Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, presents an intriguing test for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination. The measured data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings, but the CPU's capabilities still define the ceiling at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics to understand where each component's influence begins and ends.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AM4 socket. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.60 GHz place it as a solid mid-range desktop part from the 5000 series. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows a strong multi-threaded presence, scoring 22,620 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 9,500 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. Its single-thread performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,193.

For Greedfall, the data suggests that the CPU is rarely the primary bottleneck, except in the most extreme low-resolution, low-settings scenarios. The game's engine appears to scale reasonably with the 8-core layout, as the 3DMark 16-thread score of 6,858 is nearly identical to the max-thread score of 6,850, indicating efficient utilization of all available threads. The CPU sits at the 83rd percentile against all tested CPUs, placing it just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-11900KF and 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X in average benchmark scores. This means that while the 5700X is not a top-tier part, it provides a robust foundation that does not artificially cap frame rates in most gaming workloads.

The evidence for this comes from the measured FPS scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 366.9 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain very high performance. However, the jump from 1080p Low to 1440p Low shows a significant drop to 250.1 FPS, which is a 31.8% reduction. This drop is far larger than what would be expected if the CPU were the sole limiting factor, suggesting that even at Low settings, the GPU is beginning to take over the workload. The CPU's 65W TDP and 32 MB of shared L3 cache help maintain stable frame pacing, but the data clearly shows that for Greedfall, the 5700X is a capable, but not dominant, partner to the flagship GPU.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the clear performance driver in this pairing. Built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process, this GPU is a powerhouse with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2407 MHz and 21,760 shading units allow it to process Greedfall's visuals with ease. The GPU's benchmark scores are exceptional, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,411 and a Passmark G3D score of 39,650, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs.

In Greedfall, the RTX 5090's dominance is evident in the scaling from Ultra to High settings. At 4K, moving from Ultra (66.8 FPS) to High (106.8 FPS) yields a 59.9% performance increase, which is a substantial jump that highlights how the Ultra preset's additional effects tax the GPU heavily. The 32 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Greedfall, even at 4K Ultra, meaning memory capacity is never a limiting factor. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, is only 0.1% faster in average benchmark scores, showing that this specific model is at the very top of the performance stack.

The data indicates that the RTX 5090 is so powerful that it shifts the bottleneck to the CPU at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 366.9 FPS result is likely near the engine's or CPU's practical limit, as the GPU has spare capacity. The GPU's memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensure that texture streaming and data transfer are never a concern, allowing the rendering pipeline to remain saturated. The GPU is the star of the show, and its performance headroom is the reason why settings and resolution have such a dramatic impact on the frame rates.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Analyzing the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 4K, the High preset at 106.8 FPS is the clear winner for a balanced experience. It provides a smooth, playable frame rate that is 40 FPS higher than the Ultra preset's 66.8 FPS. The Medium preset at 116.8 FPS is a marginal improvement over High, but High offers a better visual quality per frame rate trade-off. The Low preset at 148.6 FPS is playable, but the visual degradation is likely too severe for a game like Greedfall, which relies on atmospheric environments.

At 1440p, the High preset at 178.1 FPS is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, offering a fluid experience with good visual fidelity. The Medium preset (200.3 FPS) is also viable, but High is recommended for the best balance. The Ultra preset at 114.6 FPS is smooth enough for most displays, but the 63.5 FPS drop from High to Ultra suggests that the extra settings are not worth the performance cost. For 1080p, the High preset at 260.3 FPS is ideal for 240Hz displays, providing a massive frame rate headroom. The Low preset's 366.9 FPS is only useful for competitive play or if the user has a 360Hz monitor, but the visual compromise is substantial. The data strongly suggests that the High preset offers the best experience across all resolutions, providing a significant improvement over Ultra without the massive performance penalty.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the grand scope of the benchmark database, this specific combination of components ranks 22nd out of 1,705 tested combos for Greedfall. This places it in the top 1.3% of all systems tested, which is an exceptional result. The high rank is primarily driven by the RTX 5090's immense power, as the CPU is only in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. The data implies that while the Ryzen 7 5700X is a competent processor, it is not the primary reason for this high ranking. The pairing of a mid-range CPU with a flagship GPU creates a system that is slightly held back by the processor in certain scenarios, but the overall performance is still near the top of the charts.

The rank of 22 is notable because it suggests that there are only 21 other combinations that perform better, likely featuring newer, higher-end CPUs like the Ryzen 7 7800X3D or Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the RTX 5090. This ranking validates the RTX 5090 as the dominant factor in Greedfall's performance. The CPU's influence is visible in the 1080p Low result, where the frame rate is likely capped by the 5700X's single-thread performance, but this is a minor caveat in an otherwise stellar showing. For a user with a 1440p or 4K display, this combo is effectively top-tier, as the CPU bottleneck is minimized at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 260.3 FPS at 1080p to 178.1 FPS at 1440p, a 31.6% decrease, and then to 106.8 FPS at 4K, a further 40.0% decrease from 1440p. This pattern shows that as the pixel count increases, the GPU's workload scales significantly, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 59.0%, which is a massive reduction that clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component.

This is further confirmed by the Low settings data. At 1080p Low, the system hits 366.9 FPS, but at 1440p Low, it drops to 250.1 FPS (a 31.8% drop), and at 4K Low, it falls to 148.6 FPS (a 40.6% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across different settings suggest that the GPU is the primary bottleneck throughout. The CPU's influence is only visible at 1080p Low, where the 366.9 FPS result is likely near the engine's limit, as the GPU could theoretically push higher. The data implies that for this game, the RTX 5090 is the component that determines the frame rate, and the Ryzen 7 5700X provides enough headroom to avoid becoming a major constraint until extremely high frame rates are reached.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a consistent 100+ FPS experience?

A: The data shows that at 4K High, the combo achieves 106.8 FPS. For a more comfortable margin, 1440p High delivers 178.1 FPS, and 1080p High provides 260.3 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the system runs at 169 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 66.8 FPS, representing a 60.5% decrease in performance.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using on this system?

A: The data indicates that Ultra provides significantly lower frame rates compared to High. At 4K, Ultra (66.8 FPS) is 40 FPS slower than High (106.8 FPS), suggesting the visual upgrade may not justify the performance cost.

Q: Which component is the main bottleneck for this system in Greedfall?

A: The resolution scaling data shows a consistent 30-40% FPS drop for each resolution step, which strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU only shows its limits at 1080p Low with 366.9 FPS.

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

A: This combo ranks 22nd out of 1,705 tested combinations, placing it in the top 1.3% of all systems tested for Greedfall.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset achieves 250.1 FPS, while the High preset achieves 178.1 FPS. This represents a 40.4% performance advantage for Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured average FPS data for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Greedfall is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 366.9 FPS
• Medium: 284.7 FPS
• High: 260.3 FPS
• Ultra: 169.0 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 250.1 FPS
• Medium: 200.3 FPS
• High: 178.1 FPS
• Ultra: 114.6 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 148.6 FPS
• Medium: 116.8 FPS
• High: 106.8 FPS
• Ultra: 66.8 FPS

These numbers show a clear hierarchy: Low settings always provide the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the most demanding. The gap between High and Ultra is particularly pronounced across all resolutions, with Ultra being roughly 40-60% slower than High. The data confirms that the RTX 5090 is powerful enough to handle 4K at High settings comfortably, while the Ryzen 7 5700X ensures that 1080p and 1440p performance is not artificially capped.