Greedfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is an extreme mismatch in Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. The data shows a system where the CPU is capable of far more than the GPU can deliver, resulting in a bottleneck that defines the entire experience. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, focusing on how resolution and settings impact frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling in Greedfall with this combo reveals a classic GPU-limited scenario. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, indicating that the GTX 1650's rendering pipeline is the primary constraint. At 1080p High, the average frame rate is 52.2 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, that number falls to 35.4 FPS, a decrease of roughly 32%. The jump to 4K High is even more punishing, with the average dropping to 23.6 FPS. This steep decline is a textbook sign that the GPU is struggling to fill the increasing pixel count.

The scaling pattern holds across all settings. At Low settings, the system achieves 72.7 FPS at 1080p, but this drops to 52.3 FPS at 1440p and further to 28.2 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate is below 30 FPS confirms that resolution, not graphical fidelity, is the main performance killer. The data suggests that the GPU's 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 4 GB frame buffer are insufficient for 4K workloads, causing the frame rate to collapse.

The difference between 1080p and 1440p is also notable. For Ultra settings, 1080p yields 33.4 FPS, while 1440p drops to 21.8 FPS. This 35% reduction highlights how quickly the GTX 1650's compute resources are exhausted. The game is clearly playable at 1080p for most settings, but the resolution scaling shows that pushing beyond that will consistently result in sub-30 FPS territory, making the experience feel sluggish and unresponsive.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested combos for Greedfall, this specific pairing ranks 1604 out of 1705. This places it in the bottom 6% of all combinations tested, which is a very low position. The benchmark results indicate that while the CPU is a high-end part, the GPU holds the entire system back to a degree that puts it near the bottom of the pile.

This rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability. The Ryzen 7 7700X sits in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, showing it is a top-tier processor. However, the combo rank is dominated by the GPU's performance. The GTX 1650's 43rd percentile ranking against all GPUs is the limiting factor. The data shows that this is a pairing where the CPU's potential is almost entirely wasted, as the GPU cannot feed it enough frames to matter. The rank of 1604 out of 1705 is a clear indicator that this is not a balanced configuration for this specific title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the definitive bottleneck in this setup. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory is a critical limitation in Greedfall, especially at higher resolutions and settings. The 128-bit memory bus and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth are simply not enough to handle the data demands of 1440p and 4K textures, leading to the significant frame rate drops observed. The GPU's 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is also a limiting factor, as it struggles to process the complex shaders and effects in the game.

The clock speeds of 1485 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost are modest by modern standards. The data shows that the card's performance scales poorly with resolution, which is expected given its memory constraints. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is a mere 17.2, making the game essentially unplayable. The card's 896 shading units are just not enough for the workload. The low FPS at 4K, even on Low settings (28.2 FPS), shows that the GPU is the sole reason for the poor performance at high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of what to expect. At 1920x1080, the game is playable. Low settings yield 72.7 FPS, which is smooth. Medium settings drop to 58.2 FPS, still a decent experience. High settings are borderline at 52.2 FPS, while Ultra settings fall to 33.4 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates take a hit. Low settings produce 52.3 FPS, which is acceptable. Medium settings drop to 41.6 FPS, and High settings fall further to 35.4 FPS. Ultra settings are not viable, with an average of 21.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, the card is overwhelmed. Low settings give 28.2 FPS, Medium gives 26.1 FPS, High gives 23.6 FPS, and Ultra gives 17.2 FPS. None of these are playable, indicating that 4K is out of the question for this GPU.

The data shows a consistent pattern: to achieve a stable 60 FPS, you must play at 1080p with Low or Medium settings. For 1440p, you are limited to Low settings for a playable experience. The performance differences between settings are also telling. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 39.3 FPS, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed by the higher-quality presets.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Greedfall at 4K?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 4K, even on Low settings, the average FPS is only 28.2. Ultra settings at 4K drop to 17.2 FPS, making the game unplayable.

Q: What is the best resolution for a smooth experience?

A: 1080p is the only viable resolution. At 1920x1080, Low settings achieve 72.7 FPS and Medium settings achieve 58.2 FPS, which are the only configurations that approach or exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's memory affect performance?

A: The GTX 1650 has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 128.1 GB/s bandwidth. This limited capacity and bandwidth are the primary reasons for the poor performance at higher resolutions, as the card cannot handle the data load.

Q: Is the CPU a limiting factor in this game?

A: No. The Ryzen 7 7700X is a high-end CPU in the 89th percentile. The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the sole bottleneck, as the CPU is more than capable of handling the game's demands.

Q: What settings are recommended for 1440p?

A: Only Low settings are recommended, as they yield 52.3 FPS. Medium settings drop to 41.6 FPS, and High settings are at 35.4 FPS, so any higher preset will result in a less smooth experience.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The difference is significant. Low settings produce 72.7 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 33.4 FPS, a drop of 39.3 FPS or roughly 54%.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a Zen 4 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. In Greedfall, this CPU is vastly overqualified. The game is not CPU-intensive, and the data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions and settings. The CPU's high performance, evidenced by its 89th percentile ranking, ensures that it will never be the cause of frame drops in this title.

The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory are irrelevant to the performance issues here. The benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30325, show immense processing power. However, the measured FPS data shows that this power is left on the table. The CPU sits idle waiting for the GPU to catch up, which is the definition of a bottleneck. This pairing is an example of how a powerful CPU cannot compensate for a weak GPU in a graphics-intensive game like Greedfall. The CPU role is to not be a hindrance, and it succeeds, but the overall experience is still poor due to the GPU.