Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 pairing delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Downfall, a horror title from 2016. Benchmark data shows this combination is not merely capable of running the game but does so with substantial headroom, clearing the 60 FPS playability threshold at every resolution and preset combination tested. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes it against similar hardware, and identifies the optimal settings for each resolution.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Ryzen 9 9900X3D sits in a tight cluster of processors with nearly identical average benchmark scores. Its average benchmark score of 54,762 is a mere 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which scores 55,093. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K is 1.3% behind the Ryzen, scoring 54,053. The Intel Xeon 6505P (53,701) trails by 2%, and the Intel Core i7-14700F (53,620) is 2.1% behind. This indicates that in CPU-bound scenarios, swapping the Ryzen 9 9900X3D for any of these four alternatives would yield nearly indistinguishable frame rates in Downfall, as the performance delta is within a few percentage points.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080’s average benchmark score of 54,247 places it directly alongside the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209 — a difference of only 0.1%, meaning they are effectively equivalent in performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828, which is 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698) and AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757) are 2.6% and 2.7% ahead, respectively. For Downfall, any of these GPUs would produce nearly identical results to the RTX 4080, with the Radeon 8060S theoretically offering the highest frame rates among this group, albeit by a margin too small to notice in practice.

The data shows no performance cliff between the tested combo and its nearest rivals. The entire set of CPU alternatives falls within a 2.1% band, and the GPU alternatives within a 2.7% band. Consequently, a system built with any of these comparable parts would deliver fundamentally the same experience in Downfall, with differences of only a few frames per second at most.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a clear pattern regarding which component dominates performance in Downfall. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 400 FPS average, which is the highest recorded frame rate across all tests. This extreme frame rate suggests the workload is heavily CPU-limited at this resolution and preset, as the GPU is likely not the bottleneck when rendering such a light load.

As resolution increases, the frame rates scale downward in a way that indicates the GPU becomes progressively more important. Comparing 1080p Low to 2160p Low, average FPS drops from 400 to 178, a reduction of 55.5%. Similarly, at High settings, moving from 1080p (268 FPS) to 1440p (191 FPS) to 2160p (119 FPS) shows a consistent decline of roughly 28-37% per step. This scaling behavior is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the rendering load increases significantly with pixel count.

The Ultra preset at 2160p yields 74 FPS, which is the lowest average across all tests. This represents a 55.9% drop from the 168 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. The data suggests that at 1080p, even the most demanding preset leaves ample GPU headroom, allowing the CPU to set the pace. At 2160p, however, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the frame rate falls to levels where the GPU’s rendering throughput becomes the primary constraint.

Preset scaling also highlights the GPU’s role. At 1440p, moving from Low (285 FPS) to Medium (233 FPS) to High (191 FPS) to Ultra (120 FPS) shows the GPU handling an increasing workload with correspondingly lower frame rates. The same pattern appears at 2160p, where Low (178 FPS) drops to Medium (145 FPS), then High (119 FPS), and finally Ultra (74 FPS). The CPU’s influence is most visible at 1080p Low, where the 400 FPS result is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame generation capability, and at 1080p Ultra, where the 168 FPS still indicates strong CPU performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. Low settings deliver an average of 400 FPS. Medium settings average 327 FPS, with a minimum of 278 FPS and a maximum of 376 FPS. High settings average 268 FPS. Ultra settings average 168 FPS. All results at this resolution are well above the 60 FPS playability threshold, with the lowest minimum recorded being 278 FPS at Medium.

At 2560x1440, performance remains exceptionally strong. Low settings average 285 FPS. Medium settings average 233 FPS, with a minimum of 198 FPS and a maximum of 268 FPS. High settings average 191 FPS. Ultra settings average 120 FPS. The minimum frame rate at Medium, 198 FPS, still exceeds the playability threshold by a wide margin.

At 3840x2160, the system handles 4K resolutions with ease. Low settings average 178 FPS. Medium settings average 145 FPS, with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS. High settings average 119 FPS. Ultra settings average 74 FPS. Even the most demanding configuration at 4K, Ultra, maintains an average of 74 FPS, which is 14 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum frame rate at Medium (123 FPS) is more than double the playability threshold.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each increase in resolution or preset tier reduces average FPS, but no tested configuration falls below 60 FPS. The largest drop occurs between 1440p Low (285 FPS) and 2160p Low (178 FPS), a 107 FPS difference. The smallest drop occurs between 1080p High (268 FPS) and 1440p High (191 FPS), a 77 FPS difference.

The Verdict

This PC can definitively run Downfall. The verdict data confirms that all settings at all three tested resolutions — 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160 — are marked as playable. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and every configuration clears it.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra, which averages 74 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold, meaning even the highest quality preset at 4K is fully playable. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings average 120 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the threshold. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings average 168 FPS, ensuring a very smooth experience.

The system’s performance is so strong that no resolution or preset combination requires compromise. The lowest average frame rate recorded across the entire benchmark suite is 74 FPS at 2160p Ultra, which still exceeds the 60 FPS target. This indicates that the hardware has significant headroom, and users can enable maximum settings at any resolution without worrying about dropping below playable frame rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average FPS of 168. This is the highest quality setting available, and it delivers frame rates that are nearly three times the playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings also achieve the highest quality while maintaining playability, with an average FPS of 120. This is exactly twice the 60 FPS threshold, offering a smooth experience with substantial headroom for demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, Ultra settings remain the best choice, averaging 74 FPS. While this is the lowest average among the best settings, it still clears the 60 FPS threshold by 14 FPS. The data indicates that even at 4K resolution, the system can handle the maximum graphical preset without compromising playability.

For all three resolutions, the recommendation is the same: Ultra settings. The measured FPS at Ultra is 168 at 1080p, 120 at 1440p, and 74 at 2160p. No other preset is necessary, as the system’s performance headroom allows for maximum quality without any playability concerns.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 230 out of 3,716 tested combinations in Downfall. This places it in the top 6.2% of all tested systems, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of hardware configurations for this game.

The high rank is consistent with the measured frame rates, which are exceptionally high across all resolutions. A rank of 230 out of 3,716 means that 3,486 other combinations produce lower performance or are less capable of running the game at high settings. This is a strong result, though not the top tier, as some combinations with more powerful components would rank higher.

The percentile data for the individual components supports this ranking. The CPU is in the 91st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. Both are high-performing parts, and their combination in this system produces a result that is well above average. The 91st percentile CPU ranking indicates that only 9% of CPUs are faster, and the 86th percentile GPU ranking shows that only 14% of GPUs are faster. Together, they form a system that is capable of running Downfall at maximum settings with frame rates well above playable levels.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system run Downfall at 4K resolution?*

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, all settings — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable. The Ultra preset averages 74 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 400, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much faster is this system at 1080p compared to 4K?

A: At Low settings, 1080p averages 400 FPS while 4K averages 178 FPS, making 1080p 222 FPS faster. At Ultra settings, 1080p averages 168 FPS while 4K averages 74 FPS, a difference of 94 FPS.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded across all tests?

A: The lowest average FPS is 74, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is still 14 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

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

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54,247, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER’s score of 54,209. This indicates they are nearly identical in performance.

Q: Is the minimum frame rate ever below the playable threshold?

A: No. The only configurations with recorded minimum FPS are Medium settings, which show minimums of 278 FPS at 1080p, 198 FPS at 1440p, and 123 FPS at 2160p. All are well above 60 FPS.