Greedfall

Greedfall on the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT presents a clear picture of a system where the graphics card is the dominant factor in performance scaling. The measured data across three resolutions and four quality presets shows a consistent pattern: frame rates are heavily influenced by resolution and settings, with the CPU providing a stable foundation that rarely becomes the primary constraint. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data to interpret what it means for the balance between the processor and the graphics card, and what settings users should prioritize.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 113.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 80.5 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 29%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 48 FPS, which is about 58% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline is a classic indicator that the rendering workload is scaling with pixel count, placing the burden squarely on the GPU.

The scaling pattern holds across all settings. At Low settings, the system achieves 161.1 FPS at 1080p, 111.3 FPS at 1440p, and 64.6 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 60%, which is slightly less severe than the High preset’s 58% drop, suggesting that even at low graphical fidelity, the GPU remains the limiting factor. At Ultra settings, the frame rates are 70.8 FPS at 1080p, 52.9 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K, with the 4K result representing a 55% reduction from 1080p.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the system has ample headroom, with even Ultra settings producing an average above 70 FPS. As resolution increases, the headroom collapses, and at 4K, only the Low preset manages to stay above 60 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with an average loss of about 40% of the frame rate across all settings. This suggests that users targeting 4K will need to make significant compromises on visual quality to maintain playable frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2300, a delta of 0.2%, showing that the i5-9400 sits in a tightly packed performance tier. The data from Greedfall suggests that this CPU is sufficient to feed the RX 7600 XT at 1080p and 1440p, as the frame rates at lower resolutions are high enough that the GPU is clearly the bottleneck.

At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 161.1 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that the CPU’s 6 threads are likely being utilized effectively. The single-core performance, indicated by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125, is adequate for the game’s logic and draw call processing. The processor’s 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 42.7 GB/s provide a solid foundation for feeding the GPU with data.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent when comparing the 1080p results across settings. The jump from Low (161.1 FPS) to Ultra (70.8 FPS) is a 56% reduction, which is entirely attributable to the GPU workload increasing. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rates at Low and Medium settings to be closer together, as the GPU would be less taxed. Instead, the consistent scaling across all settings points to the GPU being the primary constraint. The i5-9400’s 6 cores without hyper-threading are sufficient for this title, as the measured data shows no signs of CPU-induced frame rate plateaus.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the clear performance driver in this configuration. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, it has ample resources for high-resolution textures. Its boost clock of 2755 MHz and 2048 shading units contribute to a texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 20146 places it at the 63rd percentile, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600, scores 20258, a delta of -0.6%, indicating the XT variant is slightly slower in aggregate benchmarks.

In Greedfall, the GPU’s influence is most visible in the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the system manages only 32 FPS, which is a demanding workload that the RX 7600 XT cannot handle smoothly. The 16 GB VRAM is not the bottleneck here, as even at 4K, the game’s texture requirements are unlikely to exceed that capacity. Instead, the limiting factor is the raw compute throughput, as the FP32 performance of 22.57 TFLOPS is stretched thin at 3840x2160.

The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s also plays a role in the scaling. At 1080p, the bandwidth is sufficient to feed the shading units, but as resolution increases, the demand on the memory system grows. The 128-bit bus width, compared to wider buses in higher-tier cards, means that the RX 7600 XT has to work harder to maintain fill rates at 4K. The data shows that the GPU is capable of delivering 64.6 FPS at 4K Low, which suggests that the memory system and compute units can handle reduced workloads, but the jump to Medium (52.7 FPS) and High (48 FPS) shows diminishing returns as the GPU becomes saturated.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 113.2 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset drops to 70.8 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 37% performance hit for what is likely a marginal visual improvement. For most users at 1080p, the High preset offers the best balance, as it provides nearly double the frame rate of Ultra while still maintaining high visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 80.5 FPS, which is a strong result for a 1440p display. The Medium preset is close at 84.3 FPS, which suggests that the difference between Medium and High is minimal in terms of GPU load. The Ultra preset at 52.9 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, and users with high refresh rate monitors would likely prefer the High preset. The Low preset at 111.3 FPS is excessive for most displays, so it is not recommended unless chasing maximum frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset delivers 64.6 FPS, which is the only setting that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 52.7 FPS is playable but requires some tolerance for frame rate dips. The High preset at 48 FPS is below the ideal threshold, and the Ultra preset at 32 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. For 4K users, the Low preset is the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience, with Medium being a compromise for those who prioritize visual quality over frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average is 161.1 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 32 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RX 7600 XT compare to the RX 7600 in benchmarks?

A: The RX 7600 XT has an average benchmark score of 20146, while the RX 7600 scores 20258, a delta of -0.6%, meaning the XT is slightly slower on average.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers 80.5 FPS, which offers a good balance between visual quality and performance.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data shows that frame rates scale consistently with GPU settings, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p Low and 1080p Ultra?

A: The average FPS drops from 161.1 at Low to 70.8 at Ultra, a reduction of 56%.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average FPS values for the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT in Greedfall is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 161.1 FPS, the Medium preset delivers 126.2 FPS, the High preset delivers 113.2 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 70.8 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 111.3 FPS, the Medium preset delivers 84.3 FPS, the High preset delivers 80.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 52.9 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 64.6 FPS, the Medium preset delivers 52.7 FPS, the High preset delivers 48 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 32 FPS.

These numbers show a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase. The system is most comfortable at 1080p, where all presets except Ultra exceed 100 FPS. At 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot, offering 80.5 FPS. At 4K, only the Low preset maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS. The data confirms that the RX 7600 XT is the performance-limiting component, and the i5-9400 provides sufficient CPU support across all tested configurations.