Downfall

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers a wide spread of frame rates across the three tested resolutions in Downfall. The recorded data shows a clear pattern: higher resolutions and preset levels reduce performance in a predictable manner. At 1920x1080, the system is firmly in high refresh rate territory, while 3840x2160 pushes the hardware to its limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the lowest recorded setting produces an average of 174 FPS. This is the highest average in the entire dataset. Moving up to Medium, the average drops to 142 FPS, with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS. High settings yield 117 FPS on average. The most demanding preset at this resolution, Ultra, still maintains an average of 73 FPS. Every setting at 1920x1080 stays well above the 60 FPS threshold, with even the most demanding preset leaving a comfortable margin.

At 2560x1440, the averages step down noticeably. Low settings produce 124 FPS on average. Medium delivers 102 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. High settings drop to 83 FPS. Ultra falls below the playable threshold, averaging 52 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at this resolution is 31 FPS, which is a substantial jump in demand. The data indicates that the transition from High to Ultra is the steepest performance cliff across the entire test matrix.

At 3840x2160, the results become more constrained. Low settings average 77 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS target. Medium averages 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. High settings drop to 52 FPS. Ultra averages only 32 FPS, which is the lowest recorded figure for this combination. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 45 FPS, showing how severely the Ultra preset scales with resolution.

Comparing the same preset across resolutions reveals the scaling cost. For Medium, the average goes from 142 FPS at 1080p to 102 FPS at 1440p, then to 63 FPS at 4K. That represents a 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 38% drop from 1440p to 4K. For High, the averages are 117 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. Low settings show the least degradation: 174 to 124 to 77 FPS respectively.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the database records Medium as the best playable preset. It averages 63 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold, though the minimum of 54 FPS indicates occasional dips below the target. Low is also playable at 77 FPS, but Medium is the most demanding option that still holds an average above 60. High and Ultra are not recommended at this resolution due to averages of 52 and 32 FPS respectively.

For 2560x1440, the best playable preset is High, averaging 83 FPS. This leaves a 23 FPS margin over the 60 FPS threshold. Low and Medium are also playable at 124 and 102 FPS, but High offers the best visual quality among the playable options. Ultra is excluded because its 52 FPS average falls short of the threshold.

For 1920x1080, all four presets are playable. The best setting is Ultra, which averages 73 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset clears the 60 FPS line. The margin of 13 FPS is sufficient for consistent gameplay, though it is smaller than the margins at lower presets. High, Medium, and Low all exceed 100 FPS, making them suitable for high refresh rate displays.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured data shows that this game is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU becoming less of a limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the CPU has more headroom, allowing the GPU to produce high frame rates. The jump from 174 FPS at Low to 73 FPS at Ultra at 1080p indicates that the GPU workload scales significantly with preset quality, while the CPU remains capable of feeding it.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop across all presets compared to 1080p, but the relative ordering remains the same. The 1440p Ultra result of 52 FPS versus the 1080p Ultra result of 73 FPS shows a 21 FPS penalty purely from resolution. This suggests the GPU is the primary constraint, as the CPU would not lose performance from higher resolution alone. The Intel Core i7-12700K has ample single-thread and multi-thread capacity, as shown by its 3DMark scores: 1043 in single-thread and 9979 in max-threads.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is only 14 FPS, while the difference between Medium and Ultra is 31 FPS. This pattern indicates that the Ultra preset introduces GPU-heavy effects that scale poorly at 4K. The RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributing factors, though the data does not isolate memory usage.

The scaling between resolutions shows that the CPU matters most at 1080p, where high frame rates demand quick processing. The i7-12700K's boost clock of 5.00 GHz and 20 threads provide that capability. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU workload grows, and the RTX 2060 becomes the limiting component. The 4K Medium result of 63 FPS versus the 1080p Medium result of 142 FPS demonstrates a 56% reduction, which is far larger than any CPU-related scaling would produce.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35287. The closest competitor is the Intel Core i5-13600T, with an average score of 35305, a delta of -0.1%. The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365, which is 0.2% higher. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403, 0.3% higher. The Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, 0.4% higher. All four rivals are within a 0.4% performance band, meaning any of them would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283, a delta of 0%. 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 four GPUs would behave similarly in this game, with performance differences small enough to be within measurement variance.

The combination of these rival components would yield frame rates nearly identical to the measured results. A system with the Intel Core i5-13600T and a GTX 580 would likely produce the same averages at each resolution and preset. The most meaningful difference among the GPU rivals is the 0.8% gap between the RTX 2060 and the RX 7600, which translates to roughly one frame per second at 1080p and less than one frame at 4K.

The Verdict

This PC can run Downfall, but the playable range varies by resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on every preset. Ultra runs at 73 FPS, making it the recommended choice for the best visual experience. High, Medium, and Low all exceed 100 FPS, suitable for high refresh rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the system clears 60 FPS on Low, Medium, and High. High is the best playable preset at 83 FPS. Ultra falls below the threshold at 52 FPS, so it should be avoided. The 31 FPS gap between High and Ultra at this resolution suggests that Ultra's additional effects are not worth the performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the system clears 60 FPS on Low and Medium. Medium is the best playable preset at 63 FPS, though the minimum of 54 FPS means some scenes will dip below the target. Low runs at 77 FPS, providing a smoother experience with reduced visual fidelity. High and Ultra are not playable, with averages of 52 and 32 FPS respectively.

The verdict is straightforward: this combination is a solid 1080p performer, a good 1440p performer on High, and a marginal 4K performer only when settings are kept to Medium or lower.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this CPU and GPU combination at rank 2937 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall. That puts it in the lower 21% of all tested configurations. This rank reflects the RTX 2060's age and its position relative to newer GPUs. The CPU is strong, ranking in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, but the GPU's 58th percentile ranking drags the overall combo down.

The rank suggests that while this system can run the game, most other tested combinations are faster. The 3716 total combos include many with more powerful GPUs, which explains the low percentile position. The data indicates that the pairing is CPU-heavy relative to its GPU, meaning the i7-12700K has more headroom than the RTX 2060 can utilize in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 1920x1080?

A: Ultra is the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS at 1920x1080, with an average of 73 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 2560x1440 at Ultra settings?

A: No. Ultra at 2560x1440 averages 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The best playable preset at this resolution is High, averaging 83 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and Ultra at 3840x2160?

A: Medium averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS, while Ultra averages 32 FPS. The gap is 31 FPS, making Ultra unplayable at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest GPU rival in raw benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2060 scores 15290 on average. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283, a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, a delta of 0.8%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 3840x2160?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The frame rate drops by 56% from 1080p Medium to 4K Medium, which is far larger than any CPU-related scaling would produce.

Q: What is the best playable preset at 3840x2160?

A: Medium is the best playable preset at 4K, averaging 63 FPS. Low also works at 77 FPS, but Medium offers higher visual quality while staying above the threshold.