Greedfall

Greedfall, the 2019 action RPG from Spiders, presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 9060 pairing. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a component relationship that shifts depending on the graphical load. This analysis breaks down the data to understand where the bottleneck lies and what users can expect from this configuration.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 119 FPS at 1920x1080 to 83 FPS at 2560x1440, a 30% reduction. Moving to 4K at 3840x2160, the average falls further to 49 FPS, which is a 41% drop from 1440p and a 59% drop from 1080p. This pronounced decline suggests that the Radeon RX 9060’s rendering capabilities are being saturated as pixel count increases.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 167 at 1080p to 116 at 1440p and then to 69 at 4K. Medium settings show a similar pattern: 131 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K. Even the most demanding Ultra preset follows suit, with averages of 76 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and a barely playable 31 FPS at 4K. The consistent scaling pattern across all presets implies that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are the decisive factors.

The data also shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. The jump from 1080p to 1440p at High settings results in a 36 FPS loss, which is a substantial performance hit that would not occur if the CPU were the limiting factor. If the i5-11400F were holding the system back, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU would be the ceiling. Instead, the frame rates scale almost linearly with resolution, a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario.

However, the 4K results indicate that the GPU is severely overmatched at this resolution for this game. The 49 FPS average at High settings and 31 FPS at Ultra are below the threshold for smooth gameplay. This suggests that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Greedfall, unless users are willing to accept Low settings, which yield a 69 FPS average. The scaling behavior confirms that the RX 9060 is the component to upgrade for better 4K performance, while the i5-11400F provides ample headroom.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks at position 1672 out of 2938 tested combinations in Greedfall. This places it in the 57th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms more than half of the other pairings in the database. The rank of 1672 indicates a mid-tier position, which aligns with the component specs: a 6-core/12-thread CPU and a GPU that sits in the 59th percentile of all GPUs.

The rank is a holistic measure that considers both the CPU and GPU’s contribution to the game’s performance. Given the resolution scaling analysis, the rank is likely driven more by the GPU’s performance at higher resolutions than the CPU’s capabilities. The i5-11400F’s percentile rank of 71 among all CPUs is notably higher than the GPU’s 59th percentile, suggesting that the CPU is the stronger component in this pairing.

The delta between the combo’s rank and the individual component percentiles suggests an imbalance. The GPU is the weaker link, and this is reflected in the game’s frame rates at higher resolutions. The combo’s rank of 1672 is a useful reference point, but it does not tell the whole story. It indicates that this pairing is capable of solid 1080p and 1440p performance but struggles at 4K, which is consistent with the measured FPS data.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it features 12 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications are relevant to Greedfall’s performance, as the game is an action RPG with a focus on world simulation and AI-driven combat encounters.

The measured data indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 167, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU can feed frames quickly enough. The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities are demonstrated by its benchmark scores: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 16908. These scores indicate that the 12 threads are capable of handling the game’s background simulation tasks.

The single-thread performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2024 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1777. This is important for Greedfall’s main game thread, which often dictates the minimum frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios. The data shows that at 1080p, the game is not CPU-bound, as the frame rates scale down with resolution, which is a GPU-bound behavior.

The CPU’s boost clock of 4.40 GHz is sufficient for this game. The data suggests that the i5-11400F provides a stable foundation, allowing the RX 9060 to perform up to its potential. The CPU’s percentile rank of 71 versus all CPUs further reinforces that it is a capable processor. The bottleneck in this system is the GPU, as evidenced by the resolution scaling, and the CPU has enough headroom to support even higher frame rates if a more powerful GPU were installed.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured frame rates provide a detailed picture of performance. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 167 FPS on Low settings, 131 FPS on Medium, 119 FPS on High, and 76 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 151 FPS, which indicates a tight frame time distribution. The High and Ultra presets do not have min/max data, but the averages suggest a playable experience at all settings except perhaps Ultra, which dips to 76 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 116 FPS on Low, 91 FPS on Medium, 83 FPS on High, and 53 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. This resolution is where the GPU starts to feel the pressure, but the averages are still respectable for most settings. The Ultra preset at 53 FPS is on the edge of smoothness, but it is playable.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. The averages are 69 FPS on Low, 54 FPS on Medium, 49 FPS on High, and 31 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. The 4K results show that this resolution is only viable on Low settings, where the average of 69 FPS approaches the 60 FPS target. The High and Ultra settings at 4K are not recommended for a smooth experience.

The data reveals a clear hierarchy: 1080p is fully playable at all settings, 1440p is playable up to High settings, and 4K is only playable at Low settings. The step from High to Ultra at each resolution incurs a significant FPS penalty, often around 40% or more. For example, at 1080p, the drop from High to Ultra is 43 FPS (119 to 76), and at 1440p, it is 30 FPS (83 to 53).

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is a RDNA 4.0 architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. It has a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. The GPU’s specs directly influence the measured frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth and compute throughput are critical.

The 8 GB of VRAM is a significant factor at 4K resolution. Greedfall’s textures and geometry at 3840x2160 can place a heavy demand on VRAM, and the measured FPS at 4K suggests that the GPU is struggling to deliver data quickly enough. The 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest figures, and the data shows that this is a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops are more severe when moving from 1440p to 4K, which indicates the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth wall.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, measured at 21.43 TFLOPS FP32, are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The shading units, TMUs, and ROPs are balanced for these resolutions. However, at 4K, the GPU’s pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s are not enough to maintain high frame rates. The benchmark scores corroborate this, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 and a Passmark G3D score of 17631, placing the GPU in the 59th percentile.

The GPU’s nearest rival in the database is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which has an average score of 16129, a 0.7% delta from the RX 9060’s score of 16014. This indicates they are closely matched in synthetic benchmarks. However, in Greedfall, the measured FPS shows that the RX 9060 is capable of high frame rates at lower resolutions, but its memory subsystem limits its 4K performance. The data implies that the GPU is the primary component to upgrade for better 4K performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p on High settings?

A: The average frame rate at 1920x1080 with High settings is 119 FPS.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Greedfall?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 69 on Low settings to 31 on Ultra settings. Only the Low preset provides a playable average above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Radeon RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti’s score of 16129.

Q: What is the CPU’s multi-threaded benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F scores 14340 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 16908 in Passmark multi-thread tests.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p on Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 77 FPS.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested CPU-GPU pairs in this game?

A: This combo ranks 1672 out of 2938 tested combinations in Greedfall.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for the best experience. For 1080p gaming, the High preset offers an excellent balance, with an average of 119 FPS. The Ultra preset, at 76 FPS, is also playable, but the 43 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gain for all users. The Medium preset, at 131 FPS, is a good choice for those prioritizing high refresh rates.

For 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 83 FPS. The Medium preset at 91 FPS is also smooth, but High offers a better visual experience with a marginal FPS cost. The Ultra preset at 53 FPS is borderline, and users should only use it if they can tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS. The Low preset at 116 FPS is unnecessary unless the user is chasing maximum frame rates.

For 4K, the Low preset is the only recommended option, with an average of 69 FPS. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is playable, but the min FPS of 46 suggests potential stuttering. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended at 4K due to the low averages of 49 FPS and 31 FPS, respectively. In summary, the High preset at 1080p or 1440p provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, while 4K users should stick to Low settings for a smooth experience.