Downfall

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the recorded data shows this combination struggles to maintain fluid frame rates across all presets. The High preset produces an average of 32 FPS, while Low reaches 47 FPS and Medium sits between them at 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding configuration, dropping to 20 FPS average. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS playability threshold, and even the fastest preset at this resolution, Low at 47 FPS, falls well short of smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance improves considerably. The Low preset delivers 76 FPS average, which clears the playability threshold with room to spare. Medium achieves 62 FPS average, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS, making it the highest preset that remains playable at this resolution. High drops to 51 FPS average, just below the threshold, while Ultra falls to 32 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 14 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is 11 FPS, indicating a steep scaling curve as settings increase.

At 1920x1080, the combination performs much more convincingly. Low reaches 106 FPS average, Medium hits 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS, and High achieves 71 FPS average. All three presets comfortably exceed 60 FPS. Ultra, however, drops to 44 FPS average, making it the only non-playable preset at this resolution. The scaling from Low to Medium costs 19 FPS, Medium to High costs 16 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 27 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset imposes a particularly heavy load.

The measured data reveals a consistent pattern: each resolution step down from 4K to 1440p to 1080p yields substantial FPS gains, and each preset step up from Low to Ultra yields substantial FPS losses. At 1080p, the combination has enough headroom to absorb the High preset's demands, but Ultra remains out of reach.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU pairing at position 3303 out of 3716 tested combinations for Downfall. That places it in the lower portion of the overall distribution, roughly in the 11th percentile of tested combos. This rank reflects the GPU's limited performance ceiling, as the CPU is a high-end desktop part while the GPU is an integrated solution.

A rank of 3303 out of 3716 means that approximately 89 percent of tested combinations deliver better average frame rates in this game. The combination is not at the very bottom, but it sits closer to the lower quartile than to the median. For a horror title like Downfall, which relies on atmosphere and tension, the frame rate deficiencies at higher resolutions and presets are significant enough to affect the experience.

The rank also indicates that the pairing is mismatched in capability. The CPU alone ranks in the 86th percentile among all processors in the database, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile among all graphics solutions. This asymmetry explains why the combination's in-game rank is so much lower than the CPU's standalone percentile. The game's performance is constrained by the graphics subsystem, and no amount of CPU headroom can compensate for that limitation.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear division of labor between the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and the Intel Arc B390 in Downfall. The GPU is the dominant factor at every resolution, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops when moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K. At 1080p Low, the combination produces 106 FPS, but at 1440p Low it falls to 76 FPS, a 28 percent reduction. At 4K Low, it drops further to 47 FPS, another 38 percent reduction from the 1440p figure. These scaling losses are typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where rendering resolution directly impacts the graphics processor's workload.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and lower presets, where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the combination reaches 106 FPS, suggesting that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at this level. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, has ample processing power for a horror game of this era, and its 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and multi-thread score of 9771 indicate strong general compute capabilities. However, these CPU strengths do not translate into higher frame rates at higher resolutions because the GPU becomes the bottleneck first.

The preset scaling also reveals the GPU's limitations. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 19 FPS, and from Medium to High costs another 16 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's shading units, texture mapping units, and raster operations pipelines are saturated by the increasing visual complexity. The Arc B390's 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs are modest numbers, and the recorded 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance constrains how much geometry and pixel work can be completed per frame. At 4K, even the Low preset only manages 47 FPS, confirming that the GPU cannot keep up with the pixel count at that resolution.

For 1440p, the situation is intermediate. The CPU still has headroom, but the GPU begins to limit performance more noticeably. The fact that the best playable preset at 1440p is Medium at 62 FPS, compared to High at 1080p with 71 FPS, shows that the GPU's workload scaling with resolution is the decisive factor. The CPU is never the primary constraint in this pairing; it is the integrated graphics solution that defines the performance envelope.

The Verdict

This PC can run Downfall, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, the combination is playable at Low, Medium, and High presets, with the High preset delivering 71 FPS average. That is the best visual quality that maintains 60 FPS at this resolution. Ultra at 1080p is not playable, averaging only 44 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the combination is playable at Low and Medium presets, with Medium averaging 62 FPS. Low reaches 76 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the threshold. High at 1440p averages 51 FPS, which does not meet the playability standard, and Ultra drops to 32 FPS.

At 3840x2160, no preset is playable. The best result is Low at 47 FPS, which still falls 13 FPS short of the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 39 FPS, High averages 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 20 FPS. Users targeting 4K with this combination would need to accept significant compromises, and even then, the frame rates would not be smooth.

The verdict is straightforward: this system is a 1080p machine for Downfall, with usable 1440p performance at medium settings and below, and no viable 4K options.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database are all very close in average benchmark score. The Intel Core i9-14901E scores 37911, which is 0.1 percent higher than the Ryzen 7 9700X's 37943 average score. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37904, also 0.1 percent lower. The Intel Core 5 211E scores 37829, a 0.3 percent difference, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 scores 37804, a 0.4 percent difference. Any of these processors would behave nearly identically to the Ryzen 7 9700X in Downfall, since the game's performance is not CPU-limited in this pairing.

The GPU's nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA parts with very similar average scores. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3 percent lower than the Arc B390's 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, a 1.5 percent difference. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, a 2.5 percent difference, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, a 2.7 percent difference. These GPUs would produce nearly the same frame rates in Downfall, meaning users with any of these parts should expect similar playability characteristics: 1080p at medium to high settings, 1440p at low to medium, and no 4K playability.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 71 FPS. This provides the best visual quality while maintaining comfortable headroom above the threshold. Low and Medium also qualify, at 106 FPS and 87 FPS respectively, but High is the optimal choice for users who prioritize visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding playable preset is Medium, averaging 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. The minimum dips below 60 FPS at times, so there may be brief hitches during intense scenes, but the average stays above the threshold. Low at 76 FPS is the safer option for users who want to avoid any frame rate drops below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, no preset qualifies for playable status. The best average is 47 FPS at Low settings, but that still falls short of the 60 FPS requirement. Users at 4K should consider lowering their expectations for resolution or accepting a different combination of hardware, as none of the recorded presets provide a playable experience at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination achieve 60 FPS at 4K in Downfall?

A: No. The data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160, with the best preset being Low at 47 FPS average, which falls 13 FPS short of the threshold.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 1920x1080 for this system?

A: High is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, delivering 71 FPS average.

Q: Does this pairing achieve 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Yes, at Low and Medium settings. Medium averages 62 FPS average, while High drops to 51 FPS and Ultra falls to 32 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X compare to its nearest CPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i9-14901E scores 37911, a 0.1 percent difference from the Ryzen 7 9700X's 37943 average score. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37904, a 0.1 percent difference.

Q: Which GPU alternatives would perform similarly to the Intel Arc B390 in this game?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, a 1.3 percent difference from the Arc B390's 1482 average score. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, a 1.5 percent difference.

Q: Is the performance of this combination limited more by the CPU or the GPU?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 86th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile among all graphics solutions, and the frame rates scale strongly with resolution and settings in a way consistent with GPU-bound performance.