Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG released in 2019, presents a demanding load for the tested configuration pairing the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a component combination that is capable but requires careful tuning to balance visual fidelity with performance. This analysis walks through the benchmark data to determine the optimal settings, the role of each component, and how this specific combo stacks up against others tested.

Settings Recommendations

Selecting the right graphical preset is crucial for this pairing, as the performance envelope varies significantly from 1080p to 4K. The data shows that the "Ultra" preset is consistently the most demanding, and its performance cost is often prohibitive for smooth gameplay. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields an average of 73 FPS, which is playable. However, the cost of that fidelity is steep; stepping down to High provides a massive 56% improvement, reaching 114 FPS average. This makes the High preset the clear choice at 1080p, as it delivers a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining a high level of visual quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Ultra preset's average drops to 50 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold. The High preset, however, holds strong at 79 FPS average. This is a comfortable margin, making High the recommended preset for a smooth experience at this resolution. While Medium offers a slight performance bump to 87 FPS, the visual step down from High is not worth the marginal 10% gain in this case. The data indicates that High is the sweet spot, offering the best balance of performance and quality without sacrificing the core visual experience.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the situation becomes more constrained. The Ultra preset is virtually unplayable, with an average of just 30 FPS. High settings also struggle, producing an average of 47 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS target, but it is still a playable experience for many titles, especially those that are not fast-paced. The Medium preset, with an average of 52 FPS, is the most viable option for 4K, as it provides the only average above 50 FPS. However, the Low preset offers a significant jump to 66 FPS average. For players prioritizing frame rate over visual detail at 4K, Low is the only preset that consistently breaks the 60 FPS barrier, while Medium provides a better balance for those who can tolerate a lower frame rate.

The benchmark results indicate that the High preset is the most efficient choice for 1080p and 1440p, delivering a substantial performance uplift over Ultra. For 4K, the choice is more nuanced, with Medium offering the best balance of playability and visuals, while Low is the only preset to achieve a 60+ FPS average. The "Ultra" preset is generally not recommended for this combo due to its severe performance penalty, which can cause frame rates to dip below playable levels at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the primary driver of frame rates in this configuration, as evidenced by the significant performance scaling across different settings. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, are key specifications for this title. The data suggests that the 8 GB capacity is sufficient for Greedfall at the tested settings, as the performance differences are more attributable to the GPU's compute capabilities than to memory limitations. The architecture, Blackwell 2.0 on a 5 nm process, is built on a modern foundation, but its measured performance in this game shows it is a mid-range part.

The RTX 5050's clocks, with a base of 2317 MHz and a boost of 2572 MHz, are relatively high, yet the GPU still struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with High or Ultra settings. This indicates that the GPU's raw shading power is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU's FP32 performance of 13.17 TFLOPS is a measure of its raw compute throughput, and it appears to be the bottleneck when the graphical load is increased. The benchmark scores for the GPU, such as a Passmark G3D score of 17326, place it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its mid-range positioning.

When comparing to its nearest rivals, the RTX 5050's average benchmark score of 21035 is nearly identical to that of the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153), which is a delta of -0.6%, and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713), which is a delta of 1.6%. This shows that in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5050 is a direct competitor to these older cards. In Greedfall, the GPU's role is clear: it is the primary determinant of performance, and its capabilities are best utilized at 1080p and 1440p with High settings, where it can deliver high frame rates. At 4K, its limitations become apparent, forcing a reduction in settings to achieve playable performance.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 114 FPS. When moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 79 FPS, a 31% decrease. This substantial drop indicates that the GPU is being heavily taxed by the increase in pixel count. The trend continues to 3840x2160, where the average falls to 47 FPS, another 40% decrease from the 1440p result. This scaling pattern is a clear indicator that the RTX 5050 is the limiting component in this configuration; the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU's rendering capacity is quickly saturated as the resolution climbs.

The same pattern is visible across all settings. For instance, at Low settings, the average FPS goes from 160 at 1080p to 111 at 1440p, and then down to 66 at 4K. This shows that even with a low graphical load, the GPU is still the primary constraint. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 30%, and from 1440p to 4K is roughly 40%, regardless of the preset. This consistent scaling suggests that the game's engine is heavily reliant on pixel throughput, and the RTX 5050's 128-bit memory bus and 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth are the key factors limiting performance at higher resolutions.

The data also shows that the CPU's role is not a bottleneck in this scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller performance difference between 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU load would remain relatively constant. Instead, the consistent frame rate drops across resolution changes point directly to the GPU as the sole bottleneck. This is an important finding, as it means that users with a more powerful GPU could see significant gains at 1440p and 4K without changing the Ryzen 7 3700X. The resolution scaling analysis confirms that the RTX 5050 is the performance ceiling for this combination at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 holds a rank of 1776 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the 60th percentile of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a mid-pack performer. This ranking is a direct result of the GPU's mid-range capabilities, as the CPU is a more capable part in its own right. The combo's performance is not exceptional, nor is it poor; it simply sits in the large middle ground of systems that can handle the game at 1080p and 1440p with adjusted settings but will struggle at 4K with high fidelity.

