Greedfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and AMD Radeon RX 580 pairing delivers a playable but constrained experience in Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. Benchmark results indicate that this combo ranks 3371 out of 3703 tested configurations, placing it in the lower percentile of systems. The data shows a system where the GPU is the dominant bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU’s modern architecture provides sufficient headroom for the game’s demands. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, interpreting what the numbers mean for actual gameplay.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename. It operates on the AMD Socket AM5 platform and is manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The base clock is 3.90 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, and it carries a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration, offering a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The processor also features integrated Radeon Graphics, though the discrete RX 580 handles all rendering in these measurements.

Looking at synthetic benchmarks, the 9600X shows strong single-thread performance. Its 3dmark single-thread score is 1253, and its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2183.5. The Geekbench single-core score is 2923, and PassMark single-thread is 4570. These figures indicate that the CPU is capable of handling lightly-threaded workloads efficiently, which is relevant for Greedfall’s game logic and AI calculations. Multi-threaded performance is also solid: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 17528.5, Geekbench multicore hits 14438, and PassMark multithread reaches 30027. The 3dmark max threads score is 7590, which is nearly identical to the 16-thread score of 7585, suggesting that the 12 threads are fully utilized without significant scaling losses beyond that point.

The CPU’s percentile rank among all CPUs is 81, meaning it outperforms 81% of tested processors. Its average benchmark score is 29713. The nearest rivals are closely matched: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE has an average score of 29656, which is 0.2% behind the 9600X. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840H scores 29868, 0.5% ahead. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT scores 29879, 0.6% ahead, and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS scores 29955, 0.8% ahead. These deltas are minor, indicating that the 9600X sits in a competitive performance band. For Greedfall, the CPU’s role is to maintain consistent frame pacing, and given that the measured FPS drops dramatically with higher GPU load, the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. The data suggests that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is less stressed, the CPU can feed frames adequately, as evidenced by the 81 FPS average.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is an older graphics card based on the Polaris 20 chip, using the GCN 4.0 architecture. It is manufactured on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. The GPU has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. Its base clock is 1257 MHz, with a boost clock of 1340 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, running at 2000 MHz with 8 Gbps effective speed, yielding a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The pixel rate is 42.88 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 193.0 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 6.175 TFLOPS, with FP16 also at 6.175 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). The card has a 185 W TDP and requires a 450 W suggested PSU.

The RX 580’s benchmark results show modest performance for modern standards. Its PassMark G3D score is 8813, and its 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1005. In compute tests, Geekbench OpenCL scores 37453, Vulkan scores 45173, and Metal scores 45235. The GPU’s percentile rank is 53, placing it just above the median of all GPUs. The average benchmark score is 12928. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile with a score of 12940 (0.1% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER with 12986 (0.4% ahead), the AMD Radeon 740M with 12870 (0.5% behind), and the AMD FirePro W5100 with 12847 (0.6% behind). These close scores indicate that the RX 580 is in a performance class comparable to entry-level laptop GPUs and older desktop cards.

In Greedfall, the RX 580’s 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for most settings, but the GPU’s raw compute power is the primary constraint. At 1080p Low, the card achieves 81 FPS, but as settings increase, the frame rate falls sharply. The GPU’s 256 GB/s bandwidth and 6.175 TFLOPS are adequate for lower presets but struggle with the game’s higher fidelity features. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting component across all tested resolutions, as the FPS drops are consistent with GPU-bound behavior rather than CPU limitations. The RX 580’s age is evident in its performance, and the benchmark numbers reflect a card that was mid-range at launch (2017) but is now entry-level.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 81 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 56 FPS, a reduction of 25 FPS (about 31% lower). At 4K Low, the average falls to 34 FPS, which is 47 FPS below the 1080p Low result (a 58% drop). This steep decline with resolution indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck, as increasing pixel count directly impacts the RX 580’s fill rate and shading capabilities.

For High settings, the trend continues. At 1080p High, the average is 58 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 40 FPS (a 31% decrease), and at 4K High, it falls to 24 FPS (a 59% decrease from 1080p High). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the GPU’s performance is scaling linearly with the number of pixels, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s clock speeds and core count are sufficient to keep up, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS does not plateau at lower resolutions due to CPU limits.

Medium settings show a similar pattern: 1080p Medium averages 64 FPS, 1440p Medium averages 44 FPS, and 4K Medium averages 26 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 20 FPS (31%), and from 1080p to 4K is 38 FPS (59%). Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 1080p Ultra averaging 37 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 26 FPS, and 4K Ultra at 15 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is nearly unplayable, and the 1440p Ultra is borderline.

The scaling data strongly indicates that the RX 580 is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect similar FPS across resolutions at the same settings, but the FPS drops proportionally with resolution. The 9600X’s high single-thread performance and 12 threads are more than adequate for Greedfall’s engine, which is not particularly CPU-intensive compared to modern titles. The fact that 1080p Low reaches 81 FPS shows that the CPU can push frames well beyond what the GPU can sustain at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 81 FPS, which is smooth for an Action RPG. However, the Medium preset at 64 FPS (with a minimum of 54 and maximum of 73) offers a better visual quality with acceptable performance. The High preset at 58 FPS is also playable, but the drop from Medium to High is only 6 FPS, suggesting that the visual gains might not justify the slightly lower frame rate. The Ultra preset at 37 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel less responsive, so it is not recommended for 1080p unless the user prioritizes visuals over smoothness.

