Greedfall

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB delivers a playable, if not always smooth, experience in Greedfall. The data shows a system that is clearly capable at 1080p but struggles significantly as resolution increases, with the GPU's 4 GB memory capacity likely acting as a critical bottleneck at higher settings. This combination ranks in the 1543rd position out of 1705 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of the database, which aligns with the measured frame rates that range from a respectable 108.6 FPS at 1080p Low to a nearly unplayable 21.6 FPS at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo achieves in Greedfall?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 108.6, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only measured configuration that breaks the 100 FPS barrier.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS drops to 56. This is a significant step down from the 76.4 FPS at 1080p High, indicating the increased pixel count heavily taxes the system.

*Q: Is the RTX 3050 4 GB capable of running Greedfall at 4K?*

A: Technically yes, but the experience is poor. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 44.5 on Low settings down to 21.6 on Ultra. Even the best 4K result is below the standard 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which places it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs. It performs nearly identically to the Intel Core i3-10305 and Intel Core i3-1125G4, with a deltaPct of 0.2% faster than both, and is 0.4% faster than the Intel Xeon E-2134.

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

A: The jump from Low to Ultra settings at 1920x1080 results in a drop from 108.6 FPS to 50.9 FPS, a reduction of over half the frame rate. This shows the substantial cost of the highest visual fidelity.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is equipped with 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s. The small memory size is a key factor in its performance limitations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is the primary driver of graphical performance in Greedfall, and its specifications reveal why the measured results trend downward so sharply. Built on the 8 nm Ampere architecture, the GPU operates at a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1740 MHz. It features 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, which handle the raw pixel and texture processing. The data shows that at 1080p, the GPU can push frame rates well above 60 FPS on Low, Medium, and High settings, but the system's 4 GB of GDDR6 memory becomes a limiting factor.

The memory configuration—4 GB on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth—appears to be the critical bottleneck. When the resolution increases to 2560x1440, the average FPS at Ultra settings plummets to 31.3, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 21.6. This dramatic drop is not just about the increased pixel count; it also points to the frame buffer being exhausted. The GPU must manage more data than its 4 GB capacity can efficiently hold, leading to severe performance degradation. Even at 4K Low, the average FPS of 44.5 is far from smooth, suggesting that the GPU's compute power is also being strained, but the memory size is what makes Ultra settings a non-starter at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB achieves a rank of 1543 out of 1705 combos for Greedfall. This places it in the bottom 10% of all tested systems, a position that reflects the measured frame rates. The rank is not a commentary on a single component, but rather on how the two work together in this specific game. The data indicates that while the CPU is capable, the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions drag the overall performance down significantly.

This low ranking is notable because it suggests that many other combinations, likely with more powerful GPUs or more VRAM, are able to deliver far better results in Greedfall. The combo's performance is heavily skewed by its inability to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p and 4K. For instance, the 56 FPS at 1440p High is below the 60 FPS target, and the 31.3 FPS at 1440p Ultra is a poor experience. The rank of 1543 serves as a warning that this system is best suited for lower resolutions and more modest settings if a smooth frame rate is the priority.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system is at its most capable. The average FPS starts at 108.6 on Low, drops to 81.5 on Medium, 76.4 on High, and finally 50.9 on Ultra. This shows a steady decline as graphical fidelity increases, but all but the Ultra setting are comfortably playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance takes a noticeable hit. The average FPS is 72.9 on Low, 60 on Medium, 56 on High, and 31.3 on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is stark, with the Ultra setting nearly halving the frame rate of the Medium preset. At 3840x2160, the system struggles. The average FPS is 44.5 on Low, 32.7 on Medium, 35 on High, and 21.6 on Ultra. Interestingly, the High setting performs better than Medium at this resolution, which could indicate a specific driver or game optimization quirk, but overall, all 4K results are below the 60 FPS threshold and are not ideal for a smooth gaming experience.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a steep performance penalty as resolution scales from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 76.4 at 1920x1080 to 56 at 2560x1440, and finally to 35 at 3840x2160. This represents a 26.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 37.5% drop from 1440p to 4K. The trend is similar for other settings, but the most telling is the Ultra preset, where the frame rate falls from 50.9 at 1080p to 31.3 at 1440p and then to 21.6 at 4K.

This scaling behavior strongly suggests that the limiting component is the GPU, specifically its 4 GB memory buffer and overall bandwidth. A system that is CPU-bound would typically show a more linear scaling with resolution, but the sharp, non-linear drops here point to the GPU being overwhelmed. The 1080p results, where the CPU can feed frames fast enough, show the GPU is capable of high frame rates. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU must process more pixels and access more texture data, which rapidly exhausts its 4 GB VRAM, causing the severe performance degradation seen at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has a 9 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory. In synthetic benchmarks like Cinebench R23, it scores 7969 points in multi-core and 1125 points in single-core, placing it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs. This indicates a balanced mid-range processor that is not a bottleneck in most scenarios.

In Greedfall, the CPU's role appears to be a stable foundation, but not the primary determinant of frame rate. At 1080p Low, where the GPU is less stressed, the CPU can push the frame rate to 108.6 FPS, showing it can handle the game's logic and draw calls. However, the data shows that as resolution increases, the FPS drops regardless of CPU capability, confirming the GPU is the limiting factor. The i5-9400's performance is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-10305, with a deltaPct of 0.2%, meaning that swapping the CPU for a similar one would yield almost no change in Greedfall's performance, as the bottleneck lies elsewhere.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 resolution. At this resolution, the High preset offers an average of 76.4 FPS, which is smooth and visually detailed. The Medium preset provides a slight boost to 81.5 FPS, but the visual difference is minor, making High a better choice for image quality without sacrificing playability. The Ultra preset at 50.9 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth in demanding scenes.

For users with a 2560x1440 monitor, the Low preset is the only one that consistently delivers a high frame rate, at 72.9 FPS. Medium and High are playable at 60 and 56 FPS respectively, but they are on the edge of the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 31.3 FPS is not recommended. At 3840x2160, no setting provides a good experience. The best option is Low at 44.5 FPS, but this is still below 60 FPS. For this resolution, the data suggests that a more powerful GPU would be necessary. Therefore, the optimal experience per the measured rows is to play at 1080p with High settings, offering the best balance of visual quality and performance.