Downfall

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination in Downfall shows a clear progression of performance across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers substantial headroom above the 60 FPS playability threshold across all four settings presets. The Low preset reaches 171.9 FPS average, Medium drops to 140.7 FPS, High settles at 116.9 FPS, and Ultra still maintains 75.6 FPS. None of these figures dip below the playable threshold, making 1080p fully playable at every quality level.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain strong but the top preset begins to show strain. Low produces 123.3 FPS, Medium follows at 104.6 FPS, and High delivers 85.1 FPS. Ultra, however, falls to 50.3 FPS, which sits below the 60 FPS playability line. The gap between High and Ultra at this resolution is substantial, representing a drop of roughly 35 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset carries a heavy rendering cost that this combination cannot fully absorb at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes more dramatically. The Low preset delivers 75.6 FPS, Medium manages 63.3 FPS, and High drops to 50.5 FPS. Ultra falls to 30.6 FPS, which is barely half of the playability threshold. The resolution scaling is steep, and only the Low and Medium presets clear 60 FPS at 4K. The difference between Medium and High at this resolution is about 13 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs nearly 20 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding at 2160p.

All recorded values in the database represent average FPS, with no minimum or maximum frame time data captured for this configuration. The absence of min and max figures means the analysis relies solely on average throughput, which still provides a consistent basis for comparing presets and resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the system maintains very high frame rates across all presets, with Low reaching 171.9 FPS and Ultra at 75.6 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p costs roughly 96 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck when quality settings are raised. The CPU, a six-core Coffee Lake part with a 4.10 GHz boost clock, has enough headroom at this resolution to feed the RTX 2060 without limiting frame output.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with tighter margins. Low produces 123.3 FPS, while Ultra drops to 50.3 FPS, a difference of 73 FPS. The GPU is clearly the dominant factor here, as the resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p reduces Low preset performance by about 48 FPS and Ultra performance by about 25 FPS. The CPU still appears capable of keeping up, since the frame rates remain high enough that GPU rendering time is the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU role becomes even more pronounced. Low delivers 75.6 FPS, Medium 63.3 FPS, High 50.5 FPS, and Ultra 30.6 FPS. The step from 1440p to 4K cuts Low preset performance by roughly 48 FPS and Medium by about 41 FPS. This steep decline across every preset strongly suggests that the RTX 2060, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, is working near its limits at 2160p. The CPU contribution diminishes further at this resolution, as the GPU becomes the clear constraint regardless of quality settings.

The scaling between presets also tells a story about component roles. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is about 56% of the Low value. At 1440p, that difference is about 59% of Low. At 4K, it is about 60% of Low. The consistent proportional gap across resolutions indicates that preset adjustments primarily tax the GPU, while the CPU continues to provide stable frame delivery. The recorded data does not include per-frame CPU or GPU utilization metrics, so the analysis must rely on these aggregate patterns, which point firmly toward GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions and presets.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Downfall at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The recorded average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 75.6, which clears the 60 FPS playability threshold with about 15 FPS of headroom.

Q: What is the best preset at 2560x1440 that stays above 60 FPS?

A: High settings at 1440p produce 85.1 FPS average, which is the most demanding preset that remains playable. Ultra drops to 50.3 FPS and falls below the threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware combination?

A: Only at Low and Medium presets. Low averages 75.6 FPS and Medium averages 63.3 FPS. High drops to 50.5 FPS and Ultra falls to 30.6 FPS, both below the 60 FPS line.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At Low settings, the drop is from 171.9 FPS to 123.3 FPS, a loss of about 48 FPS. At Ultra, the drop is from 75.6 FPS to 50.3 FPS, a loss of about 25 FPS.

Q: Which preset at 1080p offers the highest quality while staying well above 60 FPS?

A: Ultra at 1080p delivers 75.6 FPS, which is above the threshold and provides the best visual fidelity among the tested presets. High, Medium, and Low also all exceed 60 FPS.

Q: Does the Ultra preset ever become playable at any resolution?

