Downfall

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers extraordinary performance in Downfall, a horror title that proves far more demanding than its 2016 release date might suggest. Across all tested resolutions and presets, this combination never drops below 80 frames per second, placing it in the 105th spot out of 3,716 tested combos. The data reveals a system that obliterates the 60 FPS playability threshold with considerable headroom, even at 4K Ultra settings where the average frame rate reaches 80.5 FPS. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes the ranking, and explores which component carries the load at each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination shows a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system produces staggering frame rates that begin at 444.6 FPS on Low settings, drop to 360.3 FPS on Medium, settle at 295.1 FPS on High, and still maintain 185.3 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the RTX 4090 is operating far below its maximum capacity, with the CPU likely becoming the limiting factor even at these extreme output levels.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high but shows a more pronounced impact from the increased pixel count. The Low preset delivers 316.8 FPS, Medium drops to 259.5 FPS, High produces 213.1 FPS, and Ultra still holds at 132.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is approximately 184.7 FPS, which represents a 58% reduction in frame rate when moving from the least to most demanding preset. This suggests that Downfall's Ultra preset introduces substantial graphical effects that scale heavily with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the resolution demands finally begin to challenge the system, though it remains firmly in playable territory. The Low preset yields 195.2 FPS, Medium drops to 163.5 FPS, High reduces output to 129.6 FPS, and Ultra brings the average down to 80.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings shows a 104.8 FPS drop, indicating that the game's most demanding settings have a strong dependency on pixel throughput. Interestingly, the minimum and maximum FPS values are not provided in the measured data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates to assess consistency.

The pattern across all three resolutions reveals that the RTX 4090 maintains a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold in every configuration tested. The largest performance gap between consecutive settings occurs at 4K between Medium and Ultra, where the average drops from 163.5 FPS to 80.5 FPS, a 83 FPS difference. This indicates that Ultra settings at 4K introduce a significant rendering load that nearly halves the frame rate compared to Medium.

FAQ

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

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 80.5 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data confirms that Ultra is the best settings choice at 4K, with all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) achieving playable frame rates.

Q: What is the highest frame rate this combination achieves?

A: The maximum measured average FPS is 444.6, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the absolute peak output in the test suite, though it is importantly this configuration prioritizes frame rate over visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 60,347, which is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326 (0% difference). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140 (0.3% higher than the RTX 4090), while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% higher and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% lower. These rival comparisons suggest that benchmark scores alone do not capture the RTX 4090's gaming dominance.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 213.1 FPS. This is more than triple the 60 FPS playable threshold, indicating that this resolution and preset combination leaves substantial performance headroom for future games or higher refresh rate monitors.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests potential CPU limitation at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 444.6 FPS. The i7-13700K's average benchmark score is 46,881, with a single-thread score of 4,333 in Passmark, which is high but may constrain frame rates at such extreme output levels. The GPU's score of 38,194 in Passmark G3D indicates it could potentially render even more frames if the CPU allowed.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 105th out of 3,716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 2.8% of all tested systems. This high ranking reflects the exceptional performance of both the i7-13700K and RTX 4090 in this specific game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 105 out of 3,716 tested combinations places this system firmly in the upper echelon of Downfall performers. This ranking is particularly notable because the RTX 4090's percentile versus all GPUs is 88, and the i7-13700K's percentile versus all CPUs is 89, yet together they achieve a rank that puts them in the top 3% of all tested systems. This suggests that the combination of these two components creates a synergy that exceeds what their individual percentiles might predict.

The rank of 105 means there are 104 other tested combinations that outperform this system in Downfall. Given the game's horror genre and its 2016 release, this level of performance is exceptional for a title that is nearly a decade old. The fact that this combo ranks so highly indicates that Downfall is likely optimized to take advantage of modern hardware capabilities, particularly in terms of multi-threaded CPU performance and GPU compute features.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals provides context for this ranking. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 has an average score that is 0.2% lower than the i7-13700K, while the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 is 0.3% lower. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both score 0.5% higher. These small percentage differences indicate that the i7-13700K is positioned competitively among high-end CPUs, though it is not the absolute fastest available.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show even smaller deltas. The Intel Arc Pro A60 matches the RTX 4090 exactly with a 0% difference, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M outperforms the RTX 4090 by 2.5%, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 trails by 2.9%. These comparisons are based on average benchmark scores, which do not necessarily translate directly to gaming performance in Downfall.

