Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 Action RPG from Spiders, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution. For the pairing of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the AMD Radeon RX 9060, the measured data reveals a clear narrative: this combination is a solid 1080p performer, a capable 1440p option, but it struggles to maintain playable framerates at 4K on higher presets. The benchmark results show a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are the primary limiting factors at higher pixel counts.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data illustrates a dramatic drop in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average framerate falls from a very smooth 119 FPS at 1080p to 83 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 49 FPS at 4K. This represents a 30% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41% drop when moving from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear; the jump from 1440p to 4K is proportionally more punishing than the jump from 1080p to 1440p, which is typical for a game that becomes heavily pixel-bound at higher resolutions.

The trend is consistent across all presets. On the Low preset, the averages are 167 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K. While the 4K Low result is still technically playable, it represents a 59% drop from the 1080p figure. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, with averages of 76 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 31 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that the Radeon RX 9060 is being overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels at 4K, particularly when higher-quality settings increase the shading load.

The performance delta between presets also widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 91 FPS (167 vs 76). At 4K, that difference shrinks to 38 FPS (69 vs 31). This narrowing gap is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck; at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that reducing settings provides diminishing returns, as the core issue is the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth rather than the complexity of the shaders. The 4K Medium results, with a minimum of 46 FPS and maximum of 62 FPS, show that even a mid-tier preset pushes the hardware to its limits, making consistent frame times a concern for competitive or fast-paced play.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the dominant component in this pairing for Greedfall, and its specifications explain the observed scaling. The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a significant factor in the 4K performance drop. At 3840x2160, the frame buffer demands are immense, and the 288.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a limiting factor, especially with high-resolution textures and effects enabled. The data shows that the GPU's average benchmark score is 16014, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, which indicates a mid-range performer that is not designed for flagship 4K workloads.

The GPU's clock speeds are substantial, with a base clock of 1700 MHz and a boost clock of 2990 MHz, alongside a game clock of 2400 MHz. These high clocks help it achieve a strong performance at 1080p and 1440p, where the core compute is more relevant than raw memory throughput. The FP32 compute rating is 21.43 TFLOPS, which is ample for a game from 2019. The benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 17631, which aligns with its 59th percentile ranking.

In terms of rival comparisons, the RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014. This places it within 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which has an average score of 16129 with a deltaPct of -0.7%. It is also 1% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 370X and the AMD Radeon RX 7700, which both have an average score around 15860. In Greedfall, this translates to the card being able to handle the game's DirectX 11 and 12 paths with relative ease at lower resolutions, but the 8 GB VRAM capacity might be a concern for 4K Ultra textures, potentially causing stuttering if the memory is exceeded, although the measured data does not show a complete failure.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support is notable, and the Passmark DirectX 12 score of 44 suggests that while it supports the API, the raw performance in that specific test is not a strength. However, the game's performance at 1080p High (119 FPS) and 1440p High (83 FPS) confirms that the GPU is the primary driver of the experience, with the CPU able to feed it enough data to maintain high framerates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired framerate. For 1920x1080, the data clearly supports using the Ultra preset. The average FPS of 76 is well above the standard 60 FPS threshold, providing a visually rich experience without sacrificing smoothness. If a higher refresh rate is the priority, the High preset at 119 FPS is an excellent choice, offering a near-doubling of framerate for a modest visual fidelity reduction. The Low preset at 167 FPS is excessive for most displays and unnecessary for this game.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the sweet spot. The average of 83 FPS is comfortable for most monitors and strikes a balance between visual quality and performance. The Medium preset also performs well at 91 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS, ensuring a consistent experience. The Ultra preset at 53 FPS is borderline; it is playable but may not be ideal for those sensitive to frame drops below 60. The Low preset at 116 FPS is a good option for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, but the visual downgrade is significant.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 69 FPS is the only option that consistently exceeds the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is playable but will have noticeable dips into the 40s, as indicated by the minimum of 46 FPS. The High preset at 49 FPS is a compromise, and the Ultra preset at 31 FPS is not recommended due to poor playability. For 4K users, the data suggests that either lowering to the Low preset or reducing the resolution to 1440p is necessary for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 4K provides a 54 FPS average, which is a viable middle ground for players who prioritize resolution over maximum fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The Core i5-10400F and Radeon RX 9060 combination holds a rank of 1672 out of 2938 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the 43rd percentile of all combinations, indicating that it is a below-average performer when compared to the entire spectrum of hardware tested on this title. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the strong 1080p numbers, but it is dragged down by the poor 4K performance, which is a common benchmark metric for ranking. The combo is not a top-tier setup, but it is far from the bottom, and its rank reflects its status as a capable mid-range pairing.

