Greedfall

Greedfall, an Action RPG released in 2019, presents an interesting case study in system bottlenecking when paired with an Intel Core i5-9400 and an AMD Radeon RX 9070. The measured data reveals a combination where the GPU is clearly the dominant force, yet the six-core CPU from the Coffee Lake era still exerts a noticeable influence on the final frame rates, particularly as settings and resolutions change.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling, but with a few notable deviations that point to the CPU's limitations. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 167 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 116 FPS, a reduction of roughly 30%. The jump to 4K further reduces the average to 69 FPS, representing another 40% decline from the 1440p figure. This steep drop-off at 4K indicates the Radeon RX 9070 is being pushed to its limits, with the raw pixel throughput demanding significantly more from the GPU.

The scaling pattern changes when looking at lower settings. At Low settings, the frame rates are 234 FPS at 1080p, 162 FPS at 1440p, and 97 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 31%, which is similar to the High preset. However, the drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper at 40%, mirroring the High preset's behavior. This suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU remains the primary limiter at 4K, as the RX 9070's compute capabilities are saturated by the sheer number of pixels.

The most telling data point for CPU involvement comes from the Medium preset. Here, the frame rates are 184 FPS at 1080p, 127 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 40% reduction, consistent with the other presets. But the 1080p to 1440p drop is only 31%, which is slightly less severe than the Low preset's 31% drop. This minor variance suggests that at 1080p Medium, the Intel Core i5-9400 is starting to become a co-limiter, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. The data implies that at 1080p with less demanding settings, the CPU's six threads are struggling to feed the GPU fast enough, capping performance below what the GPU alone could deliver.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 9070 the primary bottleneck in this system for Greedfall?

A: Yes, the data strongly indicates the GPU is the main limiting factor. The consistent 40% frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings presets (High: 116 to 69, Low: 162 to 97, Medium: 127 to 76, Ultra: 74 to 44) shows that the RX 9070's performance scales predictably with pixel count, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound rendering.

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-9400 hold back the RX 9070 at any resolution?

A: The evidence suggests the CPU becomes a secondary limiter at 1080p with lower settings. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 234 FPS, which is an exceptionally high number. The fact that the Medium preset at 1080p only drops to 184 FPS, a 21% reduction, while the 1440p Medium to 4K Medium drop is 40%, implies the CPU is capping performance at 1080p, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs.

Q: How does this combo's performance in Greedfall compare to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1122 out of 3703 tested combinations, placing it in the top 30% of all systems. This indicates that while not a top-tier pairing, it delivers solid performance for this title, well above the median tested system.

Q: What is the playable ceiling for this combo in Greedfall?

A: The data shows that 4K Ultra is the only preset that dips below 60 FPS, averaging just 44 FPS. All other presets at any resolution achieve at least 69 FPS, with the 4K High preset hitting 69 FPS and the 1440p Ultra preset reaching 74 FPS companionship. This suggests 4K High is the highest visual setting that maintains smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the Radeon RX 9070's 16GB of VRAM sufficient for Greedfall at 4K?

A: The benchmark results show playable frame rates at 4K High (69 FPS) and 4K Medium (76 FPS), indicating that the 16GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor at these settings. The game does not appear to be exceeding the available memory, as performance scales normally with resolution rather than showing sudden drops indicative of VRAM overflow.

Q: How does the CPU's single-threaded performance impact the results?

A: The Core i5-9400 has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935 and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. While this is adequate for gaming, the data suggests it is not strong enough to fully saturate the RX 9070 at 1080p, where the frame rates are exceptionally high (234 FPS on Low), leading to the CPU becoming a bottleneck in that specific scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 achieves a rank of 1122 out of 3703 tested combos in Greedfall, placing it in the 30th percentile of all systems. This is a respectable position, given that the CPU is a mid-range part from 2018, while the GPU is a high-end offering from 2025. The ranking indicates that the GPU's raw power is able to carry the system to a strong performance tier, even with the older processor.

The GPU's percentile rank of 69 among all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 23877, is higher than the combo's overall rank. This discrepancy suggests that the CPU is dragging the system down slightly in this specific game, preventing it from achieving a ranking that matches the GPU's standalone capabilities. If the combo were purely GPU-bound, the rank would likely be higher, closer to the GPU's percentile. The CPU's percentile rank of 47, based on an average benchmark score of 2254, confirms that the processor is a below-average performer in the current landscape, which limits the overall combo's potential.

