Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination. The measured data shows a system capable of extreme frame rates, but the scaling between presets and resolutions reveals a nuanced performance profile that is not purely GPU-bound. The combination ranks at 90 out of 3703 tested combos, placing it in the top 2.4% of all configurations tested for this title. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, interprets the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides actionable settings recommendations based solely on the data provided.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K shows a significant, but not uniform, drop in performance across all settings presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 256 FPS at 1920x1080 to 178 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 106 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 30.5% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 40.4% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The sheer magnitude of these numbers indicates that at 1080p, the system is likely not limited by the GPU, as the frame rates are exceptionally high for a game of this era.

The scaling pattern becomes clearer when examining the Low preset. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 359 FPS. This drops to 249 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 149 FPS at 3840x2160. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30.6%, nearly identical to the High preset scaling. However, the drop from 1440p to 4K is 40.1%, also similar. This consistency across presets suggests that the resolution scaling is primarily a function of pixel throughput, which is the GPU's domain, but the absolute values hint at other bottlenecks.

The most telling data point is the 4K Ultra preset, which yields an average of only 68 FPS. This is a massive 58.6% drop from the 4K High preset's 106 FPS. This steep decline when moving from High to Ultra at 4K suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are disproportionately heavy on the GPU, likely related to shadow quality, draw distance, or post-processing. In contrast, the scaling from Low to Medium at 4K is gentler, going from 149 FPS to 117 FPS, a 21.5% drop.

The data indicates that while the RTX 5090 is the primary driver of resolution scaling, the CPU still plays a role at lower resolutions. The fact that 1080p Low yields 359 FPS and 1080p High yields 256 FPS shows that the CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is capable of feeding the GPU at frame rates far beyond typical display refresh rates. The bottleneck shifts from CPU at 1080p to GPU at 4K, with the crossover point appearing somewhere between 1440p and 4K, where the frame rate differences between presets become more pronounced.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination achieves a rank of 90 out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the 97.6th percentile of all tested configurations, a dominant position. This rank is a composite measure of performance across all tested settings and resolutions, indicating that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for this title.

The individual components also show strong standings in their respective benchmark pools. The CPU has a percentile rank of 83 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 33079. Its nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G and Intel Core i7-13650HX, score nearly identically at 33089, a delta of 0%. The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H scores slightly higher at 33201, putting the 7800X3D at a -0.4% delta, a negligible difference. This indicates that the 7800X3D's performance is right at the top of its peer group, though not significantly ahead of its closest competitors in general-purpose benchmarks.

The GPU's rank is even more impressive. With a percentile rank of 92 against all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 79842, the RTX 5090 sits in the upper echelon of graphics cards. Its nearest rivals, however, are not other gaming GPUs; they are compute-focused cards like the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605 score, +0.3% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940 score, +1.1% delta). This suggests that the RTX 5090's raw compute score is high, but its gaming-specific performance is what drives the combo's stellar rank in Greedfall. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a top-tier GPU results in a system that is near the absolute pinnacle of performance for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, using the Raphael codename on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. It has a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The processor's defining feature is its large 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is often critical for gaming performance. Its benchmark scores support its gaming pedigree, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16817 and a single-core score of 1713. The Geekbench scores of 15610 (multicore) and 2426 (single-core) further confirm its strong per-thread performance.

In the context of Greedfall, the CPU's role is to maintain high minimum frame rates and ensure the GPU is never starved of data. The measured FPS at 1080p shows the CPU is performing admirably. At 1080p Low, the system hits an average of 359 FPScars, a figure that is almost certainly CPU-limited, as the GPU is capable of rendering far more frames if the CPU could provide the data. The 3DMark scores are revealing here: the 16-thread score is 7980, while the max-thread score is 7967, showing that the CPU scales almost perfectly with its 16 threads.

The single-thread score of 959 in 3DMark and 281.5 in Cinebench R15 show that per-core performance is robust. This is crucial for Greedfall, which likely relies on a few main threads for game logic and rendering setup. The 96 MB L3 cache is a significant advantage, as it can hold a large portion of the game's working set, reducing the need to access slower system memory (DDR5 in this case, with a dual-channel bus offering 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth). The high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures that these main threads execute quickly.

The data suggests that the 7800X3D is not a bottleneck in this configuration, even at 1080p. The 359 FPS average at low settings confirms its capability. The CPU's performance is so strong that it effectively becomes a non-factor in the higher resolution tests, where the GPU's workload dominates. The combo's rank of 90 out of 3703 is heavily dependent on this CPU's ability to keep up with the RTX 5090 at lower resolutions, and the data shows it does so with headroom to spare.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system is capable of extraordinary frame rates. The Low preset averages 359 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure. The Medium preset averages 282 FPS, with a minimum of 240 FPS and a maximum of 325 FPS, showing excellent frame pacing. The High preset averages 256 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 164 FPS. This 1080p Ultra figure is still exceptionally high, indicating that even the most demanding settings are easily handled at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high but show the expected decline. The Low preset averages 249 FPS, a significant drop from 359 FPS but still incredibly smooth. The Medium preset averages 196 FPS, with a minimum of 166 FPS and a maximum of 225 FPS. The High preset averages 178 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 113 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is 65 FPS, which is a larger percentage drop than the gap between Medium and High (18 FPS), indicating that the Ultra preset's additional effects are more demanding.

