Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a decisive performance profile in Downfall, a horror title that scales predictably across resolutions and presets. Measured data shows this combination is capable of well beyond smooth playability at every tested resolution, with the only exception being the Ultra preset at 4K. The system’s strengths lie in both a high-end mobile processor and a desktop-class GPU, and the recorded framerates reflect a balanced yet GPU-leaning workload at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the recorded average framerates climb steeply with lower graphical demands. Under the High preset, the system averages 85 FPS. Dropping to Medium yields an average of 104 FPS, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS. The Low preset pushes the average up to 127 FPS. However, the Ultra preset is the outlier: the average falls to 53 FPS, which sits below the 60 FPS playable threshold. No minimum or maximum figures were recorded for High, Low, or Ultra at this resolution, only the Medium preset provided full frame time data.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), performance becomes stronger across the board. The High preset averages 137 FPS. The Medium preset records an average of 168 FPS, with a minimum of 142 FPS and a maximum of 193 FPS. The Low preset reaches an average of 205 FPS. The Ultra preset, which struggled at 4K, maintains a solid 86 FPS average at this resolution. Again, only Medium includes minimum and maximum frame data; the other presets list only averages.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the system delivers very high framerates. The High preset averages 192 FPS. The Medium preset averages 235 FPS, with a minimum of 199 FPS and a maximum of 270 FPS. The Low preset tops out at an average of 287 FPS. The Ultra preset still holds an average of 120 FPS, which is double the playable threshold. As with other resolutions, only Medium provides complete frame range data.

The pattern is clear: each resolution drop from 4K to 1440p to 1080p yields substantial average FPS gains across all presets. The Ultra preset sees the largest relative jump when moving from 4K to 1440p, going from 53 FPS to 86 FPS, a 62% increase. Moving from 1440p to 1080p at Ultra brings another 40% gain, reaching 120 FPS. The Low preset exhibits the smallest relative scaling between 1440p and 1080p, from 205 to 287 FPS, a 40% improvement, while the jump from 4K Low to 1440p Low is even larger at 61%.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that Downfall is predominantly GPU-bound, especially at higher resolutions. The evidence is the scaling between 4K and 1440p. At 4K High, the average is 85 FPS, while at 1440p High it is 137 FPS, a 61% increase. This large jump suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as reducing pixel count significantly boosts throughput. The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX, with its 16 cores and 32 threads based on Zen 4 architecture, provides ample headroom to feed the RTX 4080. Its single-thread performance, as measured by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6030, ensures that frame pacing at lower resolutions does not become CPU-limited.

At 1080p, the gap between presets narrows in relative terms but remains large in absolute FPS. The difference between 1080p Low (287 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (120 FPS) is 167 FPS, which is still a GPU-driven reduction due to increased shading and texture work. The CPU’s role becomes more apparent when comparing the scaling between 1440p and 1080p. For the Low preset, the gain from 1440p to 1080p is 82 FPS (205 to 287), whereas for the High preset, the gain is 55 FPS (137 to 192). The larger absolute gain at Low suggests that at lower settings, the CPU can push more frames, but the RTX 4080 still handles the bulk of the work.

The Ryzen 9 8945HX’s multi-threaded capabilities, reflected in a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713, are not directly stressed by this game, but they ensure consistent performance in background tasks and system overhead. The GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are ample for 4K textures, as shown by the playable 4K High preset. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops below 60, indicating that the GPU’s shading units (9728) and ray tracing cores (76) are saturated by the Ultra preset’s demands, not that the CPU is holding it back.

