Downfall

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 produces an extraordinary performance profile in Downfall, with measured frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold across every resolution and settings combination tested. The data reveals a system that is not merely capable of running the game, but one that obliterates standard performance expectations, making it a top-tier choice for players seeking maximum visual fidelity without compromising on fluidity. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS results, component roles, and how this specific CPU-GPU combination stacks up against other tested hardware.

Best Settings per Resolution

The benchmark data indicates that this combination is so powerful that the "best settings" at each resolution are consistently the highest available preset, with average frame rates that leave substantial headroom above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 84.8 FPS. This is a significant finding, as it means the system can run the game at its highest visual quality at 4K resolution while still maintaining a frame rate that is nearly 50% higher than the playable threshold. The data shows a clear progression from High at 138.5 FPS, through Medium at 167.9 FPS, and Low at 206 FPS, with Ultra being the only preset that dips below the 100 FPS mark, yet it remains comfortably playable.

Moving down to 2560x1440 (1440p), the best settings remain Ultra, with an average of 134.3 FPS. This represents a substantial increase over the 4K Ultra result, indicating that the resolution scaling is highly favorable. The 1440p results show an even wider spread, with High at 220.6 FPS, Medium at 266.3 FPS, and Low achieving an impressive 325.1 FPS. The 134.3 FPS at Ultra is more than double the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring an exceptionally smooth experience with all visual features enabled.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the best settings are again Ultra, delivering an average of 192.2 FPS. This is a remarkable figure for a horror title, where frame rate stability is crucial for maintaining atmospheric tension. The 1080p results are the highest in the entire dataset, with High reaching 304.5 FPS, Medium at 372.4 FPS, and Low peaking at 411.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 192.2 FPS is more than three times the playable threshold, suggesting that the CPU-GPU combination is heavily GPU-bound at this resolution, or that the game engine scales exceptionally well with the available hardware resources.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions provides clear insight into which component is the limiting factor in Downfall. By examining the frame rate deltas between settings and resolutions, we can infer the respective roles of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090.

The most telling observation is the difference between 1080p and 4K results. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 192.2 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 84.8 FPS. This represents a 55.9% reduction in frame rate when resolution increases by a factor of 4. The fact that the frame rate does not drop by 75% (the expected scaling if purely GPU-bound at 4x the pixel count) suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is playing a more significant role in limiting performance. The Intel Core i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is likely reaching its limits in terms of draw call processing and game logic at these very high frame rates.

Conversely, the jump from 1440p to 4K shows a more pronounced GPU influence. At 1440p Ultra, the system hits 134.3 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it falls to 84.8 FPS, a 36.8% reduction for a 2.25x increase in pixel count. This non-linear scaling indicates that as resolution increases, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 becomes the dominant bottleneck, which is expected given the massive pixel throughput required at 4K. The GPU's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are clearly sufficient for the game's demands, but the sheer pixel fill rate needed at 4K Ultra is the primary constraint.

The settings scaling further reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 219.6 FPS (from 411.8 to 192.2), a 53.3% drop. At 4K, the same settings comparison shows a drop from 206 FPS to 84.8 FPS, a 58.8% reduction. The slightly larger percentage drop at 4K suggests that the GPU's workload scales more steeply with settings at higher resolutions, confirming that the RTX 5090 is the decisive factor at 4K while the CPU has more influence at lower resolutions where frame rates are exceptionally high.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of performance across all tested configurations. The dataset does not include separate min or max FPS values, so the analysis relies on average frame rates, which are consistently high.

At 3840x2160, the results are as follows: Low averages 206 FPS, Medium averages 167.9 FPS, High averages 138.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 84.8 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline of approximately 20-30 FPS per settings tier, with the largest single drop occurring between High and Ultra (a 53.7 FPS reduction). This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces significantly more demanding visual effects, likely including advanced shadows, reflections, or post-processing that heavily tax the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are substantially higher across all settings. Low achieves 325.1 FPS, Medium reaches 266.3 FPS, High produces 220.6 FPS, and Ultra maintains 134.3 FPS. The relative scaling between settings is similar to 4K, with Ultra again showing the largest drop from High (86.3 FPS). The 1440p results are particularly notable because even the Ultra preset delivers frame rates that are well above what most high-refresh-rate monitors can display, making this resolution the sweet spot for this hardware combination.

