Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers exceptional performance in Downfall, a horror title that clearly favors high frame rates over raw graphical fidelity. The measured data shows this pairing handles the game with remarkable ease, pushing frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold at every resolution and preset combination tested. The combination of a solid six-core Zen 3 processor and a high-end Ada Lovelace GPU creates a system that is heavily GPU-bound in most scenarios, though CPU limitations become apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates soar into the hundreds.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark results are staggering. With Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 340.1 FPS, which is more than five times the 60 FPS playability threshold. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 283.4 FPS, still an extraordinarily smooth experience. High settings produce an average of 234.7 FPS, while Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, still deliver a very high 143.6 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a consistent performance cost: each preset step reduces the frame rate by approximately 55-60 FPS, with the jump from High to Ultra being the most significant at 91.1 FPS.

The 2560x1440 results follow a similar pattern but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings achieve a 250.5 FPS average, while Medium settings yield 204.3 FPS. High settings produce 166.6 FPS, and Ultra settings maintain a 104.2 FPS average. The performance delta between presets is more pronounced at this resolution, with the difference between Low and Ultra reaching 146.3 FPS. Notably, the gap between Medium and High is 37.7 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 62.4 FPS, suggesting that Ultra settings impose a disproportionately heavy load at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits, though the results remain impressive. Low settings deliver a 156.7 FPS average, Medium settings achieve 128.5 FPS, and High settings produce 105.7 FPS. Ultra settings still clear the 60 FPS bar with a 67.7 FPS average, but this is the only configuration where the margin of safety is relatively slim. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K represents a 89 FPS drop, which is the largest absolute difference across all resolutions, indicating that pixel count becomes a significant factor at this level.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU data places the Ryzen 5 5500 in close company with several comparable processors. Its average benchmark score of 19593 sits within a tight cluster of rivals: the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 scores 19617, a delta of -0.1 percent, while the Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19668, a -0.4 percent difference. The Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19499, which is 0.5 percent lower, and the Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19723, a -0.7 percent difference. These deltas are remarkably small, meaning that swapping the Ryzen 5 5500 for any of these alternatives would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall. The performance envelope is so tight that the choice between these CPUs would have no practical impact on gameplay.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 SUPER shows a similar clustering pattern. Its average benchmark score of 43223 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB at 43262 (-0.1 percent), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile at 43268 (-0.1 percent), and the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 at 43301 (-0.2 percent). The closest rival from a different performance tier is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile at 43667, which is only 1 percent higher. In practical terms, any of these GPUs would deliver virtually indistinguishable frame rates in this game, meaning the RTX 4070 SUPER’s position in the market is well-defined with minimal variance from its closest competitors.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU at different resolutions. At 1920x1080, the extremely high frame rates—340.1 FPS at Low settings—suggest that the CPU is the limiting factor, as even the most powerful GPU would struggle to push beyond this point given the processor’s single-thread capabilities. The Ryzen 5 5500’s boost clock of 4.20 GHz and its 3dmark_single_thread score of 836 indicate that it can handle the game’s logic and rendering calls efficiently, but it caps the maximum achievable frame rate at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop by approximately 26-36 percent across all presets, which indicates that the GPU is now taking on a more significant role. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance become more relevant as pixel count increases, but the CPU still has enough headroom to keep frame rates well above 100 FPS in all presets. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The 67.7 FPS average at Ultra settings represents a 42.5 percent drop from the 104.2 FPS at 1440p, a much steeper decline than the 28.4 percent drop from 1080p to 1440p. This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU’s rendering pipeline, including its 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs, is being saturated at 4K resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 67.7 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playability threshold with a small margin. This is the most demanding configuration tested, and it remains playable.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 143.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 104.2 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 39.4 FPS or approximately 27.4 percent. At High settings, the drop is from 234.7 FPS to 166.6 FPS, a 68.1 FPS reduction.

Q: What is the biggest performance difference between presets at a single resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 196.5 FPS, from 340.1 FPS down to 143.6 FPS. This is the largest absolute gap across any resolution. At 3840x2160, the same comparison shows an 89 FPS difference.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the frame rates across all presets remain above 104 FPS, suggesting that neither component is fully saturated. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s performance is sufficient to handle the rendering load, while the Ryzen 5 5500 keeps up with the CPU-side work.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its closest rival in raw benchmark performance?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 43223 is only 0.1 percent lower than the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB’s 43262 and 0.1 percent lower than the RTX 5050 Mobile’s 43268. This means performance differences would be imperceptible in actual gameplay.

Q: Does the game become unplayable at any tested setting?

A: No. Every resolution and preset combination tested produces an average frame rate above 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 67.7 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra settings, which remains comfortably playable.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Downfall at playable frame rates across all tested configurations. The verdict data confirms that every resolution and preset combination clears the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, all four presets are playable, with Ultra settings achieving a 67.7 FPS average. At 2560x1440, the best settings are Ultra with a 104.2 FPS average, providing a substantial margin above the playability threshold. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings deliver a 143.6 FPS average, which is more than double the required frame rate. The system never dips below 60 FPS in any measured scenario, making it a robust choice for this horror title regardless of display resolution or graphical preferences.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 143.6 FPS. This provides a significant performance buffer, allowing for smooth gameplay even in scenes with heavy effects or multiple enemies. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings also remain the best choice, with an average frame rate of 104.2 FPS. This is still well above the 60 FPS threshold and leaves room for potential frame rate dips during intense moments. At 3840x2160, Ultra settings are again the most demanding playable option, producing an average of 67.7 FPS. While this is the closest to the 60 FPS line, the margin of 7.7 FPS is adequate for consistent performance. In all cases, the data indicates that the system can handle the highest graphical preset without sacrificing playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 622 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 16.7 percent of all systems tested for this game. This high ranking reflects the strong synergy between the CPU and GPU, with the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs and the Ryzen 5 5500’s 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs contributing to an overall well-balanced configuration. The combination’s performance is particularly notable given that the CPU is from a lower tier than the GPU, yet the system still achieves frame rates that rival much more expensive setups. The data suggests that this pairing is highly effective for this specific game, with the GPU’s raw power compensating for the CPU’s more modest capabilities at higher resolutions.