Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Downfall, a 2016 horror title. Based on measured data, this combination never drops below 60 FPS at any tested resolution or preset, including 4K Ultra. The benchmark results show a system that is heavily overqualified for this game, with performance headroom that allows for maximum settings across the board.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 80.8 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, and it still maintains a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS playability threshold. The data indicates that even at 4K, the system has spare capacity.

For 2560x1440, the best settings are again Ultra, with an average of 135.9 FPS. This represents a substantial jump in performance compared to 4K, showing that the resolution scaling is significant. The frame rate at 1440p Ultra is more than double the playability threshold.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 183.6 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded at the highest settings across all resolutions. The system is clearly not stressed at 1080p, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average frame rate is 80.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 442.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 183.6 FPS. The difference is 258.8 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset is roughly 58% slower than Low, but still extremely fast.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 183.6 FPS at 1080p to 80.8 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 102.8 FPS. This represents a 56% performance decrease when moving to 4K.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 the limiting factor at any resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops significantly from 1080p to 4K. However, even at 4K Ultra, the system remains well above 60 FPS, so the GPU is not a bottleneck for playability.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 provides an average of 135.9 FPS. This is the highest quality option and offers a smooth experience with significant headroom above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Are there any settings where the system falls below 60 FPS?

A: No. Across all tested resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and all presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), the minimum average frame rate recorded is 80.8 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces extremely high frame rates across all settings. The Low preset averages 442.4 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average is 362.1 FPS. The High preset delivers 294.9 FPS, and the Ultra preset still maintains 183.6 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a performance drop of 258.8 FPS, which is a 58.5% reduction.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high. The Low preset averages 315.7 FPS, while Medium reaches 258.4 FPS. High settings produce 213.5 FPS, and Ultra delivers 135.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 179.8 FPS, a 57% reduction. Compared to 1080p, the same settings show a consistent decrease, with Ultra dropping by 47.7 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show more significant scaling. The Low preset averages 196.2 FPS, which is still far above the playability threshold. Medium settings yield 162.6 FPS, and High produces 133 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 80.8 FPS. From Low to Ultra at 4K, the frame rate decreases by 115.4 FPS, a 58.8% reduction. When comparing 4K Ultra to 1080p Ultra, the drop is 102.8 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by roughly 26-35% depending on the preset, and moving from 1440p to 4K reduces performance by another 38-41%. The system maintains frame rates well above 60 FPS in all scenarios.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD EPYC 9015 (delta -0.1%), the AMD EPYC 7313 (delta 0.2%), the Intel Core i9-14900 (delta -1.1%), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (delta -1.4%). These processors have average scores within 1.4% of the Ryzen 9 9900X, indicating that they would behave nearly identically in gaming workloads like Downfall. The Core i9-14900 is the closest consumer alternative, with a score only 1.1% lower.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (delta 0%), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (delta 0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (delta -2.5%), and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (delta 2.9%). The Arc Pro A60 matches the RTX 4090's average score exactly, while the Radeon Pro Vega 48 is just 0.3% behind. These alternatives would produce nearly the same frame rates in Downfall. The Radeon PRO V710 is slightly ahead at 2.9%, while the Radeon Pro W6600M trails by 2.5%.

Given these small deltas, any of these CPU or GPU alternatives would deliver essentially the same gaming experience in this title. The performance differences are within the margin of error for benchmark testing.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 101st out of 3,716 tested combinations for Downfall. This places the system in the top 2.7% of all tested hardware configurations. The high ranking reflects the exceptional performance of both components, with the CPU sitting in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs and the GPU in the 88th percentile among all GPUs.

The ranking indicates that while there are 100 combinations that perform better, the vast majority of systems tested will deliver lower frame rates. For a 2016 horror game, this level of performance is far beyond what is required for a smooth experience.

The Verdict

The data clearly shows that this PC can run Downfall at the highest settings with excellent performance. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset achieves 80.8 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold by a significant margin. At 2560x1440, Ultra runs at 135.9 FPS, and at 1920x1080, Ultra runs at 183.6 FPS.

All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at every resolution tested. The verdict is unambiguous: this system is fully capable of running Downfall at maximum quality across all resolutions. The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 4090 provides enough performance headroom that users can enable the highest settings without concern for frame rate drops.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the CPU and GPU divide responsibilities in Downfall. The frame rates scale significantly with resolution, indicating that the GPU becomes increasingly important at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the Low preset reaches 442.4 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for frame generation. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the frame rates drop proportionally, showing that the GPU is taking on more of the rendering load.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings shows a 102.8 FPS drop, from 183.6 to 80.8 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU has more than enough capacity to handle the game's logic at these frame rates. At 1080p, the system may be partially CPU-limited at lower presets, given the extremely high frame rates of 442.4 FPS on Low.

The CPU's role is more prominent at lower resolutions and lower presets, where the GPU can render frames quickly enough to expose CPU limitations. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is more than sufficient for this game. The GPU, with its 24 GB of memory and high compute throughput, dominates the workload at higher resolutions. Overall, this is a balanced combination where the GPU is the limiting factor for maximum settings at 4K, but neither component prevents the system from exceeding 60 FPS at any tested configuration.