Downfall

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an overwhelming performer in Downfall, clearing the 60 FPS playability threshold with massive headroom at every resolution and preset tested. The data shows this combination is not merely playable; it is excessive for the game’s demands, delivering frame rates that range from 82 FPS at 4K Ultra to 414 FPS at 1080p Low. The only meaningful limitation is the game’s engine at lower resolutions, where the CPU becomes the primary constraint, but even then, performance never approaches anything less than fluid.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a pattern of extreme performance scaling that is heavily influenced by both resolution and graphics settings. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the frame rates are astronomical. With Low settings, the combo produces an average of 414 FPS. Moving to Medium settings drops the average to 361 FPS, with a minimum of 307 FPS and a maximum of 416 FPS. High settings at 1080p yields an average of 296 FPS, while Ultra settings still deliver a commanding 185 FPS average. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the GPU is rarely the bottleneck, and the performance is largely dictated by the CPU’s ability to feed frames.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high, though the scaling from 1080p shows the GPU starting to take on more work. Low settings produce an average of 315 FPS. Medium settings average 258 FPS, with a minimum of 219 FPS and a maximum of 297 FPS. High settings deliver 212 FPS on average, and Ultra settings still maintain a robust 132 FPS average. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable but not dramatic, suggesting that the RTX 4090 has ample bandwidth and compute power to handle the increased pixel count without significant strain.

The most demanding scenario is 3840x2160, where the GPU is fully engaged. At this resolution, Low settings yield an average of 196 FPS. Medium settings average 161 FPS, with a minimum of 136 FPS and a maximum of 185 FPS. High settings produce 132 FPS on average, and Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, still achieve an average of 82 FPS. Even at 4K Ultra, the minimum frame rate is not recorded, but the average of 82 FPS is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold, indicating that the RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

Given the playable threshold of 60 FPS, the data indicates that this combo can run Downfall at the highest settings available in every resolution. At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 82 FPS. This is a conclusive result: the RTX 4090 is powerful enough to handle 4K Ultra with a 36% margin above the threshold, making it the recommended setting for users with a 4K display.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 132 FPS. This is more than double the playable threshold, providing a smooth experience with significant headroom for any potential frame drops in intense scenes. The minimum FPS recorded at Medium settings is 219, which suggests that even the most chaotic moments in the game will not cause the frame rate to dip below playable levels.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are again Ultra, delivering an average of 185 FPS. This is triple the playable threshold, making the experience exceptionally fluid. The data shows that at 1080p, the combo is so powerful that even the most demanding preset cannot challenge it, and users could potentially cap the frame rate to match their monitor’s refresh rate without any loss of smoothness.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more significant role. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 229 FPS (414 vs 185), which is a 55% reduction. This large delta suggests that the GPU is being held back by the CPU at lower settings, as the i5-14400F’s 10 cores and 16 threads are likely maxed out trying to keep up with the RTX 4090’s raw frame generation capability. The CPU’s single-thread performance, as indicated by a Passmark single-thread score of 3701, is solid, but the sheer volume of frames at 1080p Low exceeds what the processor can sustain.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly toward the GPU. The delta between Low and Ultra is 183 FPS (315 vs 132), a 42% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is now more involved in the rendering process, but the CPU still has a substantial influence. The RTX 4090’s 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is being utilized more effectively, but the i5-14400F remains a partner that can keep up without being the primary constraint in most scenarios.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The delta between Low and Ultra is 114 FPS (196 vs 82), a 42% reduction, which is similar in percentage to 1440p but with lower absolute numbers. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings shows a 38% drop in average FPS (132 to 82), which is a significant decrease that can be attributed to the GPU’s workload doubling in pixel count. The RTX 4090’s 16384 shading units and 512 TMUs are being pushed hard, but the CPU is no longer the limiting factor, as the frame rates are high enough that the processor can comfortably supply the necessary draw calls.

The Verdict

This PC can run Downfall flawlessly at every resolution and preset tested. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: all three resolutions, 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160, have all four settings—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—marked as playable. The best settings at each resolution are Ultra, with average frame rates of 185 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K. These results far exceed the 60 FPS playable threshold, meaning users can max out the game’s visual fidelity without any concerns about performance.

The data shows that even the most demanding scenario, 4K Ultra with an average of 82 FPS, provides a comfortable margin above the threshold. The RTX 4090’s 24 GB of VRAM is more than enough for the game’s textures, and the i5-14400F’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain stable frame pacing. There is no scenario in the measured data where this combo fails to meet the playability standard, making it a top-tier choice for Downfall.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals, based on average score, are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, with a score of 32233 and a delta of 0.1%, meaning it performs essentially identically. The Intel Core i9-11900 has a score of 32226, a delta of 0.2%, also matching the i5-14400F’s performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS is slightly faster with a score of 32354, a delta of -0.2%, while the Intel Core i7-12800H trails slightly with a score of 32121, a delta of 0.5%. In practice, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, as the game is not heavily multi-threaded, and the differences are within a fraction of a percent.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60, with a score of 60326 and a delta of 0%, indicating identical performance. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, a delta of 0.3%, which is also effectively the same. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is faster with a score of 61896, a delta of -2.5%, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is slower with a score of 58657, a delta of 2.9%. In gaming terms, these rivals would produce nearly indistinguishable results in Downfall, meaning users with these GPUs can expect similar frame rates at the same settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 137th out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 3.7% of all configurations, which is an exceptional result. The ranking reflects the RTX 4090’s dominance in the GPU hierarchy, as the CPU is a mid-range part that does not significantly hold back the GPU at higher resolutions. The data indicates that while there are 136 combos that perform better, these are almost certainly paired with higher-end CPUs that offer marginal gains in CPU-bound scenarios at 1080p. For the vast majority of users, the i5-14400F provides more than enough processing power to complement the RTX 4090’s immense graphical capabilities, and the overall experience in Downfall is near the top of the chart.