The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's 59th percentile ranking and the CPU's 68th percentile ranking. The CPU is actually a relatively strong performer in synthetic benchmarks, with an average score of 14185, placing it above the Intel Xeon 6756E and the AMD EPYC 7552 by 0.2% and 0.5% respectively. However, the GPU holds the combo back in this specific game, as Greedfall is more graphically intensive than CPU-bound. The deltaPct against the RTX 3060 Ti is -0.7%, meaning the RX 9060 is slightly slower, but this small difference in raw compute translates to a noticeable difference in the game's 4K Ultra preset, where the 3060 Ti would likely achieve a slightly higher average FPS, though the data does not provide that specific comparison.

This combo’s rank of 1672 suggests that while it is a popular pairing for 1080p gaming, it is not optimized for the high-resolution benchmarks that often dictate overall rankings. The data implies that users with this setup will get a great experience at 1080p and a good one at 1440p, but they should not expect to compete with higher-end configurations that dominate the top 1000 ranks. The rank is a useful metric for understanding the combo's place in the broader ecosystem, confirming that it is a solid mid-range choice rather than a high-end performer.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F plays a supporting role in Greedfall, but it is not a bottleneck at most settings. The CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This configuration is more than sufficient for a 2019 Action RPG, which typically relies on a few strong threads rather than massive parallel processing. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10283 and single-core score of 1451 indicate that the processor has solid single-thread performance, which is crucial for maintaining high framerates in game logic and physics.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the CPU is able to push the framerate to 167 FPS, which reflects its capability to feed the GPU with enough data. However, the scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop of 91 FPS, which is primarily a GPU limitation. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 167 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 69 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU is likely not the constraint at these higher resolutions.

The CPU's benchmark scores show it is a strong performer in its class. Its average benchmark score of 14185 places it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. It outperforms the Intel Xeon 6756E by 0.2% and the AMD EPYC 7552 by 0.5%, while being slightly slower than the Intel Core 7 160UL by 0.3%. These rivals are all server or low-power parts, which highlights that the i5-10400F is a capable desktop processor for gaming. In Greedfall, the CPU's 12 threads are likely underutilized, but the high boost clock ensures that the game's main thread runs efficiently, preventing any significant stuttering or frame pacing issues.

The 65W TDP and 14 nm process node are dated, but for this game, the performance is adequate. The CPU's memory support is DDR4 with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, which is a potential limiting factor in some scenarios, but the measured FPS data does not indicate that memory bandwidth is a problem. The CPU is a stable foundation that allows the RX 9060 to perform to its potential, and the data confirms that upgrading the CPU would not yield significant gains in Greedfall unless the GPU was also upgraded to a higher-tier model.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a 60+ FPS average?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 on the Ultra preset achieves 76 FPS, and 2560x1440 on the High preset achieves 83 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (69 FPS) exceeds the 60 FPS target, while the Medium preset falls short at 54 FPS.

Q: How does the Radeon RX 9060 compare to the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, while the RTX 3060 Ti has a score of 16129. This results in a deltaPct of -0.7%, meaning the RX 9060 is approximately 0.7% slower in average synthetic performance.

Q: Is the Core i5-10400F a bottleneck for the Radeon RX 9060 in Greedfall?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU's strong single-thread score of 1451 in Cinebench R23 and its 68th percentile ranking suggest it is sufficient, as the framerate drops are more correlated with resolution increases than with CPU load.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains a stable 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 produces an average of 83 FPS. The Medium preset also works well at 91 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 53 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The combination ranks 1672 out of 2938 combos. This places it in the lower 43% of all tested hardware pairings, reflecting its mid-range status and limitations at 4K resolution.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth, and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The GPU has a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The data shows a significant performance drop at 3840x2160, where the average FPS on the High preset is 49, suggesting that this bandwidth is insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay on higher settings.