Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers overwhelming performance in Downfall, a horror title from 2016-02-28. Across every resolution and preset tested, this combination posts triple-digit average frame rates, with the lowest recorded average being 82.2 FPS at 4K Ultra. The data indicates a system that is not merely playable but massively overqualified for the game’s demands, leaving substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate displays at all settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best playable setting at 3840x2160?

A: At 4K, the Ultra preset is fully playable, achieving an average FPS of 82.2. This is the most demanding setting tested, and it clears the 60 FPS playable threshold with a 22.2 FPS margin.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average is 185.1 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Ultra drops this to 134.7 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Ultra, the average falls further to 82.2 FPS. This represents a 55.6% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700X a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The benchmark data suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 441.5 FPS, and at 1080p High, it still delivers 300 FPS. The substantial frame rate increase from Low to High settings indicates the GPU is the primary scaling factor, not the processor.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 317.6 FPS, while the High preset delivers 209.9 FPS. The difference between these two presets is 107.7 FPS, showing that Low settings provide a 51.3% higher average frame rate than High.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This configuration ranks 103rd out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall, placing it in the top 2.8% of all systems in the database.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at all settings and resolutions?

A: Yes. Every measured configuration—from 1920x1080 Low (441.5 FPS) to 3840x2160 Ultra (82.2 FPS)—exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. Even the most demanding preset at the highest resolution maintains a 37% buffer above the minimum playable average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, with all values representing average frame rates. No minimum or maximum FPS figures were recorded in the dataset.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 441.5 FPS. The Medium preset reduces this to 359.8 FPS, a 23.2% drop. High settings yield 300 FPS, which is 16.6% lower than Medium. The Ultra preset delivers 185.1 FPS, representing a 38.3% decrease from High. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution is a 58.1% reduction in average frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 317.6 FPS. Medium settings produce 256.8 FPS, a 19.1% decrease. High settings deliver 209.9 FPS, which is 18.3% lower than Medium. Ultra settings yield 134.7 FPS, a 35.8% drop from High. From Low to Ultra at 1440p, the average frame rate falls by 57.6%.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 198.6 FPS. Medium settings deliver 159.7 FPS, a 19.6% reduction. High settings produce 131 FPS, which is 18.0% lower than Medium. Ultra settings yield 82.2 FPS, a 37.3% decrease from High. The total scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 58.6% reduction in average frame rate.

The consistency of the percentage drops between presets across all three resolutions—roughly 19% for Low-to-Medium, 18% for Medium-to-High, and 37% for High-to-Ultra—indicates that the performance cost of each settings tier is resolution-independent. The Ultra preset is disproportionately heavier than the other tiers, likely due to specific rendering features that scale aggressively with pixel count.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a system where the GPU is the dominant performance factor at every resolution, with the CPU providing ample headroom. Evidence for this comes from the scaling patterns between resolutions and presets.

When moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset, the average FPS drops by approximately 28-30% across all settings. For example, Low settings fall from 441.5 FPS to 317.6 FPS, a 28.1% reduction. High settings fall from 300 FPS to 209.9 FPS, a 30.0% reduction. This consistent proportional drop indicates that the rendering load scales predictably with pixel count, which is characteristic of GPU-bound workloads.

The transition from 1440p to 4K produces a more pronounced drop: Low settings decrease from 317.6 FPS to 198.6 FPS, a 37.5% reduction. Ultra settings decrease from 134.7 FPS to 82.2 FPS, a 39.0% reduction. The larger percentage drop at 4K suggests that the GPU is approaching its maximum throughput limits, though it remains far from saturated given the 82.2 FPS floor.

The CPU's role is best illustrated by the 1080p Low result of 441.5 FPS. At this resolution and preset, the GPU has relatively little work to do, yet the frame rate still scales smoothly with settings changes. If the Ryzen 7 9700X were a bottleneck, the 1080p Low and Medium results would show diminishing returns compared to higher resolutions. Instead, the 441.5 FPS at Low and 359.8 FPS at Medium demonstrate that the CPU can feed the RTX 4090 at extreme frame rates without constraint.

The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, 3.80 GHz base clock, and 5.50 GHz boost clock, provides more than sufficient processing power for a 2016 horror title. The game's age means it does not leverage modern multi-threading heavily, but the CPU's strong single-core performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280, ensures no frame pacing issues at high refresh rates. The GPU's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are also far beyond what this game requires, further confirming the GPU as the performance arbiter.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can absolutely run Downfall. The verdict by resolution is clear: every resolution and preset combination is playable, with all average FPS values exceeding the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers 82.2 FPS, which is 22.2 FPS above the playable threshold. The Low preset at 4K reaches 198.6 FPS, and Medium and High achieve 159.7 and 131 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset produces 134.7 FPS, more than double the playable threshold. The High preset delivers 209.9 FPS, Medium achieves 256.8 FPS, and Low reaches 317.6 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 180 FPS, with the lowest being Ultra at 185.1 FPS and the highest being Low at 441.5 FPS.

The data shows this combination is not just playable but exceptionally smooth. Even the worst-case scenario—4K Ultra—maintains a 37% buffer above 60 FPS, meaning there is no risk of dropping below the playable threshold during intense scenes. For a horror game where consistent frame pacing is critical for atmosphere, this system provides an ideal experience.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU nearest rivals for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X are closely matched in average benchmark score. The Intel Core i9-14901E scores 37911, a 0.1% difference from the Ryzen's 37943. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37904, also a 0.1% difference. The Intel Core 5 211E scores 37829, a 0.3% difference, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 scores 37804, a 0.4% difference. In practical terms, these processors would deliver near-identical Downfall performance, as the game is GPU-bound at all tested settings.

The GPU nearest rivals for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 show more variance. The Intel Arc Pro A60 has an average score of 60326, a 0% difference from the RTX 4090's 60347. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, a 0.3% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, which is 2.5% higher than the RTX 4090, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, a 2.9% lower result. The W6600M's higher score suggests it could perform slightly better in synthetic benchmarks, but the RTX 4090's 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 128 RT cores make it more capable for gaming workloads.

For a system replacement, pairing any of the CPU rivals with a similarly-scoring GPU would yield comparable Downfall frame rates. The delta percentages are small enough that the measured FPS would likely vary by less than 1% across all configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average FPS of 82.2. This is the highest quality setting available, and it still maintains a comfortable margin above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, achieving an average FPS of 134.7. This provides a 74.7 FPS buffer over the playable threshold, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

At 1920x1080, Ultra remains the best setting, with an average FPS of 185.1. This is more than three times the playable threshold, allowing for maximum visual quality at standard resolution without any performance concerns.

In all cases, the Ultra preset is the optimal choice, as the system has sufficient headroom to run the game at its highest visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS. The data shows no need to compromise on settings at any resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 103rd out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall. This places the system in the top 2.8% of all configurations in the database. The high rank is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows the combo outperforming the vast majority of systems.

This ranking is particularly notable given the game's 2016 release date. Downfall is not a demanding title by modern standards, yet this combination still ranks highly because of the sheer brute force of the RTX 4090. The GPU's 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth overwhelm the game's rendering requirements, while the CPU's 86th percentile ranking among all processors ensures no bottlenecking occurs.

The 103rd position indicates that there are 102 tested combinations with higher aggregate performance, but these would likely feature even more powerful GPUs or CPUs. For the vast majority of users, this system represents an elite-tier configuration that will run Downfall at maximum settings with exceptional frame rates across all resolutions.