At 1440p, the Low preset averages 56 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The Medium preset at 44 FPS (min 38, max 51) drops below 60 FPS, and the High preset at 40 FPS is similar. The Ultra preset at 26 FPS is not recommended. For a balanced experience at 1440p, the Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, but users may need to accept lower visual fidelity. The Medium preset is a compromise, offering better graphics at a cost of roughly 12 FPS compared to Low.

At 4K, none of the presets are truly playable. The Low preset at 34 FPS is the highest average, but it is below 60 FPS and may exhibit stuttering. Medium at 26 FPS (min 22, max 30) and High at 24 FPS are both too low for a smooth experience. Ultra at 15 FPS is unplayable. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, and users should target 1080p or 1440p with lower presets.

The measured rows indicate that the Medium preset at 1080p provides the best balance between visual quality and performance, with an average of 64 FPS and a minimum of 54 FPS, which ensures a mostly stable experience. For users who prefer higher frame rates, the Low preset at 81 FPS is the smoothest option. The High preset at 58 FPS is a middle ground, but it does not offer a significant improvement over Medium to justify the FPS loss. Overall, the recommendation is to use Medium at 1080p for the best experience, with Low as a fallback for higher frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and the AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 3371 out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the bottom 9% of all configurations tested, which is a poor result. The rank reflects the GPU’s limited performance, as the CPU is relatively strong. To put this in context, the CPU alone sits at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, meaning it is better than 81% of processors. The GPU, however, is at the 53rd percentile, which is just above the median. The combination of a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU results in a system that is severely GPU-limited, dragging the overall rank down.

The combo rank of 3371 out of 3703 means that 332 other tested configurations performed worse. This is a small number, indicating that the RX 580 is a significant drag on performance. In comparison, a system with the same CPU but a more capable GPU would likely rank much higher, as the CPU’s headroom would be better utilized. The data suggests that this combo is not well-balanced for Greedfall, as the GPU cannot keep up with the CPU’s capabilities. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS, would likely produce similar results when paired with the RX 580, as the GPU is the limiting factor. The GPU’s nearest rivals, like the GTX 1660 SUPER, would offer slightly better performance, which could improve the combo rank by a few positions, but the overall ranking would remain low due to the GPU’s age.

The rank is a clear indicator that this combo is not suitable for high-end gaming at Greedfall’s highest settings. It is more appropriate for 1080p gaming at lower presets, as the measured FPS data shows. The combo’s low rank also suggests that users should consider upgrading the GPU first, as the CPU has plenty of headroom. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the bottleneck, so a GPU upgrade would yield significant FPS improvements across all resolutions and settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 81 FPS. The Medium preset averages 64 FPS, with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73. The High preset averages 58 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in settings reduces the average FPS by roughly 6-23 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 44 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 44 FPS, with a minimum of 38 and a maximum of 51. The High preset averages 40 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 26 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is substantial: Low goes from 81 to 56 FPS (a 25 FPS loss), Medium from 64 to 44 FPS (a 20 FPS loss), High from 58 to 40 FPS (an 18 FPS loss), and Ultra from 37 to 26 FPS (an 11 FPS loss). The smaller absolute drop at Ultra suggests that the GPU is already near its limits at 1080p Ultra, so the additional pixel count has less impact.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 34 FPS. The Medium preset averages 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30. The High preset averages 24 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 15 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced: Low goes from 56 to 34 FPS (a 22 FPS loss), Medium from 44 to 26 FPS (an 18 FPS loss), High from 40 to 24 FPS (a 16 FPS loss), and Ultra from 26 to 15 FPS (an 11 FPS loss). At 4K, even the Low preset fails to reach 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset is barely playable at 15 FPS.

The minimum FPS values are only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution: 54 at 1080p, 38 at 1440p, and 22 at 4K. These minimums are 10-16 FPS below the averages, indicating some frame time variance, but not extreme stuttering. The maximum FPS for Medium is 73 at 1080p, 51 at 1440p, and 30 at 4K. The spread between min and max is 19 FPS at 1080p, 13 FPS at 1440p, and 8 FPS at 4K, suggesting that the frame pacing becomes more consistent as the GPU is more heavily loaded, likely because it is consistently maxed out.

In summary, the measured FPS breakdown shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with Low or Medium settings. At 1440p, only Low is playable. At 4K, all settings are below playable thresholds. The data also shows that the GPU is the clear bottleneck, as the FPS scales inversely with resolution and settings in a predictable manner. The CPU’s high performance is wasted in this configuration, as the RX 580 cannot utilize the available headroom. For users with this combo, the optimal experience is 1080p Medium, which offers a balance of 64 FPS average and acceptable visual quality.