Greedfall

Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG, proves to be a demanding title for modern hardware. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT across a range of resolutions and presets. The data reveals a configuration that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, but which encounters a significant performance ceiling at 4K Ultra settings, highlighting the intricate balance between CPU and GPU workload in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline in performance as resolution increases, but the degree of that decline is particularly telling. At 1080p High settings, the combo delivers an average of 164.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 114.8 FPS, a reduction of 50 FPS. Stepping up to 4K High further reduces the frame rate to 65.7 FPS. This pattern—a roughly 30% drop from 1080p to 1440p and an additional 43% drop from 1440p to 4K—suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The sheer pixel count at 4K is taxing the RX 6800 XT's compute resources, causing the frame rate to plummet.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p, the difference between Low (230.9 FPS) and Ultra (106.9 FPS) is a massive 124 FPS, indicating that the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU even at the highest settings. However, at 4K, the spread narrows to 52.3 FPS between Low (93.2 FPS) and Ultra (40.9 FPS). This compression of the performance envelope at 4K is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck; the graphics card is working at its maximum capacity even on Low settings, so increasing visual fidelity has a proportionally smaller impact on the final frame rate compared to the 1080p scenario. The data strongly implies that the RX 6800 XT is the component that determines the upper limit of performance in this game, especially as resolution scales.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the "sweet spot" for this configuration appears to be the High preset at 1440p. This setting yields an average of 114.8 FPS, which is a strong, playable frame rate for an Action RPG, while still providing a significant visual upgrade over Medium. The data shows that 4K is not a viable option for high-refresh-rate play, as even the High preset only manages 65.7 FPS. While this is technically playable, the Ultra preset at 4K drops to a more challenging 40.9 FPS average.

For users prioritizing the highest possible frame rates, 1080p Low is the clear choice, delivering a staggering 230.9 FPS average, which is well beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. However, this sacrifices the game's visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p (180.6 FPS) offers a better balance for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, but the High preset at 1440p provides the best overall experience, combining a high frame rate with a substantial increase in resolution over 1080p. The 4K High preset, while not at 144Hz, is the only 4K option that remains above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended choice for resolution enthusiasts who can tolerate the lower frame rate.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is a substantial piece of hardware. Its benchmark results place it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49982. Within its own performance class, it is closely matched with rivals; it trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER by a margin of 2.6% and is 0.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A550M. This data suggests that in synthetic tests, the GPU is highly competitive.

In Greedfall specifically, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution and settings increase. The 4K Ultra preset (40.9 FPS) versus the 1080p Low preset (230.9 FPS) shows a 190 FPS swing, which is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's workload. The card's boost clock of 2250 MHz and 4608 shading units are the engines driving these numbers. The fact that the RX 6800 XT's percentile rank is 87, while the CPU's rank is 94, provides a quantitative hint that the GPU is the less powerful component in this pairing. The VRAM capacity of 16 GB appears sufficient for Greedfall, as the performance drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent with pixel throughput demands rather than memory limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Greedfall, this pairing of the Ryzen 9 9900X and Radeon RX 6800 XT is placed at rank 601 out of 1705 combos. This places it in the upper third of all tested configurations, indicating a strong, but not elite, level of performance. The percentile data for the individual components helps contextualize this: the CPU is in the 94th percentile while the GPU is in the 87th percentile. This imbalance suggests that the combo's overall rank is being dragged down by the GPU, which is not as exceptional as the CPU it is paired with.

This rank implies that while this system is very capable, there are many other combinations that deliver higher frame rates in Greedfall. The 601st position out of 1705 means that the majority of the 601 combos ahead of it likely feature more powerful GPUs. The data presents a clear narrative: the CPU has more performance headroom than the GPU can utilize in this specific game, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU's workload is the limiting factor. This is not a criticism of the RX 6800 XT, but rather a reflection of the sheer processing power of the Ryzen 9 9900X.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a formidable processor, built on the Zen 5 architecture with 12 cores and 24 threads. Its base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz contribute to its strong benchmark performance, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 54450 is nearly identical to its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, which is just 0.4% faster. This indicates that the 9900X is at the very top of its performance tier.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 230.9 FPS, a figure that demonstrates the CPU's ability to process game logic and feed the GPU with frames at a very high rate. The massive performance gap between 1080p Low and 4K Low (93.2 FPS) is entirely due to the GPU becoming the bottleneck at the higher resolution. This shows that the Ryzen 9 9900X is not the limiting factor in this configuration. Its high single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6555, ensures that even at 1080p, the CPU is not holding back the RX 6800 XT. The data indicates that in Greedfall, the CPU has significant headroom to spare, making the GPU the clear target for any future upgrades.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured average FPS data for this combination, organized by resolution and settings.

• 1080p (1920x1080)
• Low: 230.9 FPS
• Medium: 180.6 FPS
• High: 164.8 FPS
• Ultra: 106.9 FPS
• 1440p (2560x1440)
• Low: 160.4 FPS
• Medium: 127.3 FPS
• High: 114.8 FPS
• Ultra: 74.1 FPS
• 4K (3840x2160)
• Low: 93.2 FPS
• Medium: 76.8 FPS
• High: 65.7 FPS
• Ultra: 40.9 FPS

This data confirms the scaling trends discussed. The only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold is 4K Ultra, which averages just 40.9 FPS. Every other setting and resolution combination provides a playable frame rate, with the majority of 1080p and 1440p presets exceeding 100 FPS. The 1440p High preset stands out as a particularly balanced option, achieving 114.8 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The data suggests 1440p is the optimal resolution. At High settings, it delivers 114.8 FPS, offering a great balance between visual fidelity and high frame rate. While 4K is playable at High settings (65.7 FPS), it is significantly more demanding.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. The 4K High preset averages 65.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target. However, the 4K Ultra preset drops to 40.9 FPS, indicating that maxing out the game's settings at 4K is not a viable option for smooth gameplay with this hardware.

Q: Is the game more CPU-bound or GPU-bound for this configuration?

A: The data indicates the system is GPU-bound at higher resolutions and settings. The performance drop from 1080p Low (230.9 FPS) to 4K Low (93.2 FPS) is steep, showing the GPU's workload limits performance as resolution increases. The CPU, in the 94th percentile, has enough headroom to support much higher frame rates.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT compare to its direct rivals?

A: According to the benchmark data, it is very competitive. It is 2.6% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER and 0.5% faster than the Intel Arc A550M in average benchmark scores.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The Low preset achieves 230.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 106.9 FPS. This represents a 124 FPS drop when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: Where does this specific hardware combination rank among all tested combos?

A: This pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is ranked 601st out of 1705 tested combinations for Greedfall, placing it in the upper third of all configurations.