Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The combination of AMD's Ryzen 9 9900X3D processor and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4060 graphics card produces a distinctive performance profile in Greedfall, a 2019 Action RPG. Measured frame rate data across three resolutions and four quality presets reveals a system where the GPU consistently becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases, while the CPU's substantial multi-threading capabilities provide ample headroom even at 1080p. This pairing ranks 1555 out of 2938 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the database. The RTX 4060, with its 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, shows clear scaling patterns that highlight both strengths and limitations depending on the resolution and settings chosen.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 tells a clear story about where this system's bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination delivers 180 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 125 FPS, a reduction of 55 FPS or roughly 30.6%. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 74 FPS, which represents a 40.8% decrease from the 1440p figure. This pattern of diminishing returns as resolution climbs points directly at the GPU as the limiting factor.

The High preset shows similar scaling behavior. At 1080p High, the system produces 128 FPS average. At 1440p High, that figure drops to 89 FPS, a 30.5% reduction. Jumping to 4K High yields 53 FPS, which is 40.4% below the 1440p number. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings—roughly 30% from 1080p to 1440p and another 40% from 1440p to 4K—indicates that resolution scaling follows a predictable pattern driven by pixel count rather than any game-specific quirk.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution penalty considerably. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 82 FPS average. At 1440p Ultra, that drops to 57 FPS, a 30.5% decline. At 4K Ultra, the average collapses to 34 FPS, which is 40.4% lower than the 1440p result. The 4K Ultra figure of 34 FPS sits below the 50 FPS minimum observed at 1440p Medium, highlighting how the combination of maximum quality settings and 4K resolution overwhelms the RTX 4060's capabilities.

The data indicates that this system transitions from CPU-bound territory at 1080p Low to firmly GPU-bound at 4K across all settings. At 1080p Low, the 180 FPS average suggests the Ryzen 9 9900X3D—with its 12 cores and 24 threads—has significant headroom left unused. By contrast, the 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS shows the GPU struggling to maintain playable frame rates, with the processor waiting on render work. The medium preset provides the only complete frame time data, showing minimums of 120 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p, and 50 FPS at 4K, with corresponding maximums of 163, 113, and 67 FPS respectively.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 serves as the decisive component in this configuration for Greedfall performance. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip at a 5 nm process node, this GPU carries 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. Its boost clock reaches 2460 MHz, with a base clock of 1830 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications explain why the card performs adequately at lower resolutions but struggles as pixel count increases.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes relevant when examining the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate falls to 34 FPS, while 4K High manages 53 FPS and 4K Medium reaches 58 FPS. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is only 5 FPS, suggesting that texture memory or bandwidth constraints begin to limit performance regardless of modest settings changes. At 1080p, the differences between presets are more pronounced—180 FPS Low versus 141 FPS Medium versus 128 FPS High versus 82 FPS Ultra—indicating that at lower resolutions, the GPU has enough memory bandwidth to differentiate between quality levels.

The RTX 4060's 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth represent notable limitations for a game like Greedfall at high resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 34 FPS falls below the 50 FPS minimum recorded at 4K Medium, demonstrating that the Ultra preset's additional demands push the memory subsystem past its comfortable operating range. The card's pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings that the measured results approach at 4K Ultra but never reach at lower resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in context: a PassMark G3D score of 19545 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302. Its percentile ranking of 61 among all GPUs indicates mid-pack positioning. The nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with an average score of 17666 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 780M at 17588 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 at 17551 (0.5% lower). These close synthetic scores do not translate into identical gaming performance, as the measured FPS data shows distinct behavior in Greedfall.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rate data supports different settings recommendations depending on the target resolution and desired performance level. At 1920x1080, all four presets produce playable results, with even the demanding Ultra setting maintaining an 82 FPS average. For players prioritizing smoothness, the Low preset's 180 FPS average provides maximum headroom, while the Medium preset at 141 FPS with a 120 FPS minimum offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset at 128 FPS remains comfortably above 60 FPS and represents the best visual-to-performance ratio for most users at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts toward Medium or High. The Medium preset delivers 98 FPS average with an 83 FPS minimum, ensuring consistent frame delivery above 60 FPS. High settings achieve 89 FPS average, still well above playable thresholds. The Ultra preset falls to 57 FPS average, which dips below the 60 FPS target that many users prefer. For 1440p gaming, Medium or High settings provide the optimal experience, with Ultra reserved for players who accept lower frame rates in exchange for maximum visual fidelity.

The 3840x2160 resolution presents the most challenging scenario. At 4K Medium, the system produces 58 FPS average with a 50 FPS minimum, which is borderline playable but may exhibit occasional stutter. The High preset at 53 FPS average stays marginally above 50 FPS but lacks the minimum frame time data to confirm consistency. The Low preset achieves 74 FPS average, making it the only 4K option that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 34 FPS falls below acceptable playability for most users. Consequently, 4K gaming with this combination is best served by Low settings for smooth performance, with Medium as a compromise for those prioritizing visual quality over frame rate stability.

