Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

This combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptional performance in Greedfall, with measured frame rates ranging from 66 FPS at 4K Ultra to 351 FPS at 1080p Low. The pairing ranks 127th out of 2,938 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top 4.3% of all configurations. The data indicates a system capable of maxing out high-refresh-rate displays at 1440p, while 4K gaming demands careful settings management to maintain smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D brings 12 cores and 24 threads to Greedfall, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This Zen 5 architecture processor, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC, includes 128 MB of L3 cache, which is substantial for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark results reinforce its positioning: it scores 47,737 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 6,739 in single-core, while its PassMark multithread score reaches 56,154. The processor sits at the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,762.

In Greedfall's measured results, the CPU's influence becomes clear at lower resolutions where the GPU is less constrained. At 1080p Low, the system produces 351 FPS, a figure that reflects the processor's ability to feed frames rapidly without bottlenecking the RTX 4090. The 3DMark thread scaling data shows a steady climb from 2,512 in 2-thread tests to 13,795 in max-thread tests, indicating that the CPU scales well with increased thread utilization. For a game like Greedfall, an Action RPG that typically relies on single-thread performance for game logic, the 6,739 Cinebench R23 single-core score provides ample headroom.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D sits within a tight performance band. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF scores 55,093, which is 0.6% higher; the Core Ultra 5 245K scores 54,053, 1.3% lower; the Xeon 6505P scores 53,701, 2% lower; and the Core i7-14700F scores 53,620, 2.1% lower. This clustering suggests that for Greedfall, the CPU is not the primary differentiator—the GPU handles most of the rendering load, and the processor's job is to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The data shows it succeeds admirably, especially given that even at 1080p Low, frame rates exceed 350 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 anchors this system's graphics performance with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's AD102 chip, built on a 5 nm process, contains 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output pipelines. Clock speeds reach 2,235 MHz base and 2,520 MHz boost, with memory running at 21 Gbps effective. The card's FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s provide the raw compute power needed for high-resolution gaming.

In Greedfall, the RTX 4090's capabilities are evident in the measured frame rates. At 4K High, the system maintains 104 FPS average, dropping to 66 FPS at 4K Ultra—the most demanding preset. The GPU's 24 GB VRAM capacity eliminates any concerns about memory limitations at 4K resolutions, as Greedfall's texture and geometry demands fit comfortably within that allocation. The card's benchmark scores support its high-end positioning: it achieves 38,194 in PassMark G3D and 255,416 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it at the 88th percentile among all GPUs.

The nearest rival comparisons for the RTX 4090 show an interesting pattern in the benchmark database. The Intel Arc Pro A60 matches its average score of 60,326 (0% delta), while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896, which is 2.5% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140 (0.3% lower), and the Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657 (2.9% lower). These professional-oriented cards occupy similar average benchmark territory, but in actual gaming workloads like Greedfall, the RTX 4090's gaming-optimized architecture and drivers deliver the high frame rates seen in the measured data.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across four presets at each resolution reveals a clear hierarchy for optimizing the Greedfall experience. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 250 FPS average, while Medium reaches 276 FPS, Low hits 351 FPS, and Ultra drops to 160 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra costs 90 FPS (a 36% reduction), which is substantial for marginal visual gains. At 1440p, the pattern repeats: High yields 174 FPS, Medium 191 FPS, Low 243 FPS, and Ultra 111 FPS. The High preset at 1440p remains above 144 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

For 4K gaming, the choices become more consequential. High settings produce 104 FPS average, which is playable on most displays. Medium delivers 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS, providing a safety margin against dips. Low reaches 145 FPS, but Ultra falls to 66 FPS—a significant drop that may introduce noticeable stutter on 60 Hz displays. The data suggests that High or Medium at 4K offers the best balance, with Medium providing a 10 FPS advantage over High while maintaining a minimum above 97 FPS. For users prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, Low at 145 FPS is viable, but the visual compromise may not be worth the frame rate gain.

The best experience per the measured rows depends on resolution. At 1080p, High preset at 250 FPS offers the optimal combination of visual quality and performance, as the difference between High and Medium is only 26 FPS but the visual uplift is meaningful. At 1440p, High at 174 FPS is the sweet spot for high-refresh displays, while Medium at 191 FPS suits competitive play. At 4K, Medium at 114 FPS with a 97 FPS minimum is the recommended choice, as it stays above 90 FPS consistently while offering better fidelity than Low.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 127 out of 2,938 tested combinations places it in the top 4.3% of all systems evaluated in Greedfall. This positioning reflects the synergy between the Ryzen 9 9900X3D's strong single-thread performance and the RTX 4090's substantial graphics throughput. The high rank is notable because Greedfall, as a 2019 Action RPG, may not fully utilize the latest hardware features, yet this combination still achieves frame rates that exceed what most systems can deliver.

