Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG from 2019, presents an interesting case study when paired with a modern flagship GPU and a mid-range CPU. The data shows that this combination of an Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a combo rank of 30 out of 1705 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2% of all tested systems for this title. This pairing leverages the RTX 5090's massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, which proves to be a dominant factor at higher resolutions, while the i5-11400F's six cores and 12 threads provide adequate, though not exceptional, support at lower settings where frame rates soar past 300 FPS. The benchmark results reveal a system that is heavily GPU-bound at 4K, but increasingly CPU-limited at 1080p, particularly when trying to achieve the highest possible frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of the Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination in Greedfall?

A: This specific combo ranks 30th out of 1705 tested combinations in the database, placing it within the top 1.8% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5090 at 1080p Low settings compared to its performance at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The RTX 5090 achieves an average of 331.6 FPS at 1080p with Low settings, which is a 264.1 FPS increase over the 67.5 FPS average it manages at 4K Ultra settings. This represents a performance uplift of roughly 4.9 times.

Q: According to the benchmark data, which component is the primary bottleneck at 2560x1440 resolution?

A: At 2560x1440, the frame rate difference between Low (251.9 FPS) and Ultra (113.0 FPS) settings is substantial, indicating that the GPU is still the primary limiting factor. The performance scales with the graphics load, showing that the GPU has headroom to work harder as settings increase.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's benchmark score compare to its closest rivals in the GPU benchmark database?

A: The RTX 5090's average benchmark score is 84306. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, has a score of 84241, which is a 0.1% delta, indicating they perform nearly identically in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between High and Ultra settings at 3840x2160 resolution?

A: At 4K, the High preset averages 109.3 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 67.5 FPS. This is a significant drop of 41.8 FPS, highlighting the heavy performance cost of the Ultra preset at this resolution.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F scores 2029 points in the Cinebench R23 single-core test, which is a key indicator of its ability to handle game logic and frame pacing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications suggest it is designed to handle extreme workloads. The GPU is built on a 5 nm process and features 21760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. Its memory subsystem is particularly notable, with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The card's base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. This immense memory capacity and bandwidth are likely the key reasons why the combo performs so well at 4K, as Greedfall's texture-heavy environments can be loaded without bottlenecks.

The benchmark data strongly indicates a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate scales almost inversely with the settings load: from 151.5 FPS at Low to 117.9 FPS at Medium, then 109.3 FPS at High, and finally dropping to 67.5 FPS at Ultra. This shows the GPU is doing the heavy lifting, and its performance is directly tied to the graphics workload. The GPU's percentile rank of 94 against all other GPUs confirms its high-end status, though its nearest rivals, such as the RTX 5090 D with a delta of 0.1%, show that it is not without competition at the very top of the performance stack.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-11400F and RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 30 out of 1705 tested combos in the database for Greedfall. This is an exceptional placement, placing it in the 98th percentile of all tested systems. The data implies that while the CPU is a solid performer, the GPU's sheer power is what propels this combo to such a high position. The CPU's average benchmark score is 17181, and its percentile rank against all CPUs is 75, which is respectable but not top-tier. This suggests that in a game like Greedfall, which is not heavily multithreaded, the GPU can dominate the performance equation, and even a mid-range CPU from 2021 can keep up enough to allow the RTX 5090 to flex its muscles. The rank of 30 shows that for this specific game, the combination is more than the sum of its parts, likely because the game's engine is not CPU-intensive enough to hold the GPU back significantly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are exceptionally high. The Low preset achieves 331.6 FPS, while Medium reaches 286.2 FPS and High hits 257.7 FPS. The Ultra preset, while still high, drops to 166.5 FPS. This pattern continues at 2560x1440, where the average FPS for Low is 251.9, Medium is 200.8, High is 178, and Ultra is 113. At 3840x2160, the performance is more demanding, with Low averaging 151.5 FPS, Medium 117.9 FPS, High 109.3 FPS, and Ultra 67.5 FPS. The data shows that the Ultra preset consistently causes a significant frame rate drop across all resolutions, indicating it includes features that are particularly taxing on the GPU. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K is a 38.3% reduction in frame rate, while the jump from Low to High at 1080p is a 22.3% reduction. This suggests that the Ultra preset has a disproportionate performance cost.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake generation, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 per core, with a shared 12 MB L3 cache. While the GPU is the main driver of performance, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings. For instance, the difference between 1080p Low (331.6 FPS) and 1440p Low (251.9 FPS) is 79.7 FPS, which is a larger gap than what is seen at higher settings. This indicates that at 1080p Low, the CPU is nearing its limit in feeding frames to the GPU, preventing it from reaching even higher frame rates.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and single-core score of 2029 show it has capable processing power, but it is not a top-tier performer. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U and Intel Core i7-1260P, have nearly identical average scores, with deltas of 0 and -0.2 percent, respectively. This places the i5-11400F in a competitive but crowded mid-range segment. In the context of Greedfall, the data suggests that the CPU is sufficient to avoid major bottlenecks at 4K, but it is the limiting factor when trying to achieve the maximum possible frame rates at 1080p. The game likely does not utilize all 12 threads effectively, meaning its single-thread performance and boost clock are more important than its core count.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For 4K (3840x2160), the High preset is the clear recommendation. It provides an average of 109.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, and it is a 41.8 FPS improvement over the Ultra preset's 67.5 FPS. The Ultra preset's performance cost is not justified for the marginal visual gains it provides at this resolution. For 1440p (2560x1440), the High preset at 178 FPS is an excellent balance, offering a very smooth experience without sacrificing much visual quality. The Ultra preset at 113 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize visuals over frame rate.

At 1080p (1920x1080), the situation is different. The High preset at 257.7 FPS is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor, and it provides a significantly better visual experience than the Medium or Low presets. The Ultra preset at 166.5 FPS is also a good choice here, as it still provides a very high frame rate and will be less CPU-limited than at lower settings. The data suggests that the "High" preset is the best overall choice across all resolutions, as it offers a strong balance between performance and image quality, avoiding the steep performance penalty of the Ultra preset while still providing a high level of detail.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is a critical indicator of the system's balance. For Greedfall, the frame rate drops are substantial, showing the increasing load on the GPU. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 331.6 at 1080p to 251.9 at 1440p (a 24% decrease), and then to 151.5 at 4K (a 54.3% decrease from 1080p). This is a classic sign of a GPU that is being pushed harder as resolution increases. At the Ultra preset, the FPS drops from 166.5 at 1080p to 113 at 1440p (a 32.1% decrease), and then to 67.5 at 4K (a 59.5% decrease from 1080p). The percentage drops are larger at the Ultra preset, which is expected as the GPU is working at its maximum capacity.

The scaling data reveals that the system is primarily GPU-limited. The fact that the RTX 5090's performance scales down significantly as resolution increases confirms that it is the main bottleneck. However, the CPU's influence can be inferred from the scaling at lower settings. The gap between 1080p Low and 1440p Low (79.7 FPS) is smaller than the gap between 1440p Low and 4K Low (100.4 FPS). This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is starting to limit the GPU's potential, preventing it from achieving even higher frame rates. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the definitive limiting factor, and its raw power dictates the final performance. The system is well-balanced for high-resolution gaming, but users seeking the absolute highest frame rates at 1080p will find the CPU to be a slight constraint.