Downfall

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 377th out of 3,716 tested combinations in Downfall. That places this pairing in the top 10.2 percent of all recorded combos, which is a strong showing for a horror title that leans on both CPU and GPU resources. The data indicates this system is well above the median performer, and the percentile positioning confirms that most other tested rigs will deliver lower average frame rates.

The CPU, an Intel Core i5-10400F with 6 cores and 12 threads, sits at the 68th percentile among all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 14,185. The GPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, reaches the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60,347. The GPU is clearly the dominant hardware here, and that shows in the measured frame rates. The RTX 4090 is a top-tier card from the GeForce 40-series, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, 16,384 shading units, and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus. Its 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth and 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute provide enormous headroom for demanding scenes.

Given that Downfall is a horror game released in 2016, the engine is not new, but the RTX 4090 still pushes frame rates far beyond what most systems achieve. The combo rank of 377 out of 3,716 means only about 376 other pairings outperform it. That is an elite tier. For comparison, the CPU alone is only average-to-good, but the GPU lifts the entire system. The data shows the bottleneck is not the graphics card; it is the older Comet Lake processor, which has a boost clock of 4.30 GHz and a base clock of 2.90 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra. The measured average frame rate at Ultra is 81.4 FPS. That is comfortably above the playable threshold of 60 FPS, and it means the system can run the game at maximum visual quality at 4K without dipping below playable levels. High settings at 4K produce 135.1 FPS, Medium produces 162.4 FPS, and Low produces 196.8 FPS. All four presets are playable at 4K, but Ultra is the best choice for image quality while still maintaining a frame rate headroom of over 20 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 134.6 FPS. The other presets are far higher: High delivers 214.2 FPS, Medium delivers 237.2 FPS, and Low delivers 251.7 FPS. Every preset at 1440p is not just playable, it is exceptionally smooth. The gap between Ultra and High is 79.6 FPS, which shows that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load, but the RTX 4090 still handles it with ease.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra again, with an average of 184 FPS. High settings reach 243.4 FPS, Medium reaches 262.8 FPS, and Low reaches 285.2 FPS. At 1080p, the CPU becomes more relevant, and the i5-10400F does start to limit the frame rates at the lower presets. Still, even at Ultra, the system is far beyond the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows that at every resolution, the maximum preset is the recommended choice, because the RTX 4090 has enough compute headroom to render Downfall at its highest visual quality while staying well above 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals how the balance shifts across resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant factor. The frame rate drops from 196.8 FPS at Low to 81.4 FPS at Ultra, a reduction of 115.4 FPS, which is a 58.6 percent decrease. That is a large swing driven almost entirely by GPU load, because at 4K the rendering resolution taxes the graphics card far more than the CPU. The i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has enough compute to feed the GPU at 4K even at Low settings, where the frame rate is nearly 200 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the GPU still leads, but the CPU starts to show its influence. Low settings produce 251.7 FPS, Medium produces 237.2 FPS, and High produces 214.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 117.1 FPS, which is similar in absolute terms to 4K. However, the percentage drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 46.5 percent, smaller than at 4K. That indicates the GPU is still the primary bottleneck, but the CPU is beginning to cap the lower presets. At Low settings, the frame rate of 251.7 FPS is likely close to the CPU's maximum output for this game.

