Greedfall

# Greedfall with AMD Ryzen 5 9600X + Intel Arc B390

This combination pairs AMD's 6-core Ryzen 5 9600X desktop processor with Intel's Arc B390 integrated graphics in an Action RPG that launched on 2019-09-09. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics solution, with the CPU showing far more headroom than the GPU can exploit. The data indicates this is a playable setup only at 1080p with reduced settings, and the performance profile aligns with the Arc B390's 9th percentile ranking among all tested GPUs.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, which points directly at the GPU as the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 84 at 1920x1080 to 58 at 2560x1440, then down to 35 at 3840x2160. That represents a 31% reduction moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 40% reduction moving from 1440p to 4K. The scaling pattern is not linear; the pixel count increase from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 78%, yet the frame rate drops only 31%, suggesting some headroom exists at lower resolutions that gets consumed as pixel count rises.

At High settings, the same progression shows 60 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 25 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30%, and from 1440p to 4K is 40%. Medium settings follow a similar trajectory: 66 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most punishing, with 38 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and just 16 FPS at 4K. The consistent ~30% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~40% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates that resolution scaling is dominated by the GPU's pixel throughput capabilities rather than any CPU bottleneck.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (84 FPS) and Ultra (38 FPS) is 46 FPS. At 1440p, that gap narrows to 31 FPS (58 vs 27). At 4K, the gap is just 19 FPS (35 vs 16). This compression at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU-bound rendering; when the GPU is already saturated at 4K, lowering settings cannot recover much performance because the fundamental fill rate and shading capacity are exhausted. The fact that even Low settings at 4K cannot reach 60 FPS — averaging only 35 — confirms that this integrated GPU is not designed for 4K gaming in Greedfall.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2595 out of 2938 tested combinations in Greedfall, placing it in the lower 12% of all tested systems. This ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's poor performance profile. The Intel Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals in GPU benchmarks are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% lower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% lower). The Arc B390 outperforms these older discrete mobile and entry-level desktop parts by a small margin, but they are all in the same performance tier — essentially entry-level graphics from a decade ago.

The CPU side tells a different story. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X ranks at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29713. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (29656, 0.2% higher), the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (29868, 0.5% higher), the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (29879, 0.6% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (29955, 0.8% higher). This places the 9600X within 1% of several 8-core alternatives, indicating that its 6-core/12-thread configuration with Zen 5 architecture delivers competitive performance. The massive disparity between the CPU's 81st percentile ranking and the GPU's 9th percentile ranking is the defining characteristic of this combo; the processor is not the constraint in Greedfall.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process node. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The base clock runs at 300 MHz, boosting up to 2500 MHz. Pixel rate is rated at 60.00 GPixel/s, texture rate at 120.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance at 7.680 TFLOPS. Memory is system shared, with bandwidth dependent on the system's DDR5 configuration — the CPU supports dual-channel DDR5 with 89.6 GB/s peak bandwidth. The GPU's TDP is 80 W, and it uses no power connectors, confirming its integrated nature.

In Greedfall, the GPU's performance is the binding constraint. The measured frame rates show that even at 1080p Low, the system only reaches 84 FPS, which is far below what the CPU could drive. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs aligns with the observed performance; this is an entry-level integrated solution that competes with decade-old discrete GPUs like the GeForce GT 710 and GT 520MX. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is the only GPU benchmark available, and it places the Arc B390 in a tier where modern games at high settings are not realistically achievable.

The ray tracing cores (12) and DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) suggest architectural modernity, but the raw throughput numbers — 7.680 TFLOPS FP32, 60 GPixel/s pixel rate — are modest by contemporary standards. Greedfall, being a 2019 Action RPG, does not heavily leverage ray tracing, so the RT cores provide no tangible benefit in this title. The system shared memory architecture means the GPU and CPU compete for the same DDR5 bandwidth, and the 89.6 GB/s system bandwidth is a limiting factor for texture-heavy scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable frame rates at Low, Medium, and High settings. Low averages 84 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 76, and High averages 60 FPS. Ultra drops to 38 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold most players prefer. The jump from Low to Medium costs 18 FPS (84 to 66), and from Medium to High costs another 6 FPS (66 to 60). The step from High to Ultra is the most expensive, costing 22 FPS (60 to 38), indicating that Ultra settings introduce effects that disproportionately tax this GPU.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low averages 58 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 53, and High averages 42 FPS. Ultra falls to 27 FPS. At this resolution, only Low settings maintain an average above 60 FPS, and even that is marginal at 58. Medium and High are playable but not smooth, with averages in the 40s. Ultra is not viable for responsive gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. Low averages 35 FPS, Medium averages 27 FPS with a range of 23 to 32, High averages 25 FPS, and Ultra averages 16 FPS. No setting reaches 60 FPS at 4K; even Low is nearly half of that target. The minimum frame rate recorded across all measurements is 23 FPS (4K Medium), which would result in noticeable stutter during combat or exploration scenes. The data shows that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combo in Greedfall, regardless of settings.

