Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG released in 2019, presents an interesting benchmark scenario when paired with the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is massively overqualified for the title, shifting the performance bottleneck in predictable ways. The data indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU becomes the limiting factor, while at higher resolutions and settings, the GPU workload scales to create a more balanced, though still extremely capable, experience. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand how this high-end combination handles the game.

Resolution Scaling

The most telling data is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K, which clearly illustrates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 295.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings, this drops to 250.8 FPS, a reduction of approximately 15%. At 4K Low, the average is 149.9 FPS, which is roughly a 49% drop from the 1080p result. This steep decline as resolution increases points directly to the RTX 5090 being the primary driver of performance at higher pixel counts, as the GPU's workload scales with the number of pixels being rendered.

However, the scaling pattern changes when examining the High preset. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 257.9. At 1440p High, it falls to 178.2, a 31% drop. The gap to 4K High is even more significant, with an average of 105.6 FPS, representing a 59% reduction from the 1080p figure. This more aggressive scaling at higher settings suggests that the game's visual features at the High preset, such as increased draw distances and more complex shading, place a substantially larger load on the GPU. The CPU, while still relevant, has more headroom to feed the GPU frames as the rendering workload becomes more demanding.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. From 168.3 FPS at 1080p to 114.2 FPS at 1440p (a 32% drop), and finally to 67.9 FPS at 4K (a 60% drop from 1080p). This pattern confirms that Greedfall, even as an older title, has enough visual fidelity in its Ultra settings to stress the RTX 5090. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting component, as the frame rates are extremely high but do not scale perfectly with GPU load. At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the primary constraint, with the frame rates dropping to levels that are still high but reflect the immense pixel throughput required.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the undisputed performance leader in this configuration, with its capabilities being the deciding factor for the highest frame rates. Its immense memory pool of 32 GB of GDDR7 and a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s are more than sufficient for Greedfall, a game from 2019. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is never starved for memory or bandwidth, as the performance differences between settings are primarily due to computational load rather than memory constraints. The core clocks of 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost provide the raw speed necessary to achieve the high frame rates observed.

The GPU's benchmark percentile of 94 places it among the top tier of all GPUs, and its performance is closely matched by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, which has a deltaPct of 0.1%. This indicates that the GPU's performance in this system is representative of its expected capabilities. The data shows that the RTX 5090 is powerful enough to push Greedfall to well over 100 FPS at 4K on the High preset, proof of its raw compute power. Its FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS provides the necessary throughput for the game's shaders and effects. Even at 4K Ultra, the most demanding configuration tested, the GPU still delivers an average of 67.9 FPS, which is comfortably playable and demonstrates that the RTX 5090 has the headroom to handle this title with ease.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average frame rate is 295.9 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much of a performance drop is there from 1080p to 4K on the High preset?

A: The average frame rate drops from 257.9 FPS at 1080p High to 105.6 FPS at 4K High, representing a 59% reduction.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rates scale down significantly with resolution, showing the increased rendering load on the RTX 5090.

Q: Which settings preset provides the lowest performance?

A: The Ultra preset provides the lowest average frame rates across all tested resolutions, with a 67.9 FPS average at 4K.

Q: Does the RTX 5090's memory capacity cause any performance issues in this game?

A: No, the 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are far beyond what Greedfall requires, and the benchmark results show no evidence of memory-related bottlenecks.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 28631, with a deltaPct of -0.1% compared to the Intel Core i5-12600 and Intel Core i5-12600H, indicating nearly identical performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on the best settings for different priorities. For players seeking the absolute highest frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers an average of 295.9 FPS, which is an extremely smooth experience. However, this comes at the cost of visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a better balance, providing an average of 269.1 FPS while presumably improving visual quality over Low. The High preset at 1080p is also viable, with an average of 257.9 FPS, showing that even with higher visual demands, the system can maintain frame rates well above 240 FPS.

At 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice for a quality experience, yielding an average of 178.2 FPS. This is a significant jump in visual quality over Medium (197.4 FPS) and Low (250.8 FPS) while still providing frame rates high enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with an average of 114.2 FPS, is also viable for those who prioritize visual fidelity over maximum frame rates. For 4K gaming, the High preset is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 105.6 FPS, which is excellent for a 4K experience. The Medium preset at 4K (117.3 FPS) is also a strong option, but the Ultra preset's 67.9 FPS average is the only configuration that approaches the lower bounds of high-refresh-rate gaming, making it less ideal for competitive play but still playable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 295.9 FPS, Medium achieves 269.1 FPS, High achieves 257.9 FPS, and Ultra achieves 168.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 250.8 FPS, Medium achieves 197.4 FPS, High achieves 178.2 FPS, and Ultra achieves 114.2 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 149.9 FPS, Medium achieves 117.3 FPS, High achieves 105.6 FPS, and Ultra achieves 67.9 FPS.

These numbers reveal a consistent pattern where the performance difference between Low and High settings is more pronounced at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the gap between Low (295.9 FPS) and High (257.9 FPS) is 38 FPS, while at 4K, the gap between Low (149.9 FPS) and High (105.6 FPS) is 44.3 FPS. This suggests that the CPU is more involved in the performance at 1080p, as the GPU is not as heavily taxed. The Ultra preset consistently shows a large performance penalty compared to High across all resolutions, with a 34.7% drop at 1080p, 35.9% drop at 1440p, and a 35.7% drop at 4K. This indicates that the Ultra settings introduce a significant computational cost, likely from features like advanced lighting or shadow effects.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides a solid foundation for this system. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19087 and single-core score of 2694 demonstrate its capabilities for gaming workloads. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates it is a strong performer, though not at the very top of the charts. Its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i5-12600 and Intel Core i5-12600H, have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with a deltaPct of -0.1%, showing that the 3700X is in a highly competitive performance tier.

In the context of Greedfall, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p resolution. The frame rates at 1080p Low (295.9 FPS) and 1080p High (257.9 FPS) are exceptionally high, suggesting that the CPU is successfully feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain these levels. However, the fact that frame rates do not scale perfectly with GPU load at 1080p suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution. The 3700X's boost clock of 4.40 GHz is sufficient for the game's single-threaded tasks, and its 16 threads are more than enough for its multi-threaded aspects. The data shows that as resolution increases, the CPU's influence on the final frame rate diminishes, as the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The CPU's performance is more than adequate to avoid being a significant hindrance to the RTX 5090's capabilities, even at 4K.