At 1920x1080, the performance is nothing short of extraordinary. Low averages 411.8 FPS, Medium averages 372.4 FPS, High averages 304.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 192.2 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 67.9 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 112.3 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset at 1080p still imposes a significant load on the GPU despite the lower resolution. The 411.8 FPS at Low settings suggests that the game engine is highly optimized for high frame rate rendering when visual effects are minimized.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Downfall? The benchmark data provides an unequivocal yes, with substantial margin to spare. The verdictByResolution field confirms that all resolutions and all settings presets are playable, meaning every configuration tested maintains an average frame rate at or above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system clears the playable threshold with Ultra settings at 84.8 FPS. This is the most demanding scenario in the dataset, and it still delivers a frame rate that is 41% higher than the 60 FPS baseline. Players who prioritize visual fidelity at 4K can enable all settings without concern. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset runs at 134.3 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold, offering an ideal balance of high resolution and high frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves 192.2 FPS, providing an exceptionally smooth experience that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors.

The data suggests that this combination is overkill for Downfall in most scenarios. The game, released in 2016, appears to be well-optimized for modern hardware, and the RTX 5090's immense compute power (104.8 TFLOPS FP32) combined with the i5-14400F's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055) ensures that no bottleneck emerges at any tested setting. The only scenario where the system approaches its limits is 4K Ultra, but even there, the 84.8 FPS average provides a comfortable margin above the playable threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For users considering this specific CPU-GPU pairing, the nearestRivals data provides context on what other hardware would deliver similar overall benchmark scores. It is important to note that these rivals are based on synthetic benchmark averages, not game-specific performance, but they offer a reasonable approximation of comparable compute capability.

On the CPU side, the Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279. Its closest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U with an average score of 32233 (0.1% slower), the Intel Core i9-11900 with a score of 32226 (0.2% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS with a score of 32354 (0.2% faster). The Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32121, which is 0.5% slower. These deltas are extremely small, meaning that swapping the i5-14400F for any of these alternatives would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, provided the GPU remains constant.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB with a score of 79605 (0.3% slower), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB with a score of 79396 (0.6% slower), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT with a score of 78940 (1.1% slower). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, which is 1.4% faster. These rivals are professional or mobile workstation cards, which is an interesting data point, but for gaming purposes, the RTX 5090's driver support and feature set (including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4) make it the superior choice for Downfall. Still, the numerical proximity in benchmarks suggests that the underlying compute performance is comparable, which would translate to similar frame rates in GPU-bound scenarios.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 84.8 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: The highest average frame rate is 411.8 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important at 1080p resolution?

A: At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (ranging from 192.2 FPS at Ultra to 411.8 FPS at Low) that the CPU likely becomes the limiting factor, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames faster than the processor can feed it.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79605, which is 0.3% slower. The fastest rival in the list is the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X at 80959, which is 1.4% faster.

Q: Is the Ultra preset at 1440p playable?

A: Yes, the 1440p Ultra preset runs at an average of 134.3 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 83 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 2.2% of all tested configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 83 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places the system in the 97.8th percentile, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of hardware configurations tested for this game. The ranking is particularly impressive given that the CPU is a mid-range desktop part (the i5-14400F sits in the 83rd percentile vs all CPUs), while the GPU is a top-tier enthusiast card (92nd percentile vs all GPUs). The high combo rank suggests that the game is not particularly CPU-sensitive, allowing the RTX 5090's immense power to shine through. The 10-core, 16-thread i5-14400F provides sufficient processing capability to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at all but the most extreme frame rates, and the 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on the GPU ensures that texture-heavy horror scenes render without issue. For a game released in 2016, this modern hardware combination delivers performance that is likely far beyond what the developers originally targeted, resulting in a definitive "yes" for running Downfall at maximum settings across all resolutions.