Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study when paired with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080. The measured data reveals a configuration that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet shows signs of CPU limitation at 1080p. This analysis explores the scaling patterns, component roles, and practical settings derived from the measured FPS rows.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1080p to 4K with this hardware combo shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation, with the most dramatic drop occurring at the highest settings. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 226 FPS at 1920x1080 to 157 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 69 FPS, and then further down to 94 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 58% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count.

The scaling behavior becomes more pronounced when examining the Low settings preset. At 1920x1080, the system produces 318 FPS, which drops to 220 FPS at 2560x1440 and finally to 131 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is steeper here at 59%, suggesting that even with reduced graphical complexity, the GPU is still the primary bottleneck. The fact that the 4K Low result of 131 FPS is higher than the 4K Ultra result of 60 FPS shows that the GPU has significant headroom when not pushed to its limits.

What the data implies is that at 1080p and 1440p, the system is likely hitting a performance ceiling that is not purely dictated by the GPU. The jump from 157 FPS at 1440p High to 226 FPS at 1080p High is a 44% improvement, which is less than the 78% increase in pixel count. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU or other system components begin to limit the frame rate, preventing the GPU from fully flexing its capabilities. The 4K results, however, show a more linear relationship with pixel count, confirming that the GPU is fully saturated at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth, plays a dominant role in the measured results. The GPU's 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores are part of the Ada Lovelace architecture, but in this title, the raw rasterization performance is what drives the frame rates. The 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is substantial, yet the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS dips to just 60, indicating that even this powerful GPU is fully taxed by the game's highest settings.

The memory configuration of 16 GB is noteworthy for a game from 2019. At 4K resolution with High settings, the system maintains 94 FPS, and the fact that the GPU has ample VRAM means that texture loading is unlikely to be a limiting factor. The 256-bit memory bus and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth provide sufficient throughput for the data demands of Greedfall, as evidenced by the consistent performance across the measured settings. The GPU's percentile ranking of 86 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247, places it in the upper echelon of graphics cards, though the nearest rival data shows it is nearly identical in performance to the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% delta) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (1.1% delta).

The clock speeds of 2205 MHz base and 2505 MHz boost are relatively high, and the data suggests that the GPU is boosting effectively under load. The transition from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings shows a drop from 173 FPS to 103 FPS, a 40% reduction, which aligns with the increased pixel count. The GPU's 16 GB of memory is more than sufficient for this title, as even at 4K Ultra, there are no signs of stuttering or frame drops that would indicate VRAM exhaustion.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 3 architecture, demonstrates its capabilities through the benchmark scores, but its role in Greedfall is more nuanced. The CPU has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with 32 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 13184 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1499 in single-core, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 26612. These numbers place it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27578.

The nearest rivals for the CPU include the Intel Core i5-12600K with a 0% delta, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 with a 0.2% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X with a -0.2% delta. This indicates that the 5700X is competitively positioned within its performance class. In the context of Greedfall, the CPU's role becomes apparent at lower resolutions. The difference between 1080p High (226 FPS) and 1440p High (157 FPS) suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is struggling to feed the GPU fast enough. The 16 threads are likely utilized by the game, but the single-thread performance of 1499 in Cinebench R23 may be a limiting factor in this older title that may not scale perfectly across all cores.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 318 FPS, which is a high frame rate that still falls short of the GPU's theoretical maximum. This indicates a CPU bottleneck, as the GPU would likely be capable of higher frame rates if the CPU could supply draw calls and game logic updates faster. The 65W TDP of the CPU is efficient, allowing for sustained boost clocks under load, but the architecture's performance in this specific game is what determines the 1080p ceiling.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 4K, the High preset provides the best balance, delivering an average of 94 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 4K offers 103 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS, which could be preferable for those seeking higher frame rates with only a slight visual compromise. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 60 FPS average, which is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes.

For 1440p, the High preset at 157 FPS is the clear winner, providing excellent smoothness on high refresh rate monitors. The Medium preset at 173 FPS offers a modest increase, but the visual quality difference may not justify the change. The Ultra preset at 100 FPS is still very playable and offers the best visual fidelity, making it a viable option for those prioritizing graphics. At 1080p, the High preset at 226 FPS is more than sufficient for any display, and the Medium preset at 249 FPS provides a slight edge for competitive play. The Low preset at 318 FPS is only recommended if the user has an extremely high refresh rate display and values frame rate above all else.

The data indicates that the High preset is the most consistent choice across all resolutions, offering a good balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset provides a measurable FPS increase, especially at 4K where it adds 9 FPS over High, but the difference is less pronounced at lower resolutions. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, and its 60 FPS average at 4K highlights the GPU's limitations at the highest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 254th out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the top 7% of all configurations. This ranking is a strong indicator of the system's overall capability in this title, though it is not the absolute top performer. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU's exceptional rasterization performance, which is crucial for this action RPG's rendering demands.

The combo's ranking in the 254th position suggests that there are 253 other combinations that achieve higher average frame rates in Greedfall. These are likely to be configurations with newer or more powerful CPUs, as the GPU is already near the top of its class. The data implies that while the RTX 4080 is a formidable graphics card, the Ryzen 7 5700X may slightly hold back the system's full potential at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 1080p results. However, at 4K, where the GPU is the bottleneck, the combo performs admirably, and the ranking reflects this strength.

The percentile rank of the GPU at 86 and CPU at 79, combined with the combo's 254th rank, shows a well-balanced system that excels in GPU-intensive workloads. The fact that the CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600K, has a 0% delta in average benchmark score suggests that swapping to a different mid-range CPU would not yield significant improvements in this game, reinforcing the GPU's dominance in Greedfall's performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is 94 FPS, providing a smooth experience for most players.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X has an average benchmark score of 27578, which is identical to the Intel Core i5-12600K (0% delta), slightly higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 (0.2% delta), and slightly lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (-0.2% delta).

Q: Is the RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM sufficient for Greedfall?

A: Yes, the 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than adequate for this game, as the measured FPS data shows consistent performance across all settings and resolutions without any signs of memory-related stutters.

Q: What is the best resolution for the Ultra preset?

A: The Ultra preset is best used at 2560x1440, where it achieves an average of 100 FPS. At 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 60 FPS average, which is still playable but offers less headroom.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 254th out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the top 7% of all configurations.

Q: At 1080p, does the CPU limit the frame rate?

A: Yes, the data suggests a CPU bottleneck at 1080p. The difference between 1080p High (226 FPS) and 1440p High (157 FPS) is less than the pixel count difference, indicating that the CPU cannot fully utilize the GPU's power at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate at 318 FPS, followed by Medium at 249 FPS (with a minimum of 212 FPS and maximum of 287 FPS), High at 226 FPS, and Ultra at 145 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy where each increase in settings quality costs a significant number of frames, with the jump from High to Ultra being the most substantial at 81 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but drops noticeably. The Low preset averages 220 FPS, Medium averages 173 FPS (with a range of 147 to 199 FPS), High averages 157 FPS, and Ultra averages 100 FPS. The relative differences between settings are similar to 1080p, but the overall frame rates are lower, reflecting the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance is more constrained. The Low preset averages 131 FPS, Medium averages 103 FPS (with a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 119 FPS), High averages 94 FPS, and Ultra averages 60 FPS. This resolution shows the most significant impact of the Ultra preset, which nearly halves the frame rate compared to Low. The Medium preset at 4K offers the best balance of quality and performance, with a minimum of 88 FPS ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The data across all resolutions confirms that the High preset is the most stable option, with consistent frame rates that do not dip below the 60 FPS threshold even at 4K.