Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X + Intel Arc B390

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a playable but constrained experience in Greedfall, with the data clearly showing the GPU as the primary bottleneck across all tested configurations. The combo ranks 2595th out of 2938 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 12th percentile of all tested systems. This is a pairing where the CPU's substantial multi-threaded capability — evidenced by a 2092 Cinebench R15 multicore score and an 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs — is largely wasted, as the Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of just 1482. The measured frame rates tell a story of a system that can handle 1080p gaming at reasonable settings but struggles significantly as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 60 at 1920x1080 to 42 at 2560x1440, a 30% reduction, and then to 25 at 3840x2160, a further 40% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep degradation pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior — the Ryzen 7 3700X has ample headroom, but the Arc B390's limited pixel throughput (60.00 GPixel/s) and texture rate (120.0 GTexel/s) simply cannot keep pace with the increasing pixel count.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution further confirms this analysis. At 1080p, the gap between Low (84 FPS) and Ultra (38 FPS) is a massive 46 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor even at the lowest resolution. Moving up to 1440p, Low delivers 58 FPS while Ultra drops to 27 FPS, and at 4K, Low manages 35 FPS while Ultra falls to just 16 FPS. The consistent pattern across all resolutions — where raising settings from Low to Ultra roughly halves the frame rate — points to a GPU that is saturated at every quality level.

The data also shows that the CPU is never the constraint. The Ryzen 7 3700X's 8 cores and 16 threads, combined with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, provide far more processing power than Greedfall requires at these settings. The 3,800 million transistors on a 7 nm process and 32 MB of L3 cache give this CPU substantial headroom that goes unused in this pairing. If the system were CPU-limited, we would expect to see smaller frame rate differences between resolutions at the same settings; instead, the dramatic drops with each resolution increase confirm the GPU is the sole bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 2595 out of 2938 tested combos, this pairing sits in the bottom 11.7% of all systems tested in Greedfall. This ranking is not surprising given the GPU's performance class. The Intel Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals in that benchmark — the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower) — are all entry-level or legacy parts. The Arc B390 is essentially competing with GPUs that are several generations old and were never designed for modern gaming at high settings.

In contrast, the CPU's ranking tells a different story. The Ryzen 7 3700X's average benchmark score of 34260 places it at the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rivals being the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222, 0.1% slower), AMD EPYC 4244P (34220, 0.1% slower), Intel Core i5-13450HX (34333, 0.2% faster), and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (34083, 0.5% slower). These are all modern, competitive processors, showing that the 3700X remains a strong CPU even years after its launch. The massive disparity between the CPU's 84th percentile ranking and the GPU's 9th percentile ranking means the system's overall performance is dragged down entirely by the graphics side.

The measured FPS data reinforces this ranking. Greedfall at 1080p High (60 FPS) is the only configuration that hits a smooth 60 FPS target, while every other setting and resolution combination falls below that threshold. The 4K Ultra result of 16 FPS is essentially unplayable, and even 1440p Medium (46 FPS) and 1440p High (42 FPS) fall short of ideal smoothness. This combo is only suitable for 1080p gaming at Low to High settings, which aligns with its low overall ranking among tested systems.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Greedfall at 4K?

A: Technically yes, but not at acceptable frame rates. The best 4K result is 35 FPS at Low settings, while High delivers 25 FPS, Medium 27 FPS, and Ultra just 16 FPS. None of these are smooth enough for comfortable play.

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

A: The data clearly shows 1920x1080 as the only viable resolution. At 1080p, Low achieves 84 FPS, Medium 66 FPS, and High 60 FPS, all of which are playable. At 1440p, even Low only reaches 58 FPS, and at 4K, no setting breaks 35 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck. The Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs with a 1482 3DMark score, while the Ryzen 7 3700X ranks in the 84th percentile of CPUs. The steep FPS drops as resolution increases confirm the GPU cannot keep up.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 puts it just ahead of the GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). These are all very low-end parts.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gameplay?

A: High settings at 1080p deliver 60 FPS average, which is the sweet spot for visual quality and smoothness. Low settings offer 84 FPS but reduce visual fidelity, while Medium gives 66 FPS. Ultra drops to 38 FPS, making it less desirable.

Q: Does this system have any chance of running Greedfall smoothly at 1440p?

