Greedfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a peculiar case in Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. The benchmark data shows a system where a top-tier 12-core processor is yoked to a graphics solution that ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings paint a clear picture of a system limited almost entirely by its graphics component, with the CPU's considerable headroom left largely untapped.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and unequivocal, confirming that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary constraint. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 60 FPS at 1920x1080 to 42 FPS at 2560x1440, a 30% reduction. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields a 25 FPS average, which is a 58% drop from the 1080p figure and a 40% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing capability; the workload increases nearly linearly with pixel count, and the Arc B390's limited 24 ROPs and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply overwhelmed.

The trend is even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the 1080p average of 38 FPS collapses to 27 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to a barely playable 16 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra score, indicating that the GPU is hitting a hard architectural ceiling. The data suggests that the 4K resolution is not viable for this combination in Greedfall, regardless of the quality preset. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more forgiving, but the jump to 4K is a cliff, not a slope. This behavior is consistent with a GPU that has a modest memory bandwidth ("System Dependent") and a small 24 ROP count, making fill-rate the likely bottleneck at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is a 3 nm part based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, operating with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its performance in the benchmark suite is unremarkable, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are legacy mobile and OEM parts, with the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scoring 1.3% higher and the GeForce GT 710 scoring 2.7% lower. In Greedfall, this performance class translates into the low frame rates observed.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the host system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which in this configuration with the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's dual-channel memory (89.6 GB/s) is a significant limitation. Dedicated graphics memory on a bus like that of the Arc B390's rivals would typically offer higher bandwidth. This shared memory setup likely contributes to the steep performance drop at higher resolutions where the demand for texture and geometry data increases, causing the GPU to contend with the CPU for memory access. The 1536 shading units and 48 TMUs provide a baseline of compute capability, but the 24 ROPs and the shared memory interface are the clear limiting factors in a fill-rate-intensive game like Greedfall.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal balance of visual fidelity and playability is found at Medium settings. At 1920x1080, Medium produces a 66 FPS average with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS. This is a smooth, playable experience that is only 21% slower than the Low preset's 84 FPS average but offers a substantial visual upgrade over Low. The High preset at 1080p, while averaging 60 FPS, still dips into a range that could be less consistent, and the Ultra preset's 38 FPS average is a significant compromise.

At 2560x1440, Medium is the only viable preset for a consistent experience, yielding 46 FPS. High at 1440p drops to 42 FPS, and Low is the only other preset that breaks 50 FPS, averaging 58 FPS. For users prioritizing frame rate over visual detail, Low at 1440p is the recommended choice. At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a playable frame rate; the best is Low at 35 FPS, with Medium at 27 FPS and High at 25 FPS. Ultra at 4K is a non-starter at 16 FPS. The data indicates that for this combo, Medium is the "sweet spot" for 1080p and 1440p, providing the best experience per the measured rows. Pushing to Ultra yields diminishing returns that are not worth the frame rate sacrifice.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset reveals a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions: Low is the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the slowest.

At 1920x1080, the performance envelope is as follows:

• Low: 84 FPS average.
• Medium: 66 FPS average, with a range of 56 to 76 FPS.
• High: 60 FPS average.
• Ultra: 38 FPS average.

The delta between Low and Medium is 18 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is only 6 FPS. The massive 22 FPS drop from High to Ultra highlights the cost of the highest preset.

At 2560x1440, the numbers shift down:

• Low: 58 FPS average.
• Medium: 46 FPS average, with a range of 39 to 53 FPS.
• High: 42 FPS average.
• Ultra: 27 FPS average.

The gap between Low and Medium narrows to 12 FPS at this resolution. The High to Ultra drop remains significant at 15 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed:

• Low: 35 FPS average.
• Medium: 27 FPS average, with a range of 23 to 32 FPS.
• High: 25 FPS average.
• Ultra: 16 FPS average.

The minimum frame rate data is only provided for the Medium preset. At 1080p, the minimum is 56 FPS, which is a solid floor. At 1440p, the minimum is 39 FPS, and at 4K it drops to 23 FPS. These minimums suggest that even the Medium preset, which is generally smooth, can experience stutter at higher resolutions when the shared memory system is stressed.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Greedfall, this specific configuration of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2595th out of 2938 combinations. This places it in the bottom 12th percentile of all tested systems for this game. The ranking reflects the GPU's severe bottleneck; despite having a top-tier CPU, the system's overall gaming performance is dragged down by the Arc B390.

This low ranking is not surprising given the GPU's 9th percentile standing among all GPUs. The combination's rank in this game is a direct consequence of the GPU's inability to keep up with the demands of the title at higher settings. The CPU's potential is entirely masked by the GPU's limitations. For a user looking at this data, it is clear that the pairing is ill-suited for Greedfall, as 2,938 other combinations provide a better experience. The rank does not improve with any specific setting, as the GPU is the limiting factor across the board.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a single-core score of 6739. It sits in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (0.6% slower), Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (1.3% slower), and Intel Xeon 6505P (2% slower). In a CPU-bound scenario, this processor would be expected to deliver excellent performance.

However, in the measured Greedfall data, the CPU's role is almost entirely passive. The frame rates are so low across all resolutions that the CPU is never the bottleneck. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed and the CPU could theoretically come into play, the 84 FPS average is likely still limited by the Arc B390's geometry and driver overhead. The 128 MB of L3 cache and high boost clock are irrelevant when the GPU is delivering sub-60 FPS. The data suggests that Greedfall is not heavily multithreaded, and while the 9900X3D's 12 cores are more than sufficient, the game is not utilizing them to their full potential because the GPU cannot feed frames fast enough. The CPU's high single-core performance (2830 in Cinebench R20) is also untapped, as the game's frame times are dictated by the GPU's render time, not the CPU's draw call processing.

FAQ

Q: Is this CPU and GPU combo capable of running Greedfall at 4K?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS is 35 on Low, 27 on Medium, 25 on High, and 16 on Ultra. None of these are playable frame rates.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming with this hardware?

A: The Medium preset offers the best experience, with a 66 FPS average and a minimum of 56 FPS. While Low is faster at 84 FPS, Medium provides a better balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad, which is 1.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. Its performance is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's performance compare to the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, which is 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K's score of 54053.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 60 at 1920x1080 to 42 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 18 FPS or 30%.

Q: Why is the system's rank in Greedfall so low at 2595 out of 2938 combos?

A: The low rank is almost entirely due to the Intel Arc B390's performance, which is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU is the primary bottleneck in this game, limiting the system despite the high-performing Ryzen 9 9900X3D CPU.