Downfall

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptional frame rates in Downfall, placing the combo at rank 150 out of 3716 tested configurations. Measured data shows this pairing clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at every resolution and preset combination tested, with the strongest performance at 1080p where even the most demanding settings produce an average of 185 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the measured results span a wide range depending on the preset. Low settings produce an average of 196 FPS, while Medium averages 161 FPS with a documented minimum of 136 FPS and maximum of 185 FPS. High settings drop to 132 FPS on average, and the Ultra preset still maintains an 82 FPS average. The spread from 82 to 196 FPS across presets demonstrates that the RTX 4090 has substantial headroom even at 4K, though the Ultra preset begins to show the game's load scaling.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS figures rise considerably. Low settings hit 315 FPS, Medium averages 258 FPS with a minimum of 219 FPS and a maximum of 297 FPS, High reaches 212 FPS, and Ultra delivers 132 FPS. The jump from 4K to 1440p yields roughly 60% higher frame rates at the Ultra preset, indicating that pixel count is the dominant factor in this resolution transition.

At 1920x1080, the combination becomes almost CPU-bound in the sense that frame rates exceed typical display refresh rates. Low settings average 384 FPS, Medium averages 358 FPS with a minimum of 304 FPS and maximum of 411 FPS, High reaches 296 FPS, and Ultra still produces 185 FPS on average. The largest recorded minimum of 304 FPS at Medium settings means the system never drops below the 60 FPS threshold under any measured condition.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolution and presets reveals an interesting balance. The i3-12100F is a quad-core processor with a 3.30 GHz base and 4.30 GHz boost clock, while the RTX 4090 is a flagship GPU with 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory. The data shows that as resolution decreases from 4K to 1080p, the frame rate increases by roughly 46% at Low settings (196 to 384 FPS) and 126% at Ultra settings (82 to 185 FPS). This larger relative jump at Ultra suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU's ability to feed draw calls becomes more significant, but the i3-12100F's 8-thread design and 12 MB L3 cache are sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output.

At 4K Ultra, the average of 82 FPS indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the pixel fill rate demand of 3840x2160 with Ultra details outstrips the CPU's frame preparation capacity. However, at 1080p Low, the 384 FPS result shows the CPU can still push very high frame rates when the GPU load is reduced. The RTX 4090's 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth and 16384 shading units allow it to scale efficiently across settings, but the i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads set a practical ceiling around 400 FPS in this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdict data lists every preset at every resolution as playable, meaning all settings clear the 60 FPS threshold. However, the "best settings" designation refers to the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, which in all three cases is Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 82 FPS. This is the only resolution where Ultra drops below 100 FPS, but it remains comfortably above the playable threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 132 FPS, providing a strong margin over the 60 FPS minimum. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 185 FPS, which is more than triple the playable threshold. The data indicates that users can max out every graphics setting at any resolution with this combo and still maintain a playable experience, with the caveat that 4K Ultra offers less headroom for demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 150th out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 4% of all configurations in the database. This rank reflects the RTX 4090's 88th percentile standing among all GPUs and the i3-12100F's 68th percentile among all CPUs. The gap between the two components' percentiles suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, as the GPU's performance class far exceeds the processor's mid-range positioning. Yet, the measured FPS data shows that this imbalance does not prevent excellent results in this particular title.

The combo's rank of 150 is notable because it exceeds what the CPU's individual percentile would suggest, indicating that Downfall is not heavily CPU-threaded and can leverage the GPU's raw power effectively. The i3-12100F's single-thread performance, measured at 1674 in Cinebench R23, proves adequate for the game's engine, while the RTX 4090's massive shading and texture throughput carries the workload.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 82 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data lists Ultra as the best settings at this resolution.

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

A: The highest average FPS is 384, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p also exceeds 350 FPS, with an average of 358.

Q: Does the i3-12100F bottleneck the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The data shows the CPU holds back the GPU to some degree at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average is 384 FPS, and at 4K Low it is 196 FPS, but the scaling from 4K to 1080p is less than proportional, suggesting a CPU-imposed limit near 400 FPS.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of quality and performance?

A: 2560x1440 with Ultra settings delivers 132 FPS on average, providing a high-quality visual experience with a frame rate that is more than double the 60 FPS threshold. This is the highest resolution where Ultra remains above 120 FPS.

Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate drops below 60 FPS?

A: No. All 12 measured combinations (four presets across three resolutions) produce average frame rates above 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 82 FPS at 4K Ultra, and the lowest documented minimum is 136 FPS at 4K Medium.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 150th out of 3716 tested configurations, placing it in the top 4% of all combos in the database for Downfall performance.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Downfall at any resolution with any preset. The verdict by resolution confirms that all playable settings at 3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080 clear the 60 FPS threshold. The best settings at each resolution are Ultra, with average FPS values of 82 at 4K, 132 at 1440p, and 185 at 1080p. The only consideration is that 4K Ultra's 82 FPS average leaves less headroom than the lower resolutions, but it still satisfies the playability requirement. For users with high-refresh-rate displays, the 1440p and 1080p results provide ample margin, with the 1080p Ultra result exceeding 175 FPS on average.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the i3-12100F are all close in average benchmark score. The Intel Core 3 N355 matches the i3-12100F with a deltaPct of 0, meaning identical average performance. The Intel Core i5-9500 is 0.3% faster, the Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% slower, and the Intel Core i7-1250U is 1.1% faster. These differences are negligible, so any of these CPUs would deliver essentially the same frame rates in Downfall when paired with the RTX 4090.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60 with a 0% delta, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 0.3% faster, the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M at 2.5% slower, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 at 2.9% faster. The Intel Arc Pro A60 is the closest match in raw compute benchmark terms, but the measured FPS data for this game is specific to the RTX 4090, so real-world results may vary slightly with these alternatives. The small deltaPct values across all four GPU rivals suggest that swapping to any of these would produce broadly similar FPS figures, within a few percentage points of the 82-384 FPS range measured here.