Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG from 2019, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily skewed toward GPU limitation at higher resolutions, while still demonstrating the substantial headroom of the 12-core processor. This analysis walks through the benchmark results, interpreting what the frame rates mean for this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates where the performance bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo delivers 144 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset, the frame rate drops to 100 FPS, a 30.6% decrease. Stepping up to 3840x2160 at Ultra yields just 59 FPS, another 41% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is classic evidence of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions; the pixel throughput demand grows faster than the GPU's ability to render it.

The data at Low settings reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system produces 316 FPS, a figure so high that it suggests the CPU is doing the heavy lifting to keep the frames flowing. At 1440p Low, it drops to 219 FPS, and at 4K Low, it settles at 131 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is 97 FPS, while the delta between 1440p and 4K is 88 FPS. This relatively linear drop, even at Low settings, indicates that while the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, the transition from 1080p to 1440p still exposes significant GPU workload scaling.

The Medium preset shows a similar trend. The measured data includes minimum and maximum frame rates for this setting, which are absent for other presets. At 1080p Medium, the average is 248 FPS with a minimum of 211 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 172 FPS with a minimum of 146 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 103 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS. The consistency of these minimums, staying within 85% of the average, suggests smooth frame pacing without sudden spikes or stutters, a sign of a stable performance envelope.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant force in this pairing. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is essential for feeding the high-resolution textures and effects in Greedfall at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with its 10240 shading units, allow it to push the frame rates observed in the data.

Its benchmark scores place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54209. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, which is 0.1% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, which is 1.1% ahead. This places the RTX 4080 SUPER in a very tight performance cluster, where a 2.7% difference from the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is the largest gap among its listed competitors. In Greedfall, this GPU's capability is clearly demonstrated by the fact that it can hit an average of 93 FPS at 4K High, a demanding scenario for a game from this era.

The GPU's compute performance, as measured by its 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 rating, likely contributes to the high frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU is less of a constraint. The data suggests the RTX 4080 SUPER is not the limiting factor until the resolution is pushed to 4K on the Ultra preset, where the average frame rate falls to 59 FPS. This indicates that the card's raw rendering power is sufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming at lower resolutions but is taxed by the combination of 4K resolution and maximum settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand schema of tested combinations for Greedfall, this pairing holds a specific position. The combo rank is 325 out of 3703 total combinations, placing it in the top 8.8% of all tested systems. This is a strong showing, confirming that the Ryzen 9 5900X and RTX 4080 SUPER together are a high-performance duo for this title.

The rank is likely buoyed by the exceptional performance at 1080p and 1440p, where the system achieves triple-digit frame rates across all settings except 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 59 FPS is the only data point that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, which is a common target for smooth gameplay. This single point may be what prevents the combo from ranking higher, as the 4K Ultra preset represents the most demanding scenario in the test suite.

Relative to other combos, the data implies that systems with a faster CPU might achieve higher frame rates at 1080p Low (where the CPU is more likely to be the bottleneck), but the overall ranking suggests that the GPU's power is the primary driver of the combo's position. The fact that this pairing is in the 91st percentile of all tested combos indicates it is a top-tier configuration for Greedfall, capable of delivering a premium experience at most settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with High settings?

A: The average frame rate at 3840x2160 with High settings is 93 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces 316 FPS, a very high number. This suggests the GPU has ample headroom and the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor at this resolution, as the frame rate is so high that it approaches the CPU's maximum output.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 5900X compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X has an average benchmark score of 41376. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H, has an average score of 41263, which is a 0.3% difference. The Intel Core i7-14650HX is 0.5% ahead, with a score of 41576.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded in the measured data?

A: The highest average frame rate is 316 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations for Greedfall?

A: The combo ranks 325 out of 3703 tested combinations, placing it in the top percentile of systems tested for this game.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER outperform the RTX 4080 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: No, the data shows the RTX 4080 SUPER is 0.1% behind the RTX 4080 in average benchmark score, with scores of 54209 and 54247, respectively.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, plays a supporting but crucial role in this configuration. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, which is often critical for game logic and draw calls. The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache is a substantial pool for game data, potentially reducing memory latency and improving frame pacing.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 9 5900X scores 16262 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1527 in single-core. Its PassMark multithread score is 39002, and its single-thread score is 3469. These figures place it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41376. The nearest rivals are tightly clustered, with the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H just 0.3% behind and the Intel Core i7-14650HX 0.5% ahead. This indicates the 5900X is a highly competitive processor, even against newer mobile and desktop parts.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role becomes evident at 1080p Low, where the system hits 316 FPS. This extreme frame rate suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than it can render at higher resolutions, confirming that the 5900X is not a bottleneck for this title at 1440p or 4K. The 24 threads may also help with background tasks and streaming, but the game's engine from 2019 is unlikely to fully utilize all 24 threads, meaning the strong single-core performance is likely the more important factor for maintaining high average frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a 60 Hz display at 4K, the High preset is the clear choice, offering an average of 93 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin above the refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 59 FPS, which is technically below 60 and may result in noticeable judder on a standard 60 Hz panel. The Medium preset at 4K, averaging 103 FPS, is also viable and would provide a smoother experience on a higher refresh rate 4K monitor, though it sacrifices visual fidelity.

For 1440p gamers with high refresh rate monitors (144 Hz or higher), the High and Medium presets are the best options. High averages 156 FPS, which is above the 144 Hz threshold, while Medium averages 172 FPS, offering even more headroom. The Ultra preset at 1440p, averaging 100 FPS, is also excellent for a 100 Hz monitor but may not fully saturate a 144 Hz display.

At 1080p, all presets deliver exceptionally high frame rates, with even Ultra averaging 144 FPS. For esports or competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount, the Low preset at 316 FPS is the top choice. However, for a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 248 FPS or High at 225 FPS are excellent, providing high visual quality without sacrificing the high frame rates that make 1080p gaming smooth.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table provides the exact measured average frame rates for each resolution and settings combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 93 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 131 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 103 | 87 | 118 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 59 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 156 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 219 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 172 | 146 | 198 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 100 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 225 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 316 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 248 | 211 | 285 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 144 | - | - |

The data reveals a clear hierarchy: at each resolution, Low is the fastest, followed by High, then Medium, with Ultra being the most demanding. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, with a 157 FPS difference at 1080p, a 119 FPS difference at 1440p, and a 72 FPS difference at 4K. This shows that the Ultra preset imposes a significant performance cost, which scales with resolution. The Medium preset's min/max data shows consistent performance, with the minimum frame rate staying within 85% of the average across all resolutions, indicating stable frame delivery without major hitches. The High preset's average frame rate at 1440p (156 FPS) is nearly identical to the 1080p Ultra average (144 FPS), suggesting that the visual upgrade from High to Ultra is more demanding than the resolution jump from 1080p to 1440p.