Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG released on 2019-09-09, presents a demanding workload that stresses both processor and graphics hardware. This analysis examines the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, using benchmark data collected at multiple resolutions and settings. The data shows a configuration that is highly capable at 1080p and 1440p, but which faces significant challenges at 4K with higher graphical presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Greedfall?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 provide the most fluid experience. At 1080p, average FPS ranges from 73 on Ultra to 160 on Low. At 1440p, the range is 50 on Ultra up to 111 on Low. The 3840x2160 results are lower, with averages between 30 on Ultra and 66 on Low, making it the most challenging resolution for this pairing.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1920x1080?

A: The data shows a significant 119.2% performance uplift when moving from Ultra to Low settings at 1080p. Specifically, the measured average FPS jumps from 73 on Ultra to 160 on Low. This indicates that graphical settings have a substantial impact on the frame rate at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT?

A: The benchmark data indicates the RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. Its rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, has an average score of 20713. This makes the RTX 5050 1.6% faster than the RX 5600 XT in the aggregate benchmarks.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1440p High to 4K High?

A: The measured data shows a drop from 79 FPS at 2560x1440 High settings to 47 FPS at 3840x2160 High settings. This represents a 40.5% reduction in average FPS, highlighting the added rendering load that 4K resolution places on the GPU.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested system combinations for this game?

A: For Greedfall, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2273 out of 3703 tested combos. This places it in the lower half of all configurations tested for this title.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for the 1080p Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the measured data includes a minimum FPS of 107 and a maximum FPS of 144. The average FPS at this configuration is 126, indicating a relatively stable performance window.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It operates at a base clock of 4.30 GHz and can boost up to 5.70 GHz. This processor features a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache, which is likely beneficial for gaming workloads that rely on large datasets. The CPU is built on a 4 nm process node by TSMC and supports DDR5 memory on the AMD Socket AM5 platform.

In synthetic benchmarks, this processor demonstrates exceptional multi-threaded capability. It scores 42018 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 17184 points in 3DMark max threads. Single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2259 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1292. The processor's overall performance places it in the 95th percentile when compared to all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 75779.

When comparing against its nearest rivals, the 9950X3D shows a marginal lead. It outperforms the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 by 0.1% and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 by 0.4% in average benchmark score. This high-end processor is unlikely to be the primary bottleneck in Greedfall, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is more likely to be the limiting factor. The data suggests that the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p, which often indicate a strong processor capable of handling game logic and draw calls efficiently.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a discrete graphics card based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, using the GB207 chip. It comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz. It features 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, and is produced on a 5 nm process by TSMC.

In the benchmark suite, the RTX 5050 achieves an average score of 21035, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its performance is close to several rivals; it is 1.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT but 0.6% slower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and 1.6% slower than the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is a critical factor in Greedfall, as higher resolutions and settings can demand significant memory resources.

The measured FPS in Greedfall shows a clear dependency on the GPU's capabilities. The frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, indicating that the RTX 5050 is the main driver of performance. For instance, at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 160, which drops to 111 at 1440p Low and 66 at 4K Low. This trend continues across all settings, confirming that the GPU's rendering throughput is the primary constraint, particularly at higher resolutions where the pixel count increases dramatically.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average FPS of 114, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on most displays. The Medium preset at this resolution averages 126 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 73 FPS. For players prioritizing frame rate, the High preset is the recommended starting point, as it provides a significant boost over Ultra while maintaining a high level of visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 79 FPS, which is still a playable frame rate for many users. The Medium preset offers a slight improvement to 87 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls to 50 FPS. For a 1440p display, the High preset appears to be the optimal choice, offering a good balance between image quality and performance without dipping into the lower frame rates seen on Ultra.

For 4K resolution (3840x2160), the situation is more challenging. The High preset averages 47 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the Medium preset is only slightly better at 52 FPS. The Low preset averages 66 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration that approaches a consistently smooth experience. Given the data, the Medium preset at 4K provides a reasonable compromise, offering better visuals than Low while maintaining an average FPS above 50. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as it averages only 30 FPS, which is likely to result in a suboptimal experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Greedfall, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 2273 out of 3703 total combos. This places the system in the bottom 38.6% of all tested configurations for this specific game. This ranking is a reflection of the overall performance potential of the hardware, but it is important to contextualize it with the specific resolution and settings used in the measurement.

The rank indicates that while this is a capable mid-range system, it does not compete with high-end configurations that pair top-tier CPUs with flagship GPUs. The CPU itself is a top-tier part, ranking in the 95th percentile among all CPUs, but the GPU, while competent, is positioned in the 66th percentile among all GPUs. This imbalance suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor for the system's overall ranking in Greedfall. The CPU has the headroom to push higher frame rates, but the GPU cannot keep pace at higher resolutions and settings, ultimately capping the system's performance and its position in the overall rankings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data presents the exact measurements for this hardware combination in Greedfall, organized by resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the performance is strong across the board. The Low preset averages 160 FPS. The Medium preset averages 126 FPS, with a minimum of 107 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS. The High preset averages 114 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 73 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are lower but still playable. The Low preset averages 111 FPS. The Medium preset averages 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. The High preset averages 79 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 50 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance noticeably drops. The Low preset averages 66 FPS. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. The High preset averages 47 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 30 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

Analyzing the FPS drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals the characteristics of the bottleneck in this system. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 114 at 1080p to 79 at 1440p, a decrease of 30.7%. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops further to 47, a decrease of 40.5%. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 58.8%.

This scaling pattern is a strong indicator that the GPU is the primary limiting component. The frame rate scales inversely with the number of pixels being rendered. The jump from 1080p to 1440p increases the pixel count by roughly 78%, and the FPS drops by about 31%. Moving from 1440p to 4K increases the pixel count by another 125%, and the FPS drops by 40%. The non-linear relationship suggests that while the GPU is the main constraint, other factors such as memory bandwidth or cache size may begin to play a role at higher resolutions, preventing a perfectly linear scaling of performance. The CPU, with its high multi-threaded and single-threaded scores, is clearly not the limiting factor, as frame rates continue to drop significantly as the resolution increases, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.