Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG released in 2019, presents an interesting benchmark scenario when paired with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D. This combination achieves the top rank among 2,938 tested combos, indicating exceptional performance headroom. The measured FPS data across resolutions and settings reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower settings, with the CPU’s substantial multi-threading capabilities ensuring stable frame delivery even at high frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic pattern of increasing GPU load. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 383 FPS. This drops to 266 FPS at 1440p and further to 159 FPS at 4K with the same settings. This represents a 58.5% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting factor even at the lowest quality preset. The RTX 5090 D’s massive 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are sufficient to handle the increased pixel throughput at 4K, but the rendering workload scales directly with resolution.

Moving to High settings, the scaling pattern shifts. At 1080p, the average is 273 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 190 FPS, a 30.4% reduction. At 4K, the average falls to 113 FPS, which is a 40.5% reduction from 1440p. The diminishing returns between 1440p and 4K suggest that the GPU’s shading units and texture units are being saturated, as the pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are put under increasing strain. The 4K High result of 113 FPS is still highly playable, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p, indicating that the GPU is approaching its practical limit at 4K with higher quality settings.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p, the system averages 175 FPS. At 1440p, this drops to 121 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 72 FPS. The 4K Ultra result represents a 58.9% reduction from the 1080p Ultra score. This steep decline suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are particularly demanding on the GPU’s compute resources, such as advanced lighting or post-processing. The RTX 5090 D, with its 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance, still manages to produce playable frame rates at 4K Ultra, but the data clearly shows that this setting is the most taxing configuration.

The Medium preset offers a middle ground. At 1080p, the average is 301 FPS, with a minimum of 256 FPS and maximum of 346 FPS. At 1440p, the average is 209 FPS (min 178, max 240). At 4K, the average is 125 FPS (min 106, max 143). The consistency of the frame delivery, as evidenced by the min/max values, suggests that the CPU’s 16 cores and 32 threads are adequately feeding the GPU without causing stutter. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 30.6% drop, and from 1440p to 4K is a 40.2% drop, mirroring the pattern seen at High settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 383 FPS, achieved with the Low preset. This indicates that the CPU and GPU combination has substantial headroom at this resolution, with the Low settings placing minimal load on the RTX 5090 D.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra setting produces an average of 72 FPS. While this is the lowest measured score across all configurations, it remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, suggesting that the RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 176 ROPs are sufficient for this demanding workload.

Q: How does the CPU’s core count affect performance in Greedfall?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X features 16 cores and 32 threads, with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The benchmark results show consistent frame rates across different settings, with no evidence of CPU bottlenecking even at 1080p Low where the GPU is producing 383 FPS. The CPU’s high multi-threaded performance, as indicated by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26,017, ensures that the game logic and draw calls are processed without delay.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 266 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 121 FPS. This represents a 54.5% reduction in performance when switching from Low to Ultra, highlighting the significant GPU workload increase associated with the Ultra preset’s visual enhancements.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D’s VRAM capacity relevant for Greedfall?

A: The GPU has 32 GB of VRAM, which is far more than Greedfall requires. The measured data shows no indication of VRAM-related performance drops, as the FPS scaling follows a predictable pattern based on resolution and settings. The 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming at 4K does not cause frame hitches.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combination of AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks first out of 2,938 tested combos in Greedfall. This top ranking is consistent with the high FPS numbers observed across all resolution and setting combinations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves the number one position among 2,938 tested combinations in Greedfall. This top ranking is unsurprising given the hardware’s specifications, but the measured data provides context for how the system performs in practice. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 51,947 places it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU’s average score of 77,712 puts it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. When combined, these components deliver a gaming experience that exceeds all other tested configurations.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX with an average score of 52,073 (0.2% higher), the AMD EPYC 8124P with 52,121 (0.3% higher), the Intel Core i9-13900F with 51,730 (0.4% lower), and the Intel Core i7-14700 with 52,301 (0.7% higher). These small percentage differences indicate that the Ryzen 9 5950X is competitive with modern processors, though not the absolute fastest in synthetic benchmarks. However, in Greedfall, the combination with the RTX 5090 D yields the best measured FPS, suggesting that the CPU’s 64 MB of L3 cache and 16-core configuration are well-suited to this game’s engine.

