Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a robust Greedfall experience across all tested resolutions, with the data revealing a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher settings but demonstrates strong CPU headroom at lower presets. The measured frames per second range from a demanding 60 FPS average at 4K Ultra to an exceptionally fluid 318 FPS average at 1080p Low, indicating a wide operational envelope that shifts bottleneck characteristics depending on configuration. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data, contextualizes it against the hardware's theoretical capabilities, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the observed results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that decline varies significantly with the graphics preset. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 318 at 1920x1080 to 220 at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 31%, and then further to 131 at 3840x2160, which represents a 59% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern at Low settings suggests the CPU and GPU are both contributing to performance, with the frame rate remaining exceptionally high even at 4K, indicating that neither component is being fully saturated at lower graphical loads.

Moving to High settings, the average FPS values are 226 at 1080p, 157 at 1440p, and 94 at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs 69 FPS (a 31% reduction), while the jump from 1440p to 4K costs another 63 FPS (a 40% reduction). This steeper decline at higher resolutions compared to Low settings points to the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor, as the increased pixel count directly taxes the RTX 4080's rendering capabilities. The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling, with averages of 145 FPS at 1080p, 100 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K, showing a 59% total reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is the largest relative drop among all presets.

The Medium preset, which includes min and max FPS data, further illustrates the resolution impact. At 1080p Medium, the average is 249 FPS with a range of 212 to 287 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 173 FPS with a range of 147 to 199 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 103 FPS with a range of 88 to 119 FPS. The frame time consistency, as indicated by the min-max spread, remains relatively tight across all three resolutions for Medium settings, suggesting stable performance without severe hitches. The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU's capability is more exposed, while at 4K, the GPU's workload dominates, making the RTX 4080 the clear performance ceiling at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, brings substantial resources to Greedfall. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for the game's texture and geometry demands at 4K resolution. The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz, with a base clock of 2205 MHz, drives 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, delivering a theoretical FP32 performance of 48.74 TFLOPS. These specifications translate into the measured performance, where the GPU maintains 60 FPS average at 4K Ultra, the most demanding configuration tested.

The RTX 4080's role as the primary bottleneck becomes evident when examining the performance delta between settings at each resolution. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra averages is 71 FPS (131 vs. 60), a 54% performance penalty for maxing out graphical fidelity. This significant spread indicates that the GPU is heavily loaded at 4K, with each incremental setting increase costing measurable frame rate. At 1080p, the same Low-to-Ultra comparison shows a 173 FPS difference (318 vs. 145), but the absolute values are so high that the GPU still delivers playable performance even at Ultra.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its position in the market. With an average benchmark score of 54247 and a percentile ranking of 86 versus all GPUs, the RTX 4080 sits near the top of the performance hierarchy. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a mere 0.1% difference, indicating that this card is essentially performance-equivalent to its SUPER variant in synthetic tests. The memory configuration of 16 GB GDDR6X is particularly relevant for Greedfall, as the game's open-world environments and detailed textures can consume significant VRAM, and the measured data shows no indication of memory-related stutters or frame drops at any tested setting.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings configuration depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver averages above 145 FPS, making even the Ultra preset viable for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 226 FPS average provides a substantial margin over the Medium preset's 249 FPS, suggesting that High offers a balanced experience for competitive or fast-paced play, while Ultra at 145 FPS remains smooth for most users.

For 2560x1440, the High preset achieves a 157 FPS average, which is well-suited for 144 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset drops to 100 FPS, still playable but with a noticeable reduction in smoothness. The Medium preset at 173 FPS provides the highest frame rate among the more visually demanding settings, making it the recommended choice for users prioritizing performance over visual fidelity at this resolution. The Low preset at 220 FPS is available for those seeking maximum frame rates, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 3840x2160, the decision becomes more critical. The Ultra preset averages 60 FPS, which is the bare minimum for smooth gameplay on standard 60 Hz displays, and any frame rate drops could push it below that threshold. The High preset at 94 FPS offers a much more comfortable margin and is the recommended setting for 4K, providing a 56% improvement over Ultra while maintaining high visual quality. The Medium preset at 103 FPS is an alternative for those who want even more headroom, though the visual differences between Medium and High are typically less pronounced than High to Ultra. The measured data shows that High at 4K is the sweet spot for this hardware combination, balancing the GPU's capabilities against the game's demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a combo rank of 254 out of 3703 tested combinations in Greedfall, placing it in the top 7% of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the strong synergy between the two components, with the CPU's high single-threaded performance complementing the GPU's raw rendering power. The percentile ranking of 86 for both the CPU and GPU against all their respective counterparts further underscores the high-end nature of this pairing, though the combo rank of 254 indicates that there are 253 other configurations that deliver higher measured FPS in this specific game.