The ranking suggests that there are many other combinations that perform better in this specific title. The data shows that this combo is not optimized for the absolute highest settings, but it is far from the bottom of the list. The rank of 1776 out of 2938 means that over 1100 other combos produce better results. This is largely due to the RTX 5050's position relative to other GPUs. Its average benchmark score is only 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, a card from a previous generation, indicating that it offers comparable performance in this title.

The CPU's performance, however, is a strong asset. The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260, which places it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and Intel Core i5-13450HX, have nearly identical scores with deltas of 0.1% and -0.2%, respectively. This shows that the CPU is not the reason for the combo's mid-pack ranking. Instead, the GPU's performance is the defining factor. The data indicates that if a user were to upgrade the GPU, the combo's rank in Greedfall would improve dramatically, as the CPU has ample headroom to support a more powerful graphics card.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides a solid foundation for gaming. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz are adequate for the demands of Greedfall. The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 2092 and a Passmark multithread score of 22458, ensures that it can handle the game's background tasks and physics calculations without becoming a bottleneck. The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU's role is indirect but important. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 160 FPS, which is a high frame rate that could potentially stress the CPU's single-thread performance. However, the CPU's single-core score of 204 in Cinebench R15 and 2656 in Passmark suggests it is capable of handling these frame rates. The fact that the FPS scales down consistently as resolution increases, rather than plateauing at a CPU limit, confirms that the CPU is providing frames faster than the GPU can render them at higher resolutions.

The CPU's 32 MB of L3 cache and 7 nm Zen 2 architecture contribute to its efficiency. While it is a previous-generation part, its performance remains competitive, as shown by its 84th percentile ranking. The CPU's benchmark scores are nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 4244P and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H, with deltas of 0.1% and 0.5%, respectively. This indicates that the Ryzen 7 3700X is still a capable gaming processor. In Greedfall, the CPU's role is to provide a stable and high frame rate ceiling, which it does successfully. The GPU is the component that dictates the final FPS at higher settings and resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of the combo's performance at each setting and resolution.

1920x1080:

• Low: The average FPS is 160. This is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo, indicating that the game is not heavily taxing the system at these settings.
• Medium: The average FPS is 126, with a minimum of 107 and a maximum of 144. This is a 21% drop from Low, showing a moderate performance cost for the visual upgrade.
• High: The average FPS is 114. This is a 29% drop from Low, but it still provides a very smooth experience.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 73. This is a 54% drop from Low, making it the least performant setting at this resolution, but it is still playable.

2560x1440:

• Low: The average FPS is 111. This is a 31% drop from the 1080p Low result, highlighting the GPU's load increase.
• Medium: The average FPS is 87, with a minimum of 74 and a maximum of 100. This shows a 22% drop from Low, which is a consistent cost for Medium settings.
• High: The average FPS is 79. This is a 29% drop from Low, maintaining the same relative performance gap as seen at 1080p.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 50. This is a 55% drop from Low, making it the only setting at this resolution that dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

3840x2160:

• Low: The average FPS is 66. This is a 41% drop from the 1440p Low result, showing the significant impact of 4K resolution.
• Medium: The average FPS is 52, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60. This is a 21% drop from Low, and it is the only setting with a 60 FPS maximum.
• High: The average FPS is 47. This is a 29% drop from Low, which is a steep cost for the visual quality.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 30. This is a 55% drop from Low, and it is the lowest recorded result, making it unplayable for most users.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the performance cost of moving from Low to Medium is roughly 20-22%, from Medium to High is roughly 10-11%, and from High to Ultra is roughly 35-40%. This non-linear scaling means that the High preset offers the best balance, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium for a relatively small performance hit, while the Ultra preset's cost is disproportionately high.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system?

A: For a smooth 60+ FPS experience, 1920x1080 with High settings (114 FPS average) is the best choice. At 2560x1440, High settings (79 FPS average) is also viable. For 4K, Medium settings (52 FPS average) is the only playable option above 50 FPS, while Low settings (66 FPS average) is the only one that exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 114 at 1920x1080 to 79 at 2560x1440, and then to 47 at 3840x2160. This is a 59% total decrease from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 the limiting factor?

A: The data shows the RTX 5050 is the clear bottleneck. The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's high benchmark scores (84th percentile) and the fact that it is not causing a frame rate plateau confirm it has sufficient headroom.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested systems?

A: This specific combo ranks 1776 out of 2938 tested combinations in Greedfall. This places it in the middle of the pack, indicating it is a competent but not top-tier performer for this game.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: The data indicates it is not. Compared to High settings, Ultra reduces the average FPS by 36% at 1080p, 37% at 1440p, and 36% at 4K. Given the high frame rates already available on High, the visual improvement from Ultra does not justify the large performance penalty.

Q: How does the RTX 5050's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, has a score of 21153, which is only 0.6% higher. Another rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, has a score of 20713, which is 1.6% lower. This indicates the RTX 5050 offers performance in a very similar range to these cards.