Greedfall

# Greedfall Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-12400 + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

This combo pairing sits at rank 743 out of 3,703 tested configurations in Greedfall, placing it comfortably in the top 20% of all systems evaluated. The ranking reflects a balanced partnership between a 6-core Alder Lake processor and a high-end RDNA 3 graphics card, with the data showing strong 1440p and 1080p performance while 4K Ultra demands more from the GPU than it can consistently deliver. The Intel Core i5-12400, launched in January 2022 with a launch MSRP of $199, provides 12 threads across 6 cores, while the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, released in November 2022, brings 20 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 320-bit bus to the table.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 743 out of 3,703 tested systems, this configuration lands in the 80th percentile of all pairings evaluated in Greedfall. This is a strong showing, but the percentile ranking versus all CPUs (72nd) and all GPUs (55th) reveals an interesting asymmetry: the processor is relatively more capable than the graphics card when judged against their respective hardware pools. The data suggests that in Greedfall specifically, the combo outperforms what either component's standalone percentile would predict, indicating favorable scaling behavior between this CPU and GPU pairing.

The rank becomes more meaningful when examining the CPU's nearest rivals. The Core i5-12400's average benchmark score of 18,683 sits nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7643 (18,697, delta -0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-1355U (18,730, delta -0.3%). The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 trails by just 0.7% at 18,811, while the Intel Core i3-14100F comes in 0.9% lower at 18,519. These razor-thin margins mean the CPU is performing at a level where component lottery and thermal conditions could flip these positions in any given test run. For Greedfall specifically, the 12-thread configuration provides ample headroom for the game's threading model, which appears to scale well beyond 6 cores based on the 3DMark scores: 5,873 at 16 threads versus 4,745 at 8 threads.

On the GPU side, the RX 7900 XT's average benchmark score of 13,745 places it within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon 660M (13,812) and NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (13,821). The AMD Radeon RX 570X sits 0.9% higher at 13,871, while the RX 9070 XT trails by 1.5% at 13,543. These tight margins in synthetic benchmarks, however, do not translate to the game's measured FPS, where the RX 7900 XT's 20 GB VRAM and 800 GB/s bandwidth clearly differentiate it from integrated or mobile-class competitors in actual Greedfall rendering workloads.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT brings substantial rendering resources to Greedfall: 5,376 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 192 raster operations units. The 84 ray accelerators support the game's lighting effects, though Greedfall's 2019 release predates heavy RT implementation, so traditional rasterization carries most of the load. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1,387 MHz, a game clock of 2,025 MHz, and a boost clock of 2,394 MHz, with memory running at 2,500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). This translates to a pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 compute at 51.48 TFLOPS.

The 20 GB GDDR6 memory pool on a 320-bit bus, delivering 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, is the defining characteristic for Greedfall performance. The game's texture streaming and open-world environments benefit from this capacity, but the measured FPS data shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the combo averages 50 FPS, a steep drop from the 79 FPS at High settings at the same resolution. The 300 W TDP and dual 8-pin power connectors indicate the card is drawing significant power under load, and the 5 nm process from TSMC with 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die shows the architectural density behind this performance.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows a PassMark G3D score of 29,009, with a DirectX 12 score of 110 and DirectX 11 score of 340. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 71,068 versus OpenCL at 12,756 highlights the card's strength in Vulkan-optimized workloads, which is relevant for Greedfall's rendering API preferences. The 55th percentile ranking versus all GPUs may seem modest, but within the context of this game, the card's 20 GB frame buffer prevents any VRAM-related stuttering or texture pop-in at 4K, as evidenced by the sustained frame times across the measured resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides 6 cores and 12 threads based on Alder Lake architecture, fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 163 mm². The base clock of 2.50 GHz boosts to 4.40 GHz, and the 18 MB shared L3 cache (with 1.25 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core) gives the processor sufficient on-die storage for game logic and physics calculations. The 65 W TDP keeps thermal requirements modest, and the dual-channel memory controller supports both DDR4 and DDR5, though the benchmark scores reflect the CPU's raw compute capabilities rather than platform memory specifics.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU at most settings, but becomes more prominent at lower resolutions where frame rates climb dramatically. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15,989 and single-core score of 2,257 indicate strong per-thread performance for a 6-core part. The Geekbench scores of 8,564 multicore and 1,848 single-core align with the 3DMark thread scaling results: 1,692 at 2 threads, 3,012 at 4 threads, and 4,745 at 8 threads. The jump from 8 to 16 threads (5,873) shows diminishing returns beyond 8 threads, suggesting that Greedfall's engine effectively utilizes up to 8 threads before hitting memory or scheduling bottlenecks.