The scaling between Medium and High presets also highlights GPU dependency. At 1440p, Medium averages 168 FPS while High averages 137 FPS, a 23% reduction. At 4K, Medium averages 104 FPS while High averages 85 FPS, an 18% reduction. These consistent percentage drops across resolutions point to a uniform GPU workload increase, with the CPU maintaining stable frame delivery.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76212. The closest competitor is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, with an average score of 76155, a delta of 0.1% (meaning the Ryzen is 0.1% faster). The AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P scores 76492, placing it 0.4% ahead of the Ryzen. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX scores 76513, also 0.4% ahead. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D scores 75779, which is 0.6% behind the Ryzen 9 8945HX. These deltas are minuscule, meaning that in a gaming scenario like Downfall, swapping the CPU for any of these four alternatives would produce nearly identical framerates, assuming the same GPU. The Ryzen 9 8945HX sits at the 95th percentile among all CPUs, so all these rivals are in the top tier.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, with a score of 54209, a delta of 0.1% (the RTX 4080 is 0.1% faster). The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% faster. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, which is 2.6% faster. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, which is 2.7% faster. These deltas are small, but they are larger than the CPU deltas. In practical terms, the RTX 4080 SUPER would deliver nearly identical FPS in Downfall, likely within 1-2 FPS at any given preset. The AMD options, despite slightly higher average benchmark scores, may not translate directly to gaming performance, but the data suggests they are in the same performance bracket.

The GPU’s percentile ranking is 86th among all GPUs, which is lower than the CPU’s 95th percentile. This indicates that the RTX 4080, while powerful, has more headroom above it in the GPU hierarchy than the CPU does. However, within this specific combo, the GPU is the primary driver of FPS at 4K, as shown by the Ultra preset failure.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific combination of AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 at rank 1219 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall. This places it in the top third of all systems tested. The rank reflects the combined CPU and GPU performance, but given the GPU’s dominance in this title, the rank is largely determined by the RTX 4080’s capabilities. A combo ranked 1219 out of 3716 means that roughly 68% of tested systems fall below this configuration, and about 32% are above. The systems above this rank likely feature higher-tier GPUs such as the RTX 4090 or newer Ada Lovelace variants, or possibly combinations with faster memory.

The rank also contextualizes the 4K Ultra result. At 53 FPS, the combo is not able to maintain 60 FPS at the highest settings, which is typical for many systems at 4K Ultra in demanding titles. However, the fact that the combo ranks 1219 overall while still failing 4K Ultra suggests that a significant number of higher-ranked combos also struggle with that specific preset, or that the rank is weighted across all resolutions and settings. The data shows that this combo excels at 1440p and 1080p across all presets, which likely contributes to its solid middle-to-upper ranking.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Downfall? The recorded data says yes, with caveats at the extreme end. At 3840x2160, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold on the High, Low, and Medium presets, with averages of 85, 127, and 104 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset at 4K falls short at 53 FPS average, so it is not playable at that setting. At 2560x1440, every preset is playable: High at 137 FPS, Low at 205 FPS, Medium at 168 FPS, and Ultra at 86 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets are also playable, with High at 192 FPS, Low at 287 FPS, Medium at 235 FPS, and Ultra at 120 FPS.

The playable threshold is set at 60 FPS. The verdict by resolution confirms that 4K has three playable settings, while 1440p and 1080p have all four playable settings. This means the system is more than capable for standard gaming monitors at 1440p and 1080p, and even for 4K displays when using High or lower presets. The only scenario that fails is 4K Ultra, which is an extreme demand that would challenge many systems.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of 60 FPS or higher is as follows:

• 3840x2160: The best settings are High, which produces an average of 85 FPS. This is the highest quality preset that stays above 60 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset is also viable with 104 FPS, but High offers better visual quality while still maintaining a comfortable margin above the threshold. The Ultra preset is not recommended due to its 53 FPS average.

• 2560x1440: The best settings are Ultra, which delivers an average of 86 FPS. This is the maximum preset available, and it clears the 60 FPS threshold by a significant margin. Players can enjoy the full graphical experience at 1440p without any performance concerns.

• 1920x1080: The best settings are Ultra, which achieves an average of 120 FPS. This is double the playable threshold and provides a very smooth experience, even on high refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p is not only playable but also leaves substantial headroom for any potential frame drops.

These recommendations are based solely on average FPS and the requirement to stay at or above 60 FPS. The data shows that this system is a high-performance pairing, with the GPU being the deciding factor at 4K and the CPU providing consistent support at lower resolutions. For players prioritizing visual fidelity, 1440p Ultra is the sweet spot; for those with 4K displays, High settings offer a robust experience; and for competitive or high-refresh gaming, 1080p Ultra is fully unlocked.