Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Intel Arc B570 pairing delivers a mixed bag in Downfall, a horror title that scales predictably with resolution and preset levels. Measured data shows this combo can handle 1080p and 1440p gaming with headroom, but 4K requires dropping to Low settings to stay fluid. Below is a detailed breakdown of the measured FPS, the component roles, comparable hardware, and the final verdict for this specific configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this CPU/GPU combination was captured at three resolutions — 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160 — across four quality presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and all average FPS figures are presented with minimum and maximum values where available.

At 1920x1080, the combo is overwhelmingly capable. The Low preset delivers an average of 163 FPS, with no min or max recorded. Medium averages 133 FPS, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 153 FPS. High drops to 109 FPS average, while Ultra still clears the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 68 FPS. Even the most demanding preset at this resolution stays well above the playable line, and the gap between Low and Ultra is 95 FPS, showing that the game’s settings have a substantial impact on performance at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain strong but the Ultra preset falls below the threshold. Low delivers 116 FPS average, Medium hits 95 FPS with a min of 81 FPS and max of 110 FPS, and High averages 78 FPS. Ultra, however, drops to 49 FPS average, which is 11 FPS short of the 60 FPS playable threshold. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly linear for Low (163 to 116 FPS, a 29% drop), Medium (133 to 95, a 29% drop), and High (109 to 78, a 28% drop), but Ultra suffers a steeper decline from 68 to 49 FPS, a 28% reduction that pushes it into unplayable territory.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low is the only preset that stays playable, with an average of 72 FPS. Medium averages 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS — just one frame below the threshold on average, but with dips that make it risky. High averages 49 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 30 FPS. The step from 1440p to 4K is punishing: Low goes from 116 to 72 FPS (a 38% drop), Medium from 95 to 59 (a 38% drop), High from 78 to 49 (a 37% drop), and Ultra from 49 to 30 (a 39% drop). This consistent ~38% reduction across all presets indicates a uniform resolution scaling penalty.

For the presets with min/max data, the Medium setting at 1080p shows a tight range (113–153 FPS, a 40 FPS spread), while at 1440p the range widens slightly (81–110, a 29 FPS spread). At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 50–68 FPS, reflecting a smaller absolute spread but a higher relative variance — the minimum is 15% below the average. This suggests that frame pacing becomes less stable as resolution increases, even when the average remains near playable.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is a high-end desktop processor with a 128 MB L3 cache and boost clock up to 5.50 GHz. The Intel Arc B570, by contrast, is a mid-range GPU with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In Downfall, a horror title that relies on atmospheric rendering and lighting, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s role diminishes as pixel count increases.

Evidence from the measured FPS scaling supports this. At 1080p, the combo achieves 163 FPS on Low and 109 FPS on High — a 54 FPS difference that is entirely due to the game’s rendering load, not CPU limitations. The CPU’s single-thread score of 1269 in 3dmark and its 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs suggest it can feed frames well beyond what the Arc B570 can output at this resolution. The GPU’s 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556, indicates it is the limiting factor.

At 1440p, the average FPS for Low (116) and High (78) shows that the GPU is still the dominant constraint. The CPU’s 16-thread 3dmark score of 12490 and max-thread score of 13795 are far above what this game requires, especially for a title from 2016. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s and its 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance are more relevant here, and the drop from 1080p to 1440p (about 29% across presets) aligns with the pixel count increase of 78%, implying that fill rate and shading units are the limiting factors.

At 4K, the CPU’s role is minimal. The 38% performance drop from 1440p is consistent with the 2.25x pixel count increase, and the fact that Low only manages 72 FPS confirms that the GPU is saturated. The Arc B570’s 80 ROPs and 144 TMUs are insufficient for 4K Ultra, which yields 30 FPS — a figure that would be nearly identical even with a faster CPU, as the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU’s 24 threads and 128 MB L3 cache provide no advantage at this resolution because the workload is overwhelmingly pixel-bound.

Preset scaling further clarifies roles. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 95 FPS (163 to 68), which is a 58% reduction. At 1440p, the same preset jump costs 67 FPS (116 to 49), a 58% reduction. At 4K, Low to Ultra costs 42 FPS (72 to 30), a 58% reduction. This consistent percentage across resolutions indicates that the GPU’s shading and texture units are the primary drivers of preset scaling, while the CPU’s contribution stays flat. The CPU’s 4-thread 3dmark score of 4885 and 8-thread score of 9002 are more than sufficient for the game’s threads, which are unlikely to exceed 8 in a 2016 horror title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals for both the CPU and GPU, there are several hardware combinations that would behave similarly in Downfall. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, with rivals that are within 2.1% of that figure. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF scores 55093 (delta -0.6%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K scores 54053 (delta 1.3%), the Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53701 (delta 2%), and the Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620 (delta 2.1%). In practice, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Downfall at 1080p and 1440p, as the game is not CPU-bound at those resolutions. At 4K, the differences would be even smaller, as the GPU bottleneck dominates.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, delta 0.1%), the Intel Arc A750 (20582, delta -0.1%), the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, delta 0.4%), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662, delta -0.5%). The Arc A750 is particularly relevant, as it is the direct predecessor in Intel’s Arc lineup and shows a delta of -0.1%, meaning it would produce essentially identical FPS in Downfall. The RTX 3070 Mobile, despite being a laptop chip, also falls within 0.1%, so a desktop system with that GPU would match the Arc B570’s measured performance. The Quadro M4000M and R9 M390X are older or workstation-oriented parts but still within 0.5%, so they too would offer similar frame rates.

