Greedfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a compelling performance profile in Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. This combination demonstrates a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution increases, with the data showing a significant drop in frame rates from 1080p to 4K, particularly under higher graphical presets. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, roles of each component, and the optimal settings for this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a pronounced sensitivity to resolution, which is typical for a GPU-bound title at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 166.5 FPS, but this drops by 28.5% to 119 FPS at 1440p, and then by a further 39.9% to 71.5 FPS at 4K. This steep scaling curve from 1440p to 4K strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 9070 becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the rendering load at 3840x2160 clearly exceeds what the RX 9070 can sustain at high frame rates.

Interestingly, the scaling behavior changes dramatically when examining the Low preset. At Low settings, the frame rate only drops from 232.1 FPS at 1080p to 159.6 FPS at 1440p (a 31.2% reduction), and then to 94 FPS at 4K (a 41.1% reduction from 1440p). The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate falls to just 94 FPS suggests that while the GPU is still the main constraint, the CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads are not entirely irrelevant. The Ryzen 9 5950X, with its boost clock of 4.90 GHz, provides enough headroom that the GPU remains the bottleneck even at lower graphical loads.

The most telling data point for bottleneck analysis is the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 104.9 FPS, but this collapses to 75 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 44.3 FPS at 4K. The 57.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K on Ultra is the largest of any preset, confirming that the RX 9070's rendering pipeline, with its 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs, is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and demanding visual effects. The data shows that this game, at 4K Ultra, requires more graphical horsepower than this GPU can deliver for a smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p High settings for this combination?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 119 FPS. This represents a strong performance level, indicating the system can handle high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution without significant compromise.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform compared to High at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset achieves 71.5 FPS, while Ultra drops to 44.3 FPS. This is a 38.0% reduction in frame rate, showing that the Ultra preset imposes a substantial additional load on the GPU that makes 4K gaming less viable.

Q: Is the RX 9070's 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Greedfall?

A: Based on the measured data, the 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than adequate. The game runs at all tested resolutions and presets without indication of memory-related stuttering or crashes, as the performance scales consistently with resolution rather than hitting a memory capacity wall.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximizing frame rate above 200 FPS?

A: Only the 1080p Low preset achieves an average FPS above 200, hitting 232.1 FPS. The next closest is 1080p Medium at 185.6 FPS, which falls below the 200 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combination ranks 573rd out of 1705 tested combos, placing it in the top 33.6% of all configurations. This indicates a solidly above-average performance tier for this specific title.

Q: Does the CPU's single-thread performance affect 1080p results?

A: The 3DMark single-thread score of 944 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5450 suggest strong per-core performance. At 1080p Low, the 232.1 FPS result indicates the CPU can feed the GPU effectively, although the GPU still appears to be the primary limiter given the FPS drop at higher presets.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture, is the clear driver of frame rates in this analysis. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz provide the raw processing speed, while the 36.13 TFLOPS FP32 performance handles the game's geometry and shading. The measured results show that this GPU excels at 1080p and 1440p, delivering 166.5 FPS and 119 FPS respectively on High settings, which are excellent figures for a demanding Action RPG.

