Greedfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X pairs a 12-core, 24-thread Zen 5 design with a 4.40 GHz base clock and a 5.60 GHz boost clock, sitting on the AM5 socket with a 120 W TDP. For a 2019 action RPG like Greedfall, this is an enormous amount of processing headroom; the game’s engine rarely stresses all 24 threads, but the CPU’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1286 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6555, ensures that frame pacing remains consistent even when the GPU is fully saturated. The 64 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with the game’s open-world asset streaming, reducing hitches when traversing the environment. In practical terms, this CPU is not the bottleneck at any of the tested settings; the data shows that scaling from Low to Ultra across resolutions is driven almost entirely by the GPU, with the CPU’s 24 threads providing ample headroom for background tasks and driver overhead.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X and the RTX 4070 ranks 429th out of 1705 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the top 25% of all configurations. This rank reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is severely limiting the other; the CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 94, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of processors in synthetic tests, while the GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 81. When compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 54450 is just 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54681) and 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700F (54097). This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the 9900X is effectively neck-and-neck with its closest competition, so the ranking difference in Greedfall comes down to GPU performance and driver optimization rather than raw processor muscle. The combo’s position in the 429th spot is respectable but not elite; the data suggests that the RTX 4070 is the component that holds this pairing back from the top tiers, especially at 4K Ultra where the frame rate drops significantly.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, running at a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz. It carries 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for Greedfall’s detailed textures and large environments at higher resolutions. The GPU’s avgBenchmarkScore of 37283 places it in the 81st percentile, but its nearest rivals show tight competition: it is 0.6% slower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507) and 2.5% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36371). In Greedfall specifically, the GPU’s role becomes dominant as resolution increases; at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates past 200 FPS on Low settings, but at 4K, the GPU’s workload scales dramatically, and the 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game’s textures, though the frame rate at Ultra settings reveals the limits of the 4070’s raw compute power. The 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores are present, but Greedfall does not heavily utilize ray tracing, so the GPU’s rasterization performance, reflected in its passmark g3d score of 26927, is the primary determinant of results.

FAQ

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X compare to the Ryzen 9 9900X3D in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The 9900X has an average benchmark score of 54450, which is 0.4% lower than the 9900X3D’s 54681. In real-world Greedfall performance, this difference is negligible, and the 9900X’s higher boost clock of 5.60 GHz helps offset the lack of 3D V-Cache in this particular game.

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

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches an average of 246.2 FPS. Moving to Medium drops it to 194.1 FPS, High to 180.7 FPS, and Ultra to 115.1 FPS, showing that the RTX 4070 is more than capable of driving high refresh rate monitors at this resolution.

Q: Is the RTX 4070’s performance closer to the RX Vega 56 or the RTX 4080 Mobile?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283, which is 0.6% lower than the RX Vega 56 (37507) and 2.2% lower than the RTX 4080 Mobile (38135). In Greedfall, this translates to the 4070 being a solid mid-range performer, but not a top-tier one.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking out of all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 429th out of 1705 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the 75th percentile of all tested systems. This suggests that while it is a strong setup, there are many higher-end GPU pairings that achieve better frame rates, particularly at 4K Ultra.

Q: Does the CPU’s 12-core/24-thread configuration benefit Greedfall?

A: Greedfall is not a heavily threaded game, so the 24 threads are not fully utilized, but the CPU’s high single-thread score (1286 in 3dmark_single_thread) ensures that the game’s logic and physics calculations run smoothly, preventing CPU bottlenecks even at high frame rates.

Q: How does the GPU’s memory bandwidth affect performance at 4K?

A: The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth and 12 GB VRAM are adequate for 4K High settings (70.5 FPS), but at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 48.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s compute throughput, not just memory bandwidth, becomes the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the combo delivers an average of 70.5 FPS on High settings, which is playable for most users, but drops to 81.1 FPS on Medium and 103.6 FPS on Low, showing a clear scaling pattern with settings. Ultra at 4K is the weakest point, averaging just 48.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Stepping down to 2560x1440, performance improves significantly: High averages 124.2 FPS, Medium 136.2 FPS, Low 173.9 FPS, and Ultra 76.9 FPS. At this resolution, the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors, with even Ultra staying above 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, the results are excellent across the board: Low averages 246.2 FPS, Medium 194.1 FPS, High 180.7 FPS, and Ultra 115.1 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern where lowering settings from Ultra to High yields a substantial FPS boost at every resolution, while the jump from Medium to Low provides diminishing returns at higher resolutions, indicating that the GPU is the primary scaling factor.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K gaming, the best experience per the measured rows is the High preset, which delivers 70.5 FPS on average. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, while Medium (81.1 FPS) offers a slight improvement but sacrifices visual fidelity; the jump to Low (103.6 FPS) is not worth the graphical downgrade for most players. At 4K Ultra, the 48.8 FPS average is too low for a consistent experience, so High is the recommended sweet spot. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 76.9 FPS, which is acceptable, but High at 124.2 FPS provides a much smoother experience with only a modest visual difference; this makes High the recommended setting for competitive or fast-paced play, while Ultra is viable for slower exploration. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 115.1 FPS, which is already above 100 FPS, so players with high refresh rate monitors can safely use Ultra without sacrificing smoothness. However, for those seeking the absolute highest frame rates, High at 180.7 FPS offers a significant boost with minimal visual penalty, making it the best choice for esports-style play. Overall, the data suggests that High settings provide the most balanced experience across all three resolutions, delivering strong frame rates while maintaining the game’s visual quality.