Combining these, a system with an Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF and an Intel Arc A750 would be the closest alternative, with CPU performance within 0.6% and GPU performance within 0.1% of the tested combo. That pairing would likely produce 162–164 FPS at 1080p Low, 115–117 FPS at 1440p Low, and 71–73 FPS at 4K Low, based on the measured deltas. A system with a Core i7-14700F and RTX 3070 Mobile would also be nearly indistinguishable, with CPU delta of 2.1% translating to a negligible FPS difference in this GPU-bound title.

The Verdict

The verdict is clear: this PC can run Downfall at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K is only marginally playable. At 1920x1080, all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — clear the 60 FPS threshold. The best settings are Ultra, which averages 68 FPS, delivering a fully playable experience with maximum visual quality. At 2560x1440, High is the best playable setting, averaging 78 FPS, with Low (116 FPS) and Medium (95 FPS) also exceeding 60 FPS. Ultra falls to 49 FPS, so it should be avoided at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, only Low is playable, with an average of 72 FPS. Medium averages 59 FPS — just one frame below the threshold — and its minimum of 50 FPS makes it unsuitable for consistent play. High (49 FPS) and Ultra (30 FPS) are not viable. The data indicates that 4K users must accept Low settings, which still delivers a 72 FPS average, but the visual compromise is significant.

In summary, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D + Intel Arc B570 combo is a solid 1080p and 1440p machine for Downfall, with 1080p Ultra being the sweet spot for maximum quality at 68 FPS. For 1440p, High at 78 FPS offers a good balance. 4K is technically playable only on Low, with a 72 FPS average, but the gap between Low and Medium (13 FPS) is narrow, so users with a 4K display should be prepared for reduced detail.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific CPU/GPU combination ranks 2988 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall. That places it in the lower third of all tested systems, which is notable given that the CPU is a high-end part (91st percentile among all CPUs) and the GPU is mid-range (65th percentile among all GPUs). The ranking reflects the GPU’s relative weakness at higher resolutions, especially at 4K, where the combo struggles.

The rank of 2988 out of 3716 means that roughly 80% of tested combos perform better in Downfall. This is not a reflection of the CPU, which is overkill for this title, but rather the Arc B570’s limitations. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 20556 places it in the 65th percentile, and its nearest rivals include the Arc A750 (which scores 20582, slightly higher) and the RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, nearly identical). In a game like Downfall, which is not overly demanding by modern standards, the Arc B570’s 80 ROPs and 11.52 TFLOPS are enough for 1080p and 1440p, but not for 4K Ultra.

The combo’s rank is also influenced by the fact that many tested systems likely pair higher-tier GPUs with similar or better CPUs. A Ryzen 9 9900X3D is typically matched with a flagship GPU, which would push the combo much higher in the ranking. The Arc B570, being a budget-to-midrange part, holds this combo back. Still, for a 1080p gamer, the rank is misleading — the measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (68 FPS) is perfectly playable, and the combo’s low rank is largely due to 4K performance dragging down the aggregate.

Best Settings per Resolution

The best settings are defined as the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS average, using the measured data.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is Ultra, with an average of 68 FPS. This is the highest quality preset available, and it clears the 60 FPS threshold by 8 FPS. Low (163 FPS), Medium (133 FPS), and High (109 FPS) all exceed 60 FPS, but Ultra provides the maximum visual fidelity while maintaining playability. The measured data shows no min/max for Ultra, but the 68 FPS average leaves a small buffer for dips.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is High, with an average of 78 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays above 60 FPS, and it offers a 18 FPS margin over the threshold. Medium (95 FPS) and Low (116 FPS) are also playable, but High delivers better visuals. Ultra is not viable at 49 FPS, so users should stick to High for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the best setting is Low, with an average of 72 FPS. This is the only preset that clears 60 FPS at 4K. Medium (59 FPS) misses the threshold by 1 FPS, and its minimum of 50 FPS makes it unreliable. High (49 FPS) and Ultra (30 FPS) are far below playable. For 4K users, Low is the only option, and it provides a 72 FPS average, which is acceptable but requires significant visual compromises.

In summary, the optimal configurations are: 1080p Ultra (68 FPS), 1440p High (78 FPS), and 4K Low (72 FPS). Users who prioritize frame rate over visuals can push higher presets at lower resolutions, but the above settings represent the best balance of quality and playability according to the measured data.