Greedfall

Greedfall is an Action RPG that scales well across a wide range of hardware, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT demonstrates a clear performance curve. The data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the six-core processor proves sufficient to keep frame rates high at 1080p. The measured results provide a practical guide for tuning this specific combination to match your display and performance targets.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows make it straightforward to identify the optimal settings for this CPU and GPU pairing. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 148.2 FPS, which is an ideal target for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 95.7 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices a significant amount of speed for visual gains that are often hard to notice in fast-paced action. The Low preset at 1080p yields 209.2 FPS, but the visual compromise is generally too steep for the benefit.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the clear winner, producing 102.7 FPS. This provides a smooth experience on 144Hz monitors while maintaining visual fidelity. The Medium preset at this resolution achieves 113.2 FPS, which is a modest improvement of roughly 10% over High, but the step down in texture and shadow quality is usually not worth it. Ultra at 1440p falls to 68 FPS, which is a substantial 34% drop from High, making it a poor trade-off for the extra effects.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The High preset manages 63.8 FPS, which is right at the edge of smooth playability for many users. The Medium preset at 65.7 FPS offers no real advantage over High, suggesting the settings are not the primary bottleneck at this resolution. Ultra at 4K crashes to 37.3 FPS, which is not a viable experience for action combat. The Low preset at 4K, at 89.1 FPS, is surprisingly playable, but the visual downgrade is severe.

The best experience for this combo is the High preset at both 1080p and 1440p, as it provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality. For 4K, the High preset is the only sensible choice if you want to keep details respectable, but be prepared for frame rates in the low 60s.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 going to bottleneck the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT in Greedfall?

A: Based on the measured data, no. At 1920x1080 with the Low preset, the system reaches 209.2 FPS, indicating the CPU can push frames well beyond the 60-100 FPS range. The processor's 6 cores and 6 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at these performance levels, as the frame rate scales consistently with GPU load changes across resolutions.

Q: What is the highest playable settings preset for this system at 2560x1440?

A: The High preset is the highest setting that maintains a smooth experience, delivering an average of 102.7 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 68 FPS, which is a significant reduction of 34.7 FPS, making it less suitable for fast-paced gameplay where reaction time matters.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT perform against its closest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 30097, which places it effectively in a dead heat with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (30109, deltaPct 0). It is also essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 570 (30158, deltaPct -0.2) and slightly ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (29969, deltaPct 0.4) and RTX 5070 Mobile (29928, deltaPct 0.6). This indicates that the card's raw compute performance is competitive with these specific models.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever worth using with this hardware?

A: Only if you prioritize image quality over frame rate and are playing at 1080p. At 1920x1080, Ultra yields 95.7 FPS, which is still fluid on a standard 60Hz display. At 1440p and 4K, the Ultra preset's performance (68 and 37.3 FPS respectively) is too low for a consistent experience, making High the more practical ceiling.

Q: What kind of FPS can I expect at 4K with the High preset?

A: The measured data shows an average of 63.8 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings. This is just above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a playable but not exceptionally smooth experience. Dropping to Medium only increases this to 65.7 FPS, showing that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. In Greedfall, this configuration proves adequate for maintaining high frame rates, as evidenced by the 1080p results. The Low preset at 1920x1080 reaches 209.2 FPS, which is a demanding scenario for any CPU. Since this is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset, it demonstrates that the processor can handle the game's simulation and draw calls without becoming a hard limit.

The CPU's role becomes less prominent as resolution increases. When the GPU load intensifies, the frame rate drops, indicating that the graphics card is the primary bottleneck. The transition from 1080p Low (209.2 FPS) to 4K Low (89.1 FPS) shows a performance scaling that is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. The processor's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support provide sufficient bandwidth for the game's data streaming needs.

The benchmark scores for the i5-9400, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969, place it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305 and Intel Core i3-1125G4, which have average scores within 0.2% of this chip. This confirms that the CPU is a mid-range part, but in this specific title, it does not diminish the gaming experience. The data suggests that for Greedfall, the CPU is a stable foundation that allows the RX 7700 XT to perform to its potential.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT achieves a rank of 717 out of 1705 tested combos in Greedfall. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all system configurations in the database. This ranking is a strong result, considering that the CPU is an older, end-of-life part (released in 2018) paired with a much newer GPU (released in 2023). The position indicates that the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting in this game, while the CPU is not holding the system back significantly.

The high ranking is supported by the actual frame rates. In the context of the database, this combo outperforms a significant majority of the other tested configurations. The fact that it can push over 100 FPS at 1440p High settings puts it ahead of many systems with more balanced but lower-tier components. The deltaPct values for the GPU's rivals show that the RX 7700 XT is in a tight performance cluster with the RTX 5060 and RX 570, meaning that this combo's ranking is likely representative of what you would get with those other GPUs as well.

The rank of 717 out of 1705 is a data-driven verdict. It tells us that this is a sensible pairing for a gamer looking for high refresh rate 1080p or solid 1440p performance. It is not a top-tier enthusiast build, but it is a reliable configuration that sits comfortably in the top 42% of all possible combinations tested for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and expected pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, but the severity of the drop varies significantly by settings preset. For the High preset, the average FPS scales from 148.2 at 1080p to 102.7 at 1440p, a drop of 45.5 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate falls further to 63.8, a reduction of 38.9 FPS. This consistent decline indicates a strong GPU dependency.

The Low preset shows a similar trend but with a more dramatic initial drop. At 1080p, it achieves 209.2 FPS. At 1440p, it falls to 145.6 FPS. At 4K, it is 89.1 FPS. The scaling here suggests that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU is still the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset, however, shows a different story. It starts at 95.7 FPS at 1080p, drops to 68 at 1440p, and then craters to 37.3 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K (30.7 FPS) is proportionally larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p (27.7 FPS), indicating that the GPU is overwhelmed by the sheer pixel count and graphics load.

This scaling analysis points to a system that is purely GPU-bound in Greedfall. The CPU is capable of delivering high frame rates, but the RX 7700 XT cannot maintain those rates when the pixel throughput requirement quadruples from 1080p to 4K. For users, this means that resolution is the primary lever for adjusting performance. Reducing settings helps at 4K, but the gains are modest compared to the massive FPS boost from simply dropping to a lower resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is taken directly from the measured performance rows for this specific hardware configuration.

1920x1080:

• Low: 209.2 FPS
• Medium: 166.5 FPS
• High: 148.2 FPS
• Ultra: 95.7 FPS

At 1080p, the system is incredibly fast. The gap between Low and High is 61 FPS, but even High is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. Ultra is the only setting that drops below 100 FPS, but it remains playable.

2560x1440:

• Low: 145.6 FPS
• Medium: 113.2 FPS
• High: 102.7 FPS
• Ultra: 68 FPS

At 1440p, the performance is still excellent. Low and Medium provide high-refresh-rate experiences. High is the sweet spot for visual quality and speed, while Ultra begins to show the GPU's limits.

3840x2160:

• Low: 89.1 FPS
• Medium: 65.7 FPS
• High: 63.8 FPS
• Ultra: 37.3 FPS

At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. Low is the only preset that breaks 60 FPS comfortably. Medium and High are nearly identical, suggesting that the pixel load is the main constraint. Ultra is not a viable option at this resolution.

The data confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The 4K numbers, while functional on some presets, do not provide the headroom needed for a consistently smooth experience. The RX 7700 XT's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the sheer compute requirement of 4K in Greedfall proves too demanding for Ultra settings.