The RTX 4080's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the RTX 4080 SUPER with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at -1.1%, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at -2.6%, and the AMD Radeon 8060S at -2.7%. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4080 is positioned at the top of its performance tier, with only the SUPER variant slightly outperforming it. For the CPU, the nearest rivals are the Intel Core i9-14901E at 0.1%, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 at 0.1%, the Intel Core 5 211E at 0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 at 0.4%, showing that the Ryzen 7 9700X is competitive with other high-end processors in synthetic workloads.

The combo rank of 254 suggests that while this system is exceptionally fast, there are configurations that achieve higher Greedfall-specific performance, likely those pairing even more powerful GPUs or CPUs with higher boost clocks. However, the measured FPS data shows that this combo delivers excellent performance across all tested scenarios, with no configuration dropping below 60 FPS average, making it a top-tier choice for this Action RPG.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) and manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC, provides 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache, which is critical for gaming performance where data reuse is common. The 65 W TDP and support for DDR5 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s ensure that the CPU does not become a memory bottleneck in most scenarios.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is less taxed. At 1080p Low, the 318 FPS average indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU with frames faster than the RTX 4080 can render them at this resolution, suggesting that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The 3DMark benchmark scores reinforce this: a single-thread score of 1280 and a 2-thread score of 2525 show strong per-core performance, while the 16-thread score of 9824 and max-thread score of 9771 demonstrate that multi-threaded scaling is also robust. The Cinebench R23 scores of 2211 single-core and 20485 multi-core further confirm the CPU's capability to handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads.

At 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck at 60 FPS, the CPU's utilization likely drops, as the frame rate is constrained by the GPU's rendering time rather than CPU processing. The data shows that the CPU has significant headroom in this game, as evidenced by the high frame rates at lower settings that far exceed typical display refresh rates. The Ryzen 7 9700X's nearest CPU rivals all score within 0.4% of its average benchmark score of 37943, indicating that this processor is well-matched with other high-end options for gaming workloads. The CPU's 86th percentile ranking versus all CPUs places it firmly in the high-performance tier, though the 14% of CPUs above it likely include higher-core-count or higher-clock models that could provide marginal improvements in CPU-bound scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Greedfall?

A: The highest average FPS is 318, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates exceptional CPU and GPU headroom at lower graphical loads.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average FPS of 60 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is exactly at the threshold for smooth 60 Hz gameplay, but there is no min FPS data available to confirm frame time consistency.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%. This makes them effectively performance-equivalent in synthetic benchmarks, with the standard 4080 being marginally ahead.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in Greedfall?

A: The combo ranks 254 out of 3703 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7% of all systems evaluated for this game.

Q: Which resolution shows the largest performance drop from Low to Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 131 at Low to 60 at Ultra, a 71 FPS or 54% reduction. This is the largest absolute and relative drop among the three tested resolutions.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 9700X bottleneck the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: The data suggests no significant bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 318 FPS, indicating the CPU can drive frame rates far beyond typical display refresh rates, and the CPU's 86th percentile ranking versus all CPUs confirms its high performance level.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are 318 at Low settings, 249 at Medium settings, 226 at High settings, and 145 at Ultra settings. The Medium preset includes additional data points with a minimum FPS of 212 and maximum FPS of 287, providing a frame time range of 75 FPS. This resolution demonstrates the system's maximum capability, with even the most demanding Ultra preset maintaining an average above 144 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 220 at Low, 173 at Medium, 157 at High, and 100 at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 147 FPS and maximum of 199 FPS, a spread of 52 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in performance reductions of 31% at Low (318 to 220), 31% at Medium (249 to 173), 31% at High (226 to 157), and 31% at Ultra (145 to 100), showing remarkably consistent scaling across all presets for this resolution change.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are 131 at Low, 103 at Medium, 94 at High, and 60 at Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 119 FPS, a spread of 31 FPS, which is the tightest range among all Medium preset measurements. The resolution scaling from 1440p to 4K shows reductions of 40% at Low (220 to 131), 40% at Medium (173 to 103), 40% at High (157 to 94), and 40% at Ultra (100 to 60), again demonstrating consistent scaling behavior. The overall data set shows that this combo delivers playable frame rates at every tested configuration, with the only potential concern being the 60 FPS average at 4K Ultra, which leaves minimal headroom for demanding scenes.