Downfall

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Downfall, but the Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Benchmark data shows this combo ranks in the 67.8th percentile against all tested combinations, placing it at rank 1197 out of 3716. The pairing is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU's four cores proving sufficient to feed the RDNA 2 graphics card even at maximum settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces exceptional frame rates across all presets. Low settings yield an average of 286.7 FPS, while Medium reaches 234.5 FPS. High settings maintain a strong 191.6 FPS average, and even the demanding Ultra preset stays well above playable levels at 119.6 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 58.3% reduction in average frame rate, indicating that the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting even at this lower resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance profile remains impressive. Low settings deliver 207.2 FPS on average, with Medium at 170.8 FPS and High at 141.7 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces an average of 89.9 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold with a comfortable 49.8% margin. The drop from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra is 24.8%, showing that resolution scaling has a noticeable but manageable impact on this hardware combination.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes significantly. Low settings still manage a very playable 129.5 FPS average, Medium follows at 105.2 FPS, and High holds at 87.9 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, falls to 54 FPS on average, which sits 10% below the 60 FPS playable threshold. This represents the only configuration in the entire dataset that fails to meet the playability standard. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is 33.9 FPS, a substantial 38.6% drop that highlights the extreme cost of the Ultra preset at this resolution.

The data shows a consistent pattern: average frame rates scale nearly linearly with resolution for a given preset. For example, High settings produce 191.6 FPS at 1080p, 141.7 FPS at 1440p (a 26% reduction), and 87.9 FPS at 4K (a 38% further reduction). This suggests that the RX 6800 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to avoid memory-related bottlenecks, with pure compute performance driving the frame rate differences.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, appears to be a capable partner for this GPU in Downfall. The CPU's single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by its 3dmark single-thread score of 893 and cinebench r23 single-core score of 1674. At 1080p, where CPU overhead is typically highest, the combo still achieves 286.7 FPS on Low settings, suggesting that the processor is not a limiting factor even at very high frame rates.

The GPU becomes progressively more dominant as resolution increases. At 1440p, the frame rate drop from 1080p is proportionally larger than what would be expected if the CPU were the bottleneck. At 4K, the Ultra preset's 54 FPS average strongly indicates GPU-bound performance, as the RX 6800 XT's 20.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is being fully utilized. The scaling between Low and Ultra at 4K (129.5 FPS down to 54 FPS) represents a 58.3% reduction, which is almost identical to the 1080p scaling, reinforcing that the GPU is the primary performance driver across all tested resolutions.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when comparing the 3dmark multi-threaded scores. The 4-thread score of 2859 and 8-thread score of 4026 show that the processor scales well up to its physical core count, but the max-thread score of 4023 indicates minimal benefit from hyper-threading. In Downfall, a horror game that likely does not heavily utilize more than a few threads, this CPU configuration appears sufficient to avoid stalling the GPU at any preset below 4K Ultra.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Intel Core i5-9500 offers nearly identical average benchmark performance at 13452 versus the i3-12100F's 13494, with a delta of just 0.3%. This older 6-core processor would behave similarly in Downfall, likely providing comparable frame rates in GPU-bound scenarios. The Intel Core 3 N355 matches almost exactly with an avgScore of 13492 and a delta of 0%. The Core 5 120UL is slightly faster at 13594 (a -0.7% delta, meaning the i3-12100F is 0.7% slower), and the Core i7-1250U trails at 13351 with a delta of 1.1%.

For the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 sits 3% below the RX 6800 XT in average benchmark score at 50001 versus 48477. This older architecture would produce somewhat lower frame rates in Downfall, particularly at 4K Ultra where the 54 FPS average might dip closer to the 50 FPS range. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is 3% faster at 49957, which would push 4K Ultra slightly above the 60 FPS threshold. The Intel Arc A550M is 2.5% faster at 49737, potentially offering a marginal improvement in the most demanding preset. The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile is 1.5% slower at 47743, which would likely result in 4K Ultra performance in the low 50s FPS range.

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo run Downfall at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 54 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable setting at 4K is High, which averages 87.9 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 are fully playable, with an average of 89.9 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-9500?

A: The Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, while the Core i5-9500 scores 13452. This places the i3-12100F 0.3% ahead, meaning performance in Downfall should be virtually identical between the two processors.

Q: Is the RX 6800 XT significantly faster than the RX Vega 64 for this game?

A: The RX 6800 XT has an average benchmark score of 48477, while the RX Vega 64 scores 50001. This indicates the RX 6800 XT is 3% faster, which would translate to roughly 2-3 FPS difference at 4K Ultra settings.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 191.6 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high refresh rate monitors.

Q: Does the combo rank highly among all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 1197 out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the 67.8th percentile. This indicates it performs better than roughly two-thirds of all tested hardware combinations in Downfall.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1197 out of 3716 places this pairing in the upper third of all tested configurations for Downfall. This ranking reflects the strong performance of the RX 6800 XT, which sits in the 85th percentile among all GPUs, combined with the i3-12100F's more modest 68th percentile among CPUs. The GPU's high percentile is the primary driver of this combo's overall position, as the 4K Ultra result of 54 FPS is the only weak point in an otherwise capable setup.

In practical terms, this ranking means that a majority of tested combos are slower in Downfall, but a substantial minority of higher-end configurations will outperform it. The RX 6800 XT's nearest rivals include the RTX 5070 Ti and RX Vega 64, both of which are within 3% of its average benchmark score. This suggests that the combo's rank is representative of a mid-to-high tier gaming system that excels at 1080p and 1440p but struggles to maintain Ultra settings at 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 119.6 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides the highest visual fidelity available. All presets at this resolution are playable, with even Low settings producing 286.7 FPS for competitive or high refresh rate play.

For 2560x1440, Ultra settings again provide the best experience with 89.9 FPS average. This is 49.8% above the 60 FPS threshold, leaving headroom for demanding scenes. Every preset at this resolution is playable, with High settings offering 141.7 FPS for those who prefer higher frame rates over maximum visual quality.

At 3840x2160, High settings are the most demanding playable option, averaging 87.9 FPS. The Ultra preset fails to meet the 60 FPS threshold at 54 FPS average. Users with 4K displays should select High for a smooth experience, while Medium (105.2 FPS) or Low (129.5 FPS) are viable alternatives for those prioritizing frame rate stability over visual fidelity.