Greedfall

Greedfall is an Action RPG that launched in 2019, and this analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570. The data shows a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics processor, particularly at higher resolutions, resulting in a combination rank of 2825 out of 2938 tested configurations. This pairing demonstrates a significant bottleneck where the CPU's substantial processing power is left largely untapped by the GPU's output capabilities.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a desktop processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The processor is manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC, containing 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, offering a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, this processor demonstrates considerable strength. It scores 22,807 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,228 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 41,318 and a single-thread score of 4,704. The CPU holds a percentile rank of 92 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 58,386. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M, which scores 58,323 (0.1% higher), and the Intel Core i9-14900, which scores 58,115 (0.5% lower). This places the 9850X3D in a competitive position among high-end processors.

However, in Greedfall, the CPU's role is largely theoretical due to the GPU bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, the system only achieves 73 FPS average. This suggests that the game's performance is not limited by the CPU's processing capability, which is substantial, but rather by the GPU's ability to render frames. The CPU is likely waiting on the GPU during most frames, meaning its high core count and clock speeds are not being fully utilized. The 96 MB of L3 cache and DDR5 support are excellent for modern workloads, but Greedfall's demands on the CPU are minimal compared to what this processor can offer.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Greedfall?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 73, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the peak performance point in the dataset.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9850X3D compare to its nearest CPU rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9850X3D scores 58,386 on average, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M's score of 58,323. It also sits 0.5% above the Intel Core i9-14900, which scores 58,115.

Q: What is the impact of switching from Ultra to Low settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS jumps from 23 on Ultra to 51 on Low. This represents a significant performance increase of 28 FPS by lowering the graphical preset.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM capacity appear to be a limiting factor at 4K?

A: The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 256-bit bus. At 3840x2160 resolution, average FPS drops to 22 on High and 30 on Low, suggesting that the combination of resolution and settings is overwhelming the GPU's memory and compute resources.

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

A: This CPU and GPU combination ranks 2825 out of 2938 total tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the lower percentile of performance, indicating it is not well-suited for this game at higher settings.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its nearest GPU rival in average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28,766, which is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M295X's score of 28,580, and 0.8% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 470's score of 28,996.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how different settings affect performance. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 73 FPS, which is the most playable experience in the dataset. Medium settings at 1080p yield 57 FPS, while High drops to 52 FPS. Ultra at 1080p falls to 33 FPS, which is a significant reduction.

For a smoother experience, the Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 57 FPS and a minimum of 49 FPS, is also viable for players who can tolerate occasional dips below 60. At 1440p, the Low preset averages 51 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The High preset at 1440p averages 36 FPS, which is borderline for an Action RPG.

At 4K, all settings produce averages below 30 FPS, with Ultra at 14 FPS and High at 22 FPS. These are not recommended for a responsive gameplay experience. The data suggests that the best experience is achieved at 1080p with Low or Medium settings, balancing visual quality with playable frame rates. The Low preset at 1080p is the most reliable option, while Medium offers a slight visual improvement at the cost of 16 FPS on average.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 2825 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the bottom 4% of all configurations, indicating that this pairing is far from optimal for this title. The rank reflects the severe bottleneck created by the GPU, which is an older Polaris architecture part from the RX 500 series.

The CPU's high benchmark scores, such as its 92nd percentile ranking among all CPUs, do not translate to in-game performance because the GPU cannot keep up. The combo rank of 2825 is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is clearly capable of much higher frame rates in less graphically intensive scenarios. The data indicates that this combination is heavily imbalanced, with the CPU's potential being wasted by the GPU's output constraints.

Comparatively, the GPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 470 and R9 M295X, have similar average benchmark scores, but none of them are paired with a CPU as powerful as the 9850X3D in this dataset. This suggests that the combo's low rank is primarily due to the GPU, not the CPU. The ranking underscores that for Greedfall, a more balanced GPU would be necessary to leverage the CPU's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 73. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 51, a reduction of 22 FPS (approximately 30%). At 4K Low, the average further drops to 30 FPS, which is a 43 FPS reduction from 1080p.

This scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. The frame rate drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p High, the average is 52 FPS, which drops to 36 FPS at 1440p High (a 16 FPS drop) and 22 FPS at 4K High (a 30 FPS drop from 1080p). The consistency of these drops across settings points to the GPU's rendering capacity being the primary constraint.

The CPU's performance is not reflected in these scaling patterns. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with resolution. The data shows a clear inverse relationship between resolution and FPS, confirming that the RX 570 is the limiting factor. The 4 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher resolutions, causing the severe performance degradation observed at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system achieves the following average FPS across settings: Low at 73 FPS, Medium at 57 FPS (with a minimum of 49 and maximum of 66), High at 52 FPS, and Ultra at 33 FPS. This resolution provides the best performance range, with Low and Medium being the most playable.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 51 FPS, Medium at 40 FPS (with a minimum of 34 and maximum of 46), High at 36 FPS, and Ultra at 23 FPS. The drop from 1080p is significant across all settings, with the Low preset losing 22 FPS and the Ultra preset losing 10 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance is critically low: Low at 30 FPS, Medium at 24 FPS (with a minimum of 20 and maximum of 27), High at 22 FPS, and Ultra at 14 FPS. None of these settings provide a playable experience for an Action RPG, as all averages are below 30 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the GPU struggling to maintain adequate frame rates beyond 1080p.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is a graphics card based on the Polaris 20 chip, using the GCN 4.0 architecture. It is manufactured on a 14 nm process by GlobalFoundries, with 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die. The GPU has a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz, with 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. It features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The card's compute capabilities include 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, with a pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 570 scores 880 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and shows varying scores in Geekbench: 39,349 in Metal, 32,084 in OpenCL, and 42,752 in Vulkan. Its average benchmark score is 28,766, placing it in the 74th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which scores 28,874 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X, which scores 28,580 (0.7% lower).

The GPU's role in Greedfall is the primary determinant of performance. Its 4 GB VRAM is insufficient for high-resolution textures, and its compute power is limited. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions, as the frame rates are consistently low even with a very powerful CPU. The card's 150 W TDP and PCIe 3.0 x16 interface are adequate for its intended market, but they do not support the demands of Greedfall at higher settings. The data indicates that the RX 570 is simply not capable of delivering playable frame rates at 1440p or 4K, and even at 1080p, only the Low preset provides a consistently smooth experience.