Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers strong performance in the horror title Downfall, with the data showing that this pairing can handle high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires some settings adjustments to stay above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The measured results indicate a system that is well-balanced for this game, with the GPU often being the limiting factor at higher resolutions even though the CPU provides ample headroom.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Downfall at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but not at the highest preset. The data shows playable settings at 4K include High, Low, and Medium presets, with the best playable option being High at an average of 65.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K falls below the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 42.2 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable. The Ultra preset achieves an average of 96.3 FPS, which is the highest quality option that still clears the 60 FPS threshold comfortably.

Q: How much performance difference is there between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: The scaling is significant. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 161.3 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 68.4 FPS. This represents a drop of roughly 58% in average frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck this system in Downfall?

A: The benchmark data suggests the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. For instance, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 42.2, whereas at 1080p Ultra it reaches 96.3 FPS. The CPU's performance, as measured by its average benchmark score, is sufficient to feed the GPU in most scenarios, but the RTX 4060's workload increases dramatically with resolution.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 225.7, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset. This indicates the system is capable of very high frame rates when graphical demands are reduced.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at any resolution?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset is playable at both 2560x1440 and 1920x1080, with average FPS of 68.4 and 96.3 respectively. However, at 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages only 42.2 FPS, which is below the playable threshold of 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 in Downfall becomes clearer when examining the frame rate scaling across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the system shows remarkable headroom, with the Low preset hitting 225.7 FPS and the Ultra preset still managing 96.3 FPS. This wide gap of 129.4 FPS between the lowest and highest quality settings indicates that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting, as reducing graphical load frees up significant rendering capacity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with a compressed range. The Low preset averages 161.3 FPS, while Ultra drops to 68.4 FPS. The difference of 92.9 FPS shows that the GPU is still the dominant factor, but the CPU begins to play a more noticeable role as the overall frame rates remain high. The Ryzen 5 5500, with its six cores and twelve threads, provides enough processing power to keep up with the RTX 4060's output at this resolution without becoming a bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become starkly apparent. The Low preset averages 103.3 FPS, but the Ultra preset plummets to 42.2 FPS. The spread of 61.1 FPS between these settings suggests that the RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit memory bus are struggling with the increased pixel count and texture data. The CPU's role diminishes further at 4K, as the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The data indicates that while the CPU can handle the game's logic and physics at any resolution, the GPU determines whether the frame rate stays above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers exceptional performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 225.7 FPS, providing a massive cushion above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 185.3 FPS, High settings average 151.9 FPS, and even the demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 96.3 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a reduction of 129.4 FPS, which represents a 57% drop in performance when maximizing visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the system continues to perform admirably. The Low preset averages 161.3 FPS, which is still significantly above the playable threshold. Medium settings produce an average of 133.4 FPS, while High settings reach 110.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 68.4 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS mark by a comfortable margin of 8.4 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a performance hit of approximately 28% across most presets, showing that the RTX 4060 can handle the increased resolution without major issues.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes considerably. The Low preset averages 103.3 FPS, which remains playable. Medium settings average 83.9 FPS, and High settings average 65.9 FPS, just barely clearing the 60 FPS threshold. However, the Ultra preset averages only 42.2 FPS, a significant drop that places it firmly in unplayable territory. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 61.1 FPS, and the data shows that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at maximum quality settings on a 3840x2160 display.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score provide context for its performance in this system. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 has an average score of 19617, which is only 0.1% higher than the Ryzen 5 5500's 19593 average. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19668, representing a 0.4% advantage. The Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19499, which is 0.5% lower, and the Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19723, a 0.7% improvement. These minor differences suggest that swapping the Ryzen 5 5500 for any of these CPUs would yield nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, as the game's performance is largely GPU-bound.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, the nearest rivals show similar parity. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 has an average score of 17666, just 0.2% higher than the RTX 4060's 17639. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17588, a 0.3% difference, while the AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551 (0.5% lower) and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509 (0.7% lower). These close scores indicate that users with these alternative GPUs would experience nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, though the RTX 4060's feature set and driver support may differ.

It is important to note that the CPU and GPU rival scores are based on synthetic benchmarks, not game-specific tests. However, the small deltaPct values suggest that these components are closely matched in overall compute capability, and the measured FPS data would likely be within a few percentage points across these alternatives.

The Verdict

Based on the measured FPS data, this PC can run Downfall effectively at multiple resolutions, but the experience varies significantly by settings preset. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra preset averaging 96.3 FPS. This makes 1080p the most forgiving resolution, where users can maximize visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the system remains fully playable across all presets. The Ultra preset averages 68.4 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This makes 1440p the sweet spot for this combination, as users can enjoy the highest quality settings while maintaining smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is more nuanced. The data shows that High, Low, and Medium presets are playable, with High being the best playable option at an average of 65.9 FPS. However, the Ultra preset fails to clear the threshold, averaging only 42.2 FPS. Users with 4K displays should stick to High settings or below for a consistent experience above 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 1990 out of 3716 tested combinations in Downfall. This places it in the 46th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly 46% of other configurations while being outperformed by the remaining 54%. This mid-pack ranking reflects the balanced nature of this setup, which offers solid performance but is not at the top end of the spectrum for this game.

The ranking is influenced by the fact that Downfall is a horror title from 2016, and many newer or higher-end systems naturally achieve better results. However, the measured data shows that this combination still delivers playable performance at 4K with adjusted settings and excellent performance at lower resolutions. The combo's position in the middle of the pack is consistent with its component choices, which offer a good balance of CPU and GPU capability without pushing into enthusiast territory. The RTX 4060's 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs and the Ryzen 5 5500's 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs suggest that the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU, which aligns with the observed GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.