The rank becomes more meaningful when contextualized with the individual component percentiles. The CPU sits at the 91st percentile among all processors, while the GPU is at the 88th percentile among all graphics cards. The combined system ranks slightly higher than either component's individual percentile, suggesting that the pairing works well together without one component significantly bottlenecking the other. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 351 FPS, which is near the practical ceiling for most displays and indicates minimal CPU limitation. At 4K Ultra, the 66 FPS result shows the GPU bearing the brunt of the rendering load, which is expected given the resolution's demands on pixel throughput and memory bandwidth.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals how the system's workload shifts between CPU and GPU. At High settings, the average FPS moves from 250 at 1080p to 174 at 1440p (a 30.4% drop) and then to 104 at 4K (a 40.2% drop from 1440p). This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as the resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU's ability to process game logic and issue draw calls limits the maximum frame rate; at 4K, the GPU's pixel and texture processing limits performance.

The scaling pattern is consistent across presets. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p (351 FPS) to 1440p (243 FPS) is 30.8%, and to 4K (145 FPS) is 40.3% from 1440p. At Medium, the corresponding drops are 30.8% (276 to 191) and 40.3% (191 to 114). At Ultra, the drops are 30.6% (160 to 111) and 40.5% (111 to 66). This consistency suggests that the resolution scaling factor is independent of the preset, governed primarily by the GPU's rendering throughput.

The data shows that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance (evidenced by its 6,739 Cinebench R23 single-core score) becomes the constraining factor, especially at Low settings where 351 FPS approaches the processor's frame generation ceiling. At 4K, the GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth are the limiting resources, with the 66 FPS result at Ultra highlighting the demands of 4K rendering. The system is balanced in that neither component consistently bottlenecks the other across all resolutions; instead, each takes its turn as the limiting factor depending on the workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce 351 FPS average, Medium reaches 276 FPS with a minimum of 234 and maximum of 317, High achieves 250 FPS, and Ultra drops to 160 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 191 FPS, a 54.4% reduction, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes significant additional rendering work even at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected decline. Low settings yield 243 FPS, Medium produces 191 FPS with a minimum of 163 and maximum of 220, High reaches 174 FPS, and Ultra falls to 111 FPS. The 1440p Medium result's minimum of 163 FPS ensures that even demanding scenes stay above 144 Hz, making this preset viable for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance becomes more moderate. Low settings deliver 145 FPS, Medium reaches 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 and maximum of 131, High achieves 104 FPS, and Ultra drops to 66 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 97 FPS is noteworthy—it means the system stays above 90 FPS even in the most demanding moments at 4K, which is a strong result for a game from 2019. The Ultra preset's 66 FPS average, while technically playable, leaves less headroom for frame time spikes.

Comparing presets across resolutions, the data shows that Medium at 4K (114 FPS) outperforms Ultra at 1440p (111 FPS) by 3 FPS, suggesting that the Medium preset's reduced effects and shadows at 4K are less demanding than Ultra's full feature set at 1440p. Similarly, High at 1080p (250 FPS) exceeds Low at 1440p (243 FPS) by 7 FPS, indicating that the resolution increase costs more than the preset improvement gains.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming on this system?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 delivers 114 FPS average with a 97 FPS minimum, which is the highest minimum among 4K presets. High achieves 104 FPS average but with no minimum data recorded. Medium provides the best balance of smoothness and visual quality at 4K.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p for competitive play?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset reaches 351 FPS average, which is the highest measured result. The Medium preset achieves 276 FPS with a 234 FPS minimum, ensuring consistent frame delivery. Both options exceed the refresh rates of most gaming monitors.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in Greedfall?

A: The limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance becomes the constraint, as seen in the 351 FPS ceiling at Low settings. At 4K, the GPU's rendering throughput limits performance, with Ultra settings producing 66 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra presets?

A: At 1080p, High produces 250 FPS and Ultra produces 160 FPS, a 90 FPS difference. At 1440p, the difference is 63 FPS (174 vs. 111). At 4K, the difference is 38 FPS (104 vs. 66). The Ultra preset imposes a significant performance cost at all resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Greedfall?

A: This combination ranks 127th out of 2,938 tested combos, placing it in the top 4.3% of all configurations. The CPU is at the 91st percentile among processors, and the GPU is at the 88th percentile among graphics cards.

Q: Is the system capable of maintaining high frame rates at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 191 FPS average with a 163 FPS minimum, while High achieves 174 FPS. Even the Ultra preset maintains 111 FPS, which stays above 100 FPS for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate displays.