A: Only at 1920x1080, where Ultra averages 75.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 50.3 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it averages 30.6 FPS, both below the playability threshold.

The Verdict

The database verdict for this combination is clear: this PC can run Downfall, but the playable range depends heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra reaching 75.6 FPS. This makes 1080p the most flexible resolution, allowing the user to prioritize visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the system remains capable but with restrictions. High settings deliver 85.1 FPS, which is comfortable, while Medium at 104.6 FPS and Low at 123.3 FPS offer even more headroom. Ultra, however, drops to 50.3 FPS, which fails the playability threshold. The verdict for 1440p is that High is the best playable preset, and users should avoid Ultra unless they accept frame rates below 60.

At 3840x2160, the playable options narrow to Low and Medium. Low averages 75.6 FPS and Medium averages 63.3 FPS, both just above the threshold. High at 50.5 FPS and Ultra at 30.6 FPS are not playable by the database standard. The best preset at 4K is Medium, which provides the highest quality while maintaining 63.3 FPS average.

Overall, this system handles Downfall well at 1080p and 1440p with appropriate preset choices, but 4K requires reduced settings. The recorded data shows no min or max FPS values, so the analysis cannot speak to frame pacing or stutter, but the averages indicate a generally smooth experience within the playable preset ranges.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-9400, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259 and a delta of -0.2%, meaning the i5-9400 scores about 0.2% lower. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, which is 0.3% lower than the i5-9400. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, also 0.3% lower. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4% higher. These CPUs would behave similarly in Downfall, since their benchmark deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, suggesting comparable gameplay performance when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 at 15283, a 0% delta, meaning essentially identical average scores. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, 0.1% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, 0.8% lower. These GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, as the benchmark deltas indicate very close performance parity.

When considering a similar system, swapping the CPU to any of these rivals would likely yield FPS figures within a rounding error of the recorded data. The same applies to GPU swaps within the nearest rival group. A system using the i5-9400 with an RTX 3050 OEM, for instance, would likely show FPS values very close to those recorded here, given the 0.6% GPU score difference. The practical impact on gameplay would be negligible, with differences of one or two frames at most in demanding scenes.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with a recorded average of 75.6 FPS. This provides the highest visual quality available in the tested settings while maintaining clear headroom above the playability threshold. Lower presets also work, but Ultra is the best choice for quality.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are High, which delivers 85.1 FPS average. This preset offers a strong balance between visual fidelity and performance, sitting well above the 60 FPS line. Medium at 104.6 FPS and Low at 123.3 FPS are also playable, but High provides more detail without compromising smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Medium, with an average of 63.3 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. Low at 75.6 FPS is also playable, but Medium offers improved visuals while still staying above the line. High and Ultra are not recommended at this resolution, as they fall to 50.5 FPS and 30.6 FPS respectively.

The verdict data confirms these choices, listing Medium as the best settings for 4K, High for 1440p, and Ultra for 1080p. The recorded FPS values at these settings are 63.3, 85.1, and 75.6 respectively, all comfortably above the 60 FPS playability standard.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2964 out of 3716 tested combos in the database for Downfall. This places the system in the lower half of all configurations tested, though the rank reflects the specific hardware pairing rather than absolute playability. The percentile data for the individual components supports this positioning: the CPU sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs.

The rank of 2964 out of 3716 means roughly 20% of tested combos perform worse, while about 80% perform better. This is consistent with the hardware being mid-range at the time of release, as the RTX 2060 is an end-of-life product and the i5-9400 is also end-of-life. The combo's performance in Downfall, however, is still sufficient for playable frame rates at most settings, as the measured FPS data shows.

The database rank does not necessarily correlate with the playability verdict, since many higher-ranked combos likely use newer or more powerful hardware. For this specific game, the measured FPS demonstrates that the combo handles 1080p and 1440p well, with 4K requiring preset compromises. The rank of 2964 provides context for how this system compares to the broader pool of tested configurations, but the concrete FPS figures are more relevant for practical gaming decisions.