Downfall

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Downfall with this configuration shows clear performance headroom across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are exceptionally high, with the Low preset delivering 270.1 FPS, Medium at 253.9 FPS, High at 210.7 FPS, and Ultra at 129.4 FPS. Even at the heaviest settings, this combo never drops below the 60 FPS playable threshold, and the gap between presets is substantial: Ultra runs nearly 52% slower than Low in terms of raw FPS, which indicates that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load on the rendering pipeline.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain high but show a predictable step down. Low settings produce 222.6 FPS, Medium 179.5 FPS, High 149.8 FPS, and Ultra 95 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly linear for each preset, with the Ultra preset dropping from 129.4 to 95 FPS, a reduction of about 26%. This resolution still leaves ample margin above the 60 FPS target, meaning the GPU is not yet the limiting factor at this level.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve flattens as the GPU becomes more stressed. Low settings average 137.5 FPS, Medium 112.2 FPS, High 94.1 FPS, and Ultra 60.6 FPS. The Ultra preset just clears the playable threshold, sitting at 60.6 FPS, which is a critical data point. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is striking: 94.1 versus 60.6 FPS, a 35% drop when enabling the highest preset. This suggests that Ultra at 4K is near the edge of what this combination can sustain, though it does remain technically playable.

No min or max FPS values were recorded in the database, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The data shows no stutter-inducing drops in the averages, but without percentile lows, the consistency of frame pacing cannot be fully assessed. Still, the averages are high enough that even transient drops would likely stay above 60 FPS in most scenarios at 1080p and 1440p.

CPU and GPU Roles

Benchmark results indicate that the GPU dominates performance scaling in Downfall, particularly as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the CPU is more likely to influence the upper bounds, given the very high frame rates: 270.1 FPS on Low settings leaves little room for the processor to keep up with the GPU's output. The Intel Core i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, has a benchmark score of 6629 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 935 in single-core, which places it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. This is a mid-range processor, and at 1080p Low, the data suggests that the CPU could become a bottleneck, since the GPU is capable of far more than the CPU can feed.

The scaling between resolutions confirms this role reversal. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by approximately 18% on Low settings (270.1 to 222.6), and from 1440p to 4K, it drops another 38% (222.6 to 137.5). These percentages are larger than the CPU's influence would predict, indicating that the GPU is carrying the load as pixel count rises. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as the frame rate falls to 60.6 FPS, a value that aligns with the GPU's raw compute limits rather than the CPU's capabilities.

In games like Downfall, which is a horror title with potentially heavy visual effects, the GPU's role grows with preset quality. The RTX 3080 Ti, with its 10,240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, delivers 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The CPU's Cinebench R20 score of 2784 multicore and 392 single-core is modest by comparison, so at lower resolutions, the CPU may cap the maximum frame rate. At higher resolutions and Ultra presets, the GPU's workload dominates, and the CPU's influence diminishes. The data supports this: the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 140.7 FPS, while at 4K the same preset gap is only 76.9 FPS, meaning the GPU is doing relatively more work at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 on average, a delta of -0.2% compared to the i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2254. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, a 0.3% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a 0.4% delta. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, a -0.4% delta. These processors are all within a fraction of a percent of the i5-9400 in average performance, so any of them would behave nearly identically in Downfall when paired with the same GPU. The i3-10305 is slightly faster, while the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is slightly slower, but the differences are negligible in real-world FPS terms.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, which scores 40870 on average (0.8% delta), the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB at 41707 (-1.2%), the NVIDIA Tesla M40 at 41897 (-1.7%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 at 40377 (2% delta). The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41187, so the Radeon Pro 5300 and the Tesla M40 variants are extremely close in raw compute. However, these are professional or datacenter cards, which may have different driver optimizations for gaming. The RTX 5070 is 2% slower on average, which would translate to a small FPS difference in Downfall, likely under 5% in most scenarios. For gaming purposes, the RTX 3080 Ti sits in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, so nearby alternatives would deliver similar but not identical frame rates.

The Verdict

This PC can run Downfall at all tested resolutions and presets, clearing the 60 FPS threshold without exception. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 129.4 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold. Even the heaviest settings at 1440p, Ultra, average 95 FPS, maintaining a comfortable margin. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 60.6 FPS, just above the threshold, but the High preset offers a much safer 94.1 FPS. The verdict by resolution confirms that every resolution and preset combination in the database is playable: 4K Ultra at 60.6 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 95 FPS, and 1080p Ultra at 129.4 FPS.

For users who prioritize smoothness over visual fidelity, the 4K High preset at 94.1 FPS is a better choice than Ultra, given the 35% performance cost of the highest settings. At 1440p and 1080p, there is no reason to avoid Ultra, as the frame rates are well above 60 FPS. The data indicates that this combination is overqualified for 1080p and 1440p, and only at 4K Ultra does it approach the threshold. Overall, this is a capable setup for Downfall, with the GPU being the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 60.6 FPS, which just clears the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Can this system run Downfall at 1440p with High settings?

A: Yes, the average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 149.8 FPS, leaving substantial headroom above the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, while its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259), Intel Core i7-10710U (2248), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246), and Intel Core i3-10305 (2264), are all within 0.4% of its performance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings average 270.1 FPS and Ultra settings average 129.4 FPS, a difference of 140.7 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more important at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the GPU is the primary determinant of performance. The frame rates scale strongly with preset quality, and the CPU's influence is diminished at this resolution.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K based on the data?

A: The Ultra preset at 4K averages 60.6 FPS, which is playable, but the High preset at 94.1 FPS provides a better balance of visual quality and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's measured results for Downfall, this combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 1028 out of 3716 tested combos. This places it in the upper 27% of all configurations, indicating that it performs better than the majority of systems tested for this game. The ranking reflects the strong GPU performance, which is in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, combined with a mid-range CPU that sits in the 47th percentile. The GPU's high percentile dominates the overall ranking, as Downfall is a graphically demanding title. The 1028th rank out of 3716 means that there are many slower combos, but also a significant number of faster ones, likely those with newer or higher-end CPUs and GPUs. The data confirms that this combo is well above average for Downfall, with no resolution or preset failing to reach 60 FPS.