The VRAM configuration is noteworthy. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the RX 9070 offers 644.6 GB/s of bandwidth. Greedfall, released in 2019, does not appear to require excessive memory capacity, as evidenced by the consistent scaling across resolutions. The GPU's 128 ROPs contribute to the pixel fill rate of 322.6 GPixel/s, which is a critical factor at 4K. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the pixel throughput becomes a bottleneck, resulting in the 44.3 FPS figure.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 79 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34780, places it in a competitive position. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA A2, scores 34866, a mere 0.2% difference, while the AMD Radeon HD 7970 is 0.7% behind. This suggests the RX 9070 is a mid-to-high-tier performer, but the 4K Ultra results in Greedfall indicate that it is not a top-tier 4K powerhouse. The 220 W TDP and PCIe 5.0 x16 interface are modern specifications, but the data suggests that for 4K Ultra gaming, a more powerful GPU would be required.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from 104.9 FPS on Ultra to 232.1 FPS on Low. The Medium preset delivers 185.6 FPS, while High achieves 166.5 FPS. This spread shows that the CPU and GPU combination has significant headroom at 1080p, with even the most demanding preset staying above 100 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results show a clear step down. Low settings produce 159.6 FPS, which drops to 128 FPS on Medium and 119 FPS on High. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 75 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 37.0% reduction from the High preset. This indicates that the Ultra preset's additional effects, likely including more detailed shadows and ambient occlusion, take a heavy toll on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more constrained. Low settings achieve 94 FPS, Medium produces 75.5 FPS, and High reaches 71.5 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 44.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth for action games. The gap between Low and High at 4K is 23.9%, while the gap between High and Ultra is 38.0%, demonstrating that the Ultra preset's demands grow disproportionately at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1440p gaming, the High preset at 119 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Medium preset at 128 FPS provides a slight performance boost with minimal visual compromise, making it the recommended choice for players who prioritize frame rate stability over minor graphical enhancements.

At 1080p, the High preset at 166.5 FPS is the best overall choice, as it delivers well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors. The Medium preset at 185.6 FPS is preferable for competitive play or for users with 240 Hz displays, as the difference between Medium and High is relatively small in visual terms but yields a 11.5% frame rate increase. The Ultra preset at 104.9 FPS is viable but offers diminishing returns for the performance cost.

For 4K, the data suggests that the High preset at 71.5 FPS is the highest playable option. The Ultra preset at 44.3 FPS is too demanding for smooth gameplay, while the Medium preset at 75.5 FPS offers a marginal improvement over High. Players targeting 4K should stick with High or Medium, as the Ultra preset's visual gains do not justify the 38.0% frame rate penalty. The Low preset at 94 FPS is the only 4K option that approaches 100 FPS, but the visual downgrade is likely too severe for most users.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, with its 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, provides substantial processing power for Greedfall. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz ensure strong single-thread performance, which is critical for game logic and draw call processing. The 3DMark single-thread score of 944 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5450 confirm that this CPU does not bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 38607 and the 3DMark max threads score of 11597, suggest that Greedfall's engine can utilize multiple cores effectively. However, the data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 232.1 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see consistent frame rates across different GPU settings at the same resolution. Instead, the 1080p results vary from 104.9 FPS on Ultra to 232.1 FPS on Low, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint even at lower resolutions.

The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s provide ample bandwidth for feeding the GPU. The processor's percentile ranking of 93 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49062, places it just 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.6% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF. This indicates that the Ryzen 9 5950X is a top-tier CPU, and its performance in Greedfall is more than sufficient to complement the RX 9070.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 573rd out of 1705 tested combos for Greedfall, placing it in the 66.4th percentile of all configurations. This rank reflects a system that is well above average but not at the very top of the performance hierarchy. Given that the CPU is a high-end 16-core processor with a 93rd percentile ranking, and the GPU is a mid-to-high-tier card with a 79th percentile ranking, the overall combo rank is consistent with the GPU being the weaker link.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600K with an average score of 49166 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i5-14600KF at 49367 (0.6% higher), and the AMD EPYC 4345P at 49595 (1.1% higher). The Ryzen 9 5950X's score of 49062 is competitive, but the data shows it is marginally outpaced by these newer or differently positioned processors. For the GPU, the nearest rival is the NVIDIA A2 at 34866 (0.2% higher), followed by the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 at 34677 (0.3% lower) and the AMD Radeon HD 7970 at 34541 (0.7% lower).

The combo rank of 573 suggests that this configuration is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, as demonstrated by the 119 FPS High preset result. However, the 4K Ultra performance at 44.3 FPS indicates that this combo is not ideal for maximum-fidelity 4K gaming. The data implies that users seeking higher 4K performance would need a more powerful GPU, while the CPU has ample headroom for future upgrades. Overall, this pairing represents a solid mid-to-high-end gaming system that excels at 1080p and 1440p but struggles at 4K with the most demanding settings.