Greedfall

# Greedfall with AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

Greedfall, the 2019 action RPG from Spiders, presents an interesting case study in hardware scaling, particularly when paired with a high-end AMD Ryzen 7 9700F processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings, with the CPU's substantial single-thread and multi-thread capabilities only becoming a limiting factor at lower resolutions and settings. This combination sits at rank 83 out of 2,938 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 3% of all configurations evaluated. The data shows a desktop platform built around a Zen 5 architecture processor, released in September 2025, paired with a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU, released in January 2025, delivering performance that ranges from highly playable at 4K Ultra to exceptionally fast at 1080p Low.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior of this combo reveals a clear progression of frame rate degradation as pixel count increases, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly depending on the quality preset selected. At High settings, the average FPS moves from 256 at 1920x1080 to 178 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 78 FPS or roughly 30%. Moving from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160) at High settings brings the average down to 106 FPS, a further drop of 72 FPS. This pattern indicates that the RTX 5090's raw pixel throughput is being taxed heavily at 4K, but the frame rates remain well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The Low preset shows an even more dramatic scaling curve. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 359 FPS average, which drops to 249 FPS at 1440p and then to 149 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is 210 FPS, representing a 58% reduction. This steeper decline at lower settings suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, but as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the frame rate scales accordingly with pixel count.

Medium settings offer the most balanced scaling data, with 282 FPS at 1080p, 196 FPS at 1440p, and 117 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K drop at Medium is 79 FPS, which is similar in absolute terms to the High preset drop of 72 FPS. Ultra settings show the lowest overall frame rates, with 164 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 68 FPS is the only measured configuration that approaches the 60 FPS line, indicating that this preset pushes the GPU to its limits.

The limiting component analysis points firmly to the GPU at 4K across all settings. The RTX 5090, with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, is the primary driver of these scaling patterns. At 1080p, however, the CPU's role becomes more prominent, as evidenced by the 359 FPS Low preset result, which suggests the Ryzen 7 9700F's 5.50 GHz boost clock and 8 cores are sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck in most scenarios.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide the single-thread performance necessary for games like Greedfall, which rely heavily on draw call processing and game logic that cannot be fully parallelized. The processor's benchmark scores support this interpretation: a Passmark single-thread score of 4,691 and a multi-thread score of 36,470, placing it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs tested.

In the context of Greedfall's measured frame rates, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the system achieves 359 FPS. This high frame rate, approaching the limits of what many displays can show, indicates that the Ryzen 7 9700F can keep pace with the RTX 5090's output at lower resolutions. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration with 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth provides sufficient headroom for the game's multi-threaded aspects, such as NPC AI and physics calculations.

Comparing the processor to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the Ryzen 7 9700F's average benchmark score of 69,996 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69,875 (0.2% higher) and the Intel Core i7-14700KF at 70,163 (0.2% lower). It also edges out the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.7% and the Intel Core i7-14700K by 0.9%. These small deltas suggest that in CPU-bound scenarios, the 9700F will perform essentially on par with these high-end alternatives, though Greedfall's measured data at higher resolutions shows the GPU dominating the performance equation.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and PCIe Gen 5 support with 24 lanes contribute to its overall efficiency, but these specifications do not directly translate into frame rate differences in the measured data. What matters for Greedfall is the combination of high single-thread performance for game logic and adequate multi-thread throughput for background tasks, both of which the 9700F delivers without becoming a limiting factor at 1440p or 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 83 out of 2,938 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the top 2.8% of all configurations evaluated. This ranking reflects the overall performance across all measured settings and resolutions, weighted toward the game's typical usage patterns. Given that the RTX 5090 is one of the most powerful consumer GPUs available, with a Passmark G3D score of 39,650 and a percentile ranking of 92 among all GPUs, a top-100 finish is expected, but the specific rank of 83 indicates that there are 82 combos that outperform this pairing in Greedfall.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database provide context for its performance tier. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, which is 0.3% lower than the RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79,842. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB is 0.6% lower at 79,396, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.1% lower at 78,940. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80,959, which is 1.4% higher than the RTX 5090. These comparisons show that in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5090 is closely matched with professional and mobile workstation GPUs, but in Greedfall specifically, the combination's rank of 83 suggests that other factors, such as driver optimization or CPU-GPU balance, play a role.

The combo rank of 83 is notable because it indicates that while the RTX 5090 is a top-tier GPU, the Ryzen 7 9700F is not necessarily the best possible CPU pairing for this game. Higher-ranked combos likely feature processors with even stronger single-thread performance or more cores, though the measured data does not specify which CPUs those are. What the data does show is that this combo delivers frame rates that are competitive with the best systems tested, particularly at 1440p and 4K where the GPU is the dominant factor.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Greedfall at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at 4K High settings the combo achieves an average of 106 FPS, and even at 4K Ultra it maintains 68 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Medium settings at 4K deliver 117 FPS average.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F's average benchmark score of 69,996 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF, 0.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700K.