At 1920x1080, the CPU role becomes more pronounced. Low settings hit 285.2 FPS, but Ultra drops to 184 FPS, a reduction of 101.2 FPS, or 35.5 percent. The absolute frame rates are higher than at 1440p, but the relative scaling is flatter. That means the CPU is limiting the top end. The i5-10400F cannot push much beyond 285 FPS in Downfall at 1080p Low, regardless of the GPU's capability. The RTX 4090 is not the constraint at that point; the processor is. This is typical for a high-end GPU paired with a mid-range CPU from the Comet Lake generation.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is clear: at 4K, the GPU dictates performance; at 1080p, the CPU becomes a co-limiting factor, especially on Low and Medium presets. At 1440p, the GPU still dominates, but the CPU headroom is narrower. The data suggests that for users who prioritize 4K Ultra, this combo is GPU-bound and will deliver consistent frame rates. For users targeting 1080p at very high frame rates, the CPU will cap performance around 285 FPS, which is still far above any practical display refresh rate.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database provides nearest rival comparisons for both the CPU and GPU based on average benchmark scores. For the Intel Core i5-10400F, the closest matches are the Intel Xeon 6756E, the Intel Core 7 160UL, the AMD EPYC 7552, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C. The Intel Xeon 6756E has an average score of 14,163, which is 0.2 percent lower than the i5-10400F's 14,185. The Intel Core 7 160UL scores 14,232, which is 0.3 percent higher. The AMD EPYC 7552 scores 14,115, which is 0.5 percent lower. The AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14,277, which is 0.6 percent higher. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical performance in Downfall when paired with the same GPU. The i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor, and the rivals in its class are all within a negligible margin.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the nearest rivals are the Intel Arc Pro A60, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710. The Intel Arc Pro A60 has an average score of 60,326, which is 0 percent different from the RTX 4090's 60,347. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140, which is 0.3 percent lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896, which is 2.5 percent higher. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657, which is 2.9 percent lower. The closest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, is essentially identical in average benchmark score, so swapping to that GPU would yield almost the same frame rates in Downfall. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is the only rival that is slightly faster, by 2.5 percent, which would translate to a small but measurable increase in FPS. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 is the slowest of the group, but still within 2.9 percent.

In practical terms, a user with the i5-10400F and any of these rival CPUs would see the same performance, because the delta is under 1 percent. Similarly, a user with the RTX 4090 and the Intel Arc Pro A60 would see no meaningful difference. The benchmark data indicates that this combo's performance is not unique; several other pairings of similar CPUs and GPUs would produce nearly identical results in Downfall.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data includes average FPS for each resolution and preset combination. Minimum and maximum FPS values are not available in the database, so the analysis relies on average frame rates.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 196.8 FPS average
• Medium: 162.4 FPS average
• High: 135.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 81.4 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 251.7 FPS average
• Medium: 237.2 FPS average
• High: 214.2 FPS average
• Ultra: 134.6 FPS average

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 285.2 FPS average
• Medium: 262.8 FPS average
• High: 243.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 184 FPS average

The pattern is consistent: as resolution increases, frame rates drop across all presets. The largest absolute drop from 1080p to 4K occurs at Low settings, where the average goes from 285.2 FPS to 196.8 FPS, a difference of 88.4 FPS. At Ultra, the drop from 1080p to 4K is from 184 FPS to 81.4 FPS, a difference of 102.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding configuration tested, and it still averages 81.4 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold.

The scaling between Medium and High is also notable. At 4K, Medium delivers 162.4 FPS and High delivers 135.1 FPS, a gap of 27.3 FPS. At 1440p, Medium delivers 237.2 FPS and High delivers 214.2 FPS, a gap of 23 FPS. At 1080p, Medium delivers 262.8 FPS and High delivers 243.4 FPS, a gap of 19.4 FPS. The gap narrows at lower resolutions, which again points to the CPU becoming more influential at 1080p.

The Ultra preset is the outlier in every resolution. At 4K, the drop from High to Ultra is 53.7 FPS, which is more than double the drop from Medium to High. At 1440p, the drop from High to Ultra is 79.6 FPS. At 1080p, the drop from High to Ultra is 59.4 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset includes effects or lighting features that are disproportionately expensive, likely ray-traced or high-fidelity shadows, but the RTX 4090's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores handle the load well enough to keep frame rates playable.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average frame rate is 81.4 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440?

A: The best settings at 2560x1440 are Ultra, with an average frame rate of 134.6 FPS. All other presets are also playable, but Ultra offers the highest visual quality while staying far above 60 FPS.

Q: Which component limits performance more at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU becomes a limiting factor. The average frame rate at Low settings is 285.2 FPS, which is likely near the maximum output of the Intel Core i5-10400F in this game. The GPU has more headroom than the CPU at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60,347. The closest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60,326, which is a 0 percent difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896, which is 2.5 percent higher.

Q: What is the frame rate at 2560x1440 on High settings?

A: The measured average frame rate at 2560x1440 with High settings is 214.2 FPS. That is well above the playable threshold and provides a smooth experience.

Q: Is the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 the most demanding tested configuration?

A: Yes. The lowest average frame rate among all tested combinations is at 4K Ultra, which records 81.4 FPS. Even this most demanding setting stays above 60 FPS.