The full dataset includes minimum and maximum values only for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 56 to 76 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 39 to 53 FPS; at 4K Medium, it is 23 to 32 FPS. These ranges indicate moderate frame time variance, with the spread narrowing as resolution increases — another sign that the GPU is saturated at higher pixel counts.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Greedfall at 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only at Low, Medium, or High settings. Low averages 84 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS, and High averages 60 FPS. Ultra settings fall short at 38 FPS average.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system achieves 60 FPS or higher on any setting. At 2560x1440, the best average is 58 FPS (Low settings), and at 3840x2160, the best average is 35 FPS (Low settings).

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710 (1443). It ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Is the CPU holding back performance in Greedfall?

A: No. The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X ranks at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 9th percentile. The frame rate scaling with resolution and settings indicates the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: What settings should be avoided?

A: Ultra settings should be avoided at all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra averages 38 FPS; at 1440p, it averages 27 FPS; at 4K, it averages 16 FPS. These are below playable thresholds.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Greedfall?

A: It ranks 2595 out of 2938 tested combos, placing it in the lower 12% of all tested systems.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that Low settings at 1920x1080 provide the smoothest experience, with an average of 84 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches high refresh rate territory. Medium at 1080p is also viable, averaging 66 FPS with a range of 56 to 76, which maintains frame times above the 50 FPS minimum threshold. High at 1080p averages exactly 60 FPS, which is acceptable for a 60 Hz display but offers no headroom for demanding scenes.

For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, Medium at 1080p is the recommended balance. The step from Low to Medium costs 18 FPS but likely provides meaningful visual improvements in a 2019 Action RPG. The step from Medium to High costs only 6 FPS (66 to 60), so High is also defensible if the display is capped at 60 Hz. Ultra at 1080p costs 22 FPS compared to High (60 to 38), which is too steep a penalty for the visual gain.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 58 FPS, which is close to 60 but not consistently above it. Medium drops to 46 FPS, and High to 42 FPS. For 1440p gaming, Low is the only setting that approaches playability, but the frame rate is marginal. Users should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. At 3840x2160, no setting is recommended; even Low averages only 35 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in an action RPG where combat responsiveness matters.

The overall recommendation is to run Greedfall at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which yields 66 FPS average with a 56 to 76 FPS range. This provides a stable frame rate that stays above 60 FPS most of the time while offering better visual fidelity than Low. If frame rate is the absolute priority, Low at 1080p is the safest choice at 84 FPS average.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 (Granite Ridge) architecture using TSMC's 4 nm process node. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3. It supports DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, and uses the AMD Socket AM5 platform with PCIe Gen 5 (24 lanes from the CPU). The processor was released on 2024-08-07 with a launch MSRP of $279.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 9600X demonstrates strong single-thread and multi-thread performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 17528.5, single-core is 2183.5. Geekbench scores are 14438 multi-core and 2923 single-core. PassMark multi-thread score is 30027, single-thread is 4570. The 3DMark scores show scaling from 2456 (2 threads) to 7590 (max threads), indicating good multi-threading efficiency. The 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die reflect a dense, modern design.

The CPU ranks at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29713. Its nearest rivals are all 8-core parts — the Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (29656), Ryzen 7 7840H (29868), Ryzen 7 5800XT (29879), and Ryzen 7 8845HS (29955) — yet the 9600X matches or nearly matches them despite having only 6 cores. This is attributable to Zen 5's high IPC and the 5.40 GHz boost clock.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role is minimal because the GPU is the bottleneck at all settings and resolutions. The frame rates scale with resolution and settings in a way that is characteristic of GPU-limited rendering. The CPU could likely drive significantly higher frame rates if paired with a more powerful GPU. However, in this combo, the Arc B390's integrated nature and modest throughput cap the system's performance well below what the 9600X can deliver. The 65 W TDP and AM5 platform make this a power-efficient pairing, but the GPU's 80 W TDP and system shared memory mean the total system draw is modest. For Greedfall specifically, the CPU's 12 threads and high single-thread performance are more than sufficient for the game's AI, physics, and world simulation demands; the observed frame rates are purely a function of GPU rendering capacity.