Greedfall

Greedfall pairs a 12-core, 24-thread AMD Ryzen 9 7900X with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 2060, a combination that lands at rank 2932 out of 3703 tested combos in this title. The data reveals a system where the GPU is decisively the limiting component at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s substantial thread count and clock speeds keep frame rates from collapsing at lower settings. This analysis explores how resolution scaling, VRAM, and core architecture shape the measured FPS, and where this combo stands relative to the broader field.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and predictable drop as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 99 FPS at 1080p to 68 FPS at 1440p, a 31% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K High brings another significant reduction, from 68 FPS down to 41 FPS, a roughly 40% loss. The pattern holds across all settings presets, indicating that pixel count is the dominant variable here.

The scaling behavior strongly suggests the RTX 2060 is the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 138 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it plummets to just 26 FPS. This is a 5.3x drop in performance from the lowest to highest workload, which is characteristic of a GPU that runs out of shading power and memory bandwidth as the resolution increases. The RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus width, paired with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, are simply not designed for 4K rendering in a title like Greedfall.

The relationship between settings and resolution is also telling. At 1080p, dropping from Ultra to Low yields a jump from 63 FPS to 138 FPS, a 2.2x improvement. At 4K, the same settings change goes from 26 FPS to 57 FPS, a 2.2x improvement as well. The proportional scaling is consistent, but the absolute headroom is what changes. At 4K, even Low settings only reach 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many users consider playable. The data implies that this combo is only viable at 4K for those willing to accept lower frame rates, and that 1440p is the realistic ceiling for smooth performance.

Notably, the gap between Medium and High at 1440p is small — 75 FPS versus 68 FPS — suggesting that Medium is a sweet spot for resolution-sensitive workloads. The frame time data, where available, shows a difference of 23 FPS between 1080p Medium (109 FPS average, 92 FPS minimum) and 1440p Medium (75 FPS average, 64 FPS minimum). This consistency across the board reinforces that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting, and the CPU has ample headroom to feed it.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture with 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its base clock of 1365 MHz boosts to 1680 MHz, which is modest by modern standards but sufficient for a 2019-era mid-range card. The memory configuration is 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s. These specifications directly explain the 4K performance ceiling: 6 GB of VRAM is often insufficient for high-resolution textures, and the 192-bit bus limits memory bandwidth for large frame buffers.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals are telling: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (deltaPct 0), the AMD Radeon 680M (deltaPct 0.1), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (deltaPct 0.6). These are not high-end cards; they are older or integrated solutions. The RTX 2060’s PassMark G3D score of 14111 and DirectX 12 score of 53 suggest it can handle modern APIs but lacks the raw throughput for demanding titles at high resolutions.

In Greedfall specifically, the GPU’s role is evident in the 4K Ultra result of 26 FPS. This is the most demanding preset, and the card cannot keep up. The texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s are theoretical limits, but real-world performance is constrained by the 6 GB memory pool. The RTX 2060’s 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present, but Greedfall is not a ray-traced title, so these features go largely unused, leaving the card’s rasterization performance to carry the load.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary constraint at 1440p and above. At 1440p Ultra, the average FPS is 44, which is only slightly above the 4K High result of 41 FPS. This suggests that the card is so far beyond its comfort zone that changes in resolution have diminishing returns. The card’s FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS is the theoretical compute ceiling, but the measured results indicate that memory bandwidth and capacity are the real bottlenecks in this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a Zen 4 part with 12 cores and 24 threads, running at a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This is a high-end desktop processor with a 170 W TDP, and its benchmark results are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29300 and a single-core score of 2016.5. The 64 MB of shared L3 cache and 5 nm process node from TSMC position it as a top-tier CPU, ranking at the 91st percentile among all CPUs.

In the context of Greedfall, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data suggests that this is not a bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 138 FPS, which is likely near the engine’s ceiling for this scene. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 63, which is still a playable frame rate. The CPU’s single-thread performance, measured at 1093 in 3DMark single-thread and 4238 in PassMark single-thread, is more than adequate for this 2019 release.

The Ryzen 9 7900X’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores are the AMD EPYC 7313P (deltaPct 0.2), Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (deltaPct -0.3), and Intel Core i7-14700F (deltaPct -0.6). These are all high-core-count parts, which reinforces that the 7900X is overkill for a game like Greedfall. The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities, shown by a PassMark multithread score of 51406 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 12536, are far beyond what this title requires.

The data implies that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. The FPS differences between 1080p and 4K are almost entirely attributable to the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS at 1080p Low and 1080p High, which is not the case — the difference is 138 FPS versus 99 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is doing the work, and the CPU has headroom to spare. The 12 cores and 24 threads are likely idle most of the time, as Greedfall is not a heavily threaded title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Ryzen 9 7900X and RTX 2060 ranks 2932 out of 3703 tested combinations in Greedfall. This places it in the bottom 21% of all combos, which is surprising given the powerful CPU. The rank is likely dragged down by the GPU, which is the weak link in this pairing. The RTX 2060 is a mid-range card from 2019, and its performance is far below what the 7900X can support.

