Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B580 presents a clear performance profile in Downfall, a horror title that scales predictably across resolutions. Measured data, not estimation, shows this combination is capable of high refresh rates at mainstream resolutions while demanding compromises at 4K. The benchmark results place this combo at rank 2845 out of 3716 tested configurations, indicating a mid-pack standing for this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this CPU-GPU pairing reveal a consistent hierarchy across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 180.9 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this configuration. Medium settings follow at 149.6 FPS, High settings at 123.5 FPS, and the demanding Ultra preset still manages an average of 77.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 103 FPS, showing that the preset choice has a substantial impact on headroom.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop but remain robust. Low settings yield 133.9 FPS, Medium settings produce 106.3 FPS, and High settings hold at 90.1 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 54.9 FPS, which sits below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings represents a reduction of 33.4 FPS, or approximately 27 percent, indicating that resolution is a significant factor for this GPU.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens considerably. Low settings average 78.5 FPS, Medium settings drop to 65.1 FPS, and High settings fall to 54.1 FPS. The Ultra preset averages just 34.4 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 44.1 FPS, a narrower absolute gap than at 1080p but a larger proportional one, since the baseline is lower.

The data does not include minimum or maximum frame time values, so the averages represent the complete measured picture. Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings always clear 60 FPS, Medium clears 60 FPS except at 4K where it remains above the threshold at 65.1 FPS, and High falls below 60 FPS only at 4K. Ultra is only playable at 1080p.

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS defines the optimal configuration for each resolution. At 1920x1080, Ultra is the answer. The measured average of 77.9 FPS at Ultra provides comfortable margin above the playability threshold, allowing for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, High is the highest preset that stays playable. The average of 90.1 FPS at High is well above the threshold, but Ultra drops to 54.9 FPS, which fails to meet the 60 FPS requirement. This creates a clear boundary: High is the ceiling for 1440p, with a 35.2 FPS advantage over the unplayable Ultra preset.

At 3840x2160, Medium is the best playable option. The average of 65.1 FPS at Medium just clears the 60 FPS threshold, while High falls to 54.1 FPS and Ultra drops to 34.4 FPS. Low also remains playable at 78.5 FPS, but Medium offers a substantial visual upgrade for only a 13.4 FPS cost. The verdict data confirms these selections: Medium at 4K, High at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Ryzen 7 9700X provides a strong foundation for this workload, with a multi-threaded PassMark score of 37161 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 20485. Its single-thread performance is equally notable, with a PassMark single-thread score of 4654 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3023. This CPU ranks in the 86th percentile against all processors, meaning it will not bottleneck the Arc B580 in most scenarios.

The Arc B580, by contrast, sits in the 68th percentile among GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 15748. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 indicate competent DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance. The frame rate scaling between resolutions points to the GPU as the primary limiter. When moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average drops from 123.5 FPS to 90.1 FPS, a 27 percent reduction. From 1440p to 4K at the same preset, it drops from 90.1 FPS to 54.1 FPS, a 40 percent reduction. This non-linear scaling is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where pixel count outpaces the rendering capabilities of the Intel card.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at low resolutions and low presets. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 180.9 FPS, which is close to the practical ceiling for many games. The Ryzen 7 9700X's 16 threads and high single-core performance enable this headroom. However, the CPU's influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, the difference between Low and Medium is 13.4 FPS, while at 1080p the difference between the same presets is 31.3 FPS. This suggests that at lower resolutions, both components share the load, but at 4K, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth dominate the outcome.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s and dual-channel DDR5 support provide adequate data throughput for the GPU's 456.0 GB/s GDDR6 memory. The PCIe Gen 5 interface on the CPU, combined with the GPU's PCIe 4.0 x8 bus, does not appear to introduce measurable bottlenecks in the average FPS data. Overall, the data indicates that this game relies more heavily on the GPU across all tested settings, with the CPU mattering most at 1080p Low where frame rates exceed 150 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Downfall at 4K with High settings?*

A: No. The measured average at 3840x2160 with High settings is 54.1 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Medium settings are required for 4K playability, yielding 65.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming on this hardware?

A: High settings provide the best visual quality that remains playable, with an average of 90.1 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 54.9 FPS, which is unplayable by the 60 FPS standard.

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

A: The GPU is the primary performance driver. Evidence includes the 40 percent FPS drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings, compared to a 27 percent drop from 1080p to 1440p. The CPU's high single-thread score of 4654 supports high frame rates at 1080p Low, but GPU scaling dominates at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the Ultra preset ever achieve 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080. The measured average at 1080p Ultra is 77.9 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 54.9 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it is 34.4 FPS.

Q: How does this system compare to other tested configurations?

A: It ranks 2845 out of 3716 combinations tested for this game. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution, despite the CPU's 86th percentile ranking, because the GPU's 68th percentile limits overall results.

Q: What is the playable settings list for each resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, all presets from Low to Ultra are playable. At 2560x1440, Low, Medium, and High are playable. At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium are playable.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Ryzen 7 9700X has close benchmark neighbors that would behave similarly in CPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core i9-14901E scores 37911 in average benchmarks, a negligible 0.1 percent difference from the Ryzen's 37943 average. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37904, also within 0.1 percent. The Intel Core 5 211E trails by 0.3 percent with a score of 37829, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 is 0.4 percent behind at 37804. Any of these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, assuming the same GPU.

On the GPU side, the Arc B580's nearest rivals show a tight cluster of performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 scores 23172, which is 0.7 percent higher than the Arc's 23021 average. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 23061, sitting 0.2 percent above the Arc. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, which is 0.6 percent lower. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, representing a 1 percent advantage. In practice, swapping the Arc B580 for any of these cards would result in frame rates within roughly one percent of the measured values, meaning the playability verdicts would remain unchanged.

It is importantly the RTX 3080 and RTX 2080 are older architectures with different feature sets, but the benchmark data shows their raw performance aligns closely with the Intel Arc B580 for this title. The RX 580 2048SP, despite being an older budget card, also lands in the same performance envelope. This indicates that the Arc B580 occupies a well-populated performance tier, and users upgrading from any of these alternatives would see minimal FPS differences in Downfall.

The Verdict

This PC can run Downfall at playable frame rates, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the system excels, with every preset including Ultra clearing the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra average of 77.9 FPS provides a smooth experience with maximum visual detail. At 2560x1440, the system remains strong, with High settings delivering 90.1 FPS, though Ultra falls short at 54.9 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is limited to Medium settings for playable performance, averaging 65.1 FPS. High settings at 4K drop to 54.1 FPS, which is technically below the threshold but close enough that minor tweaks might recover playability. The Ultra preset at 4K is not viable, with an average of 34.4 FPS.

The verdict data confirms these findings: 1920x1080 supports all four presets, 2560x1440 supports three presets excluding Ultra, and 3840x2160 supports two presets excluding High and Ultra. For a horror game where atmosphere and smooth motion matter, the 1080p Ultra or 1440p High settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 4K experience is playable but requires accepting Medium settings, which may compromise the intended visual fidelity. Overall, this is a capable gaming system for Downfall, with the GPU being the limiting factor at higher resolutions.