Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG released on 2019-09-09, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with hardware. This analysis examines the performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, using measured FPS data across three resolutions and four quality presets. The data shows a system capable of high frame rates even at 4K, with distinct scaling characteristics that reveal the balance between CPU and GPU load.

FAQ

Q: What is the combination rank for this CPU/GPU pairing in Greedfall?

A: The combo ranks 90th out of 3703 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.4% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: How does the average FPS at 1080p Low compare to 4K Ultra?

A: The average frame rate drops from 359 FPS at 1080p Low to 68 FPS at 4K Ultra, representing a performance reduction to roughly 19% of the low-resolution, low-settings result.

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

A: The highest average is 359 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 282 FPS at the same resolution with Medium settings.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the system first fall below 100 FPS average?

A: The system drops below 100 FPS average only at 4K with Ultra settings, where it records 68 FPS. At 4K High, the average is 106 FPS, just barely above the 100 FPS mark.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking versus all CPUs?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score is 41376, with its closest rival being the Intel Core i7-14650HX at a -0.5% delta.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking versus all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 79842, with the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB being its closest rival at a 0.3% delta.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip on a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a substantial 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU's clock speeds are listed as a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). This configuration allows for a high pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance reaching 104.8 TFLOPS.

In Greedfall, the GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution and settings increase. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 359 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 68 FPS. This dramatic drop indicates that the GPU is being tasked with much heavier workloads at higher resolutions. The RTX 5090's large memory pool and high bandwidth are particularly relevant for 4K gaming, where texture data and geometry demands are highest. The benchmark scores support this, with a Passmark G3D score of 39650 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18355. The GPU's percentile of 92 versus all GPUs indicates it is among the top tier of graphics cards, and its average benchmark score of 79842 is only slightly ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB by 0.3%.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 5900X and RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 90 out of 3703 tested combinations in Greedfall. This places the system in the 97.6th percentile of all tested systems, indicating exceptional performance. The data shows this is a top-tier setup for this title, with only 89 other combinations delivering higher frame rates.

This ranking is a result of both components performing at high levels. The CPU, with an average benchmark score of 41376, is in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H at 0.3% delta, the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H at 0.4% delta, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 at 0.4% delta. The GPU, with an average benchmark score of 79842, is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs accruing a 1.1% delta over the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. The combination of an above-average CPU with a top-tier GPU yields a system that is well-suited to handle Greedfall's demands, as evidenced by its high rank. The measured FPS data confirms this, showing that even at 4K with High settings, the system maintains an average of 106 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across the board. With Low settings, the average FPS is 359. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 282, with a minimum of 240 and a maximum of 325. High settings yield an average of 256 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding at this resolution, producing an average of 164 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings result in an average of 249 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 196 FPS, with a minimum of 166 and a maximum of 225. High settings see the average at 178 FPS. Ultra settings bring the average down to 113 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1440p is a drop from 249 to 113 FPS, a reduction of more than half.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed much harder. Low settings yield an average of 149 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 117 FPS, with a minimum of 99 and a maximum of 134. High settings result in an average of 106 FPS. Ultra settings significantly reduce performance, with an average of 68 FPS. The difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra is stark, going from 164 FPS to 68 FPS. The data indicates that the system is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1440p, and maintains playable frame rates at 4K, with only the Ultra preset at 4K falling below 100 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It operates on the AMD Socket AM4 platform and is manufactured on a 7 nm process from TSMC. The CPU has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a TDP of 105 W. It features a large 64 MB L3 cache, which is beneficial for gaming workloads. The memory support is DDR4 with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role is critical at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the primary bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 359 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for this game. The CPU's strong single-thread performance is evident from its benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1527 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2083. The multi-threaded performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16262 and a Passmark multithread score of 39002.

The CPU's 3DMark scores of 9075 for 16 threads and 10075 for max threads show its scaling capabilities. This is important for Greedfall, which may utilize multiple cores. However, as the resolution increases to 4K, the frame rates drop, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The CPU's percentile of 87 versus all CPUs, and its close rivalry with the Intel Core i7-14650HX (deltaPct of -0.5), show that it holds its own against modern processors. The data suggests that the Ryzen 9 5900X provides enough processing power to keep up with the RTX 5090 at lower resolutions, but at 4K Ultra, the GPU's workload dominates the performance profile.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is viable, with an average FPS of 164. This provides a high level of visual fidelity while still delivering smooth gameplay. For those with high refresh rate monitors (144Hz or higher), the High preset at 256 FPS is an excellent choice, offering a significant boost in frame rate over Ultra while maintaining good visual quality.

At 1440p, the High settings preset is the best balance, delivering an average of 178 FPS. This is well above the 144Hz threshold and provides a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 113 FPS is also playable, but the lower frame rate might be noticeable on high refresh rate displays. The Medium preset at 196 FPS is an option for those prioritizing frame rate, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often worth the performance cost.

At 4K, the High settings preset is recommended, with an average of 106 FPS. This is comfortably above 60 FPS and provides a great experience. The Medium preset at 117 FPS is slightly faster, but the visual gains from High are usually preferred. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is playable but will not take full advantage of a 120Hz or 144Hz display. The Low preset at 149 FPS is an option for maximum frame rate, but it severely compromises visual quality. Overall, the data suggests that High settings offer the most consistent experience across all resolutions, balancing visual quality with high frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS at High settings drops from 256 to 178, a reduction of 78 FPS. From 1440p to 4K, the average FPS at High settings drops from 178 to 106, a reduction of 72 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is becoming increasingly stressed at higher resolutions.

The scaling is more pronounced at higher settings. For instance, at Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 164 at 1080p to 113 at 1440p, and then to 68 at 4K. This is a total reduction of 96 FPS from 1080p to 4K, which is a 58.5% decrease. In contrast, at Low settings, the FPS drops from 359 at 1080p to 249 at 1440p, and then to 149 at 4K. This is a total reduction of 210 FPS, which is also a large percentage decrease (58.5%).

The fact that the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is similar for both Low and Ultra settings suggests that the limiting component is consistent. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the primary bottleneck, as the GPU is not fully utilized. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes more involved, and by 4K, it is the definitive limiting factor. This is supported by the frame rate data: at 4K Ultra, the system averages 68 FPS, which is a substantial drop from the 359 FPS at 1080p Low. The data indicates that the RTX 5090 is the component that is most impacted by the resolution increase, while the Ryzen 9 5900X provides sufficient headroom to avoid being the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.