Downfall

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is an overwhelmingly capable combination for Downfall, delivering playable frame rates at every resolution tested. The data confirms that this system clears the 60 FPS threshold with headroom to spare at 1080p and 1440p, and it only falls short of the highest preset at 4K. Benchmark results indicate that the RTX 3080 is the dominant performance driver, with the i5-14400F providing ample support even at lower resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is High, which delivers an average of 89 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 56 FPS on average, falling below the playable threshold. Low and Medium presets also clear the bar, with averages of 133 FPS and 109 FPS respectively, but High offers the best visual fidelity while still providing nearly 50% more performance than the 60 FPS minimum.

At 2560x1440, the system can push all the way to the Ultra preset while staying comfortably above 60 FPS. The average at Ultra is 90 FPS, which is exactly double the playable threshold. This makes Ultra the clear choice for 1440p gaming, as the GPU has enough headroom to handle maximum settings without compromising smoothness. High settings produce 143 FPS, Medium produces 175 FPS, and Low produces 214 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is again the best option, with an average of 125 FPS. This is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, meaning the system is heavily GPU-limited at this resolution. The lower presets are almost academic at this point—High runs at 201 FPS, Medium at 245 FPS, and Low at 299 FPS—but none of them offer a meaningful gameplay advantage over Ultra given the massive performance surplus.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear shift in bottleneck behavior across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 174 FPS (299 vs 125), which indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU is capable of feeding the RTX 3080 at very high frame rates, but the graphics card's workload scales dramatically with settings. The i5-14400F's single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2058 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055, is sufficient to avoid holding back the GPU at this resolution.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the frame rate spread narrows slightly. Low produces 214 FPS and Ultra produces 90 FPS, a difference of 124 FPS. This still points to GPU dominance, but the scaling is less extreme than at 1080p. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities—a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645 and a Passmark multithread score of 25470—ensure that the processor never becomes a limiting factor, even when the GPU is generating over 200 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's role becomes even more pronounced. Low settings yield 133 FPS, while Ultra drops to 56 FPS, a 77 FPS spread. The RTX 3080's raw throughput, measured at 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 and a Passmark G3D score of 25086, is the determining factor. The CPU's contribution is relatively static across resolutions, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 166 FPS (299 to 133), which is entirely attributable to the GPU's pixel and texture processing load. The i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, are more than adequate for this horror title at any resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160

• Low: Average 133 FPS. This is the fastest 4K setting, but the visual compromise is significant.
• Medium: Average 109 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS. The minimum stays well above the playable threshold.
• High: Average 89 FPS. This is the sweet spot for 4K, offering a strong balance of fidelity and performance.
• Ultra: Average 56 FPS. This falls below the 60 FPS target, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

2560x1440

• Low: Average 214 FPS. Extremely high frame rates, indicating the CPU-GPU combination is not stressed.
• Medium: Average 175 FPS, with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 201 FPS. The minimum is still more than double the playable threshold.
• High: Average 143 FPS. A very smooth experience with no risk of stuttering.
• Ultra: Average 90 FPS. The maximum preset delivers a solid 50% margin above the 60 FPS target.

1920x1080

• Low: Average 299 FPS. This approaches the display refresh rate limits of most monitors.
• Medium: Average 245 FPS, with a minimum of 208 FPS and a maximum of 282 FPS. The minimum is over three times the playable threshold.
• High: Average 201 FPS. Still extraordinarily high, with no frame pacing concerns.
• Ultra: Average 125 FPS. The most demanding preset at 1080p still provides a flawless experience.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Downfall, and the data shows it excels at every resolution. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: at 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best choice at 89 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra the best option at 90 FPS. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with Ultra the best option at 125 FPS.

The only scenario where the system fails to clear 60 FPS is 4K Ultra, which averages 56 FPS. This is a marginal miss—just 4 FPS below the threshold—and does not indicate a fundamental hardware limitation. The RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands at 4K, but the Ultra preset's additional effects push the GPU past its limit. For practical purposes, this system is a 4K-capable machine that simply requires a one-step reduction in settings to achieve flawless performance.

The combo rank of 1057 out of 3716 tested combinations places this system in the upper third of all configurations, which is consistent with the measured frame rates. The i5-14400F's percentile ranking of 83 among all CPUs and the RTX 3080's percentile ranking of 68 among all GPUs further confirm that this is a well-balanced pairing for this game. Neither component is a bottleneck in any meaningful sense, and the system delivers a smooth experience across the board.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the Intel Core i5-14400F are all within a fraction of a percent in average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U scores 32233 with a delta of 0.1%, making it functionally identical in performance. The Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32226 with a delta of 0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32354 with a delta of -0.2%. The Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32121 with a delta of 0.5%. Any of these processors would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, as the game is not CPU-bound in the tested configurations.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 are somewhat surprising given the delta percentages. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249 with a delta of -0.3%, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 scores 23250 with a delta of -0.3%, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M scores 23273 with a delta of -0.4%, and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X scores 23276 with a delta of -0.4%. These delta values reflect the average benchmark scores, but the RTX 3080's specific architecture and driver optimizations for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 mean it is likely to outperform these alternatives in actual gaming workloads. However, based purely on the aggregate data, these GPUs are the closest statistical neighbors.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 56 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best 4K setting is High, which averages 89 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 is fully playable, with an average of 90 FPS. This is exactly 1.5 times the playable threshold, so it is the recommended choice.

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

A: At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 299 FPS at 1920x1080 to 133 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 166 FPS. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 125 FPS to 56 FPS, a reduction of 69 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The frame rate scaling between Low and Ultra settings is significant at all resolutions, while the CPU's performance metrics—such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21645—are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 3080.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the data?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 92 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. All other minimum FPS values are either not provided or higher than this figure, indicating consistent frame delivery.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, where the average is 56 FPS. All other tested settings and resolutions maintain an average of at least 89 FPS, which is well above the playable threshold.