Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Downfall, a horror title that proves to be far less demanding than its atmosphere suggests. Across all tested resolutions and presets, this combination never drops below 76 FPS on average, making it a formidable setup for this game. The data indicates that this pairing is not just playable but overwhelmingly capable, with headroom for high refresh rate displays even at 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are astronomical. The Low preset delivers an average of 397 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure for this configuration. Medium settings produce 326 FPS, while High settings drop slightly to 268.7 FPS. Even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 166.1 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally strong, though the gap between presets narrows in percentage terms. The Low preset yields an average of 284.6 FPS. Medium settings deliver 234.1 FPS, and High settings produce 190.1 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution still achieves a very comfortable 119.9 FPS average, indicating that the GPU is not yet the limiting factor at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K resolution begin to show, but the combo still excels. The Low preset averages 174.6 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p Low result but still exceptionally high. Medium settings produce 143.3 FPS, and High settings maintain a strong 118.8 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most visually intensive configuration, still manages an average of 76.5 FPS. This is above the playable threshold of 60 FPS and leaves room for minor framerate fluctuations without dipping into unplayable territory.

Across all settings, the scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is roughly 46% of the 1080p Ultra figure, showing that the game scales heavily with resolution. Notably, there are no min or max FPS values recorded in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates, which are uniformly high.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database places this specific CPU-GPU combination at rank 269 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall. This puts it in the top 7.2% of all configurations tested, a strong showing that reflects the hardware's capability in this title. The combo rank is a holistic measure that considers both the CPU and GPU contributions, and this result indicates that the pairing is well-balanced for this game.

Given the measured FPS data, the rank makes sense. The combination delivers 76.5 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is a demanding scenario, and it exceeds 166 FPS at 1080p Ultra. These numbers suggest that the combo is not bottlenecked by either component in most scenarios, allowing the hardware to perform near its theoretical limits. The high rank versus other combos is consistent with the fact that both the CPU and GPU are high-end parts that individually rank in the 86th and 91st percentiles respectively.

It is notably the rank is specific to Downfall; the same combo may rank differently in other games depending on their engine and optimization. For this horror title, however, the data clearly shows a top-tier result.

CPU and GPU Roles

Determining which component plays a larger role in Downfall requires examining the scaling between resolutions and presets. The data shows that as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops significantly across all presets. For example, at Low settings, the 1080p average is 397 FPS, which falls to 284.6 FPS at 1440p and then to 174.6 FPS at 4K. This steep decline with resolution is a classic indicator of GPU-bound performance; the graphics card is the primary driver of frame rates when the resolution increases.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and higher frame rates. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 397 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that requires a strong processor to feed the GPU. The Ryzen 9 7900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is well-suited to this task. The fact that the FPS scales down as resolution increases suggests that the CPU is capable of keeping up with the GPU at 1080p, but the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K.

The preset scaling also supports this interpretation. At 4K, moving from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS from 174.6 to 76.5, a drop of about 56%. At 1080p, the same preset change reduces FPS from 397 to 166.1, a drop of about 58%. The similarity in the percentage drop across resolutions indicates that the preset changes are affecting the GPU workload uniformly, reinforcing the idea that the GPU is the dominant factor in this game.

In summary, the data suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary component for Downfall at 4K, while the Ryzen 9 7900X provides ample headroom at 1080p and 1440p to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The combo is balanced, but for this game, the GPU's performance ceiling is what ultimately dictates the maximum achievable frame rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU in the benchmark database offer insights into what other hardware would behave similarly in this game. For the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, the closest performance match is the AMD EPYC 7313P, with an average benchmark score of 53206 versus the 7900X's 53288, a delta of only 0.2%. This means a system with the EPYC 7313P would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, assuming the same GPU and settings.

Other close CPU alternatives include the Intel Xeon 634, which scores 52974 (0.6% lower), and the Intel Xeon Phi 7290, which scores 53469 (0.3% higher). These processors would all perform within a negligible margin of the Ryzen 9 7900X, making them suitable substitutes if the platform allows. The Intel Core i7-14700F is also within 0.6% performance, scoring 53620, which is slightly higher than the 7900X.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, the closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, with an average score of 54247 versus 54209, a delta of -0.1%. This means the RTX 4080 is essentially identical in performance, and a system with this GPU would deliver virtually the same FPS in Downfall. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S score 55698 and 55757 respectively, representing 2.7% and 2.8% higher scores. These AMD options are slightly faster in synthetic benchmarks, so they may yield marginally higher frame rates in this game.

When considering alternatives, a user with an RTX 4080 could expect the same experience as the RTX 4080 SUPER. Similarly, swapping the Ryzen 9 7900X for an i7-14700F would not noticeably change performance in Downfall.

Best Settings per Resolution

The "best settings" are defined as the most demanding preset that maintains an average FPS at or above the playable threshold of 60 FPS. For this combo, the data shows that every resolution can handle the Ultra preset, which is the most visually demanding option.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 166.1 FPS. This is far above the 60 FPS threshold, so the best settings are Ultra. The user can enable all visual features without any concerns about playability.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 119.9 FPS. Again, this is well above the threshold, so Ultra is the recommended setting. The frame rate is high enough for smooth gameplay on most monitors, including those with 120Hz or 144Hz refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset still averages 76.5 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold, so Ultra is the best setting. While the frame rate is lower than at lower resolutions, it remains perfectly playable, and the visual fidelity of 4K Ultra is the best the game can offer. There is no need to drop to High settings, which average 118.8 FPS, unless the user prioritizes higher frame rates over maximum visual quality.

In all cases, the combo has enough headroom to run the game at its highest settings, and the playable threshold of 60 FPS is never at risk.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 76.5 FPS, which is above the playable threshold of 60 FPS.

Q: What is the highest FPS this combo can achieve in Downfall?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 397, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to the standard RTX 4080 in this game?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209, while the RTX 4080 scores 54247, a delta of -0.1%. This means they perform virtually identically, and the frame rates in Downfall would be nearly the same.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary factor at 4K. The average FPS drops significantly as resolution increases, from 397 FPS at 1080p Low to 174.6 FPS at 4K Low, showing that the GPU's workload is the main bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems for Downfall?

A: This combination ranks 269th out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the top 7.2% of all configurations.

Q: Are there any settings where this combo fails to reach 60 FPS?

A: No. Across all resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and all presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), the average FPS is always above 60. The lowest recorded average is 76.5 FPS at 4K Ultra.