Greedfall

This pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 represents a substantial mismatch in generation and capability, yet the benchmark data reveals a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. The CPU is a modern 12-core, 24-thread Zen 4 part based on the Raphael architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, making it a high-frequency desktop processor with a substantial 64 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic tests, it posts strong scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 43695 and a single-core score of 6168. Its average benchmark score of 50556 places it at the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a top-tier compute component.

In stark contrast, the GPU is from the Pascal generation, a 16 nm design that launched in 2016. The GTX 1070 features 1920 shading units and 64 ROPs, with a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. It carries 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. Its average benchmark score is 12331, which places it at the 51st percentile of all GPUs. This means the processor is far more capable than the graphics card in raw compute terms, setting the stage for a scenario where the GPU is likely the primary constraint in gaming workloads. The CPU's high core count and fast clocks are largely irrelevant to the graphics pipeline's output limits in this context.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Ryzen 9 7900X has a strong foundation for gaming, with 12 cores and 24 threads that can handle heavy background tasks and modern game engines. Its 5.60 GHz boost clock is excellent for single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game logic and frame pacing. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU's single-thread scores are impressive, such as a 3DMark single-thread score of 1093 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2952. These figures suggest that the CPU is not a limiting factor in Greedfall's frame rate, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU might otherwise be expected to be the sole bottleneck.

However, the game's performance data shows a pattern typical of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate is 124 FPS. This is a high number, but it is not limited by the CPU; rather, it reflects the maximum output the GTX 1070 can deliver at those settings. The CPU's multi-threaded capability, evidenced by a Passmark multi-thread score of 51406, ensures that frame times remain consistent, but the actual throughput is dictated by the GPU. The processor's 64 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth provide ample data transfer capacity for the game, preventing any memory-related stalls that could artificially cap performance.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The GTX 1070 is the definitive limiting component in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is sufficient for Greedfall at most settings, but the GPU's compute capabilities are dated. With a boost clock of 1683 MHz and a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s, the card struggles to maintain high frame rates when pixel fill rate becomes a critical factor, such as at 4K resolutions. The data confirms this: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 26.2, which is barely playable. At 4K High, the average is 34.9 FPS, still below the 60 FPS target that most gamers prefer.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s is also a limiting factor at higher resolutions. When the resolution increases, the demand for texture data rises, and the card's bandwidth cannot keep pace, leading to the observed frame rate drops. The card's DirectX 12 performance is notably weak, with a Passmark DirectX 12 score of just 48, which is lower than its DirectX 11 score of 100. This suggests that the game's DX12 path may be particularly taxing on this architecture, contributing to the significant performance penalty at Ultra settings. The GPU is a mid-range part from its era, and its 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs underscores its position as a mainstream, not high-end, solution.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations for Greedfall, this pairing of the Ryzen 9 7900X and GTX 1070 ranks at 1419 out of 1705 total combos. This places it in the bottom 17% of all tested configurations, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's age and performance class. The rank indicates that most other pairings, even those with older CPUs, achieve higher frame rates because they are paired with more capable graphics cards. The CPU's high percentile ranking (93rd) does not boost the combo's standing because the GPU's 51st percentile rating drags the overall result down.

This ranking is a clear indicator of imbalance. While the CPU is near the top of its class, the GPU is near the middle of the pack for all GPUs. The data shows that the combo's performance is almost entirely dictated by the slower component. The 1419th rank out of 1705 combos suggests that users with this specific combination would see significant gains by upgrading the graphics card, as the CPU has ample headroom to support a much faster GPU without becoming a bottleneck itself.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions where the GPU is the primary constraint. At 1080p, the results are as follows: Low settings yield an average of 124 FPS, Medium produces 97.6 FPS, High drops to 92.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 58.7 FPS. These numbers show that moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p costs roughly half the frame rate, from 124 down to 58.7 FPS. The step from High to Ultra is particularly steep, with a drop of 33.5 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset includes settings that are especially punishing for the GTX 1070's architecture.

At 1440p, the frame rates decrease further. Low settings average 87.3 FPS, Medium averages 68.9 FPS, High averages 63.7 FPS, and Ultra averages 42.2 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings is 28.5 FPS (from 92.2 to 63.7), which is a 31% reduction. This is a typical scaling factor for a GPU-bound scenario, as the pixel count increases by about 77% from 1080p to 1440p, but the frame rate does not drop proportionally, suggesting some efficiency in the rendering pipeline. The 4K results are significantly lower, with Low averaging 52.2 FPS, Medium averaging 43.1 FPS, High averaging 34.9 FPS, and Ultra averaging 26.2 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the combo delivers just over a quarter of the frame rate it achieves at 1080p Low, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle the higher resolution.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is severe and clearly identifies the GPU as the bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 92.2 at 1080p to 63.7 at 1440p, and then to 34.9 at 4K. This represents a total drop of 62% from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is similar for Low settings, where the average FPS goes from 124 at 1080p to 87.3 at 1440p and finally to 52.2 at 4K, a 58% reduction.

These percentages are crucial for analysis. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with resolution. However, the data shows a sharp decline that correlates with the increase in pixel count, which is a classic sign of a GPU-limited workload. The GTX 1070's 8 GB of VRAM is also a factor, as higher resolutions require more memory for textures and frame buffers. At 4K Ultra, the card's memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s is insufficient to feed the shaders, resulting in the low 26.2 FPS average.

The data indicates that the Ryzen 9 7900X has no trouble keeping up with the GTX 1070's output. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is working at its maximum capacity, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The bottleneck is entirely on the graphics side, and any performance improvement would require a GPU upgrade. The combination's 1419th rank out of 1705 combos confirms this imbalance, as the processor's high-end capabilities are wasted on a graphics card that cannot utilize them fully in this game. The resolution scaling analysis confirms that the GPU is the sole performance limiter in this pairing for Greedfall.