Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 action RPG from Spiders, presents an interesting study in hardware scaling when paired with the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The measured data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly capable at standard resolutions but begins to show its limitations when pushed to the extremes of 4K with maximum settings. The combination of a high-end mobile CPU and a flagship desktop GPU creates a unique performance profile that warrants careful examination of the benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three tested resolutions—1080p, 1440p, and 4K—shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as pixel count increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 250 FPS, which drops to 173 FPS at 1440p and further to 103 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 59% decrease from 1080p to 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 40% reduction in average FPS, indicating that the 4K resolution is placing significant stress on the rendering pipeline.

The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 178 at 1080p to 123 at 1440p and finally to 74 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic drop, with 114 FPS at 1080p falling to 79 FPS at 1440p and then collapsing to 47 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS is particularly telling, as it suggests that this configuration is barely maintaining playable frame rates at the highest visual fidelity. The gap between 1440p and 4K at Ultra settings—a 41% reduction—is the largest proportional drop observed in the entire dataset.

What does this scaling tell us about the limiting component? The fact that the CPU-heavy Ryzen AI Max+ 395 with its 16 cores and 32 threads is paired with the RTX 4090 means that at lower resolutions, the GPU is likely the bottleneck, but the CPU has enough headroom to feed it. At 1080p Low, the 250 FPS average suggests the CPU is still keeping up, but the GPU is working at its maximum capacity. However, the steep decline at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS falls to 47, indicates that the GPU is now the definitive limiting factor, unable to process the increased pixel workload despite the CPU's capabilities.

The medium settings row provides additional insight, as it includes minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 196 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. The consistency of the minimum-to-maximum spread—roughly 30 FPS at each resolution—suggests that the frame pacing is stable and that the system is not experiencing severe stuttering or hitches. The data implies that the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM is sufficient even at 4K, as there is no indication of memory-related performance cliffs.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS at 1080p is 250, achieved with the Low settings preset. This drops to 196 FPS at Medium, 178 FPS at High, and 114 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 47, with no minimum or maximum values recorded. This is the lowest performance point in the entire measured dataset.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. High settings produce an average of 123 FPS, while Ultra settings yield only 79 FPS. This represents a 36% reduction in average FPS when moving from High to Ultra at 1440p.

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

A: The combo ranks 837th out of 3,703 total tested combos, placing it in the top 22.6% of all configurations tested for Greedfall.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the bottleneck at 4K Medium settings?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The 81 FPS average at Medium settings, compared to 103 FPS at Low settings, shows that increasing visual quality directly reduces performance, indicating the GPU is working at its capacity.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded for Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 167. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 116 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 69 FPS. These values indicate consistent frame delivery without severe drops.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It features a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a TDP of 55 W. The processor's 64 MB of shared L3 cache and quad-channel LPDDR5X memory support with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth provide the memory subsystem with ample capacity for gaming workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35,314 and a single-core score of 2,044, which places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs tested.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX, which scores 1.6% higher, and the Intel Core i9-14900K, which scores 1.7% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX trails by 2%. These margins are small, indicating that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is competitive with desktop-class processors in general compute performance despite being a mobile part.

In the context of Greedfall, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, where the CPU has the most influence on frame rates, the system achieves 250 FPS. This suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the RTX 4090 with enough draw calls and game logic updates to maintain very high frame rates. The 16 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for a game released in 2019, which likely does not utilize more than a handful of threads effectively. The boost clock of 5.10 GHz is beneficial for single-threaded performance, which is often the limiting factor in game engines.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all settings presets deliver playable performance, but the Ultra preset at 114 FPS average is the most visually demanding option that still maintains a high frame rate. The High preset at 178 FPS offers a smoother experience with a significant visual upgrade over Medium. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 250 FPS is the only option that reaches the 240 Hz threshold.

At 1440p, the High preset at 123 FPS provides an excellent balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 79 FPS is still playable but represents a noticeable drop in fluidity. The Medium preset at 136 FPS is a viable alternative for those who prefer higher frame rates over maximum visual fidelity. The Low preset at 173 FPS is the best choice for competitive play, though it sacrifices most graphical enhancements.

At 4K, the choices become more constrained. The High preset at 74 FPS average is the most visually appealing option that maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 81 FPS offers a slight performance boost with a minor visual compromise. The Ultra preset at 47 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in a less responsive experience, though some players may prefer the visual quality. The Low preset at 103 FPS is the smoothest option but significantly reduces visual fidelity. For most users, the High preset at 4K provides the best overall experience, as it balances the game's graphical demands with playable performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 837 out of 3,703 tested combinations for Greedfall. This places it in the 77.4th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly three-quarters of the systems tested for this game. The rank is notable because the RTX 4090 is an end-of-life product with a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD, while the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 2025 mobile processor. The combination of a flagship desktop GPU with a high-end mobile CPU produces results that are better than most, but not at the very top of the leaderboard.

The ranking suggests that there are 836 configurations that perform better in Greedfall, likely consisting of desktop CPUs with higher sustained clocks and potentially faster memory subsystems. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395's 55 W TDP, while efficient, may limit sustained performance in long gaming sessions compared to higher-power desktop parts. The CPU's percentile rank of 95 indicates that it is a top-tier processor in general, but the game's specific engine may favor processors with different characteristics. The data shows that this combo is more than capable of delivering excellent performance in Greedfall, but it is not the absolute fastest configuration available.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 250 FPS, Medium settings produce 196 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS, High settings produce 178 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 114 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 136 FPS, indicating that the graphical settings have a profound impact on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low settings produce 173 FPS, Medium settings produce 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS, High settings produce 123 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 79 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 94 FPS, which is less than at 1080p but still significant.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low settings produce 103 FPS, Medium settings produce 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS, High settings produce 74 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 47 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 56 FPS, demonstrating that the resolution cap limits the impact of graphical settings on frame rate. The 4K results show that even with the RTX 4090, the CPU and GPU combination cannot maintain high frame rates at the most demanding settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a formidable graphics card built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units. The card's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s, which is more than sufficient for Greedfall's texture and geometry requirements. The GPU's boost clock of 2520 MHz and base clock of 2235 MHz, combined with its 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, make it one of the most powerful consumer graphics cards ever produced.

In the measured data, the GPU's role is clearly dominant at higher resolutions. The transition from 1080p to 4K at any given settings preset results in a significant FPS drop, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4090's performance percentile of 88 places it in the top 12% of all GPUs tested, but its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Arc Pro A60 and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, which are not gaming-focused products. This suggests that the benchmark database's GPU rankings may not fully reflect the RTX 4090's gaming capabilities.

The GPU's 24 GB VRAM capacity is not stressed by Greedfall, as evidenced by the consistent performance at 4K without any signs of texture swapping or stuttering. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings across all resolutions—167 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K—indicate that the GPU delivers stable frame delivery without significant frame time spikes. The RTX 4090's end-of-life production status and its launch MSRP of 1,599 USD position it as a high-end product that, when paired with the Ryzen AI Max+ 395, provides a gaming experience that is excellent at 1080p and 1440p, and acceptable at 4K with adjusted settings.