Downfall

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data for Downfall with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER reveals a system that scales predictably across resolutions while maintaining substantial headroom at every setting tier. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates progress from 154.1 FPS on Low, down through 128.5 FPS on Medium, 106.6 FPS on High, and finally 64.5 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is approximately 89.6 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes roughly a 58% performance penalty relative to Low — a substantial but not unexpected cost for maximum visual fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same settings ladder shows 247.4 FPS on Low, 205.8 FPS on Medium, 166.1 FPS on High, and 102.5 FPS on Ultra. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 144.9 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 4K spread but with all values sitting comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1920x1080, the numbers climb further: 346.2 FPS on Low, 283.9 FPS on Medium, 230.4 FPS on High, and 143.7 FPS on Ultra. Interestingly, the 1080p Ultra result of 143.7 FPS is still higher than the 1440p High result of 166.1 FPS, demonstrating that resolution scaling has a more pronounced effect on frame rate than the preset ladder does between adjacent tiers.

The data shows no min or max FPS values recorded, so the analysis relies entirely on average frame rates. This is notable because horror games often have sudden spikes in rendering complexity, and without minimum frame data, the consistency of these averages cannot be fully verified. However, the sheer magnitude of the averages — even the lowest recorded value of 64.5 FPS at 4K Ultra — suggests that transient dips would need to be severe to push any configuration below playable territory. The benchmark results indicate a system that is never bottlenecked by the CPU at any resolution, given that even at 1080p Low — where the CPU would typically be the limiting factor — the frame rate reaches 346.2 FPS without apparent ceiling effects.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 64.5 FPS. This is a narrow margin above the 60 FPS playable threshold — roughly 7.5% headroom — which means the system can run the game at maximum settings at 4K, but there is little room for error. Should any scene prove more demanding than the average, the frame rate could dip below 60 FPS. High settings at 4K offer 106.6 FPS, which is far safer for maintaining a consistent experience, but the data shows Ultra does technically clear the bar.

For 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, delivering 102.5 FPS. This provides a comfortable 70.8% margin above the 60 FPS threshold, making 1440p Ultra a robust choice. The scaling from 4K Ultra to 1440p Ultra is notable: a 59% increase in frame rate for a single resolution step down. At 1920x1080, Ultra again wins out with 143.7 FPS, which is 139.5% above the playable threshold. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset delivers triple-digit frame rates with such substantial headroom, indicating that the system is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but has significant spare capacity at 1080p.

The pattern across all three resolutions is consistent: Ultra is the recommended preset everywhere. This is unusual for a mid-to-high-end combination, as many systems require dropping to High or Medium at 4K to maintain 60 FPS. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 12 GB GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth appear sufficient to handle the asset loads at 4K Ultra without memory-related stutters, at least based on the average frame rates.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provides context for what other hardware would behave similarly in Downfall. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X sits between the AMD EPYC 9015 (avgScore 57555, deltaPct -0.1) and the AMD EPYC 7313 (avgScore 57399, deltaPct 0.2) in average benchmark score, with the 9900X scoring 57498. This means the 9900X is effectively tied with both EPYC parts, differing by less than 0.2% in either direction. The Intel Core i9-14900 scores 58115, which is 1.1% higher, and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M scores 58323, 1.4% higher. For Downfall specifically, these deltas are negligible — a 1% CPU difference would not meaningfully alter the measured FPS, especially since the GPU is likely the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070 SUPER (avgScore 43223) is bracketed by the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262, deltaPct -0.1), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (43268, deltaPct -0.1), the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (43301, deltaPct -0.2), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (43667, deltaPct -1). The RTX 4090 Mobile is 1% faster in aggregate benchmarks, which would translate to roughly 1-2 FPS difference in Downfall’s average frame rates — imperceptible in practice. The Quadro M6000 variants, despite being older workstation parts, show nearly identical scores, suggesting that Downfall does not heavily utilize features that would differentiate these architectures. For a system builder, this means swapping the RTX 4070 SUPER for any of these rivals would produce very similar frame rates in Downfall, assuming the rest of the system remains constant.

FAQ

Q: Can the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 4070 SUPER run Downfall at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 64.5 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. However, the margin is slim at 7.5%, so users sensitive to frame drops may prefer High settings at 106.6 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: Ultra is the best settings at 2560x1440, yielding 102.5 FPS. This is 70.8% above the 60 FPS threshold, providing both visual quality and smooth performance.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Ultra compared to 4K Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average is 143.7 FPS compared to 64.5 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra. This represents a 122.8% increase in frame rate when dropping from 4K to 1080p at the same preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck in Downfall?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The frame rate scales significantly with resolution — 346.2 FPS at 1080p Low versus 154.1 FPS at 4K Low — indicating that the GPU workload dominates. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, has ample headroom for this game.

