Downfall

Downfall, a horror title from 2016, presents a varied performance profile for the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination. The measured data indicates that this system's capability is heavily dependent on the chosen resolution and graphics preset. Across the board, the benchmark results show a clear pattern: the system comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold at lower resolutions and settings, but struggles to maintain that pace at the highest 4K Ultra preset. The analysis below breaks down the exact measured frames per second, assesses the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides a definitive guide to which settings are playable at each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for this combination provides a comprehensive set of average frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the performance is exceptionally high. The Low preset yields an average of 240 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 196 FPS, with a minimum of 167 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS. The High preset reaches an average of 161 FPS, and even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains an average of 101 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the system has significant headroom, ensuring a highly fluid experience even with maxed-out settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very strong but show a predictable decline from the 1080p results. The Low preset averages 171 FPS, which is a substantial 69 FPS lower than its 1080p counterpart. The Medium preset averages 140 FPS, with minimum and maximum values of 119 FPS and 161 FPS, respectively. High settings produce an average of 115 FPS. The Ultra preset, while still playable, sees a more significant drop to an average of 72 FPS, exactly matching the 60 FPS playable threshold with less headroom than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance becomes more constrained. The Low preset still delivers a very playable average of 107 FPS. The Medium preset averages 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS, indicating stable performance. The High preset averages 72 FPS, which remains above the playable threshold. However, the Ultra preset causes a significant performance cliff, dropping the average frame rate to 45 FPS. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold, making 4K Ultra a non-viable option for smooth gameplay.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling of frame rates across resolutions provides insight into the balance between the CPU and GPU for this title. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the average frame rate decreases. This is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario, where the graphics card becomes the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts. The transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a significant drop in performance across all presets, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced, particularly on the Ultra preset.

The performance drop from 1440p Ultra (72 FPS) to 4K Ultra (45 FPS) is a 27 FPS decrease, which is a substantial 37.5% reduction. This steep decline suggests that the Radeon RX 7700's processing capabilities are being saturated at 4K Ultra, and the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. Conversely, the relatively small difference between the 1080p Ultra (101 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (72 FPS) shows the GPU still has a significant workload at 1440p, but the headroom is reduced.

The CPU's influence is more apparent at lower resolutions and presets. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 240 FPS, a rate that is often limited by CPU processing power in many games. The fact that this combination reaches such a high frame rate suggests the Intel Core i5-13400F is more than capable of feeding the GPU in this scenario. However, the data shows that the scaling between presets is not uniform. For instance, at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 139 FPS, while at 4K, the difference between the same presets is only 62 FPS. This compression of frame rates at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is the dominant factor determining performance in Downfall, with the CPU's role being most critical when the game is not heavily taxing the graphics card.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Downfall at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average FPS of 101 at 1920x1080 with the Ultra preset, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the performance at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system achieves an average FPS of 140, with a minimum of 119 FPS and a maximum of 161 FPS, providing a very smooth experience.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: It is viable, but with limitations. The system can run 4K at High settings with an average of 72 FPS. However, the Ultra preset at 4K drops to an average of 45 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: How does the system perform at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system reaches an average of 240 FPS, indicating extremely high performance that is likely CPU-bound or limited by the game's engine.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1440p to stay above 60 FPS?

A: The data indicates that all presets, including Ultra, remain above 60 FPS at 1440p. The Ultra preset averages 72 FPS, making it the best visual option that still meets the playable threshold.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 74 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. This indicates that even in demanding scenarios, frame rates rarely dip below a smooth threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination is ranked 1735 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall. This places it in the 46.7th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it is a mid-pack performer for this specific game. This ranking suggests that while the system is not at the top tier for this game, it outperforms a significant portion of the tested hardware configurations.

The ranking is somewhat surprising given the high frame rates achieved at 1080p and 1440p. It is likely that the ranking is influenced by the system's performance at 4K Ultra, where it falls below the playable threshold. Many higher-ranked combinations may be able to maintain playable frame rates at this most demanding setting. This data highlights that for a game like Downfall, the ability to handle 4K Ultra is a key differentiator in overall ranking, even if a system performs excellently at lower resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals for both the CPU and GPU, several other components would likely produce similar performance in this system. The Intel Core i5-13400F's closest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, with a negligible 0% performance delta, and the Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, both with a -0.3% delta. Swapping the CPU for any of these would result in nearly identical frame rates in Downfall. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H is also a very close match, with a 0.4% positive delta, meaning it could offer a marginal performance increase.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7700's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which has a -0.1% performance delta. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.1% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 9060 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti are 1% and 1.7% slower, respectively. Substituting the GPU with any of these cards would result in very similar performance characteristics. A system with any of these CPU or GPU alternatives would be expected to produce benchmark results that are nearly indistinguishable from the tested combination in Downfall.

The Verdict

The benchmark data clearly indicates that this PC can run Downfall effectively, with its capability varying by resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold with ease on all presets, including Ultra, which averages 101 FPS. At 2560x1440, the system also remains above 60 FPS on all presets, with Ultra averaging 72 FPS. The system is also capable of 4K gaming, but with a caveat. The High preset at 3840x2160 averages 72 FPS, clearing the threshold. However, the Ultra preset at this resolution is not playable, as it drops to an average of 45 FPS.

In summary, the system is fully capable of running Downfall at high frame rates for 1080p and 1440p gaming, regardless of the preset chosen. For 4K gaming, the system is limited to High settings and below to maintain a playable experience. The verdict by resolution confirms that the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium at 4K; High, Low, Medium, and Ultra at 1440p; and High, Low, Medium, and Ultra at 1080p. The data shows a system that is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p play, but not for maxed-out 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

The optimal preset for each resolution is defined as the most demanding setting that maintains an average FPS of at least 60. At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is High, which achieves an average of 72 FPS. While Medium is also playable at 87 FPS, High offers superior visual quality while still providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset is not viable at this resolution due to its 45 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Ultra, which achieves an average of 72 FPS. This allows the user to enable all graphical features while maintaining a smooth experience. The High preset at 115 FPS is also an option for those who prefer higher frame rates, but Ultra is the most visually demanding preset that still meets the playability criterion.

At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is also Ultra, which achieves an average of 101 FPS. This provides an excellent balance of visual fidelity and performance, with enough headroom to ensure that even demanding scenes will rarely cause the frame rate to drop below the playable threshold. In all cases, the selected "best setting" provides the highest visual quality possible while ensuring the average frame rate never drops below the 60 FPS playable standard.