Downfall

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a strong performance profile in Downfall, a horror title that proves to be far more demanding at extreme settings than at lower presets. The recorded data shows a system that comfortably handles 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K remaining viable only when settings are moderated. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, compares the combo against other tested configurations, and identifies the optimal settings for each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four quality presets, yielding twelve distinct data points. All figures represent average FPS, as min and max values were not recorded for this combination.

At 1920x1080, the system is clearly operating well above the playable threshold in every scenario. The Low preset produces an average of 210.5 FPS, making it the fastest configuration tested. Moving to Medium yields 170.9 FPS, while High drops to 142.1 FPS. The most demanding setting, Ultra, still holds an average of 85.7 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a reduction of approximately 59%, but even the worst-case 1080p result leaves substantial headroom.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with narrower margins. Low averages 149 FPS, Medium reaches 122.8 FPS, and High sits at 103.7 FPS. Ultra remains above the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 62.3 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is particularly notable: a 41.4 FPS drop, indicating a steep performance cost for the highest quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits. Low averages 93.3 FPS, Medium drops to 77.5 FPS, and High still manages 65.7 FPS. Ultra, however, falls below the playable threshold with an average of 40.4 FPS. This is the only preset across all resolutions that fails to reach 60 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is 25.3 FPS, the largest single-setting drop recorded in the dataset.

Across all resolutions, the Low to Medium transition costs between 16.2 and 17.2 FPS, while the Medium to High transition costs between 19.1 and 28.8 FPS. The High to Ultra transition is the most punishing, ranging from 15.8 FPS at 4K to 56.4 FPS at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this combination at rank 2148 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall. This positions the system in the upper-middle portion of the tested pool, meaning a majority of configurations outperform it, but it still clears the playable threshold at most settings.

The CPU alone ranks in the 90th percentile among all tested processors, indicating a very strong compute component. The GPU, by contrast, sits in the 65th percentile among all tested graphics cards. This discrepancy suggests the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing, a conclusion reinforced by the frame rate scaling across resolutions.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 20282, while its nearest rivals are all within a narrow band. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480, a 1% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, a 1.2% difference. The Intel Arc B570 scores 20556, a 1.3% difference. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, a 1.5% difference. All four rivals are within 1.5% of the RTX 2070 SUPER's average score, making them effectively interchangeable in terms of raw benchmark performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals show similarly tight clustering. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, which is 0.2% lower than the i5-14600K's 48618 average. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, 0.3% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, 0.7% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, 0.8% lower. These deltas are minor, indicating that the i5-14600K is positioned in a densely populated performance tier.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 65.7 FPS. This leaves a modest buffer above the playable threshold. Ultra is not viable at this resolution, as it averages only 40.4 FPS.

At 2560x1440, all four presets clear 60 FPS. The most demanding option that remains playable is Ultra, averaging 62.3 FPS. This is a narrow margin, only 2.3 FPS above the threshold, so players seeking more consistent performance might prefer High at 103.7 FPS.

At 1920x1080, every preset is comfortably playable. The most demanding setting, Ultra, averages 85.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. This gives players full freedom to enable the highest quality options without concern.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the GPU, the nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, Intel Arc B570, and Intel Arc A750. All four sit within 1.5% of the RTX 2070 SUPER's average benchmark score. In practical terms, a system using any of these graphics cards would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, assuming the same CPU and settings. The RTX 3070 Mobile is a laptop part, so its desktop performance may differ, but the raw benchmark data places it in the same tier.

For the CPU, the nearest rivals are the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, AMD EPYC 4345P, Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX, and Intel Core Ultra 5 245. These processors all score within 0.8% of the i5-14600K's average. Swapping the CPU for any of these would have a negligible impact on Downfall performance, as the game's frame rates are more heavily influenced by the GPU at higher resolutions.

A user building a comparable system could expect similar results with any of these pairings. The key takeaway is that the GPU tier, not the CPU tier, determines whether the game stays above 60 FPS at 4K Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU has sufficient headroom to avoid limiting frame rates. The i5-14600K ranks in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 2070 SUPER ranks in the 65th percentile among GPUs. This gap suggests the graphics card is the weaker link.

Resolution scaling confirms this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 210.5 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 149 FPS, a 29% reduction. At 4K Low, it falls to 93.3 FPS, another 37% reduction. These drops align with the increasing pixel count, which places more load on the GPU. The CPU's workload does not scale the same way, so the frame rate decline is attributable to GPU limits.

Settings scaling shows a similar pattern. At 1080p, going from Low to Ultra costs 124.8 FPS, a 59% reduction. At 1440p, the same transition costs 86.7 FPS. At 4K, it costs 52.9 FPS. The absolute cost decreases as resolution rises, but the percentage reduction remains substantial. This indicates that both settings and resolution heavily tax the GPU, while the CPU stays within its capabilities.

At 4K Ultra, the system falls to 40.4 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. Since the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor at this resolution, the GPU's inability to handle the combined load is the cause. The RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is simply outmatched by the demands of 4K Ultra in this title.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, but not at the highest settings. The High preset averages 65.7 FPS, Low averages 93.3 FPS, and Medium averages 77.5 FPS. Ultra falls below the playable threshold at 40.4 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p?

A: Ultra is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, averaging 62.3 FPS. All four presets at 1440p are playable.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's nearest rivals are all within 1.5% of its average benchmark score. The Quadro M4000M is 1% lower, the RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.2% lower, the Intel Arc B570 is 1.3% lower, and the Intel Arc A750 is 1.5% lower.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile. Frame rate drops across resolutions and settings align with GPU-bound scaling.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Ultra?

A: The recorded average is 85.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How many total combos does this system rank above?

A: This combo ranks 2148 out of 3716 tested combos, meaning it outperforms 1568 other configurations in the database.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER can run Downfall with clear success at most settings. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 85.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, all presets also clear 60 FPS, though Ultra's 62.3 FPS average leaves only a small margin above the threshold. At 3840x2160, the system remains playable on Low, Medium, and High, with High achieving 65.7 FPS, but Ultra drops to 40.4 FPS and should be avoided.

The data supports the conclusion that this is a capable 1080p and 1440p gaming system for Downfall, with 4K available to players willing to reduce quality settings. The GPU is the component that determines the ceiling, and its 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs explains why 4K Ultra is out of reach. Players targeting maximum visual fidelity should stick to 1440p Ultra or 1080p Ultra, while those prioritizing high frame rates can exceed 200 FPS at 1080p Low.