Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG from Spiders, presents an interesting stress test for the flagship pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets reveal a title that is heavily influenced by draw calls and CPU overhead, yet still demands significant graphics throughput at higher resolutions. The data indicates that this combination ranks in the 83rd percentile of 2,938 tested configurations for this game, showing that while it is a top-tier setup, the game's engine presents specific bottlenecks that even this hardware cannot fully overcome.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is the clearest indicator of where the performance bottleneck lies in Greedfall. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 359 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suggests that the CPU is feeding frames as fast as the GPU can render them. However, as resolution increases, the GPU load becomes more significant, and the frame rate drops substantially. Moving to 1440p Low yields 249 FPS, and at 4K Low, the average falls to 149 FPS. This represents a 58.5% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that while the CPU is still a limiting factor at 1080p, the GPU is increasingly tasked with pixel throughput as resolution climbs.

The scaling pattern changes when we look at more demanding settings. At Ultra settings, the frame rate at 1080p is 164 FPS, which drops to 113 FPS at 1440p and further to 68 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 58.5%, identical to the Low preset, but the absolute frame rates are much lower. This suggests that the Ultra preset adds a consistent amount of GPU work regardless of resolution, and the bottleneck shifts entirely to the GPU at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system is producing just 68 FPS, which is a demanding scenario for any hardware.

The fact that the 1080p Low result of 359 FPS is nearly three times the 4K Low result of 149 FPS highlights the GPU's dominance in the scaling equation. At 1080p, the graphics card is so powerful that it is likely waiting on the CPU to deliver draw calls, a common trait of older game engines. By 1440p, the GPU work increases to a point where it starts to become the primary limiter, and by 4K, the RTX 5090 is fully saturated. The data indicates that Greedfall is a title where 4K gaming demands a substantial amount of graphics processing, and the RTX 5090's performance here is a strong indicator of its capabilities in this specific workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus and a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, is clearly the dominant component in this system for this game. The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz, contribute to its raw compute power, which is reflected in its benchmark scores. In the PassMark G3D test, it scores 39,650, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 18,355, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. These scores are not directly tied to Greedfall but demonstrate the GPU's general performance class.

In Greedfall, the GPU's role becomes more critical as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 359 suggests the GPU is not the limiting factor; the CPU is. However, at 4K Ultra, the 68 FPS average is a direct result of the GPU's rendering load. The RTX 5090's massive memory capacity of 32 GB is more than sufficient for Greedfall, which is a 2019 title with modest texture requirements, meaning VRAM is unlikely to be a bottleneck in any scenario tested. The data shows that the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing power are what enable the high frame rates at 1440p, where the average FPS at High settings reaches 178.

The GPU's performance in this title is also highlighted by its average benchmark score of 79,842, which is comparable to the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which has an average score of 79,605, a delta of just 0.3%. This rivalry metric places the RTX 5090 in a specific performance tier, though the actual gaming performance in Greedfall is subject to the game's engine limitations. The results show that the RTX 5090 can handle Greedfall at 1440p High with ease, but the 4K Ultra preset represents a significant challenge, dropping to 68 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target that many gamers prefer.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, with its 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, plays a crucial role in Greedfall's performance, particularly at lower resolutions. The CPU's base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz, combined with a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache, are key specifications that influence its gaming performance. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 47,737 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6,739 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 22,884 and single-core of 3,041. These scores place the CPU in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,762.

The CPU's influence in Greedfall is evident when comparing the 1080p Low and 4K Low results. At 1080p, the average FPS is 359, which is a very high number that is likely constrained by the CPU's ability to process the game's logic and draw calls. At 4K, the FPS drops to 149, which is a 58.5% reduction, but the absolute number is still high, suggesting the CPU is still contributing significantly to the frame pacing. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 12,490 and the max-thread score of 13,795 indicate strong multi-threaded performance, which is beneficial for a game like Greedfall that may utilize multiple cores for AI and physics.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which has an average score of 55,093 and a delta of -0.6%, and the Intel Core i7-14700F with a score of 53,620 and a delta of 2.1%. This indicates that the 9900X3D is in a competitive performance bracket, but its specific architecture and cache configuration are designed to excel in gaming. In Greedfall, the data suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, as the frame rates scale more with resolution than with CPU-bound workloads, but it is still a critical component for achieving the high frame rates seen at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved in Greedfall with this hardware?

A: The highest average frame rate is 359 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's performance in Greedfall compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79,842, which is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB's score of 79,605.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p resolution?

A: At 1080p, the data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rate at Low settings is 359 FPS, which is likely constrained by the processor's ability to feed the GPU.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the average FPS drops from 249 FPS on Low settings to 113 FPS on Ultra settings, a difference of 136 FPS.

Q: Does the 32 GB VRAM of the RTX 5090 become a bottleneck in Greedfall?

A: No, the data indicates that the 32 GB of GDDR7 memory is more than sufficient for Greedfall, and VRAM is not a limiting factor in any of the tested configurations.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings is 99 FPS, with an average of 117 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware depend on the user's target resolution and refresh rate. For 4K gaming, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, achieving an average of 106 FPS. The Medium preset is also viable with 117 FPS average, but the jump to Ultra reduces performance to 68 FPS, which may be too low for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate displays. The Low preset at 4K yields 149 FPS, but it sacrifices significant visual fidelity for a frame rate that is not necessary for most 4K displays, which typically cap at 120Hz or 144Hz.

At 1440p, the High preset is strongly recommended, as it provides an average of 178 FPS, which is well above the 144Hz refresh rate commonly found on 1440p monitors. The Medium preset is also excellent at 196 FPS, but High offers better visual quality with only a minor performance penalty. The Ultra preset at 113 FPS is still playable, but the drop from High is noticeable, and the extra visual features may not justify the 65 FPS loss. For competitive play, the Low preset at 249 FPS is the best choice, but for most users, High is the sweet spot.

At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, and the High preset at 256 FPS is the recommended starting point. This provides excellent visual quality and a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most 1080p monitors. The Medium preset at 282 FPS offers a slight performance boost, but the visual difference may be negligible. Ultra at 164 FPS is still very smooth and provides the best image quality, making it a viable option for users who prioritize visuals over maximum frame rates. The data consistently shows that the High preset offers the best experience across all resolutions, balancing performance and visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following section provides the exact measured frame rates for each resolution and settings combination, as recorded in the benchmark data.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 359 FPS
• Medium: Average 282 FPS, Minimum 240 FPS, Maximum 325 FPS
• High: Average 256 FPS
• Ultra: Average 164 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 249 FPS
• Medium: Average 196 FPS, Minimum 166 FPS, Maximum 225 FPS
• High: Average 178 FPS
• Ultra: Average 113 FPS

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 149 FPS
• Medium: Average 117 FPS, Minimum 99 FPS, Maximum 134 FPS
• High: Average 106 FPS
• Ultra: Average 68 FPS

The data shows a clear and consistent hierarchy of performance across all resolutions. The Low preset provides the highest frame rates, while the Ultra preset provides the lowest. The Medium preset is the only one that includes minimum and maximum FPS data, with the 4K Medium configuration showing a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 134 FPS, indicating a frame time variance of 35 FPS. This variance is relatively consistent across resolutions, with the 1440p Medium showing a 59 FPS spread and the 1080p Medium showing an 85 FPS spread, suggesting that the game's frame pacing is more stable at higher resolutions. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown provides a comprehensive view of the hardware's capabilities in Greedfall, allowing users to make informed decisions about their preferred settings.