The Verdict

The verdict data is unambiguous: this system runs Downfall exceptionally well at all tested resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the playable settings include High, Low, Medium, and Ultra, with Ultra being the best settings choice at an average of 80.5 FPS. This means that even at 4K with the most demanding preset, the system maintains a frame rate that is 20.5 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, and Ultra again emerges as the best setting with an average of 132.1 FPS. This represents a 72.1% increase over the 60 FPS threshold, providing substantial headroom for demanding scenes or future content updates. The 1440p Ultra performance is more than sufficient for high refresh rate displays, as it exceeds 120 FPS comfortably.

The 1920x1080 resolution shows the same pattern, with all presets playable and Ultra achieving 185.3 FPS. This is over three times the playable threshold, indicating that the system is heavily GPU-bound at 1080p and likely CPU-bound at lower settings. The verdict clearly states that this PC can run Downfall at any resolution and preset combination tested, with the lowest recorded average being 80.5 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals provide a clear picture of comparable performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46,971 on average, which is 0.2% lower than the i7-13700K's 46,881. This means users with a Ryzen 9 5900 would experience virtually identical CPU-bound performance in Downfall. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47,022, 0.3% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both score 46,654 and 46,653 respectively, 0.5% higher than the i7-13700K.

These small deltas indicate that any of these four CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates when paired with the RTX 4090 in Downfall. The differences of less than 1% are within the margin of measurement error and would not produce perceptible differences in gaming performance. The choice between these CPUs would likely come down to platform features, power efficiency, or pricing rather than raw gaming performance.

On the GPU side, the nearest rivals show a similar pattern of near-identical benchmark scores. The Intel Arc Pro A60 matches the RTX 4090's average score at 60,326 with a 0% delta, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140, 0.3% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896, 2.5% higher, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657, 2.9% lower. These comparisons are based on synthetic benchmarks, and real-world gaming performance in Downfall would likely favor the RTX 4090 due to its superior driver optimization and feature set.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best settings that maintain at least 60 FPS are Ultra, which achieves an average of 80.5 FPS. This is the most demanding preset available, and it still provides a 20.5 FPS margin above the playable threshold. The data shows that all four presets at 4K are playable, but Ultra is the recommended choice for maximum visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best setting, delivering 132.1 FPS on average. This represents a 72.1 FPS margin above the 60 FPS threshold, making it an excellent choice for high refresh rate gaming. The 1440p Ultra preset provides a significant visual upgrade over High settings while maintaining frame rates that exceed 120 FPS.

At 1920x1080, Ultra remains the best choice with an average of 185.3 FPS. This is more than triple the playable threshold, providing exceptional smoothness and responsiveness. The 1080p Ultra preset is the most demanding configuration tested at this resolution, yet the system handles it with ease, leaving substantial headroom for even higher refresh rates or more demanding games.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component matters more at each level. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from 444.6 FPS on Low to 185.3 FPS on Ultra, a difference of 259.3 FPS. This massive spread indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at 1080p, as the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them at low settings. The CPU's single-thread score of 4,333 in Passmark and its 16 cores provide ample processing power for Downfall's game logic, but the GPU's rendering capability becomes the bottleneck even at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the frame rate spread narrows slightly, with Low achieving 316.8 FPS and Ultra at 132.1 FPS. The 184.7 FPS difference between these settings indicates that the GPU's workload increases significantly at this resolution, but the CPU still has enough headroom to avoid becoming the primary constraint. The fact that 1440p Ultra still exceeds 130 FPS suggests that the RTX 4090 is the dominant factor, as a weaker GPU would show a more dramatic drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates compress further, with Low at 195.2 FPS and Ultra at 80.5 FPS. The 114.7 FPS spread between the most and least demanding settings at 4K demonstrates that the GPU is now heavily loaded, and the CPU's role diminishes as the rendering workload dominates. The transition from 1440p Ultra (132.1 FPS) to 4K Ultra (80.5 FPS) represents a 39% reduction in frame rate, which is consistent with the 2.25x increase in pixel count. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU's performance becomes less relevant as resolution increases.