Downfall

Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is a pairing that mixes an older six-core processor with a much newer, high-end graphics card. In Downfall, the benchmark data shows this combo produces playable frame rates across all tested resolutions, though the gap between the CPU and GPU generations becomes visible in how the frame rates scale. The RTX 4070 carries most of the load, and the i5-9400 keeps up well enough to avoid dragging the experience below the 60 FPS threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, this system is firmly in high-refresh territory. The Low preset averaged 270.3 FPS, which is the highest recorded number across the entire test set. Medium followed closely at 251.3 FPS, and High dropped to 207.5 FPS. Even the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding setting available, averaged 131.4 FPS. Those numbers show that at 1080p, the RTX 4070 is not being pushed anywhere near its limits, and the CPU is still feeding frames fast enough to keep everything well above the playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain extremely strong but start to show the expected scaling penalty. Low averaged 222.1 FPS, Medium hit 185 FPS, and High produced 152.6 FPS. Ultra averaged 95.1 FPS, which is still comfortably above 60 FPS and represents a very playable experience for a horror title. The drop from High to Ultra at this resolution is about 38%, which is a significant hit but not a catastrophic one given the high starting point.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4070 begins to work harder. Low averaged 141.7 FPS, Medium came in at 117 FPS, and High averaged 90.7 FPS. Ultra is the only setting that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, averaging just 57.3 FPS. That is the single recorded point in the entire dataset where this combo fails to hit the playability target. Every other resolution and preset combination clears 60 FPS by a wide margin.

It is notably the measured FPS data only includes average frame rates. Minimum and maximum frame values are not recorded in the database, so the analysis relies solely on averages. For a horror game, frame time consistency matters, and the average numbers here suggest a smooth experience, but the absence of 1% lows means transient dips cannot be assessed from this dataset.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 4070 is the dominant component in this pairing, and the i5-9400 is rarely the bottleneck. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K tells the story. At 1080p Low, the system hits 270.3 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 222.1 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 141.7 FPS. That is a steady, predictable decline that tracks with the GPU's rendering load. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would cluster closer together at lower resolutions, where the GPU has less work to do.

The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution also points to GPU dominance. At 1080p, Low to Ultra drops from 270.3 FPS to 131.4 FPS, a 51% reduction. At 1440p, the same comparison goes from 222.1 FPS to 95.1 FPS, a 57% reduction. At 4K, Low to Ultra goes from 141.7 FPS to 57.3 FPS, a 60% reduction. The increasing percentage drop at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is scaling its workload as expected, while the CPU maintains a consistent enough level of performance to avoid becoming the primary constraint.

The i5-9400's benchmark profile supports this interpretation. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 and Geekbench multicore score of 5141 place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, which is a mid-pack result. The RTX 4070, by contrast, sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs with a Passmark G3D score of 26927. The GPU is clearly the stronger component, and in Downfall, that strength translates directly into high frame rates at every resolution except 4K Ultra.

At 4K Ultra, the 57.3 FPS result suggests that the GPU is finally hitting its limit. The CPU is not likely the culprit here, as the same GPU at 4K High produces 90.7 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K costs a 33.4 FPS drop, which is a much larger penalty than the jump from Medium to High at the same resolution, which only costs 26.3 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset introduces rendering features that are particularly heavy on the GPU, rather than exposing any CPU weakness.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database provides context for this specific pairing. The CPU's closest match is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 in average benchmark versus the i5-9400's 2254, a negligible 0.2% difference. A system with that CPU and the same RTX 4070 would behave almost identically in Downfall. The Intel Core i3-10305 is also very close, scoring 2264, which is 0.4% higher than the i5-9400. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, or 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, or 0.3% lower.

These deltas are all within the margin of measurement noise. In practical terms, swapping the i5-9400 for any of these four CPUs would produce frame rates that are effectively indistinguishable in Downfall. The game is not sensitive to the small differences between these processors, which reinforces the conclusion that the GPU is the main driver of performance in this title.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4070's nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which scores 37628 versus the RTX 4070's 37648, a 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507, or 0.4% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135, which is 1.3% higher, and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 scores 37157, or 1.3% lower. A system with any of these GPUs paired with the i5-9400 would produce frame rates in Downfall that are very close to what the RTX 4070 delivers, though the RTX 4080 Mobile would have a slight edge.

The percentile data reinforces this picture. The RTX 4070 sits at the 81st percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits at the 47th percentile. This is a combination where the GPU is clearly the star performer, and the CPU is adequate but not exceptional. Buyers considering this pairing should expect GPU-bound behavior in most games, and Downfall is no exception.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Downfall, and it can run it well. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 131.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra averaging 95.1 FPS. At 3840x2160, High, Medium, and Low are all playable, with High averaging 90.7 FPS. The only non-playable configuration is 4K Ultra, which averages 57.3 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold.

For a horror game, this is a strong result. The 60 FPS target is met and exceeded in every scenario except the single most demanding preset at the highest resolution. Players who want to use a 4K display should stick to High settings for a comfortable margin. Players on 1440p or 1080p displays can enable Ultra without any concern about dropping below the playability threshold.

The data does not include minimum frame rates, so the analysis of smoothness is limited to averages. However, the average frame rates are high enough that even occasional dips would likely stay above 60 FPS in most cases. The 4K Ultra result at 57.3 FPS is the only configuration where a dip could push the experience into noticeably stuttery territory.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 at position 1027 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall. That places it in the upper third of all systems tested. The rank reflects the strong GPU performance offset by the mid-tier CPU, which limits the ceiling in CPU-bound scenarios. In Downfall specifically, the game appears to be GPU-heavy enough that the rank is respectable.

The 3716 total combos represent a wide range of hardware pairings, from low-end integrated graphics systems to top-tier multi-GPU setups. Being in the top 1027 means this combo outperforms roughly 72% of all tested configurations in this game. That is a solid result for a system built around a CPU that launched in 2018 and a GPU that launched in 2023.

Players who already own this pairing should be satisfied with its performance in Downfall. The only upgrade path that would meaningfully improve the 4K Ultra experience would be a faster GPU, but the RTX 4070 is already a high-end card. A CPU upgrade would have minimal impact on this game, as the data shows the i5-9400 is not the bottleneck at any tested resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best playable preset is High, which averages 90.7 FPS. This is the recommended configuration for 4K displays, as it provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra is not playable at this resolution, averaging 57.3 FPS, so it should be avoided unless the player is willing to accept frame rates below the target.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Ultra, which averages 95.1 FPS. This is the maximum quality setting available, and it still clears the 60 FPS threshold by a significant margin. Players on 1440p monitors can enable every visual feature without compromise.

At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is also Ultra, which averages 131.4 FPS. This is the most demanding setting, and it produces frame rates that are more than double the playability threshold. For players with high-refresh 1080p monitors, this pairing delivers a very smooth experience with all settings maxed out.

The recommendation is straightforward: use Ultra at 1080p and 1440p, use High at 4K. The RTX 4070 with the i5-9400 is a capable pairing for Downfall, and the only compromise is at the very top end of the resolution and settings scale. For a game focused on atmosphere and tension, the high average frame rates at High and Ultra settings will provide a responsive and immersive experience across all common display configurations.