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

A: The data shows that 1440p High (178 FPS average) offers an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. For maximum frame rates, 1080p Low delivers 359 FPS, while 4K Medium at 117 FPS provides a good high-resolution experience.

Q: Does the GPU become a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component at 4K across all settings, with frame rates scaling proportionally to pixel count. At 1080p Low, the high frame rate of 359 FPS suggests the CPU is capable of keeping up, but the GPU still determines the final output.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79,842 is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, 0.6% higher than the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB, 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, and 1.4% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 83rd out of 2,938 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the top 3% of all configurations evaluated.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing for Greedfall, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling patterns across resolutions. Built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip, this GPU features 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units, along with 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores. Its boost clock of 2407 MHz and base clock of 2017 MHz, combined with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, provide the computational and memory bandwidth headroom necessary for demanding titles.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark performance underscores its tier: a Passmark G3D score of 39,650 and a Passmark GPU compute score of 26,756, with a percentile ranking of 92 among all GPUs. The 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth is particularly relevant for Greedfall at 4K, where large texture sets and high-resolution rendering require rapid data access. The measured frame rates at 4K, ranging from 68 FPS at Ultra to 149 FPS at Low, demonstrate that the GPU can handle the game's rendering demands even at the highest resolutions.

In terms of rival comparisons, the RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 79,842 places it in close competition with professional-grade GPUs. The 0.3% and 0.6% advantages over the Tesla P100 variants, and the 1.1% lead over the Radeon RX 6850M XT, are marginal in synthetic tests. However, in Greedfall's measured data, the RTX 5090's performance is consistent with a top-tier gaming GPU, delivering 164 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 113 FPS at 1440p Ultra, both well above the refresh rates of most displays.

The GPU's memory configuration plays a significant role in its Greedfall performance. The 32 GB GDDR7 capacity far exceeds the game's requirements, eliminating any potential VRAM-related stuttering or texture pop-in. The 512-bit bus width and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensure that the GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance is not starved by memory latency, particularly at 4K where bandwidth demands are highest.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rate data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's refresh rate and resolution preferences. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver frame rates well above 60 FPS, with High settings at 256 FPS and Ultra at 164 FPS. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, the Low preset's 359 FPS average provides the maximum frame rate, but Medium at 282 FPS or High at 256 FPS offer better visual quality with only modest frame rate trade-offs. The Ultra preset at 1080p, producing 164 FPS, remains highly playable and is recommended for those prioritizing visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 178 FPS average is the standout choice, delivering smooth gameplay with good visual quality. Medium at 196 FPS offers even higher frame rates with a slight reduction in visual fidelity, while Ultra at 113 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for users with G-Sync or FreeSync displays. The Low preset at 249 FPS is excessive for most 1440p monitors, which typically max out at 144 Hz or 165 Hz, making High or Medium the better balance.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 117 FPS average is the recommended choice, as it provides a significant improvement over High (106 FPS) in terms of frame rate headroom while maintaining acceptable visual quality. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is the only measured configuration that approaches the 60 FPS minimum, making it viable for users who prioritize maximum graphical settings over frame rate stability. The Low preset at 149 FPS at 4K is surprisingly high, indicating that the game scales well at lower settings, but the visual compromise may not be worth the frame rate gain for most users.

The measured data includes min FPS values for Medium settings: 99 FPS at 4K, 166 FPS at 1440p, and 240 FPS at 1080p. These minimums demonstrate consistent frame pacing at Medium, with no significant drops that would cause stuttering. For users seeking a stable experience, Medium settings at any resolution provide the best combination of frame rate and consistency.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured frame rate data for Greedfall with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is presented below, organized by resolution and settings preset.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 359 FPS, representing the maximum frame rate achievable with this combo. The Medium preset averages 282 FPS, with a minimum of 240 FPS and a maximum of 325 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. The High preset averages 256 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 164 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 195 FPS drop, or a 54% reduction, as quality settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 249 FPS, a 110 FPS decrease from the 1080p Low result. 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 scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p shows a 136 FPS drop, or a 55% reduction, which is consistent with the 1080p scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 149 FPS, a 100 FPS decrease from the 1440p Low result. The Medium preset averages 117 FPS, with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS. The High preset averages 106 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 68 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows an 81 FPS drop, or a 54% reduction, maintaining the same proportional scaling as lower resolutions.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data: at 1080p (240 min, 325 max), 1440p (166 min, 225 max), and 4K (99 min, 134 max). These ranges indicate that the Medium preset offers consistent performance with no major frame rate spikes or drops. The 4K Ultra result of 68 FPS average is the lowest measured frame rate, but it remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, confirming that this combo can handle Greedfall at maximum settings even at 4K resolution.