The delta values from the nearest rivals provide context for the CPU's position. The i5-9400 is within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 and Intel Core i3-10305, and within 0.3% of the Intel Core i7-10710U. This tight grouping indicates that the CPU's performance is very much at the entry-level for modern gaming, and any of these alternatives would likely produce similar frame rates in Greedfall. The GPU, on the other hand, sits in a more competitive position, with a 1.1% difference from the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER and a 1.2% difference from the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, showing it is a strong performer in its class.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are consistently high, starting with 234 FPS on Low settings. The Medium preset delivers 184 FPS, with a minimum of 156 FPS and a maximum of 211 FPS, showing a tight frame time distribution. High settings produce 167 FPS, while Ultra drops to 107 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 54% reduction, indicating that the graphical settings have a significant impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates are still very playable. Low settings yield 162 FPS, Medium produces 127 FPS (min 108, max 147), High hits 116 FPS, and Ultra settles at 74 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 30% for each preset, which is expected for a GPU-bound scenario. At this resolution, the RX 9070 is still able to push high frame rates, with even Ultra settings maintaining an average above 70 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more demanding. Low settings average 97 FPS, which is still smooth, while Medium drops to 76 FPS (min 65, max 87). High settings average 69 FPS, which is right at the cusp of 60 FPS gameplay. Ultra settings are the only preset that falls below playable thresholds, averaging just 44 FPS. The data shows a clear trend: the combo is capable of 4K gaming, but only at lower settings, and the Ultra preset is not viable for a smooth experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 9 MB shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and single-core score of 935, place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. This makes it a decidedly average processor by modern standards, and its age is showing in games that are heavily threaded.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role appears to be secondary but not insignificant. The evidence for this comes from the scaling behavior at 1080p. At this resolution, the GPU has less work to do per frame, so the CPU's ability to issue draw calls and process game logic becomes more critical. The fact that the 1080p Low preset hits 234 FPS, while the 1080p Medium preset drops to 184 FPS, suggests that the CPU is limiting the Low preset. If the GPU were the sole limiter, we would expect the frame rates to scale more proportionally with the settings changes, but the 21% drop from Low to Medium is larger than the 13% drop from Medium to High (184 to 167 FPS). This non-linear scaling points to the CPU being a co-limiter at the highest frame rates.

The CPU's six threads and lack of hyper-threading are likely the culprits. Greedfall, like many action RPGs, can use multiple cores, but the i5-9400's six cores are all that is available. With the GPU capable of producing frame rates well above 200 FPS at 1080p, the CPU is unable to keep up, capping the performance. The 4.10 GHz boost clock helps, but it is not enough to overcome the architectural limitations of the older processor. The data implies that upgrading the CPU to a newer, higher-threaded part would unlock additional performance at 1080p, particularly on the Low and Medium presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends on the user's target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset offers an excellent balance, with an average of 184 FPS and a minimum of 156 FPS. This ensures smooth gameplay on high refresh rate monitors, with a minimum frame rate that stays well above 144 FPS. The High preset at 167 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset provides a more consistent frame time experience, as evidenced by the 156 FPS minimum.

For 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering 116 FPS on average. This is a significant step up from the Medium preset's 127 FPS, but the High preset offers better visual fidelity without a substantial performance cost. The Ultra preset at 74 FPS is also playable, but it introduces a higher risk of frame drops below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 127 FPS is a safe choice for those prioritizing frame rate stability, but the High preset strikes the best balance between visuals and performance.

For 4K, the situation is more constrained. The High preset averages 69 FPS, which is just barely above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 76 FPS offers a slightly higher margin of safety, with a minimum of 65 FPS. The Ultra preset at 44 FPS is not recommended for a comfortable experience. The data suggests that 4K High is the optimal setting for this combo, but users who are sensitive to frame drops may prefer the Medium preset to ensure a more stable experience. The Low preset at 97 FPS is also an option, but it sacrifices too much visual quality for a relatively modest frame rate gain over Medium.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is a powerhouse, featuring the Navi 48 chip on TSMC's 4 nm process, with 53,900 million transistors on a 357 mm² die. It has 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units. The GPU's memory subsystem is particularly impressive, with 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz contribute to its peak FP32 performance of 36.13 TFLOPS.

In Greedfall, the GPU is clearly the dominant component, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution changes. The 40% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings is a textbook sign of GPU-bound rendering, where the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The RX 9070's 16 GB of VRAM appears to be more than sufficient for this game, as there is no evidence of memory capacity issues causing sudden performance drops. The game is likely using less than 16 GB even at 4K Ultra, allowing the GPU to focus on rendering rather than managing memory swaps.

The GPU's benchmark results confirm its high-end status. Its Passmark G3D score of 25381 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 6290 place it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, which it leads by 1.2%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S, which it trails by 0.8%. This indicates that the RX 9070 is a strong performer, capable of handling modern games at high settings. In Greedfall, the data shows that the GPU is able to push 4K High at 69 FPS, which confirms its raw power, even with an older CPU as a potential limiting factor. The GPU's role is to provide the brute force needed for high-resolution rendering, and it does so effectively, with the CPU occasionally holding it back at lower resolutions.