Downfall

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a strong performance profile in Downfall, with the recorded data showing a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and presets. The combination ranks 2157 out of 3716 tested configurations in the database, placing it in the upper half of all possible pairings for this title. The measured results indicate that this system is capable of high refresh rate gameplay at lower resolutions, while 4K remains viable only at reduced settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 210 FPS, which is the fastest recorded result across all tests for this configuration. The Medium preset delivers an average of 172 FPS, with a minimum of 146 FPS and a maximum of 198 FPS. High settings produce 141 FPS on average. The Ultra preset remains well above the 60 FPS threshold, posting an average of 88 FPS. Every preset at 1080p clears the playable threshold with substantial headroom, and even the most demanding setting stays nearly 50% above the 60 FPS baseline.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down but remains strong. The Low preset averages 150 FPS. Medium follows at 123 FPS, with a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 141 FPS. High settings produce 101 FPS on average. Ultra drops to 63 FPS, which still meets the playable threshold exactly. The data shows a consistent reduction of roughly 30-40 FPS when moving from 1080p to 1440p at each corresponding preset, indicating that the GPU is handling the additional pixel workload without causing any preset to fall below the 60 FPS mark.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes significantly. Low settings average 94 FPS, which is the only 4K result that offers substantial margin above the threshold. Medium averages 77 FPS, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS, so the frame rate stays above 60 FPS throughout the recorded sampling. High settings average exactly 63 FPS, matching the playable threshold but leaving little room for drops. Ultra falls to 39 FPS on average, which is below the playable threshold and the only tested configuration that fails to maintain 60 FPS. The 4K results show a steep drop-off between Medium and Ultra, with the Ultra preset costing roughly half the frame rate of Medium.

The minimum and maximum FPS values are only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the spread between minimum and maximum is 52 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 36 FPS. At 4K Medium, the spread is 23 FPS. This tightening of frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, reducing the range of frame rates the system can produce.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals how the workload shifts between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the RTX 2070 SUPER. At 1920x1080, the system is likely CPU-bound in lighter presets. The jump from Low at 210 FPS to Medium at 172 FPS is only 38 FPS, while the jump from High at 141 FPS to Ultra at 88 FPS is 53 FPS. The smaller gap between Low and Medium suggests that the CPU is able to feed the GPU adequately at lower settings, and the GPU becomes more involved as settings increase.

The CPU itself has a benchmark profile that places it in the 47th percentile among all processors in the database. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 6629, and its single-core score is 935. The Geekbench results show 5141 multicore and 1389 single-core. These figures indicate a mid-range processor that can handle modern game workloads but is not a top-tier part. The 6-core, 6-thread configuration with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides enough single-thread performance for most game logic, but the lack of hyper-threading could become a factor in scene-heavy moments.

At 2560x1440, the GPU takes on more responsibility. The frame rate drops from 150 FPS at Low to 123 FPS at Medium, a 27 FPS difference, and then to 101 FPS at High and 63 FPS at Ultra. The relative drop from High to Ultra is 38%, which is similar to the 1080p pattern. However, the absolute frame rates are lower, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER is working harder to fill the additional pixels. The GPU's benchmark results support this, with a PassMark G3D score of 18169 and a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The 4K results show that the GPU cannot maintain acceptable frame rates at Ultra settings, dropping to 39 FPS. The CPU is unlikely to be the bottleneck at this resolution, since the frame rate scales consistently with GPU load across presets. The difference between Low at 94 FPS and Medium at 77 FPS is 17 FPS, and between Medium and High is 14 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 24 FPS. The steep decline at Ultra points to the GPU's shading and memory subsystems being saturated.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 150 FPS. The i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2254 places it close to the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259, a delta of -0.2%. This suggests that the CPU's processing power is adequate for high frame rate scenarios, but the lack of additional threads could limit performance in games that scale well beyond 6 threads. Downfall, being a horror title from 2016, does not appear to be heavily multithreaded based on the measured results, so the CPU is likely sufficient for this specific game.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 88 FPS. This is the best visual quality the system can run at 1080p while maintaining a comfortable margin above the playable threshold. The recorded data shows that all four presets are playable at this resolution, but Ultra offers the highest fidelity without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, averaging 63 FPS. This exactly meets the 60 FPS threshold, so it is technically playable, but the margin is thin. The frame rate could dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes, though the database records the average at 63. For players who prefer more headroom, High at 101 FPS would be a safer choice, but the question of maximum quality is answered by Ultra at 63 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are High, averaging 63 FPS. This is the most demanding preset at 4K that remains at or above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium at 77 FPS is also playable and offers more margin, but High provides better visual quality. Ultra at 39 FPS is not playable under the 60 FPS standard. The High preset at 4K is a borderline case, matching the threshold exactly like Ultra at 1440p, but the database records it as playable.

