Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG from 2019, responds decisively to the hardware driving it. With the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, the data shows a combo that dominates the game's benchmark charts, ranking first out of 2938 tested combinations. This pairing delivers frame rates that span from exceptionally smooth at 4K to extraordinarily high at 1080p, and the measured results reveal a clear hierarchy of settings and resolutions for players to consider.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this specific combo provides a clear path for optimizing the Greedfall experience. At 3840x2160, the High preset yields an average of 113 FPS, which is already well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate displays. However, the Medium preset at the same resolution produces an average of 125 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS, suggesting that the step down from High to Medium provides a tangible performance buffer for maintaining frame times during intense combat sequences. The Ultra preset at 4K, by contrast, drops the average to 72 FPS, which, while playable, sacrifices the headroom that the hardware is clearly capable of providing.

For players prioritizing a flawless experience, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 appears to be the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 209 FPS with a minimum of 178 FPS and a maximum of 240 FPS, ensuring that even the most demanding scenes rarely dip below the refresh rate of a 144Hz monitor. The High preset at this resolution averages 190 FPS, which is still excellent but offers less margin for error. The data indicates that the visual fidelity jump from Medium to High is not worth the 19 FPS average loss when the GPU is already rendering at such high speeds.

At 1920x1080, the story is about raw headroom. The High preset averages 273 FPS, while Medium averages 301 FPS with a minimum of 256 FPS and a maximum of 346 FPS. The Low preset pushes this to an average of 383 FPS, but such numbers are largely academic for most displays. The recommended approach for this resolution is the High preset, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while still maintaining an average FPS that exceeds the capabilities of nearly all consumer monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p, averaging 175 FPS, remains viable but begins to show the game's engine limits rather than the hardware's.

How This Combo Ranks

The measured data places this combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D at rank 1 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This is not a marginal victory; it is a definitive statement that this pairing is the best-performing configuration recorded for this title. The percentile fields reinforce this, with the CPU sitting in the 81st percentile against all CPUs and the GPU in the 92nd percentile against all GPUs, but in this specific game, their synergy produces a top-tier result that outpaces the vast majority of systems.

The implications of this rank are significant. It suggests that neither component is a bottleneck in any meaningful way for Greedfall's engine. The CPU's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by a 3dmark single-thread score of 1253 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2183.5, allows it to feed the GPU effectively, while the GPU's immense shader throughput handles the game's rendering demands with ease. The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H with an average score of 29868, show a delta of only -0.5%, but in the context of this game, the 9600X's specific characteristics align perfectly with the RTX 5090 D. The GPU's nearest rivals, like the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with a delta of -1.6%, are far behind in raw compute, which translates to a substantial lead in Greedfall's measured frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant force in this pairing, and its specifications explain why the measured FPS numbers are so high. The GPU boasts a massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This memory configuration is overkill for Greedfall, a game from 2019, but it ensures that texture streaming and asset loading are never a limiting factor, even at 4K resolution. The 32 GB capacity means that the GPU can hold entire game environments in memory, eliminating any potential stutter from disk access.

The clock speeds and compute capabilities further reinforce the GPU's role. With a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, the RTX 5090 D operates at high frequencies, but it is the sheer scale of the silicon that matters. The GPU contains 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, which allows it to process the complex geometry and lighting effects of Greedfall's world without breaking a sweat. The FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is a key indicator of its raw power, and the benchmark results show that this translates directly into high frame rates. For instance, the 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14326 and the Passmark G3D score of 44065 confirm that this GPU is in a different class from its nearest rivals, which include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT with a score of 76904. The 5090 D's average benchmark score of 77712 is nearly identical to that rival, but in Greedfall specifically, the performance delta is far more pronounced due to the game's engine characteristics.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 383 FPS, Medium averages 301 FPS with a minimum of 256 and a maximum of 346, High averages 273 FPS, and Ultra averages 175 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of rendering frames far faster than the game logic can update.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but begin to show more differentiation between settings. Low averages 266 FPS, Medium averages 209 FPS with a minimum of 178 and a maximum of 240, High averages 190 FPS, and Ultra drops to 121 FPS. The step from Medium to High is a 19 FPS average loss, while High to Ultra is a 69 FPS loss, indicating that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are disproportionately expensive.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload increases significantly. Low averages 159 FPS, Medium averages 125 FPS with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 143, High averages 113 FPS, and Ultra averages 72 FPS. The data shows that even at 4K with Ultra settings, the combo maintains an average above 60 FPS, but the gap between Medium and Ultra is 53 FPS, which is a substantial difference. The Medium preset at 4K, with its 106 FPS minimum, is the most consistent option for high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Greedfall with this hardware?

