Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, shows an unusual performance profile when paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The data indicates a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet reveals surprising CPU limitations at 1080p, creating a distinct scaling pattern that favors 1440p gaming. The measured frame rates place this combo in the 58th percentile of 1705 tested combinations, a rank that reflects its strengths at high resolutions but exposes weaknesses in lower-resolution scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and revealing. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 252.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 172.2 FPS at 2560x1440, a 31.8% reduction, and then further to 103.7 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 58.9% decline from the 1080p baseline. This pattern is consistent across all settings, with the Low preset showing the largest absolute drop from 351.5 FPS at 1080p to 146.5 FPS at 4K, a 58.3% decrease.

The scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p, the system is not purely GPU-limited. The RTX 4090, with its 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth, has ample headroom at this resolution. The relatively modest 58.9% drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings, compared to the more extreme drops seen in purely GPU-bound scenarios, suggests the CPU begins to throttle performance at lower resolutions. The Ryzen 5 8400F, with 6 cores and 12 threads boosting to 4.70 GHz, appears to be the limiting factor at 1080p, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential.

At 4K, the scaling normalizes. The difference between Low (146.5 FPS) and High (103.7 FPS) settings is 42.8 FPS, while at 1080p the same settings gap is 99 FPS. This compression of performance differences at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck at 3840x2160, where the 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 384-bit bus width are fully utilized. The data suggests that 1440p represents the sweet spot for this combination, where the CPU can still feed the GPU adequately while the resolution scaling begins to engage the RTX 4090's full capabilities.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090's specifications explain its behavior across Greedfall's settings. With 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, the GPU has massive parallel throughput. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and base clock of 2235 MHz provide the frequency headroom needed for the high frame rates observed at 1080p Low (351.5 FPS). The 24 GB VRAM capacity is far beyond what Greedfall requires, even at 4K Ultra, meaning memory capacity is never a limiting factor in these measurements.

The GPU's 91st percentile ranking among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66,473, positions it as a top-tier performer. However, its nearest rivals in the benchmark database — the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (score 66,733, delta -0.4%), Tesla P40 (66,127, +0.5%), and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (67,097, -0.9%) — are professional and workstation cards, not direct gaming competitors. This context suggests the RTX 4090's gaming performance is exceptional, but the comparison data does not include other GeForce 40-series cards.

The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (66.3 FPS) shows the GPU working hardest, while 1080p Low (351.5 FPS) represents its most relaxed state. The 5 nm process node and Ada Lovelace architecture with 76,300 million transistors deliver the raw compute needed for these results. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming at 4K does not create stutter, as evidenced by the consistent average FPS figures across all tested settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 58th out of 1705 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the top 3.4% of all configurations. This high rank is primarily driven by the GPU's dominance, as the CPU's own ranking is more modest. The Ryzen 5 8400F sits at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25,064. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (score 25,057, delta 0%), AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (25,099, -0.1%), AMD EPYC 9474F (25,103, -0.2%), and AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24,993, +0.3%).

The combo rank of 58 suggests that while the RTX 4090 is a top-10% GPU, the pairing with a mid-range 6-core CPU prevents the system from achieving the top-50 ranking that the GPU alone might suggest. The data shows that Greedfall benefits from higher core counts in certain scenarios, particularly at 1080p where the CPU bottleneck emerges. The 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth of the 8400F are adequate but not exceptional for feeding a GPU of this caliber.

Comparatively, the system outperforms the vast majority of combinations in the database, but the 1080p results (160.7 FPS at Ultra) reveal that the CPU is holding back what could be a significantly higher frame rate. At 4K, the rank is more justified, as the GPU becomes the primary driver of performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 103.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while Ultra drops to 66.3 FPS. The gap between Medium (112.3 FPS) and High (103.7 FPS) is 8.6 FPS, making High the recommended choice for 4K as it offers a significant visual improvement over Medium with only a modest FPS cost.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. High delivers 172.2 FPS, while Ultra drops to 112 FPS. The 60 FPS difference between these settings suggests that Ultra is viable at 1440p for players prioritizing visual fidelity, but High provides a more balanced experience with headroom for demanding scenes. Medium at 189.6 FPS is excessive for most displays, making High the best balance of quality and performance.

At 1920x1080, the CPU bottleneck becomes apparent. Ultra delivers 160.7 FPS, which is still excellent, but the jump from Medium (277.7 FPS) to High (252.5 FPS) is relatively small. The data shows that at 1080p, even Ultra settings maintain high frame rates, making it the recommended preset for players with high-refresh-rate 1080p displays. The 351.5 FPS at Low is unnecessary for virtually all monitors and indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the settings scale from 351.5 FPS at Low to 277.7 FPS at Medium, 252.5 FPS at High, and 160.7 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 190.8 FPS, showing the full range of GPU load at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the results are 242 FPS at Low, 189.6 FPS at Medium, 172.2 FPS at High, and 112 FPS at Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra is 130 FPS, a narrower range than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is becoming more significant.

At 3840x2160, the values are 146.5 FPS at Low, 112.3 FPS at Medium, 103.7 FPS at High, and 66.3 FPS at Ultra. The range of 80.2 FPS between Low and Ultra is the smallest of the three resolutions, confirming the GPU bottleneck at 4K.

The most notable anomaly is the 1080p Ultra result of 160.7 FPS, which is only 44.7 FPS higher than the 4K High result of 103.7 FPS. This compression at 1080p Ultra suggests the CPU is struggling with the higher draw calls and physics calculations required by the Ultra preset, limiting the GPU's ability to render frames.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, with 6 cores and 12 threads, reaches a boost clock of 4.70 GHz and a base clock of 4.20 GHz. Its Zen 4 architecture on a 4 nm process at TSMC delivers a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20,851 and single-core score of 2,943. These scores place it at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25,064.

The CPU's impact on Greedfall is most evident at 1080p. The 351.5 FPS at Low settings represents the maximum achievable frame rate with this CPU, regardless of GPU capability. The fact that 1080p Ultra (160.7 FPS) is only 55 FPS higher than 4K High (103.7 FPS) — a much smaller difference than expected given the resolution change — indicates the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p Ultra. The 16 MB L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s DDR5 memory bandwidth are adequate for most titles but show limitations in this specific game at high settings and low resolution.

At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes. The difference between 4K Low (146.5 FPS) and 4K Ultra (66.3 FPS) is 80.2 FPS, driven almost entirely by GPU load. The CPU's 3DMark max threads score of 6,165 and 16 threads score of 6,091 suggest it can maintain adequate frame pacing for the GPU at higher resolutions, where the GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS becomes the determining factor.

FAQ

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

A: The 2560x1440 resolution with High settings delivers 172.2 FPS, striking the best balance between the CPU's 1080p limitations and the GPU's 4K capabilities.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 perform relative to other GPUs in the database?

A: The RTX 4090 sits at the 91st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66,473. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, scores 66,733, a 0.4% difference.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 8400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4090?

A: Yes, particularly at 1080p. The data shows only a 58.9% performance drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings, which is less than expected, indicating the CPU limits frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 66.3 FPS, which is playable but close to the 60 FPS threshold. High settings at 4K provide 103.7 FPS for a more comfortable margin.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 58th out of 1705 combinations, placing it in the top 3.4% of systems tested in Greedfall.

Q: What is the CPU's performance compared to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F scores 25,064 on average, nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (25,057) and AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (24,993), showing it performs on par with these alternatives in synthetic benchmarks.