The GPU’s nearest rivals show an interesting pattern. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT scores 76,904 (1.1% higher), the RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (1.6% lower), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants score 79,396 and 79,605 (2.1% and 2.4% lower respectively). These rivals are all mobile or datacenter-focused products, highlighting the unique position of the RTX 5090 D as a desktop enthusiast card. Despite these close synthetic benchmark scores, the RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB VRAM and Blackwell architecture provide a significant advantage in Greedfall, as evidenced by the top combo ranking.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on the user’s display resolution and performance preferences. At 1080p, all settings produce frame rates well above 144 Hz, with even the Ultra preset averaging 175 FPS. For users with high refresh rate monitors, the Ultra preset at 1080p offers the best visual quality while maintaining smooth motion. The Low preset at 383 FPS would be suitable for competitive play or for users with 360 Hz displays, though the visual trade-offs are substantial.

At 1440p, the High preset offers an excellent balance, averaging 190 FPS. This is more than sufficient for 144 Hz monitors and provides a significant visual improvement over the Medium preset, which averages 209 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 121 FPS, which is still playable on 120 Hz displays but may not fully utilize higher refresh rate panels. For users prioritizing frame rate, the Medium preset’s 209 FPS average with a minimum of 178 FPS ensures consistent performance without dropping below 144 FPS.

At 4K, the High preset delivers 113 FPS on average, making it the recommended choice for a smooth experience on 120 Hz displays. The Medium preset averages 125 FPS, offering a slight performance boost at the cost of some visual fidelity. The Ultra preset’s 72 FPS average is playable on 60 Hz displays but falls short of higher refresh rate targets. The Low preset at 4K averages 159 FPS, but the visual degradation makes it less appealing for a game like Greedfall that emphasizes atmosphere. The data suggests that 4K High is the sweet spot, providing a balance between the 113 FPS average and the visual quality improvements over Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates remarkable performance across all settings. The Low preset produces an average of 383 FPS, representing the highest measured score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 301 FPS, with a minimum of 256 FPS and maximum of 346 FPS, indicating stable frame delivery. The High preset averages 273 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 175 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 54.3% reduction in average FPS, reflecting the increasing GPU workload.

At 2560x1440, performance remains exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 266 FPS, a 30.5% reduction from the 1080p Low score. The Medium preset averages 209 FPS (min 178, max 240), while the High preset averages 190 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 121 FPS, which is 30.9% lower than the 1080p Ultra score. The consistency of the performance scaling suggests that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count efficiently, with no unexpected bottlenecks.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers playable frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 159 FPS, which is 58.5% lower than the 1080p Low score. The Medium preset averages 125 FPS (min 106, max 143), while the High preset averages 113 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 72 FPS, representing the lowest measured score. The 4K results show a 54.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings, indicating that the RTX 5090 D’s 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance is being fully utilized at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X plays a critical role in ensuring consistent frame delivery in Greedfall. With 16 cores and 32 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, the CPU provides ample processing power for game logic, AI calculations, and draw call submission. The base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz allow for responsive single-threaded performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,614. The 64 MB of L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for open-world games that require frequent data access.

The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are demonstrated by the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 26,017 and the 3DMark max threads score of 11,597. These scores indicate that the 5950X can handle the parallel workloads present in modern game engines. In Greedfall, the benchmark results show no signs of CPU bottlenecking, even at 1080p Low where the GPU is producing 383 FPS. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings (256 FPS at 1080p, 178 FPS at 1440p, 106 FPS at 4K) suggest that the CPU maintains consistent frame pacing without introducing stutter.

The CPU’s 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 51,947, places it in a competitive position. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700, scores 52,301 (0.7% higher), while the Intel Core i9-13900F scores 51,730 (0.4% lower). These small differences in synthetic benchmarks translate to negligible performance differences in Greedfall, as the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration. The 105 W TDP and AM4 socket compatibility make it a practical choice for high-end gaming systems.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the primary driver of performance in Greedfall, as evidenced by the resolution scaling patterns. The GPU’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for 4K texture streaming. The boost clock of 2407 MHz and 21,760 shading units deliver a peak FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS, enabling the high frame rates observed across all settings.

The GPU’s 176 ROPs handle pixel output at a rate of 423.6 GPixel/s, which is critical for maintaining high FPS at 4K. The 680 TMUs provide a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s, ensuring that texture filtering does not become a bottleneck. The 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores are not heavily utilized in Greedfall, as the game does not feature extensive ray tracing or DLSS support, but they contribute to the GPU’s overall compute capability.

The RTX 5090 D’s 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712, places it near the top of the performance hierarchy. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% higher score) and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (2.4% higher score), though these are not direct desktop competitors. In Greedfall, the GPU’s performance is clearly superior, as demonstrated by the top combo ranking and the high FPS numbers across all tested configurations. The 575 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate the power requirements necessary to sustain this level of performance.