Downfall

Measured FPS Breakdown

Downfall is a horror title from 2016, and the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 shows a system that is decisively overpowered for this game. The benchmark results, which are actual measured values rather than estimates, reveal that even at 4K resolution, this combination rarely breaks a sweat. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 133 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings at 4K still produce an average of 109 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS, indicating that even the worst-case frame dips remain comfortably above playability. High settings at 4K drop the average to 89 FPS, still well above the threshold. Ultra settings at 4K, however, show the first sign of strain: the average falls to 56 FPS, which sits below the 60 FPS playable line.

Stepping down to 2560x1440, the performance ceiling rises dramatically. Low settings produce an average of 214 FPS, while Medium settings hit 175 FPS with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 201 FPS. High settings at 1440p average 143 FPS, and even Ultra settings manage 90 FPS on average. The 1440p Ultra result is particularly telling: it matches the 4K High result at 89-90 FPS, suggesting that the resolution scaling is not linear and that the GPU has ample headroom at both resolutions. At 1920x1080, the numbers become almost absurd for a 2016 horror game. Low settings average 299 FPS, Medium settings average 245 FPS with a minimum of 208 FPS and a maximum of 282 FPS, High settings average 201 FPS, and Ultra settings still produce 125 FPS on average. The minimum FPS values at 1080p Medium are 208 FPS, which is higher than the average FPS of most other configurations at higher resolutions.

The data shows a clear pattern: this hardware combination is built for far more demanding titles than Downfall. The fact that 1080p Ultra produces 125 FPS average while 4K Ultra produces 56 FPS average illustrates a 2.2x performance drop from 1080p to 4K at the same settings. But even the 4K Ultra result, while below the 60 FPS threshold, is not a catastrophic failure — it is merely 4 FPS short of playability. The measured FPS data does not include min or max values for most settings, but where they do exist (Medium settings at all three resolutions), the spread between minimum and maximum is tight. At 4K Medium, the range is 92 to 125 FPS, a 33 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 149 to 201 FPS, a 52 FPS spread. At 1080p Medium, the range is 208 to 282 FPS, a 74 FPS spread. This widening spread at lower resolutions suggests that CPU-bound scenarios become more relevant as resolution drops, though the absolute values remain so high that it hardly matters for playability.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High settings, which delivers an average of 89 FPS. The data shows that Ultra settings at 4K drop to 56 FPS average, which fails the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings at 4K provide a 33 FPS margin above the threshold, making it the clear choice for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing playability. Medium settings at 4K also work at 109 FPS average, but High is more demanding and still clears the bar, so High is the recommended maximum.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings are playable with an average of 90 FPS. This is the best settings choice because it represents the highest visual quality preset that still maintains a 30 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The progression from Low (214 FPS) to Medium (175 FPS) to High (143 FPS) to Ultra (90 FPS) shows that every preset at 1440p is playable, so there is no reason to compromise on quality. The Ultra preset at 1440p delivers exactly 90 FPS, which is a 50% margin above the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are not just playable — they are exceptionally smooth at 125 FPS average. This is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, meaning that even the most demanding preset at the most common resolution leaves massive headroom. The 1080p Ultra result of 125 FPS is actually higher than the 4K High result of 89 FPS, which highlights how much performance is available when resolution is reduced. For users who prioritize frame rate above all else, 1080p Low at 299 FPS is available, but Ultra at 125 FPS is the best settings choice because it delivers maximum visual quality with no playability concerns whatsoever.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 53288, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. The closest competitors are remarkably close in performance. The AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53206, a mere 0.2% difference. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, which is 0.3% higher. The Intel Xeon 634 scores 52974, 0.6% lower. The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, 0.6% higher. These deltaPct values are all within a single percentage point, meaning that any of these CPUs would deliver essentially identical frame rates in Downfall. For a game that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions and only mildly CPU-sensitive at lower resolutions, swapping the Ryzen 9 7900X for any of these rivals would produce no perceptible difference in gameplay.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 23172, placing it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are surprisingly modest hardware. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23250, 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273, 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276, 0.4% higher. These deltaPct values are all below 0.5%, indicating that these GPUs would perform nearly identically in Downfall. However, it is notably the RTX 3080's percentile rank of 68 is significantly lower than the CPU's 91, suggesting that the GPU is a more average performer relative to its peers. Yet, for Downfall specifically, the GPU's absolute performance is so far beyond the game's requirements that this percentile ranking is irrelevant to the playability question.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Downfall? The answer is a definitive yes, with substantial caveats only at the very top end of settings and resolution. According to the verdictByResolution data, at 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best settings choice at 89 FPS average. Ultra at 4K is not playable, as it falls to 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, all four settings presets are playable, with Ultra being the best choice at 90 FPS average. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with Ultra at 125 FPS average.