The PassMark physics score of 1,105 is particularly relevant for an Action RPG where combat physics and environmental interactions tax the CPU. The integer math score of 58,366 and floating-point math of 45,494 provide the arithmetic throughput for game logic, while the data encryption score of 11,418 and compression score of 226,908 handle asset loading and streaming. The single-thread score of 3,456 ensures that the primary game thread, which often cannot be parallelized, remains responsive even when other cores are busy. The 72nd percentile ranking versus all CPUs confirms that this processor sits above average, and its nearest rivals all cluster within 1% of its average score, indicating a highly competitive mid-range segment.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers outstanding performance across all settings. Low settings average 268 FPS, Medium averages 210 FPS with a minimum of 179 FPS and maximum of 242 FPS, High averages 191 FPS, and Ultra averages 122 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, even Ultra settings provide a high-refresh-rate experience, with the Low-to-Ultra spread of 146 FPS showing substantial GPU scaling. The Medium setting frame range (179-242 FPS) demonstrates consistent frame pacing without significant drops.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but the gaps tighten. Low averages 186 FPS, Medium averages 146 FPS with a range of 124-168 FPS, High averages 132 FPS, and Ultra drops to 84 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 30% performance at each setting, which aligns with the pixel count increase of 78% (2,073,600 to 3,686,400 pixels) — the less-than-proportional drop suggests the CPU is helping to mask some of the GPU's additional workload at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle at the highest settings. Low averages 111 FPS, Medium averages 87 FPS with a range of 74-100 FPS, High averages 79 FPS, and Ultra drops to 50 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, and it represents a 59% reduction from the Ultra performance at 1080p. The Medium setting range at 4K (74-100 FPS) shows that even with the 20 GB VRAM and 800 GB/s bandwidth, the rasterization workload at 8.3 million pixels pushes the 5,376 shading units to their limits.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a predictable pattern of GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the drop from 268 FPS (1080p) to 186 FPS (1440p) to 111 FPS (4K) shows a 31% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 40% reduction from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the progression is 191 FPS to 132 FPS to 79 FPS, representing 31% and 40% drops respectively. This consistency across Low and High settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter, with the CPU's 12 threads maintaining sufficient frame production headroom.

The Ultra settings tell a different story. From 122 FPS at 1080p to 84 FPS at 1440p (31% drop) to 50 FPS at 4K (40% drop from 1440p), the pattern matches the other settings, but the absolute values cross below playable thresholds. At 4K Ultra, the 50 FPS average suggests the GPU is maxed out, while the CPU is likely idling with spare capacity given its strong 3DMark 16-thread score of 5,873. The Medium setting shows the most consistent frame ranges at each resolution, with 179-242 FPS at 1080p, 124-168 FPS at 1440p, and 74-100 FPS at 4K — the narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that CPU-related frame variability diminishes as GPU frame times increase.

The limiting component analysis points to the GPU at 4K Ultra, where the 50 FPS average is a 59% reduction from 1080p Ultra. At 1080p Low, the 268 FPS average likely approaches the CPU's maximum frame output, as the 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and PassMark single-thread of 3,456 suggest the primary thread becomes the bottleneck. For players targeting 4K, the data recommends High settings (79 FPS) over Ultra (50 FPS), as the 29 FPS gain represents a 58% improvement in frame rate for a visually modest setting reduction.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and setting combination for this hardware in Greedfall?

A: For 4K gaming, High settings at 79 FPS average provides the best balance, as Ultra drops to 50 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra delivers 84 FPS and is playable, while 1080p Ultra achieves 122 FPS for high-refresh displays. The Medium setting at 4K offers 87 FPS average with a 74-100 FPS range, which may be preferable for frame-time consistency.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 743rd out of 3,703 tested systems, placing it in the top 20%. The CPU sits at the 72nd percentile versus all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 55th percentile versus all GPUs, indicating the processor is relatively stronger in the broader hardware landscape.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the average drops to 50 FPS. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 29,009 and 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 compute are insufficient for the 8.3 million pixel workload at maximum settings, while the CPU's 12 threads and 4.40 GHz boost clock have ample headroom.

Q: How does the RX 7900 XT's 20 GB VRAM affect Greedfall performance?

A: The 20 GB GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus with 800.0 GB/s bandwidth prevents VRAM capacity or bandwidth from becoming a limiting factor at any resolution or setting tested. The measured FPS data shows no anomalous drops that would indicate memory pressure, even at 4K Ultra where texture detail is highest.

Q: What performance can players expect at 1440p with this setup?

A: At 1440p, the combo delivers 186 FPS at Low, 146 FPS at Medium, 132 FPS at High, and 84 FPS at Ultra settings. The Medium setting shows a frame range of 124-168 FPS, indicating consistent performance suitable for high-refresh 1440p monitors.

Q: How does the Core i5-12400's 6-core/12-thread configuration handle Greedfall's threading?

A: The CPU's 3DMark scores show effective scaling from 2 threads (1,692) to 8 threads (4,745) to 16 threads (5,873), suggesting Greedfall's engine utilizes up to 8 threads efficiently. The 18 MB L3 cache and 4.40 GHz boost clock provide strong single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 910) for the primary game thread.