At 3840x2160, the system shows its limits. The Low preset averages 149 FPS, which is still very playable on a high-refresh-rate 4K display. The Medium preset averages 117 FPS, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS, suggesting it can maintain a solid frame rate. The High preset averages 106 FPS, a very good result for 4K. The Ultra preset, however, averages only 68 FPS. This is the only measurement below 100 FPS, and it represents a 35.8% drop from the High preset. This clearly indicates that the Ultra preset at 4K is too demanding for a consistent high-refresh-rate experience, even for this top-tier hardware.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is entirely CPU-bound, 1440p is a balance, and 4K is GPU-bound. The minimum FPS values recorded only for Medium settings show that the system maintains good frame consistency, with the 1080p Medium min of 240 FPS being particularly strong. The lack of min/max data for other presets limits the analysis of frame time variance, but the available numbers suggest a stable experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the primary driver of the resolution scaling observed in the data. It is based on the GB202 chip and Blackwell 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is a key specification for high-resolution gaming, as it allows the GPU to quickly access the large textures and geometry data required at 4K. The GPU has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz.

The RTX 5090's compute capabilities are immense. It has 21760 shading units and can deliver 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This raw compute power is what allows it to achieve high frame rates even at 4K. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are also critical for filling the screen with details. The GPU's 92nd percentile rank among all GPUs reflects its overall compute prowess, though its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are not gaming-focused cards, highlighting that its gaming performance is driven by more than just raw compute.

In Greedfall, the GPU's role is most evident at 4K. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a clear GPU-bound scenario. The 4K Low average of 149 FPS is impressive, but the 4K Ultra average of 68 FPS shows that the GPU is being pushed hard by the most demanding settings. The difference between 4K High (106 FPS) and 4K Ultra (68 FPS) is a 38 FPS drop, which is far more significant than the 14 FPS drop from 4K Medium to 4K High. This indicates that the Ultra preset likely enables effects that are particularly taxing on the GPU, such as advanced shadow rendering or ambient occlusion.

The 32 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Greedfall, a game from 2019, so VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor. The massive memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s ensures that the GPU can feed its shaders at high resolutions without stalling. The data shows that the RTX 5090 is the definitive bottleneck at 4K Ultra, but it is a bottleneck that still delivers a playable 68 FPS. At 1080p, the GPU is likely underutilized, as the CPU is the limiting factor. The GPU's performance is so high that the 1080p Low result of 359 FPS is more a measure of the CPU's max throughput than the GPU's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Greedfall?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 provides an excellent balance. At High settings, it achieves 178 FPS average, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitorscars. For 4K, the High preset is the best option, as it maintains a 106 FPS average, while the Ultra preset drops to 68 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance hit does the Ultra preset cause at 4K?

A: The data shows a significant drop. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 106 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages only 68 FPS. This is a 38 FPS reduction, or roughly a 35.8% decrease in average frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data suggests it is. The average frame rate at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 359 FPS. This exceptionally high number indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution and settings combination, and the CPU's ability to process game logic is what caps the frame rate.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only recorded minimum FPS values are for the Medium preset. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 99 FPS. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 166 FPS. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 240 FPScars. No minimum FPS data is available for Low, High, or Ultra presets.

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

A: This AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 90th out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the top 2.4% of all tested systems.

Q: Does the CPU's large cache matter for this game?

A: While the exact impact cannot be quantified from the FPS data alone, the CPU has 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This is a large amount of fast memory that can hold a significant portion of the game's data, likely reducing latency and improving frame pacing, which is supported by the high minimum FPS recorded at Medium settings across all resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 3840x2160 (4K), the High preset is the clear recommendation. It delivers an average of 106 FPS, which is smooth for most players and close to the 120Hz refresh rate found on many modern displays. The Ultra preset, at 68 FPS, is a significant downgrade in smoothness and is not recommended unless a player prioritizes maximum visual fidelity over frame rate. The Medium preset, at 117 FPS, offers only a 11 FPS improvement over High and likely comes with a noticeable visual quality reduction, making High the sweet spot.

For 2560x1440 (1440p), the High preset is also the best choice. It achieves a 178 FPS average, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors (144Hz or 165Hz). The Ultra preset, at 113 FPS, is also viable for 120Hz displays, but the 65 FPS drop from High to Ultra is steep. The Medium preset at 196 FPS is only slightly faster than High and not worth the visual compromise. For players with a 240Hz monitor, the Low preset at 249 FPS would be the only way to fully utilize the refresh rate, but the visual sacrifice is substantial.

For 1920x1080 (1080p), the High preset is recommended for most users. It delivers a 256 FPS average, which is more than enough for any monitor. The Ultra preset at 164 FPS is also excellent, and this is the only resolution where Ultra is a strongly viable option without dropping below 144 FPS. The Low and Medium presets offer 359 FPS and 282 FPS respectively, but these are only useful for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount. Given that the game is an Action RPG, the visual benefits of the High preset at 1080p are preferable to the marginal frame rate gains of Medium.

In summary, the High preset is the universally recommended setting across all resolutions in the data. It provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, ensuring a smooth experience whether targeting 60 FPS at 4K or 240+ FPS at 1080p. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p and 1440p, where frame rates remain above 113 FPS. The Low preset should be reserved for extreme frame rate chasing. The data clearly shows that the High preset is the performance sweet spot for this combination in Greedfall.