Downfall

Downfall, a horror title from 2016, presents an interesting challenge for the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X paired with the Intel Arc B370. The measured data reveals a combination that is heavily dependent on resolution and settings, with the system showing clear strengths at 1080p but struggling at higher resolutions. This analysis examines the recorded frame rates, the division of labor between CPU and GPU, and how this specific hardware pairing ranks against other tested configurations in the database.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Downfall at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: Yes, the measured average frame rate at 1080p with High settings is 64 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This makes High the most demanding preset that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 2560x1440?

A: At 1440p, only the Low preset achieves a playable frame rate, with an average of 68 FPS. Medium drops to 56 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold, so Low is the only viable option for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is 4K resolution playable with this hardware?

A: No, the data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. Even the Low preset only reaches an average of 43 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to just 18 FPS, all below the 60 FPS requirement.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combination ranks 3429 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall, placing it in the lower percentile of systems. This indicates that while it can handle the game at lower resolutions, it is not a high-performing configuration for this title.

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

A: The measured average frame rate at 1080p Low is 96 FPS, while Ultra drops to 40 FPS. This represents a 56 FPS difference, showing a significant performance cost for the highest visual quality preset.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU have a larger impact on performance in Downfall?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the system uses an integrated graphics solution with shared system memory. The Intel Arc B370 has a very low benchmark percentile (5th), while the Ryzen 7 5700X is in the 79th percentile for CPUs, indicating the graphics component limits performance more severely.

CPU and GPU Roles

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is a capable processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture. Its benchmark scores place it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, with a strong multi-threaded performance shown in tests like Cinebench R23 (13184 points) and Passmark multithread (26612 points). For a game like Downfall, which is a horror title from 2016, the CPU requirements are likely modest, and this processor provides ample headroom for the game’s logic and physics calculations.

However, the Intel Arc B370 is a drastically different story. This GPU uses the Xe3-LPG architecture on a 3 nm process and is designed as an integrated graphics processor (IGP) for portable devices. Its only recorded benchmark, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, scores 1184 points, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. With 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, this is a very low-end graphics solution. The GPU relies on system shared memory, meaning its performance is dependent on the system’s memory configuration.

The division of labor between CPU and GPU becomes clear when examining the scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 96 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 64 FPS on High and 40 FPS on Ultra. This large drop from Low to High suggests the GPU is struggling with increased graphical loads. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates fall further: 68 FPS on Low, 56 FPS on Medium, and 46 FPS on High. The 1440p High setting is only 2 FPS faster than the 1080p Ultra setting, indicating the GPU is heavily taxed by both resolution and preset increases.

At 3840x2160, the performance collapses entirely. The best recorded average is 43 FPS on Low, with Medium at 35 FPS and High at 29 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to just 18 FPS. This pattern strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU, with its high percentile ranking, is not the bottleneck at any resolution. The fact that the GPU is an IGP with shared memory and a 25 W TDP further reinforces that it cannot handle the pixel throughput required at higher resolutions.

The data implies that Downfall is not a CPU-intensive title for this hardware. The Ryzen 7 5700X’s 3DMark scores (6858 in 16-thread, 5768 in 8-thread) show it can handle multi-threaded workloads easily. The game’s frame rate scales almost entirely with GPU load, as evidenced by the consistent drops when moving from Low to Ultra at each resolution. Therefore, the Intel Arc B370 is the dominant factor in determining playability, and its low performance ceiling caps the entire system.

Best Settings per Resolution

For players targeting 60 FPS, the data provides clear guidance on which settings to use at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves an average of 64 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that stays above the playable threshold. The Medium preset runs at 78 FPS and Low at 96 FPS, both also playable, but High offers the best visual quality while maintaining smooth performance.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. The only preset that reaches 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 68 FPS. The Medium preset falls to 56 FPS, just below the threshold, and High drops further to 46 FPS. Therefore, Low is the only playable option at 1440p, and players must accept reduced visual fidelity to maintain smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS target. The highest average is 43 FPS on Low, followed by 35 FPS on Medium, 29 FPS on High, and 18 FPS on Ultra. These figures are all well below the playable threshold, so 4K gaming is not feasible with this hardware combination. The verdict data confirms this, listing no playable settings at 4K resolution.