The percentile ranking reinforces this interpretation. The CPU is in the 91st percentile, while the GPU is in the 58th percentile. The combo rank of 2932/3703 suggests that many other combinations with lower-end CPUs but better GPUs outperform this pairing. This is a classic case of CPU overkill, where the processor’s capabilities are wasted on a GPU that cannot keep pace.

The data shows that this combo is better suited to 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1080p Medium, it achieves 109 FPS, and at 1440p Medium, it hits 75 FPS. These are playable frame rates. The 4K results, however, are mostly below 60 FPS, with only Low settings reaching 57 FPS. Users looking to play at 4K would need a more powerful GPU to take advantage of the CPU’s headroom.

The rank also implies that there are 771 combos that perform worse, which means this is not the worst pairing possible. However, the performance gap between this combo and higher-ranked ones is significant. The data suggests that the RTX 2060 is the limiting factor, and that pairing the 7900X with a stronger GPU would yield much better results in Greedfall.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Greedfall?

A: The data shows 1440p is the optimal resolution for a balance of visual quality and performance. At Medium settings, the combo achieves 75 FPS average, with a minimum of 64 FPS. At 1080p, all settings exceed 60 FPS, with Low reaching 138 FPS, but 1440p provides a better visual experience without sacrificing playability.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Greedfall?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 57 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 45 FPS, and at High it falls to 41 FPS. Ultra settings are not viable, with an average of 26 FPS. The 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus width of the RTX 2060 are the primary limitations.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU’s benchmark scores are nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (deltaPct 0) and AMD Radeon 680M (deltaPct 0.1), and slightly ahead of the RTX 3050 OEM (deltaPct 0.6). This indicates that the RTX 2060 is a mid-range card, and its performance in Greedfall reflects that positioning.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 7900X holding back the RTX 2060?

A: No, the CPU is not a bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile, and its single-core performance (2016.5 in Cinebench R23) is more than sufficient for Greedfall. The FPS differences between resolutions are entirely attributable to the GPU’s limitations.

Q: What settings preset should I use at 1440p?

A: Medium settings provide the best experience, with an average of 75 FPS and a minimum of 64 FPS. High settings drop to 68 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44 FPS. Medium offers a 11% FPS increase over High while likely maintaining similar visual quality.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to all tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 2932 out of 3703, placing it in the bottom 21%. This is due to the RTX 2060’s performance, which is in the 58th percentile, while the CPU is in the 91st percentile. The ranking suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS shows a clear progression across settings. Low settings yield an average of 138 FPS, Medium averages 109 FPS with a minimum of 92 and maximum of 125, High averages 99 FPS, and Ultra averages 63 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 75 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at this resolution. The minimum FPS at Medium (92) is still above 60 FPS, which suggests a smooth experience even during demanding scenes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop across the board. Low averages 96 FPS, Medium averages 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 and maximum of 87, High averages 68 FPS, and Ultra averages 44 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 52 FPS, but the absolute numbers are lower. The Medium preset’s minimum of 64 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, which is a borderline result. Ultra at 44 FPS is not ideal for fast-paced gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance is significantly constrained. Low averages 57 FPS, Medium averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52, High averages 41 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 38 FPS indicates stuttering potential. None of the 4K presets except Low achieve a 60 FPS average, and even that is marginal. The data shows that 4K is only viable for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

The data suggests that Medium settings at 1440p offer the best balance of performance and visual quality. The 75 FPS average and 64 FPS minimum provide a consistent experience, and the 11% improvement over High settings (68 FPS) is worth the potential visual downgrade. At 1080p, Medium is also the sweet spot, with 109 FPS average and 92 FPS minimum, offering headroom for demanding scenes.

For users who prioritize frame rate over visuals, Low settings at 1080p is the highest-performing preset, with an average of 138 FPS. At 1440p, Low averages 96 FPS, which is still highly playable. However, the jump from Low to Medium at both resolutions is relatively small — 29 FPS at 1080p and 21 FPS at 1440p — suggesting that Medium is a reasonable trade-off for better graphics.

Ultra settings are not recommended for this combo. At 1440p, Ultra averages 44 FPS, and at 1080p, it averages 63 FPS. The latter is playable, but the former is not ideal. The performance hit from Ultra to High is substantial: at 1440p, the drop is from 68 to 44 FPS, a 35% decrease. At 4K, Ultra is unplayable at 26 FPS. The data indicates that this combo’s best experience is at Medium settings, regardless of resolution, with the caveat that 4K Medium (45 FPS) is only suitable for slower-paced exploration.