The playable settings list for each resolution confirms these findings. At 4K, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best. At 1440p and 1080p, all four settings are playable, with Ultra being the best in both cases.

FAQ

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

A: No. The 3840x2160 Ultra preset averages 39 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable 4K preset is High, which averages 63 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset for 2560x1440 gameplay?

A: Ultra settings at 1440p average 63 FPS, which meets the playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How does the system perform at 1920x1080?

A: All presets are playable at 1080p. Low averages 210 FPS, Medium averages 172 FPS, High averages 141 FPS, and Ultra averages 88 FPS. Ultra offers the best visual quality while staying well above 60 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER or the i5-9400 more important for this game?

A: At 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the steep frame rate drop at Ultra settings. At 1080p, the CPU becomes more relevant, with frame rates reaching 210 FPS at Low settings, though the GPU still handles the rendering load.

Q: What is the frame rate variance at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 146 FPS and the maximum is 198 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 105 FPS and the maximum is 141 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 65 FPS and the maximum is 88 FPS.

Q: How does this system rank among other configurations in the database for Downfall?

A: The combination ranks 2157 out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the upper portion of the database. The CPU is in the 47th percentile among all processors, and the GPU is in the 65th percentile among all GPUs.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The nearest rivals are all within a very narrow performance band. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, a delta of -0.2%, meaning it is effectively identical in performance. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, a delta of 0.3%, meaning the i5-9400 is slightly faster. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a delta of 0.4%, also slightly slower than the i5. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, a delta of -0.4%, meaning it is marginally faster. Any of these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, since the differences are well under 1%.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282. The nearest rivals show slightly higher scores. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480, a delta of -1%, meaning the RTX 2070 SUPER is about 1% slower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, a delta of -1.2%. The Intel Arc B570 scores 20556, a delta of -1.3%. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, a delta of -1.5%. These deltas are small enough that in-game performance would be nearly indistinguishable. A system with any of these GPUs paired with a similar CPU would produce frame rates within a few FPS of the recorded numbers.

The practical takeaway is that the i5-9400 and RTX 2070 SUPER combination sits in a competitive band of hardware. The CPU rivals are all within 0.4% of its score, and the GPU rivals are all within 1.5%. Players with any of these alternative parts can expect similar behavior in Downfall, with the same general pattern of playable Ultra at 1080p and 1440p, and playable High at 4K.

The Verdict

The data shows that this system can run Downfall successfully at all three tested resolutions, but with different quality ceilings. At 1920x1080, every preset clears 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 88 FPS. This is the best experience the system can offer, with high frame rates and maximum visual settings. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 63 FPS, which just meets the playable threshold. This is playable, but the margin is slim, so players who prioritize smoothness over fidelity might prefer High at 101 FPS. At 3840x2160, High averages 63 FPS, which is the highest playable setting. Medium at 77 FPS offers more headroom, while Ultra at 39 FPS is not playable.

The verdict by resolution confirms these findings. At 4K, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High as the best option at 63 FPS. At 1440p, all settings are playable, with Ultra as the best at 63 FPS. At 1080p, all settings are playable, with Ultra as the best at 88 FPS. The system is fully capable of running Downfall with high visual quality at 1080p and 1440p, and with reduced but still playable settings at 4K. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient for this title, and the i5-9400's six cores provide enough processing power for the game's demands. For a horror game that relies on atmosphere and tension, the ability to maintain 60 FPS at High settings in 4K is a solid result, and the 1080p and 1440p performance ensures smooth gameplay across a wide range of display configurations.