Q: What settings should I use if I want the highest frame rates possible?

A: For maximum frame rates, use Low settings at 1920x1080, which delivers 346.2 FPS. This is the highest average measured across all configurations in the data.

Q: Does the system maintain above 60 FPS at all resolutions and presets?

A: Yes, every measured configuration — all three resolutions and all four settings tiers — exceeds 60 FPS on average. The lowest recorded average is 64.5 FPS at 4K Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals a clear division of labor between the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extraordinarily high — 346.2 FPS on Low, 283.9 FPS on Medium, 230.4 FPS on High, and 143.7 FPS on Ultra. These numbers suggest that the CPU, with its 12 cores and boost clock of 5.60 GHz, is delivering frames as fast as the rendering pipeline allows, but the GPU is still the limiting factor even at 1080p. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates as resolution decreases; instead, the FPS continues to climb from 1440p to 1080p, indicating the GPU’s workload is diminishing.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop to 247.4 FPS on Low, 205.8 FPS on Medium, 166.1 FPS on High, and 102.5 FPS on Ultra. The proportional reduction from 1080p is roughly 28-29% across all settings, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count increases by 78% (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels). The fact that the frame rate does not drop by 78% suggests that Downfall’s rendering is not purely pixel-limited; other factors like geometry and shading also play a role. At 3840x2160, the frame rates fall further to 154.1 FPS on Low, 128.5 FPS on Medium, 106.6 FPS on High, and 64.5 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 64.5 FPS is the only configuration under 100 FPS, confirming that the GPU is heavily taxed at this resolution and preset.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent when examining the settings scaling at a fixed resolution. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 202.5 FPS (from 346.2 to 143.7), which is a 58.5% decrease. At 4K, the same settings change reduces FPS by 89.6 FPS (from 154.1 to 64.5), a 58.1% decrease. The similarity in these percentages indicates that the preset scaling is consistent regardless of resolution, meaning the CPU is not introducing additional bottlenecks at higher settings. The Ryzen 9 9900X’s single-thread score of 1286 in 3DMark and 2253 in Cinebench R23 suggests it can feed the GPU sufficiently even at high frame rates. Given that the game launched in 2016, its threading model is likely not fully utilizing 24 threads, but the 9900X’s strong single-core performance covers this adequately.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 659 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 17.7% of all systems tested. This is a strong showing for a desktop combo that is not at the absolute top of the hardware stack. The percentileVsAllCpus of 92 for the CPU and percentileVsAllGpus of 83 for the GPU indicate that both components are well above average, but the GPU is comparatively lower in its percentile than the CPU. This asymmetry suggests that the combo’s rank is slightly held back by the GPU, even though the RTX 4070 SUPER is still a high-performing card.

In the context of the 3716 combos, being at rank 659 means there are 3057 systems that perform worse and 658 that perform better. The systems ranked above likely feature higher-tier GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RTX 4080 SUPER, or possibly multi-GPU configurations. The gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems is likely to be substantial in GPU-heavy scenarios, but Downfall’s relatively modest requirements (as evidenced by the high frame rates) mean that even lower-ranked combos can achieve playable performance. The data suggests that this combo is in the upper quartile of systems capable of running Downfall at maximum settings, with only a fraction of more powerful hardware offering meaningful improvements.

The Verdict

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER can run Downfall at all tested resolutions and settings with average frame rates above 60 FPS. The verdict by resolution confirms that Ultra settings are playable everywhere: at 3840x2160, the average is 64.5 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 102.5 FPS; and at 1920x1080, it is 143.7 FPS. This means the system clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at every combination of resolution and preset tested, with no exceptions.

For 4K gaming, Ultra is technically viable but leaves only 4.5 FPS of headroom above the threshold. Users who prioritize frame rate stability over visual fidelity may prefer High settings at 4K, which deliver 106.6 FPS — a 65% margin above the threshold. At 1440p and 1080p, Ultra is unequivocally the best choice, offering frame rates that are 70.8% and 139.5% above 60 FPS, respectively. The data indicates that this combo is overqualified for 1080p gaming in Downfall, where even Ultra settings exceed 140 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, the system provides a balanced experience that is likely to satisfy most gamers. At 4K, it is playable at maximum settings, but the narrow margin at Ultra suggests that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the limiting factor, and users with 4K 120Hz displays would need to drop to High settings to fully utilize their refresh rate.