A: The measured data indicates that 2560x1440 with the Medium preset offers the best balance, providing an average of 209 FPS with a minimum of 178 FPS. This ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes, while 4K remains viable with the High preset at 113 FPS average.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: The data shows that Ultra settings cause significant frame rate drops across all resolutions. At 4K, Ultra averages 72 FPS compared to 113 FPS on High, a 41 FPS drop. At 1440p, Ultra averages 121 FPS versus 190 FPS on High, making High the more efficient choice for consistent high refresh rates.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D's memory affect Greedfall's performance?

A: The GPU's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory with a 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures that Greedfall's assets are always readily available. This eliminates any potential bottlenecks from memory capacity or bandwidth, allowing the GPU to focus on rendering, which is reflected in the consistently high minimum FPS values across settings.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests so. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 383 FPS, which is extremely high, but the scaling from Low to Medium to High is not linear, indicating that the Ryzen 5 9600X's 6 cores and 12 threads are maxing out their ability to feed the GPU with draw calls.

Q: What is the combo's rank compared to other systems?

A: This specific combo ranks first out of 2938 tested combinations for Greedfall. This indicates that no other recorded CPU and GPU pairing in the database achieves higher average frame rates in this game.

Q: Why does the Medium preset have min/max FPS data while others do not?

A: The provided data set includes minimum and maximum frame rate values only for the Medium settings at each resolution. This allows for an analysis of frame pacing consistency, showing that at 4K Medium, the minimum FPS of 106 is close to the average of 125, indicating stable performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X plays a supporting but critical role in achieving these results. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, the CPU provides the single-threaded performance that Greedfall's engine relies upon. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz is particularly important, as the game's logic and physics calculations are largely serial in nature. The benchmark scores confirm this strength: a 3dmark single-thread score of 1253 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2183.5 place it well ahead in raw single-core capability.

The CPU's overall benchmark average of 29713 places it in the 81st percentile, and its nearest rivals are all close in average score. For example, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT has an average score of 29879, a delta of -0.6%, but the 9600X's architecture and higher boost clock give it an edge in Greedfall. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency. In Greedfall, this translates to fewer frame time spikes, as the CPU can quickly process the game's AI and scripting. The 3dmark multi-threaded scores, such as 7590 for max threads, show that while it is not a workstation monster, it has enough parallel throughput to handle the game's background tasks without interfering with the main render thread.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a classic scaling pattern that highlights the GPU's growing dominance as pixel count increases. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 273. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 190 FPS, a 30% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K High, the average drops from 190 to 113 FPS, a 41% decrease. This shows that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, but the overall performance remains remarkably high.

This scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor. The frame rates are so high that the GPU is often waiting for the CPU to submit new draw calls. As the resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the frame rate drops, but the CPU's contribution becomes relatively less significant. The fact that the RTX 5090 D can still average 113 FPS at 4K High demonstrates its immense headroom. The scaling from Medium to High to Ultra at 4K is also telling. Medium averages 125 FPS, High drops to 113 FPS, and Ultra drops to 72 FPS. The massive drop to Ultra suggests that the game's Ultra preset includes effects, such as advanced shadows or ambient occlusion, that are disproportionately demanding on the GPU's compute units. For players who want to maximize visual fidelity, the data suggests that the High preset at 4K is the optimal choice, as it offers a 41 FPS advantage over Ultra while still looking superior to Medium.