The recorded frame times also show variability. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 67 and the maximum is 90, indicating some fluctuation but generally stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 48 to 64 FPS, with the minimum dropping below the 60 FPS target. This suggests that even at playable settings, there can be noticeable frame drops during intense scenes, which is relevant for a horror game where immersion is key.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3429 out of 3716 tested combos in the database for Downfall. This places the system in the bottom 8 percent of all configurations tested, indicating that it is not a high-performance setup for this game. The rank reflects the GPU’s severe limitations, as the CPU is relatively strong but cannot compensate for the integrated graphics solution.

This ranking is unsurprising given the GPU’s benchmark percentile of 5, which means 95 percent of tested GPUs perform better. The system’s average benchmark score for the GPU is 1184, which is among the lowest recorded. In contrast, the CPU’s percentile of 79 shows it is a solid processor, but the overall combo rank demonstrates that the GPU drags the entire system down.

The data suggests that this combo would be suitable only for older or less demanding games, or for running Downfall at lower resolutions with reduced settings. The rank of 3429 out of 3716 is a clear indicator that most other hardware combinations would provide a better experience for this title. Players using this system would need to significantly lower their expectations regarding visual quality and resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for both components provides context for what other hardware might behave similarly. For the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, the closest competitors in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Core i5-12600K (27578, 0 percent difference), the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (27636, -0.2 percent), the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 (27535, 0.2 percent), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H (27507, 0.3 percent). These processors all offer nearly identical CPU performance, so any of them paired with the same GPU would produce similar frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. However, since Downfall appears to be GPU-limited, the choice of CPU among these would have minimal impact.

For the Intel Arc B370, the nearest rivals are all much older graphics solutions: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2 percent), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5 percent), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7 percent), and the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4 percent). These GPUs have nearly identical benchmark scores, meaning they would likely produce similar frame rates in Downfall. The fact that the Arc B370 is comparable to graphics cards from over a decade ago highlights its low-end positioning.

If a user were to swap the GPU for one of these rivals, the performance would be nearly identical, with differences of less than 1 percent in benchmark scores. This means the system’s ability to run Downfall would not improve meaningfully with these alternatives. The only way to get better performance would be to use a significantly more powerful GPU, which is not listed among the nearest rivals.

The Verdict

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X with Intel Arc B370 can run Downfall, but only within strict limitations. At 1920x1080, the system achieves playable frame rates on High (64 FPS), Medium (78 FPS), and Low (96 FPS) presets, with High being the best visual quality option that stays above 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset is playable, reaching 68 FPS, while Medium and High fall below the threshold. At 3840x2160, no settings are playable, as even Low only reaches 43 FPS.

The verdict data confirms these findings: at 4K, there are no playable settings; at 1440p, only Low is playable; and at 1080p, High, Medium, and Low are all playable. The system is therefore best suited for 1080p gaming with moderate settings. For a horror game like Downfall, which relies on atmosphere and tension, the 1080p High preset at 64 FPS would provide a satisfactory experience, though players would need to accept the lower resolution.

The combination’s ranking of 3429 out of 3716 suggests that while it can run the game, it does so with less headroom than most other systems. The GPU is the clear bottleneck, and the CPU’s performance is largely irrelevant for this title. Players with this hardware should stick to 1080p and avoid pushing settings too high, as the frame rate drops quickly with increased graphical demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded frame rates provide a detailed picture of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 96 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this system. Medium follows at 78 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. High drops to 64 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 56 FPS, showing a steep performance cost for the highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 68 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 56 FPS, with a range of 48 to 64 FPS, meaning some scenes will drop below the playable threshold. High averages 46 FPS, and Ultra drops to 29 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 39 FPS, less pronounced than at 1080p but still significant.

At 3840x2160, the performance is consistently below playable levels. Low averages 43 FPS, Medium averages 35 FPS with a range of 30 to 40 FPS, High averages 29 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The maximum FPS recorded at any 4K setting is 43, which is still below the 60 FPS target. This data makes it clear that 4K is not viable for this hardware combination.

The frame rate data shows a consistent pattern: each increase in resolution or preset level results in a substantial drop in performance. The system’s best case scenario is 1080p Low at 96 FPS, and its worst is 4K Ultra at 18 FPS. For players seeking a stable 60 FPS experience, the only viable options are 1080p High, Medium, or Low, or 1440p Low. The Intel Arc B370’s limitations are evident throughout, and the Ryzen 7 5700X’s processing power does little to offset the GPU’s weaknesses.