the processor.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers an average of 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. The High preset yields a lower average of 79 FPS. This shows a modest performance cost for the visual upgrade from Medium to High.

Q: How many frames per second can be expected at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The maximum measured average in this configuration is 160 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This high frame rate indicates that the system has significant headroom for competitive or fast-paced play, far exceeding the refresh rate of most standard monitors.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM of the RTX 5050 limit performance at 4K?

A: While not directly measured, the performance drop at 3840x2160 suggests that the 8 GB memory pool and the 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are under substantial stress. The 4K High average of 47 FPS and the 4K Ultra average of 30 FPS are both low, indicating that the GPU's memory subsystem is a likely contributor to the reduced performance at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the decisive component in this system's Greedfall performance. Its specifications, including 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, define its raw processing power. The card operates at a base clock of 2317 MHz and boosts to 2572 MHz, providing the computational throughput for the game’s rendering tasks. The 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the theoretical peak for this GPU, and the measured frame rates show how that power translates into real-world performance.

The memory configuration is a critical factor, especially at higher resolutions. The RTX 5050 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In a game like Greedfall, which features dense environments and detailed textures, this bandwidth becomes a limiting factor as resolution increases. The data supports this: at 1080p, the card has enough bandwidth to sustain high frame rates, with a 160 FPS average at Low settings. However, at 4K, the demand for texture data and pixel fill rate outpaces the memory subsystem, leading to the observed 47 FPS average at High settings and a 30 FPS average at Ultra.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21035. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which has a deltaPct of 1.6, meaning the RX 5600 XT is slightly slower. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is also listed, with a deltaPct of -1.6, indicating the RTX 5050 is slightly faster. These comparisons show that the RTX 5050 sits in a specific performance tier, and its Greedfall results are consistent with that positioning. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 17326 further confirms its mid-range standing. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 is another data point that aligns with its measured gaming performance.

The role of the GPU is clear: it is the primary driver of frame rates in Greedfall, particularly at 1440p and 4K. The CPU provides adequate support, but the RTX 5050’s architecture, clock speeds, and memory configuration determine the final output. The 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores are present for ray tracing and DLSS features, but the measured data for this game does not include those workloads. The standard rasterization performance is what the FPS numbers reflect, and they show a GPU that excels at 1080p, handles 1440p well, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system is highly capable. The Low preset produces an average of 160 FPS, which is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset. The Medium preset yields 126 FPS, with a minimum of 107 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS, showing a stable frame time distribution. The High preset averages 114 FPS, a 9.5% drop from Medium. The Ultra preset falls to 73 FPS, which is a significant 36% reduction from High, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional effects are particularly demanding on the GPU.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably. The Low preset averages 111 FPS, which is a 31% decrease from the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset shows an average of 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. This is a 31% drop from the 1080p Medium average. The High preset delivers 79 FPS, a 30% decrease from its 1080p counterpart. The Ultra preset averages 50 FPS, a 31.5% reduction from the 1080p Ultra score. This consistent scaling across presets at 1440p reinforces that the GPU is the limiting factor, with the increased pixel count directly impacting performance.

At 3840x2160, the limitations of the RTX 5050 become pronounced. The Low preset averages 66 FPS, which is a 41% drop from the 1440p Low score. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS, showing some frame time variance. The High preset drops to 47 FPS, a 41% reduction from 1440p High. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of just 30 FPS. This is a 40% drop from the 1440p Ultra result and represents the worst-case scenario for this hardware. The data shows a clear pattern: each step up in resolution at any given setting results in a roughly 30-40% performance loss, with 4K being the most punishing.

The frametime data for Medium settings provides additional insight. At 1080p, the minimum of 107 FPS and maximum of 144 FPS show a spread of 37 FPS. At 1440p, the spread is 26 FPS (74 to 100). At 4K, the spread is 16 FPS (44 to 60). This tightening of the frametime range at higher resolutions suggests that the frame rate is becoming more consistently lower, rather than spiking, which is typical of a GPU that is saturated with work.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal experience for this system depends on the target resolution. For 1080p gaming, the High preset is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 114 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play and provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium. The Ultra preset, at 73 FPS, is also playable and offers the best image quality, but the 36% performance hit from High may not be worth it for the marginal visual gains in a game like Greedfall. For players who prioritize maximum frame rates, the Medium preset at 126 FPS is an excellent option, but High offers a better balance of fidelity and speed.

At 1440p, the High preset is again the sweet spot. The 79 FPS average is sufficient for a responsive experience, and the visual quality is much higher than Medium. The Medium preset at 87 FPS is a viable alternative for those who want a larger frame rate buffer, but the drop in visual fidelity is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 50 FPS is borderline; it may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration, but it will likely feel less fluid during combat. The Low preset at 111 FPS is not recommended, as it sacrifices too much visual quality for a frame rate that is not necessary at this resolution.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset at 66 FPS is the only preset that consistently hits the 60 FPS target. Medium at 52 FPS is playable but may show occasional stutters. High at 47 FPS is marginal, and Ultra at 30 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this hardware requires either the Low preset for a playable frame rate or a willingness to accept sub-60 FPS performance at higher settings. Given that Greedfall is a story-driven RPG, a stable 52 FPS at Medium might be acceptable for some, but for most, the Low preset is the safer choice for consistent performance.

The best experience, based on the data, is 1080p with the High preset. This combination provides a high average frame rate of 114 FPS, which is smooth and responsive, while still delivering a detailed and visually rich version of the game. It avoids the performance pitfalls of Ultra and the visual compromises of Medium, making it the most balanced configuration for this CPU and GPU pairing.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. In Greedfall, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, AI, and scene management, while the GPU handles rendering. The benchmark data suggests that the CPU is more than capable of supporting the RTX 5050 in this game.

The Ryzen 5 7400F’s benchmark results show a strong single-threaded performance, which is crucial for games. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 3072, and its PassMark single-thread score is 3689. These scores are indicative of a processor that can handle the main game thread efficiently. The multi-threaded performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and a PassMark multithread score of 25645. This ensures that background tasks and multi-threaded game processes do not cause bottlenecks.

The CPU’s position in the benchmark database is notable. It sits in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32750. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T with a deltaPct of 0.1, meaning the 7400F is essentially tied with it, and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H with a deltaPct of -0.2, meaning the 7400F is slightly faster. This places the 7400F in a competitive tier, capable of driving modern games without issue.

In the context of Greedfall, the CPU’s performance is sufficient to push frame rates to the limits of the GPU. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 160 FPS, which is a high value that suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions at the same settings. The data shows that frame rates drop significantly when moving to 1440p and 4K, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint. For example, at Low settings, the frame rate drops from 160 FPS at 1080p to 111 FPS at 1440p and then to 66 FPS at 4K. This pattern is entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering workload.

The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 and its 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth provide a solid foundation for game data streaming. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache is also beneficial for gaming workloads, as it reduces the need to access system memory. The processor’s 65 W TDP and 5 nm process node ensure efficient operation, but those are power characteristics, not performance metrics. The measured FPS data in Greedfall shows that the Ryzen 5 7400F provides ample headroom, allowing the RTX 5050 to be the deciding factor in performance. The CPU is not a weak link in this pairing; it is a capable partner that ensures the GPU is the sole determinant of frame rates.