Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination delivers exceptional performance in Downfall, a 2016 horror title that proves remarkably scalable across modern hardware. The data shows this pairing is overkill for the game at every tested resolution, with even the most demanding preset at 4K maintaining a substantial margin above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, compares the components to their closest rivals, and examines how this combo ranks among thousands of tested configurations.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU and GPU in this combo each sit near hardware that delivers nearly identical average benchmark scores, making them interchangeable in real-world scenarios. The Ryzen 7 9700X posts an average benchmark score of 37,943, which places it within a razor-thin margin of its nearest rivals. The Intel Core i9-14901E scores 37,911, a delta of just 0.1% — effectively identical performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 matches at 37,904 (0.1% delta), while the Intel Core 5 211E trails by a mere 0.3% at 37,829. Even the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132, with a score of 37,804, sits only 0.4% behind. For Downfall, any of these processors would produce virtually indistinguishable frame rates, as the game’s engine does not appear to push multi-threaded workloads to the limits where these small percentage differences would manifest.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5090’s average benchmark score of 79,842 places it alongside some unexpected company. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, a 0.3% deficit, while the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB comes in at 79,396 (0.6% behind). The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT trails by 1.1% at 78,940. Interestingly, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X actually edges ahead with a score of 80,959, representing a -1.4% delta from the RTX 5090’s perspective. These rivals span different market segments — from workstation compute cards to mobile gaming GPUs — yet their aggregate scores cluster tightly around the RTX 5090. In Downfall, gamers with any of these GPUs would see similar average frame rates, though the RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provide headroom that the Tesla cards cannot match in other workloads.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear pattern: the GPU is the dominant performance driver in Downfall, but the CPU still matters at lower resolutions. At 1080p, frame rates scale dramatically with settings, ranging from 456.3 FPS on Low to 193.6 FPS on Ultra. This wide spread indicates the rendering pipeline is heavily influenced by GPU workload, yet the ceiling of 456.3 FPS suggests the Ryzen 7 9700X has ample single-thread headroom — its 3DMark single-thread score of 1,280 and Geekbench single-core score of 3,023 are strong indicators that CPU bottlenecks are minimal. The CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads, backed by a 32 MB shared L3 cache, provide more than enough processing power for a horror title from 2016.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates compress slightly: 326.6 FPS on Low, 268.9 FPS on Medium, 216.8 FPS on High, and 135.3 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 28% drop at Low settings (456.3 to 326.6 FPS), but only a 30% drop at Ultra (193.6 to 135.3 FPS). This suggests that at higher presets, the GPU becomes progressively more saturated, reducing the relative impact of resolution scaling. At 4K, the pattern continues: 200.9 FPS on Low, 166 FPS on Medium, 136.9 FPS on High, and 88.1 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Ultra figure represents a 54% reduction from 1080p Ultra, clearly indicating that the RTX 5090’s rendering load scales significantly with pixel count. Across all resolutions, the GPU’s DirectX 12 score of 185 in Passmark and its 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 compute capability ensure it handles the graphical demands, while the CPU’s role diminishes as resolution increases — a typical pattern where higher pixel counts shift the bottleneck firmly to the graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks

Among 3,716 tested combinations in Downfall, this pairing of the Ryzen 7 9700X and RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 56. This places it in the top 1.5% of all tested configurations, an elite tier that reflects the raw horsepower of both components. The CPU’s 86th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU’s 92nd percentile among all graphics cards combine to produce a system that outperforms the vast majority of setups. However, the rank of 56 also indicates that a handful of other combinations — likely featuring even newer or more specialized hardware — deliver higher frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the CPU can become a limiting factor.

The data suggests that the combo’s ranking is constrained more by the CPU than the GPU at lower resolutions. The RTX 5090’s 92nd percentile GPU ranking is higher than the 9700X’s 86th percentile CPU ranking, implying that at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 300 FPS on many presets, a processor with even stronger single-thread performance could push the combo higher in the rankings. At 4K, however, the GPU dominates the workload, and the combo’s rank of 56 is likely more reflective of the RTX 5090’s capabilities. The measured frame rates at 4K Ultra (88.1 FPS) are still nearly 47% above the playability threshold, so the ranking deficit at lower resolutions is largely academic for actual gameplay.

The Verdict

This PC can run Downfall flawlessly at every tested resolution and preset. The verdict data confirms that all four settings — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, with average frame rates that never dip below the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 1080p, the best settings are Ultra, delivering 193.6 FPS on average. At 1440p, Ultra again provides the optimal experience at 135.3 FPS. Even at 4K, the most demanding resolution, Ultra settings maintain a comfortable 88.1 FPS average.

For gamers seeking maximum visual fidelity, the recommendation is unambiguous: run the game at 4K with Ultra settings. The 88.1 FPS average provides a smooth experience with significant headroom above the 60 FPS floor, ensuring that even intense horror sequences with multiple light sources and particle effects will not cause perceptible stuttering. The RTX 5090’s 32 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for any texture pack or mod, and its 1.79 TB/s bandwidth eliminates any memory bandwidth concerns. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 5.50 GHz boost clock and 16 threads, ensures that the game’s AI and physics calculations are handled without bottlenecking the GPU. This combination is not just playable — it is overkill for a title from 2016, delivering frame rates that are several times higher than what most players would consider necessary.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extraordinary. The Low preset achieves an average of 456.3 FPS, while Medium delivers 372.5 FPS. High settings produce 308.2 FPS, and Ultra still manages 193.6 FPS. These numbers indicate that the RTX 5090 is nowhere near maxed out at 1080p; the CPU is likely the limiting factor at this resolution, but even so, the lowest average exceeds the playability threshold by more than 3.2x.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptional. Low settings yield 326.6 FPS, Medium delivers 268.9 FPS, and High produces 216.8 FPS. Ultra settings still achieve 135.3 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction of roughly 28-30% across all presets, indicating that the GPU is beginning to take on more work but still has considerable headroom.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5090 finally starts to feel the pressure. Low settings average 200.9 FPS, Medium produces 166 FPS, and High delivers 136.9 FPS. Ultra drops to 88.1 FPS, which is still nearly 47% above the playable threshold. The 4K Ultra figure represents a 54% reduction from 1080p Ultra, yet it remains smooth and responsive. Across all resolutions, the data shows consistent scaling: each step from Low to Ultra costs roughly 20-25% of the frame rate, and each resolution increase from 1080p to 4K costs another 30-50%, depending on the preset.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Downfall at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 88.1 FPS, well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The verdict data lists Ultra as the best settings at 4K.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37,943. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14901E, scores 37,911 (0.1% delta), while the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37,904 (0.1% delta). The Intel Core 5 211E trails at 37,829 (0.3% delta).

Q: What is the best resolution and preset combination for this hardware?

A: According to the verdict data, Ultra settings are playable at all three resolutions, with average FPS of 193.6 at 1080p, 135.3 at 1440p, and 88.1 at 4K. The best visual experience would be 4K Ultra, given the substantial frame rate headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 rank among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 5090 sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,842. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79,605 (0.3% delta).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the GPU is still the primary driver, but the CPU has more influence than at higher resolutions. The frame rates range from 456.3 FPS on Low to 193.6 FPS on Ultra, and the Ryzen 7 9700X’s strong single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1,280) prevents it from becoming a bottleneck.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations?

A: This pairing ranks 56th out of 3,716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 1.5% of all systems tested.