The practical interpretation is that this system can run Downfall at maximum settings at both 1080p and 1440p, and at High settings at 4K. The only configuration that fails the 60 FPS test is 4K Ultra, which is a demanding combination that even this powerful hardware cannot quite handle. The margin at 4K Ultra is small — just 4 FPS below the threshold — so users who insist on 4K Ultra could likely tolerate the slight dip or could enable a less demanding preset. The data shows that 4K High at 89 FPS is the sweet spot for 4K displays, delivering a smooth experience with nearly the same visual quality as Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 in Downfall is best understood by examining how performance scales across resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The difference between Low (133 FPS) and Ultra (56 FPS) at 4K is a 77 FPS drop, which is a 58% reduction in performance purely from increasing graphical settings. This steep drop indicates that the GPU's rendering workload is the dominant factor at 4K. The CPU, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the scaling pattern changes. Low settings produce 214 FPS, while Ultra produces 90 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 124 FPS, or 58%, which is a similar percentage reduction to 4K. However, the absolute values are much higher, suggesting that the GPU is still the primary constraint but that the CPU is beginning to contribute more. At 1920x1080, the pattern becomes more interesting. Low settings hit 299 FPS, while Ultra hits 125 FPS. The drop is 174 FPS, or 58% again. The consistent 58% drop across all three resolutions suggests that the GPU's shading and rasterization workload scales in a predictable way with settings, regardless of resolution.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing the same settings across resolutions. At Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 125 at 1080p to 90 at 1440p to 56 at 4K. That is a 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 38% drop from 1440p to 4K. The non-linear scaling suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU fast enough to reach 125 FPS, but at 4K, the GPU's pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor. The CPU's high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1093, ensures that even at 1080p Low (299 FPS), the CPU does not become a bottleneck. For a 2016 horror game, Downfall is not particularly demanding on either component, but the data shows that the GPU is the more important factor at 4K, while the CPU becomes relatively more relevant at 1080p where frame rates approach 300 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 1057 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the 28.4th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning that roughly 72% of tested systems perform better than this one. While this may sound like a mediocre result, it is important to contextualize this ranking. Downfall is a 2016 horror game with modest requirements, and the benchmark database likely includes many systems with newer, more powerful GPUs. The RTX 3080, while a capable card, is from the GeForce 30-series and has been succeeded by the GeForce 40-series. The CPU, however, is from the modern 7000 series and ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs.

The rank of 1057 out of 3716 means that this combo is in the upper-middle tier of tested systems. Given that the game runs at 125 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 89 FPS at 4K High, the ranking is more reflective of the hardware's age than its actual ability to run this specific game. The combo's average benchmark scores — 53288 for the CPU and 23172 for the GPU — are both respectable, but the GPU's 68th percentile ranking drags the overall combo down relative to systems with top-tier GPUs. For the purpose of running Downfall, this ranking is somewhat misleading because the game is so undemanding that even a 68th percentile GPU is more than sufficient. The data indicates that this combo would be better positioned in more demanding titles, where the CPU's high percentile ranking and the GPU's substantial absolute performance would matter more.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Downfall at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 56, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable 4K preset is High, which averages 89 FPS.

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 are playable, with an average of 90 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at 1440p exceed the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in this benchmark?

A: The RTX 3080's average benchmark score is 23172. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, 0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (23250, 0.3% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, 0.4% higher), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X (23276, 0.4% higher). All are within 0.4% of the RTX 3080's score.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 245, with a minimum of 208 FPS and a maximum of 282 FPS. This is far above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: The GPU is more important at 4K, where the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 77 FPS. At 1080p, the CPU becomes relatively more relevant, as frame rates approach 299 FPS on Low settings, but both components are sufficiently powerful that neither becomes a limiting factor for playability.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems in Downfall?

A: This combo ranks 1057 out of 3716 tested combinations. This places it in the upper-middle tier, though the ranking is more indicative of the GPU's 68th percentile standing than any difficulty running Downfall specifically.