Downfall

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT delivers a playable experience in Downfall across all tested resolutions, though the margin for error shrinks considerably at 4K. The data indicates this combination is well-balanced for a 60 FPS target, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck only at the highest resolution and settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 84 FPS. This leaves substantial headroom, as the Ultra preset is 40% above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset again is the most demanding playable option, producing an average of 60 FPS — exactly at the threshold. This is a tight fit, with no measurable minimum FPS data provided, meaning the average is the sole indicator of playability.

At 3840x2160, the High preset is the most demanding that clears 60 FPS, averaging exactly 60 FPS. The Medium preset reaches 73 FPS and Low hits 89 FPS, but Ultra drops to 37 FPS, which is far below the playable threshold. The 4K Ultra setting is the only configuration in the entire dataset that fails to reach 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU dominance. At 1080p, the CPU has ample room to feed the GPU, as shown by the Low preset reaching 201 FPS — likely a CPU-bound ceiling for this 4-core/8-thread processor. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 143 FPS, a 29% reduction, while 4K Low yields 89 FPS, another 38% drop. This steep decline across resolutions at the same settings points to the GPU being the limiting factor as pixel count rises.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and higher presets. At 1080p Ultra (84 FPS) versus 1440p Ultra (60 FPS), the drop is 29%, similar to the Low preset scaling. However, at 4K Ultra (37 FPS), the performance collapses by an additional 38% compared to 1440p Ultra, indicating the GPU is severely overtaxed. The i3-12100F’s single-thread score of 893 in 3DMark and multi-thread score of 4023 suggest it can sustain high frame rates in less demanding scenes, but the RX 7600 XT’s 22.57 TFLOPS compute is the wall at 4K.

The Medium preset data includes min/max FPS, which offers further insight. At 1080p Medium, the spread is 139–189 FPS, a 36% variance. At 1440p Medium, it narrows to 100–135 FPS, a 35% variance. At 4K Medium, the spread tightens to 62–84 FPS, a 35% variance. This consistent relative variance across resolutions suggests the CPU is not introducing stutter; the bottleneck shifts smoothly from CPU at 1080p to GPU at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 201 FPS, no min/max data.
• Medium: Average 164 FPS, minimum 139 FPS, maximum 189 FPS.
• High: Average 135 FPS, no min/max data.
• Ultra: Average 84 FPS, no min/max data.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 143 FPS, no min/max data.
• Medium: Average 117 FPS, minimum 100 FPS, maximum 135 FPS.
• High: Average 96 FPS, no min/max data.
• Ultra: Average 60 FPS, no min/max data.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 89 FPS, no min/max data.
• Medium: Average 73 FPS, minimum 62 FPS, maximum 84 FPS.
• High: Average 60 FPS, no min/max data.
• Ultra: Average 37 FPS, no min/max data.

FAQ

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

A: No. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces only 37 FPS, well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best 4K setting is High at 60 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Ultra at 2560x1440 averages exactly 60 FPS. This is the maximum quality setting that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more limiting at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 201 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s ceiling given its 4-core design. The GPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the Ultra preset dropping to 84 FPS, a 58% reduction from Low. The data suggests the CPU bounds the maximum frame rate at lower resolutions.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, the drop is from 201 FPS to 89 FPS, a 56% reduction. At Medium, it goes from 164 FPS to 73 FPS, a 55% reduction. At High, the drop is from 135 FPS to 60 FPS, a 56% reduction. The consistent ~55% loss across presets indicates a purely GPU-limited scaling curve.

Q: Does the 4K Medium preset stay above 60 FPS at all times?

A: Yes. The minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 62 FPS, with an average of 73 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS. This is the only 4K preset with min/max data, and it comfortably clears the threshold.

Q: What is the best settings recommendation for a 60 Hz 4K display?

A: Use the High preset, which averages 60 FPS. The Medium preset offers 73 FPS for extra headroom, but High is the most demanding setting that maintains the target.

How This Combo Ranks

This CPU and GPU combination ranks 2347 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall, placing it in the 37th percentile. This is a mid-pack position, suggesting it outperforms the majority of systems but is far from the top tier. The rank reflects the GPU’s 60th percentile standing among all GPUs, while the CPU holds a 68th percentile rank among all CPUs. The 4K Ultra failure is likely what prevents a higher rank, as many newer combos would handle that preset.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 17083 is notably higher than its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which scores 17208 — a 0.7% difference. This puts the RX 7600 XT in the same performance class as a high-end last-generation card. The CPU’s average score of 13494 is nearly identical to the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492, 0% delta) and the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452, 0.3% delta), indicating the i3-12100F punches above its entry-level positioning.

The Verdict

This PC can run Downfall at all three resolutions, but with caveats at 4K. At 1920x1080, every preset is playable, with Ultra averaging 84 FPS — a comfortable experience. At 2560x1440, Ultra is playable at exactly 60 FPS, which is acceptable but leaves no room for demanding scenes. At 3840x2160, the system is playable up to High settings (60 FPS), but Ultra is unplayable at 37 FPS.

The verdict is clear: for 1080p and 1440p gaming, this is a capable system that can max out the game. For 4K, it requires a settings reduction to High or Medium to maintain smooth frame rates. The 16 GB of VRAM on the RX 7600 XT is more than sufficient for this 2016 title, and the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 893) helps maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are nearly identical in average benchmark score. The Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594 (0.7% higher), the Intel Core 3 N355 scores 13492 (0% difference), and the Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452 (0.3% lower). Any of these would behave similarly in Downfall, though the i3-12100F’s 4.30 GHz boost clock and 12 MB of L3 cache give it a slight edge in single-threaded tasks.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 scores 17208 (0.7% higher), making it a near-perfect match in raw compute. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019 (0.4% lower). The RTX 3070 would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, though the RX 7600 XT’s 16 GB VRAM versus the RTX 3070’s 8 GB would give the AMD card an edge in texture-heavy scenes — though the data does not measure this directly. The GTX 690, despite being a dual-GPU card from a prior generation, benchmarks within 0.3% of the RX 7600 XT, suggesting similar real-world performance in this title.

The Tesla M4 (16932, 0.9% lower) is a compute-oriented card and would likely perform similarly in gaming, but lacks consumer display outputs. For practical purposes, the RTX 3070 is the most relevant alternative, as it would produce the same 60 FPS at 4K High and 84 FPS at 1080p Ultra, based on the deltaPct data.