Greedfall

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination in Greedfall demonstrates a clear performance hierarchy dictated by resolution and settings. The data set shows a processor that is capable but not dominant, paired with a graphics card that scales predictably under load. The resulting frame rates highlight a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's six cores manage the game's logic without becoming a limiting factor at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep drop in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 110 FPS at 1080p to 74 FPS at 1440p, a 32.7% reduction. Moving to 4K, the average plummets to 43.2 FPS, which is a 60.7% decrease from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario; the RX 6600 XT's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for lower resolutions but become overwhelmed by the pixel count at 4K.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (152.6 FPS) and Ultra (70.3 FPS) is 82.3 FPS. At 4K, that same comparison shows Low at 61.3 FPS and Ultra at 27.2 FPS, a difference of 34.1 FPS. The percentage drop from Low to Ultra is 54% at 1080p and 55.6% at 4K, suggesting the GPU is consistently the limiting factor across all settings, but the absolute performance loss is more severe at higher resolutions.

The data indicates that 1440p is the practical ceiling for smooth gameplay on this hardware. High settings at 1440p deliver 74 FPS, which is acceptable, but the step to 4K High reduces the average below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K Ultra result of 27.2 FPS is barely playable, confirming that this combination is not suited for maximum fidelity at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more moderate, with a 32.7% drop at High settings, suggesting the system can handle a resolution bump without catastrophic losses.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. This positions it as a mid-range part, closely matching the Intel Core i3-10305, which has an average score of 2300 and a delta of 0.2%. The i5-9400 is also within 0.4% of the Intel Xeon E-2134 and 0.6% of the Intel Core i7-8809G, indicating a tight cluster of similar performers.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops from 152.6 FPS at 1080p Low to 102.8 FPS at 1440p Low, a 32.6% reduction. This is not a sign of CPU limitation, as the core count and thread count are sufficient for an Action RPG. The processor's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support provide adequate bandwidth for game logic, but the data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck.

The single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125, is adequate for Greedfall's engine. The game does not appear to be heavily threaded, as the six cores are not overwhelmed. The delta between the i5-9400 and its rivals is minimal, with the closest competitor, the i3-10305, being only 0.2% different in average score. This suggests that swapping the CPU for a similar-tier part would yield negligible changes in the measured FPS, as the GPU is the dominant constraint.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is a RDNA 2.0 architecture GPU with 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It operates at a base clock of 1968 MHz, a game clock of 2359 MHz, and a boost clock of 2589 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This GPU sits in the 71st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27985, placing it just 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 0.9% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070.

The GPU's performance in Greedfall is consistent with its benchmark standing. At 1080p High, it delivers 110 FPS, which is a strong result. The 4K Ultra score of 27.2 FPS is a severe drop, but the GPU's 10.60 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is not sufficient for that workload. The 165.7 GPixel/s pixel rate and 331.4 GTexel/s texture rate are high, but the 128-bit memory bus is a limiting factor at 4K, where bandwidth demands increase.

The RX 6600 XT's nearest rival, the GTX 980 Ti, has an average score of 27956, a delta of 0.1%. In Greedfall, the RX 6600 XT's performance at 1440p High (74 FPS) is solid, but the 4K results show a clear ceiling. The 8 GB VRAM is not exhausted at 1080p or 1440p, but the 4K Ultra settings likely push memory usage higher, contributing to the 27.2 FPS result. The GPU's power is best utilized at 1080p and 1440p, where it can maintain high frame rates without hitting bandwidth walls.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average frame rate is 110 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to the GTX 980 Ti in average benchmark score?

A: The RX 6600 XT has an average score of 27985, which is 0.1% higher than the GTX 980 Ti's 27956.

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

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor; the frame rate drops from 61.3 FPS at Low to 27.2 FPS at Ultra, indicating GPU-bound scaling.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of the i5-9400 among all CPUs?

A: The i5-9400 is in the 50th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded in the data set?

A: The lowest average is 27.2 FPS at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low average is 152.6 FPS, while 1080p Ultra averages 70.3 FPS, a difference of 82.3 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers a wide range of performance depending on settings. Low settings produce an average of 152.6 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire data set. Medium settings reduce the average to 118 FPS, a 22.7% drop from Low. High settings continue the trend with 110 FPS, a 27.9% drop from Low. Ultra settings bring the average down to 70.3 FPS, which is a 53.9% reduction from Low. These numbers indicate that the GPU has significant headroom at 1080p, even with demanding settings.

The 2560x1440 resolution shows a similar pattern but with lower absolute values. Low settings average 102.8 FPS, which is a 32.6% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 81.6 FPS, a 30.8% drop from Low at this resolution. High settings average 74 FPS, a 28% drop from Low. Ultra settings average 50 FPS, a 51.4% reduction from Low. The 1440p results are consistently about 30-35% lower than their 1080p counterparts, confirming a GPU bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, performance drops are severe. Low settings average 61.3 FPS, which is just above playable. Medium settings average 50.8 FPS, a 17.1% drop from Low. High settings average 43.2 FPS, a 29.5% drop from Low. Ultra settings average 27.2 FPS, a 55.6% drop from Low. The 4K results show that the RX 6600 XT cannot maintain high frame rates at this resolution, regardless of settings, with even Low settings falling below the 1080p High average.

The data set includes 12 measured points, with no minimum or maximum FPS values recorded. The combination ranks 1268 out of 1705 total combos in Greedfall, indicating a mid-tier standing. The performance is characterized by a strong 1080p showing, a capable 1440p experience, and a weak 4K result. The CPU's benchmark percentile of 50% and the GPU's percentile of 71% suggest that the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing, which is reflected in the FPS scaling patterns.