A: Only at Low settings, which delivers 58 FPS. Medium (46 FPS), High (42 FPS), and Ultra (27 FPS) all fall below the generally accepted 60 FPS threshold, and the lower settings sacrifice too much visual quality for marginal gains.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows its best performance. Low settings produce an average of 84 FPS, which is the highest frame rate achieved in any configuration tested. Medium settings deliver 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 76 FPS, providing a smooth experience with better visual quality. High settings hit exactly 60 FPS average, which is the standard target for most players. Ultra settings drop significantly to 38 FPS, a 55% reduction from Low, indicating that the Ultra preset demands more from the GPU than it can reasonably deliver.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance penalty becomes clear. Low settings average 58 FPS, which is a 31% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings achieve 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 53 FPS, while High settings fall to 42 FPS. Ultra at 1440p averages just 27 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. The 1440p results show that even the lowest settings cannot maintain a stable 60 FPS, making this resolution marginal for this hardware.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across all settings. Low averages 35 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 30 FPS. Medium drops to 27 FPS with a minimum of 23 and maximum of 32 FPS, High falls to 25 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 16 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with even the best case scenario (Low at 35 FPS) being noticeably below smoothness thresholds. The frame rate pattern across all four settings at 4K — 35, 27, 25, and 16 FPS — shows a consistent degradation as quality increases, with the Ultra preset delivering less than half the frame rate of Low.

The data also shows that the Medium preset at each resolution has recorded minimum and maximum values, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the 56-76 FPS range indicates reasonably stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the 39-53 FPS range shows more variance, and at 4K Medium, the 23-32 FPS range is tight but at an unplayable level. This suggests that frame pacing is consistent but the overall performance is too low for an enjoyable experience at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the defining component in this system's Greedfall performance, and its specifications explain why the results are so limited. Based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and built on Intel's 3 nm process, this GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. The boost clock of 2500 MHz and base clock of 300 MHz provide the computational backbone, but the system shared memory configuration — where the GPU uses system RAM rather than dedicated VRAM — creates a significant limitation. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," meaning performance can vary based on the system's memory configuration, but the Ryzen 7 3700X's dual-channel DDR4 with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth is unlikely to provide the bandwidth a dedicated GPU would offer.

The GPU's compute capabilities are modest: 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 15.36 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio). The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s directly limit how quickly the GPU can fill pixels and apply textures, which explains the steep FPS drops as resolution and settings increase. The 12 ray tracing cores are present but unlikely to provide meaningful performance in Greedfall given the overall low GPU throughput.

The Arc B390's 80 W TDP and integrated graphics form factor (labeled as IGP with no power connectors required) position it as a low-power solution rather than a gaming-focused discrete GPU. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts from over a decade ago. This is not a GPU designed for modern gaming at high resolutions, and the Greedfall results reflect that reality.

The GPU's release date of January 26, 2026, makes it a very recent product, but its performance class is decidedly entry-level. The system shared memory design means the GPU relies on the CPU's memory controller, potentially creating contention with the CPU for memory bandwidth. In Greedfall, this manifests as the GPU being unable to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p or 4K regardless of settings, and even at 1080p, Ultra settings push the GPU beyond its comfortable operating range.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended configuration for this system in Greedfall is 1920x1080 with High settings, which delivers exactly 60 FPS average. This provides the best balance between visual quality and smooth performance. The High preset at 1080p offers a substantial improvement over Medium (66 FPS) in visual fidelity while maintaining the same playable frame rate. Ultra at 1080p drops to 38 FPS, which is a 37% reduction from High and not worth the additional visual features.

For players who prioritize frame rate over visual quality, 1920x1080 Low settings at 84 FPS is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS by a significant margin. This could be useful for competitive play or for users with high refresh rate displays, though the visual compromise is substantial. Medium at 1080p (66 FPS) is a reasonable middle ground, offering better visuals than Low while staying above 60 FPS.

The data does not support using 1440p or 4K with this system for a smooth experience. At 1440p, the best case is Low at 58 FPS, which is just below 60 FPS and requires sacrificing visual quality. All other 1440p settings fall below 50 FPS, and 4K is uniformly unplayable with no setting exceeding 35 FPS. Players with 1440p or 4K monitors should strongly consider lowering the resolution to 1080p to achieve playable frame rates, or accept a significantly compromised experience at their native resolution.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution for this hardware. At 1080p it delivers 38 FPS, at 1440p it drops to 27 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 16 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra settings is simply too high for the Arc B390 to handle. The data suggests that the GPU's limited pixel throughput and texture rate make High settings at 1080p the ceiling for acceptable performance in Greedfall with this CPU-GPU combination.