Minimum

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G and Radeon RX 7900 XT combination delivers performance that is heavily dictated by resolution, with the GPU becoming the clear limiting factor only at 4K. At 1080p and 1440p, the data indicates the CPU holds the frame rate back significantly, creating a pairing that is far more balanced at higher resolutions where the GPU workload increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling at 4K, but CPU-bound behavior at lower resolutions. Moving from 1080p to 1440p with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 150 to 97.1, a 35% reduction. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K at Ultra is far steeper, falling to 51.5 FPS, a 47% drop. This larger decline at the 4K step indicates the RX 7900 XT is being fully utilized at that resolution, and the rendering workload is scaling as expected with pixel count.

At Low settings, the scaling tells a different story. The average at 1080p is 284.1 FPS, which drops to 193.8 at 1440p (a 32% decrease) and then to 104 at 4K (a 46% decrease). The fact that 1080p Low cannot exceed 284 FPS, despite the RX 7900 XT’s immense raw compute power, suggests the Ryzen 5 4600G’s single-thread performance is the bottleneck at this setting. The 4K Low result of 104 FPS is still nearly double the 4K Ultra result, showing that even at 4K, reducing settings has a massive impact on the GPU workload.

The 4K to 1080p FPS ratio at Medium settings is 81.6 to 227.8, a 2.79x difference. This is less than the theoretical 4x pixel count difference, further confirming that the CPU is preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential at 1080p. When the CPU is the limit, frame rates at lower resolutions will not scale linearly with pixel count, which is precisely what the data shows.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Ryzen 5 4600G and RX 7900 XT ranks 387th out of 1733 tested combos in this game. This places it in the top 22% of all configurations, which is a strong showing for a pairing that has a clear bottleneck. The rank reflects the overall performance, but it does not reveal the imbalance between the two components.

The rank is likely driven up by the GPU’s high percentile. The RX 7900 XT sits at the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 4600G sits at the 75th percentile of all CPUs. When paired, the GPU’s superior relative performance is muted by the CPU in many scenarios. The combo’s rank of 387 out of 1733 suggests that many other combinations with more balanced components, or with faster CPUs, achieve higher average frame rates, particularly at 1080p and 1440p.

The data shows that this rank would be significantly higher if the CPU were not the limiting factor. The GPU’s 82nd percentile ranking is pulled down by the CPU’s inability to feed it frames at lower resolutions. At 4K, where the GPU is the bottleneck, the combo is likely performing closer to what its component rankings would suggest.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7900 XT is an extremely capable graphics card, featuring 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz. These specifications are more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K Ultra, where it still manages an average of 51.5 FPS.

The GPU’s 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs is evidenced by the fact that it can push 284.1 FPS at 1080p Low. The bottleneck at that resolution is not the GPU. The VRAM capacity of 20 GB is far beyond the requirements of a game from 2014, meaning that texture memory pressure is not a factor in the performance differences between settings. The 51.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance is being wasted when the CPU cannot deliver enough draw calls.

The transition from 1440p High (122.5 FPS) to 4K High (69.6 FPS) shows a 43% drop, which is closer to the pixel scaling of 2.25x from 1440p to 4K. This indicates the GPU is becoming the primary limiter at 4K. In this scenario, the GPU’s high memory bandwidth and raw compute are directly responsible for maintaining a playable frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 4600G holding back the RX 7900 XT at 1080p?

A: Yes. The data shows only a 25% difference between 1080p Low (284.1 FPS) and 1440p Low (193.8 FPS), despite a 2.25x increase in pixel count. This indicates a CPU bottleneck at 1080p.

Q: What is the best resolution to use this combo at?

A: The data suggests 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p High, the combo averages 122.5 FPS, which is a high frame rate that still shows a significant performance gap from 4K, indicating the GPU is not entirely idle.

Q: How does the RX 7900 XT's VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The 20 GB of GDDR6 memory is more than enough for any setting in this game. Since the game is from 2014, VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor; the differences in FPS between settings are due to compute load, not memory allocation.

Q: Is the combo's rank of 387 out of 1733 good?

A: The rank places the combo in the top 22% of all tested configurations. This is a solid overall position, but it is likely held back by the CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions, preventing a higher rank.

Q: What is the performance difference between Ultra and Low settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, Ultra settings average 51.5 FPS, while Low settings average 104 FPS. This is a 102% performance increase when lowering settings, showing the GPU has significant headroom when the workload is reduced.

Q: Does the CPU affect 4K performance?

A: The data suggests the CPU’s influence is minimal at 4K. The frame rates at 4K scale more consistently with settings changes, indicating the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its 8 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are adequate for gaming, but its single-thread performance is its limiting factor in this pairing.

The CPU’s 75th percentile ranking is respectable, but it lags behind its GPU counterpart. In this game, the CPU’s 12 threads are not the issue; the bottleneck is the per-core performance. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 284.1, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame output for this game’s engine. The 3DMark single-thread score of 726 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1919 show modest single-thread capability compared to modern high-end CPUs.

The data shows that the CPU’s influence wanes as resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU’s weaker single-thread performance is no longer the primary constraint. This is why the 4K frame rates show a more direct relationship with the GPU settings. The processor’s 65W TDP and 7nm process node make it efficient, but efficiency does not translate to high IPC in this scenario.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data strongly suggests that Medium settings at 1440p provide the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. At 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 145.4, which is high enough for a smooth experience while still offering a visual upgrade over Low settings. This resolution also avoids the severe CPU bottleneck seen at 1080p.

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, 1080p Low offers the highest average at 284.1 FPS, but this is likely CPU-limited and will not benefit from the GPU’s power. At 4K, the choice is between High (69.6 FPS) and Medium (81.6 FPS). The 4K Medium setting is recommended over High, as the 17% FPS gain is significant for maintaining a stable 60+ FPS experience. Ultra settings at 4K are not recommended, as the 51.5 FPS average drops below the 60 FPS threshold.

The data indicates that High settings at 1440p (122.5 FPS) are also a viable option, offering a 19% FPS reduction compared to Medium for better visual fidelity. However, Medium at 1440p is the more balanced choice, providing a high frame rate that is not excessively CPU-bound.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080

• Low: 284.1 FPS
• Medium: 227.8 FPS
• High: 192.2 FPS
• Ultra: 150 FPS

At 1080p, the frame rate scales from 284.1 down to 150, with a 47% drop from Low to Ultra. The gap between Medium and High is 35.6 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 42.2 FPS. The absolute numbers are very high, but the scaling is constrained by the CPU.

2560x1440

• Low: 193.8 FPS
• Medium: 145.4 FPS
• High: 122.5 FPS
• Ultra: 97.1 FPS

At 1440p, the frame rates drop significantly from 1080p, showing the GPU starting to take on more load. The difference between Low and Ultra is 96.7 FPS. The High to Ultra gap is 25.4 FPS, while the Medium to High gap is 22.9 FPS.

3840x2160

• Low: 104 FPS
• Medium: 81.6 FPS
• High: 69.6 FPS
• Ultra: 51.5 FPS

At 4K, the frame rates are the most consistent with GPU scaling. The performance drops from 104 to 51.5 from Low to Ultra. The difference between Medium and High is 12 FPS, and the drop from High to Ultra is 18.1 FPS. This resolution shows the GPU’s true workload characteristics, with the CPU bottleneck minimized.