Downfall

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a commanding performance in Downfall, a Horror title released in 2016. The measured data shows this combination not only clears the 60 FPS playability threshold at every resolution and preset tested, but does so with significant headroom, making it a formidable setup for this game. Across the board, the average frame rates are exceptionally high, indicating that the hardware is rarely, if ever, the bottleneck, even when pushing for maximum visual fidelity at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results for this combo in Downfall show a clear and consistent scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system operates at extremely high frame rates, starting at 347.4 FPS on Low settings. This figure drops to 284.1 FPS on Medium, 231.6 FPS on High, and finally 144 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is substantial, a 203.4 FPS difference, but even the most demanding preset remains far beyond the needs of a standard high-refresh-rate monitor.

Moving up to 2560x1440, the performance remains stellar. The Low preset yields an average of 250.6 FPS, which decreases to 202.1 FPS on Medium and 167 FPS on High. At the Ultra preset, the average frame rate is 104.1 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a predictable reduction in frame rates across all settings, with the Ultra preset taking the largest relative hit, dropping by 39.9 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system still provides a very playable experience, though the performance gap between presets becomes more pronounced. The Low preset maintains an impressive 156.5 FPS, while Medium and High deliver 127.9 FPS and 106.4 FPS, respectively. The Ultra preset, while still crossing the 60 FPS threshold, brings the average down to 67.3 FPS. This is the only configuration where the system drops below the triple-digit average, highlighting the increased load that 4K resolution places on the GPU. The data shows a consistent hierarchy where performance scales directly with resolution and inversely with preset quality.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of performance in Downfall, with the Intel Core i7-14700K providing ample support. This is evident from the performance deltas observed when moving between resolutions. The frame rate drops by roughly 30% when transitioning from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings, and then by another 30-40% when moving from 1440p to 4K. This pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior; as the pixel count increases, the rendering workload on the graphics card grows, directly impacting the frame rate.

The CPU's role becomes less critical as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the high frame rates, particularly the 347.4 FPS on Low, suggest the CPU is working hard to feed the GPU. However, the fact that it can maintain such high numbers shows the i7-14700K is more than capable of handling the game's logic and draw calls. The 20-core, 28-thread processor is unlikely to be a limiting factor here. The scaling between presets at a fixed resolution further supports this. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 203.4 FPS, while at 4K it is only 89.2 FPS. This compression of the frame rate range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the sole constraint, as the CPU overhead for different presets becomes less significant compared to the massive pixel shading workload.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For users looking at hardware that would behave similarly to this combination, the benchmark data provides a clear picture of equivalent performance tiers. The Intel Core i7-14700K sits in a tight performance cluster. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, has an average benchmark score that is only 0.2% lower, making them effectively identical in compute capability for this type of workload. Other close competitors include the AMD EPYC 9115, which is a mere 0.1% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which is 0.7% behind. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is also within a 0.9% margin. Any of these CPUs paired with a similar GPU would likely produce very comparable frame rates in Downfall.

On the graphics side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER's nearest rivals are also its closest performance analogues. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile both post average scores that are only 0.1% lower. The original NVIDIA Quadro M6000 is a 0.2% difference, and even the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is just 1% off the pace. This indicates that in terms of raw rendering power for this game, these GPUs would deliver a nearly indistinguishable experience, with all of them falling within a 1% performance delta of the RTX 4070 SUPER.

The Verdict

The data is unequivocal: this PC can run Downfall exceptionally well. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four tested presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra) are playable at every resolution from 1920x1080 up to 3840x2160. The system clears the 60 FPS playability threshold with considerable margin in all scenarios.

At 1920x1080, the system is overkill, with even the most demanding Ultra preset achieving an average of 144 FPS. This makes it ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. At 2560x1440, performance is still outstanding, with the Ultra preset maintaining an average of 104.1 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS target. Even at the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the Ultra preset holds its own at 67.3 FPS, proving that this hardware can handle 4K gaming in this title without compromise. The only point of note is that the 4K Ultra setting has the least headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the most demanding configuration tested.

Best Settings per Resolution

For users seeking the highest visual quality while maintaining a smooth experience, the data points to the Ultra preset as the best choice at all resolutions, as it is the most demanding setting that still achieves an average of 60 FPS or more.

• 1920x1080: Ultra — 144 FPS
• 2560x1440: Ultra — 104.1 FPS
• 3840x2160: Ultra — 67.3 FPS

The fact that Ultra is the recommended setting at every resolution reflects the hardware's strength. At 1080p and 1440p, there is enough performance headroom to run the game at its maximum visual fidelity while still delivering frame rates that are well-suited for competitive or high-refresh-rate play. At 4K, the 67.3 FPS average is still above the 60 FPS target, but it is the only configuration where the system is not running with a significant buffer, making it the primary target for those who want a fully maxed-out 4K experience.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested system combinations for Downfall, the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER pairing performs in the top tier. The combo ranks 612nd out of 3716 tested configurations, placing it in the 84th percentile of all systems. This high ranking is consistent with the strong individual performance of its components, where the CPU sits in the 94th percentile and the GPU in the 83rd percentile relative to all other processors and graphics cards, respectively.

This ranking confirms that while there are faster and more expensive combinations available, this particular setup offers a level of performance that places it ahead of the vast majority of systems tested. It is a high-end configuration that delivers a top-tier gaming experience in Downfall, with the benchmark data showing it is capable of maxing out the game at all standard resolutions without dropping below the playability threshold.