Greedfall

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 lands at rank 1224 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. That places this configuration in the upper-middle tier of the database, sitting above the median but well short of the top percentile. The combo is ranked in the 58th percentile overall for this game, which is a solid but not spectacular position for a pairing that includes a flagship-class CPU and a mid-range GPU from the previous generation.

What makes this ranking interesting is the asymmetry between the two components. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a top-tier processor, with an average benchmark score of 54762 and a percentile rank of 91 against all CPUs. The RTX 3070, by contrast, sits at percentile 61 against all GPUs with an average score of 17208. The CPU is dramatically stronger than the GPU, and in Greedfall, that imbalance shows. The combo's rank of 1224 is more reflective of the GPU's standing than the CPU's, suggesting that the graphics card is the limiting factor in most scenarios.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing's position makes sense given the RTX 3070's age. The GPU was released in late 2020 and is now marked as end-of-life, yet it still delivers playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p in this Action RPG. The ranking also benefits from the CPU's strength; many combos with similar GPUs are likely ranked lower because they lack the 9900X3D's 12 cores and 24 threads. The data suggests that if the GPU were upgraded, this combo would climb significantly in the rankings, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed a faster graphics card.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming in Greedfall?

A: Benchmark results indicate the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p High settings, the average FPS is 146, while at 4K High it drops to 60. The 4K Ultra preset falls to 38 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold for most players.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X3D compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762. It trails the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF by 0.6% (55093), but beats the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K by 1.3% (54053), the Intel Xeon 6505P by 2% (53701), and the Intel Core i7-14700F by 2.1% (53620).

Q: What is the RTX 3070's standing relative to other GPUs?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, placing it at percentile 61. It is 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083) and 1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037), but 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17468, where a lower deltaPct means the 3070 scores higher).

Q: Which settings preset delivers the highest frame rate at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 delivers the highest average FPS at 141. The Medium preset follows at 111 FPS, High at 101 FPS, and Ultra drops to 64 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in Greedfall?

A: No, the data indicates the opposite. The CPU's 12 cores, 24 threads, and boost clock of 5.50 GHz are far more capable than the RTX 3070 needs. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are steep, which is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios, not CPU bottlenecks.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank out of all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1224 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it just above the middle of the field, consistent with a strong CPU paired with a mid-range GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear pattern: Greedfall is heavily GPU-bound with this hardware. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 146 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 101 FPS, a reduction of roughly 31%. At 4K High, the average falls to 60 FPS, another 41% drop from 1440p. This scaling is typical for a game where the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

The RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the card's 5888 shading units and 96 ROPs struggle to keep pace. The 256-bit memory bus is also a constraint at higher resolutions, where texture bandwidth demands increase. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset bottoms out at 38 FPS confirms that the GPU is saturated, not the CPU.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has a boost clock of 5.50 GHz and a massive 128 MB of L3 cache, which is more than sufficient for Greedfall's engine. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the combo achieves 204 FPS, indicating the processor is never the limiting factor. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering load.

This resolution scaling analysis suggests that players targeting 4K should stick to Medium settings or lower. The 4K Medium preset averages 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 and maximum of 76, which is the only 4K setting that remains consistently playable. At 4K High, the average of 60 FPS is borderline, and Ultra is not viable for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. The Low preset averages 204 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates the game is not demanding at this resolution. Medium averages 160 FPS with a minimum of 136 and maximum of 184. High averages 146 FPS, and Ultra drops to 93 FPS. All 1080p presets are playable, with even the heaviest Ultra setting staying well above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the GPU beginning to work harder. Low averages 141 FPS, Medium averages 111 FPS (minimum 94, maximum 128), and High averages 101 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 64 FPS, which is still playable but no longer offers the high refresh rate headroom seen at 1080p. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 77 FPS, a significant spread that gives players plenty of options depending on their display's refresh rate.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070's limitations become apparent. Low averages 84 FPS, Medium averages 66 FPS (minimum 56, maximum 76), and High averages 60 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 38 FPS, which is not smooth enough for most players. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is steep, with a 46 FPS difference between the two extremes. Only the Low and Medium presets at 4K maintain averages above 60 FPS, and even Low's 84 FPS is far below the 204 FPS seen at 1080p Low.

The measured data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down halves the performance cost of moving from Low to Ultra. At 1080p, the Ultra-to-Low gap is 111 FPS. At 1440p, it narrows to 77 FPS. At 4K, it shrinks to 46 FPS. This compression indicates that the GPU is increasingly the bottleneck at higher resolutions, and the CPU's performance advantage becomes less relevant.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4 nm process node. Its base clock is 4.40 GHz and boost clock is 5.50 GHz, with 128 MB of L3 cache. In Greedfall, this CPU has more than enough compute headroom. The game, released in 2019, was designed for the 8-core, 16-thread CPUs of that era, and the 9900X3D's additional cores and threads go largely unused.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its strength. In Cinebench R23, it scores 47737 in multicore and 6739 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 22884 multicore and 3041 single-core. These numbers place it in the 91st percentile against all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 91% of processors in the database. For Greedfall, the single-core performance is more relevant than the multicore score, as the game's engine typically relies on a few threads for the main game logic.

The 9900X3D's nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which edges it out by 0.6% in average benchmark score, and the Intel Core i7-14700F, which trails by 2.1%. None of these differences would be perceptible in Greedfall, where the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures that even the most demanding single-threaded tasks in the game are handled without issue.

Interestingly, the CPU's 3D V-Cache technology is listed as null, meaning this particular 9900X3D variant does not include the stacked cache that made the "X3D" branding famous in previous generations. Instead, it relies on the standard 128 MB of L3 cache, which is still substantial. In Greedfall, the cache size is unlikely to matter much, as the game's asset streaming is not cache-sensitive in the same way as simulation-heavy titles. The CPU's role here is to provide consistent frame pacing and avoid any dips that could occur with a weaker processor, and the data shows it does so effectively.

Settings Recommendations

For players using this combo, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and display refresh rate. At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 93 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance for 60Hz displays, while the High preset at 146 FPS is ideal for 144Hz monitors. The Low preset at 204 FPS offers no visual benefit to justify the frame rate increase unless chasing maximum competitive performance.

At 1440p, the High preset at 101 FPS is the recommended choice for 100Hz and 144Hz displays. The Medium preset at 111 FPS offers a slight performance boost with a modest visual reduction, making it a viable alternative for players who prioritize frame rate over fidelity. The Ultra preset at 64 FPS is playable on 60Hz displays but does not provide enough headroom for higher refresh rates, and the visual difference between High and Ultra in Greedfall is often subtle.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 66 FPS is the only recommended option for smooth gameplay on 60Hz displays. The Low preset at 84 FPS is also playable and offers better performance, but the visual quality drop is noticeable. The High preset at 60 FPS is borderline and may cause noticeable frame drops in busy scenes, while the Ultra preset at 38 FPS is not recommendable for any display. Players with 4K displays should stick to Medium or Low settings to maintain a consistent experience.

The measured data shows that the Medium preset consistently provides the best balance across all resolutions, with minimum frame rates that remain within 10% of the average. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 136 FPS is only 15% below the 160 average. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 94 FPS is 15% below the 111 average. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 56 FPS is 15% below the 66 average. This consistency makes Medium the safest choice for avoiding stutter, while High and Ultra tend to have larger variance in frame times.