The data suggests that the sweet spot for this system in Greedfall is 1440p with Medium or High settings, where the combination produces 89-98 FPS averages with minimums above 80 FPS. At 1080p, High settings at 128 FPS deliver an excellent experience without the frame rate volatility that might accompany Ultra. At 4K, users must make significant sacrifices in either resolution or quality to achieve playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU pairing achieves a rank of 1555 out of 2938 tested combinations in Greedfall, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all tested systems. This mid-pack positioning reflects the balance between a high-end processor and a mid-range graphics card. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 54762, while the RTX 4060 sits in the 61st percentile among GPUs with an average score of 17639. The combination of a top-decile CPU with an upper-middle GPU results in a system that ranks slightly above average in actual game performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF with an average score of 55093 (0.6% lower), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K at 54053 (1.3% higher), the Intel Xeon 6505P at 53701 (2% higher), and the Intel Core i7-14700F at 53620 (2.1% higher). These close margins indicate that the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's processor-level performance is competitive with other high-end offerings, though the differences are small enough that they would not meaningfully alter Greedfall frame rates given the GPU constraint.

The GPU's nearest rivals show even tighter clustering: the AMD Radeon HD 7790 at 17666 (0.2% higher), the AMD Radeon 780M at 17588 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 at 17551 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 at 17509 (0.7% lower). These sub-1% differences in synthetic scores suggest that the RTX 4060's performance tier is well-defined, and its gaming results in Greedfall align with expectations for this class of hardware.

The rank of 1555 out of 2938 indicates that many combinations with more powerful GPUs outperform this setup, particularly at higher resolutions where the graphics card becomes the limiting factor. Conversely, the strong CPU ensures that this combination outperforms systems with similar GPUs paired with weaker processors, especially at 1080p where the 180 FPS Low result demonstrates the processor's ability to feed the GPU efficiently.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing ample computational headroom that prevents CPU-related bottlenecks in Greedfall. This processor features 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge codename), manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock runs at 4.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it carries 128 MB of L3 cache. The 120 W TDP and DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth round out a specification sheet that positions this as a high-end desktop processor.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a single-core score of 6739, a Geekbench multicore score of 22884, and a PassMark multithread score of 56154. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 12490 and max-thread score of 13795 indicate that the processor scales well with thread utilization. These numbers suggest that the CPU can handle the demands of Greedfall's gameplay logic, AI, and physics without becoming a constraint.

The measured FPS data confirms this assessment. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 180 FPS average, which represents a frame rate that many mid-range CPUs would struggle to sustain. The fact that the processor maintains this performance level suggests that even at lower resolutions where CPU load is proportionally higher, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D has sufficient headroom. The 5.50 GHz boost clock and 12-core configuration provide both high single-thread performance for game logic and substantial multi-threading for background tasks.

The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 54762, places it among the top tier of available CPUs. Its nearest rivals—the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, Core Ultra 5 245K, Xeon 6505P, and Core i7-14700F—all score within 2.1% of the Ryzen 9 9900X3D, indicating that processor-level performance differences are minimal among high-end options. In Greedfall specifically, these small CPU differences would likely produce negligible frame rate variations, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor at most resolution and settings combinations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 180 FPS, representing the maximum performance this combination can achieve in Greedfall. Medium settings yield 141 FPS average with a 120 FPS minimum and 163 FPS maximum, providing a substantial frame rate buffer above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings achieve 128 FPS average, still comfortably above playable levels. Ultra settings drop to 82 FPS average, which remains playable but shows the largest performance penalty among 1080p presets.

At 2560x1440, frame rates decline predictably. Low settings produce 125 FPS average, a 30.6% reduction from the 1080p result. Medium settings deliver 98 FPS average with an 83 FPS minimum and 113 FPS maximum. High settings achieve 89 FPS average. Ultra settings fall to 57 FPS average, which dips slightly below the 60 FPS target but remains within range for users tolerant of minor frame rate dips. The Medium preset's 83 FPS minimum ensures consistent performance, while the High preset's lack of minimum frame data leaves some uncertainty about worst-case scenarios.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings produce 74 FPS average, the only 4K preset that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings deliver 58 FPS average with a 50 FPS minimum and 67 FPS maximum, indicating that frame times can become inconsistent at this resolution. High settings achieve 53 FPS average. Ultra settings fall to 34 FPS average, a figure that falls below acceptable playability for most users. The progression from 180 FPS at 1080p Low to 34 FPS at 4K Ultra represents a total performance drop of 81.1%, illustrating the combined impact of resolution and settings on this hardware combination.

The Medium preset provides the only complete frame rate data across all three resolutions, offering insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the 120-163 FPS range indicates a 43 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the 83-113 FPS range shows a 30 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the 50-67 FPS range narrows to a 17 FPS spread. This tightening of the frame rate range as resolution increases suggests that the GPU's consistent workload at higher resolutions reduces frame time variance, even as average performance declines.