Downfall

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a commanding performance profile for Downfall, a 2016 horror title. Measured frame rates across all resolutions and presets show this combination obliterates the 60 FPS playability threshold, with the most demanding Ultra preset at 4K still holding an average of 74 FPS. Benchmark results indicate this setup is not merely adequate but overwhelmingly dominant, positioning it well within the top percentile of tested hardware for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of most displays. The Low preset produces an average of 400 FPS, while Medium averages 327 FPS with a minimum of 278 FPS and a maximum of 376 FPS. High settings yield 268 FPS on average, and even the Ultra preset, which typically stresses the GPU most heavily, maintains a robust 168 FPS average. These figures suggest that at 1080p, the bottleneck shifts almost entirely away from the rendering hardware, as the CPU and GPU combination has ample headroom to push well beyond typical gaming needs.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling from 1080p is linear and predictable. Low settings drop to an average of 285 FPS, Medium to 233 FPS with a minimum of 198 FPS and a maximum of 268 FPS, High to 191 FPS, and Ultra to 120 FPS. The minimum frame rates for Medium at this resolution remain above 198 FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing without noticeable dips. The drop from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS by approximately 29% for the Ultra preset, which aligns with the increased pixel count of 78%, though the absolute numbers remain exceptionally high.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its workload, but the results remain impressive. Low settings deliver an average of 178 FPS, Medium averages 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS, High averages 119 FPS, and Ultra still holds at 74 FPS. The minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 123 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold. The Ultra preset at 4K, while the lowest of the measured averages, still clears the 60 FPS bar by a significant margin, confirming that the RTX 4080 has substantial compute headroom for this title.

The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 4080 scales down gracefully as resolution increases, but never approaches a point where the experience becomes compromised. The lack of min/max FPS data for several presets (notably Low, High, and Ultra at each resolution) suggests that the telemetry captured average values only for those configurations, but the available Medium preset data provides a reliable proxy for frame consistency.

CPU and GPU Roles

The division of labor between the Core i7-14700KF and the RTX 4080 shifts meaningfully across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more prominent role, as the GPU is rarely saturated by the workload. The 20-core, 28-thread processor, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, provides enough single-thread and multi-thread throughput to feed the GPU at very high frame rates. The 1080p Low preset hitting 400 FPS indicates that the CPU can sustain frame generation far beyond what the GPU rendering pipeline requires at that resolution.

At 2560x1440, the balance tilts toward the GPU, but the CPU still contributes meaningfully. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 28% reduction in average FPS for Low settings (from 400 to 285), which is close to the pixel count increase of 78%, suggesting the GPU is becoming the limiting factor. However, the 1440p Ultra average of 120 FPS versus the 1080p Ultra average of 168 FPS shows a 29% reduction, indicating that the GPU workload is beginning to dominate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the primary constraint. The scaling from 1440p to 4K for Ultra settings shows a 38% reduction in average FPS (from 120 to 74), while the pixel count increases by 125%. This non-linear scaling suggests that the RTX 4080’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are being utilized heavily, but the CPU still has enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The 4K Low preset at 178 FPS versus 1080p Low at 400 FPS represents a 55% reduction, which is more than the pixel scaling alone, indicating that even at Low settings, the GPU’s rasterization throughput is the limiting factor at 4K.

Across all presets, the i7-14700KF’s single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 2578 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6235, ensures that even at lower resolutions where CPU load is higher, there is no frame pacing irregularity. The multi-thread scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 44167) provide ample headroom for any background tasks or game engine threads, but the measured FPS data shows that resolution scaling is the primary driver of performance differences.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Core i7-14700KF, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F with an average score of 69996 (0.2% difference), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69875 (0.4% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515 (0.9% difference). The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K scores 70879, which is 1% higher. These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming, meaning that swapping the i7-14700KF for any of these processors would yield nearly identical FPS results in Downfall, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is the bottleneck.

For the RTX 4080, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER with an average score of 54209 (0.1% difference), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54828 (-1.1% difference), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55698 (-2.6% difference), and the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55757 (-2.7% difference). The RTX 4080 SUPER is essentially a peer in performance, with a delta of only 0.1%, so users with that card would see nearly identical frame rates. The AMD alternatives, while slightly higher in average score, fall within a 3% band, which translates to FPS differences of only a few frames in Downfall’s measured presets.

The benchmark data indicates that this specific CPU-GPU pairing is well balanced, but the GPU has more headroom for upgrades than the CPU. If a user were to pair the i7-14700KF with a faster GPU, the 1080p and 1440p results would improve slightly, but the 4K results would show the most benefit. Conversely, pairing the RTX 4080 with a slower CPU would have minimal impact at 4K but could reduce the 1080p Low preset’s 400 FPS average, though it would remain well above playability.

The Verdict

This PC can run Downfall with exceptional ease. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at every measured resolution, from 1920x1080 up to 3840x2160. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and the data shows the lowest average FPS recorded is 74 at 4K Ultra, which is 23% above that threshold. At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 120 FPS, and at 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 168 FPS.

For users with a 4K display, the Ultra preset is fully viable, with an average of 74 FPS that provides smooth gameplay in a horror title where frame pacing matters for immersion. At 1440p, the Ultra preset’s 120 FPS average is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1080p, the Ultra preset’s 168 FPS average exceeds the capabilities of most 144Hz displays, meaning users could cap the frame rate and enjoy consistent performance without any risk of drops.

The data shows no scenario where this combination fails to meet the playable threshold. Even the most demanding configuration—4K Ultra—leaves a 14 FPS margin above 60 FPS. This is a definitive pass for all resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks at position 230 out of 3716 tested combinations in Downfall. This places it in the top 6.2% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result given the large number of possible pairings. The percentile ranking aligns with the measured FPS data, which shows this setup outperforming the vast majority of alternatives.

The ranking of 230 is influenced by both the CPU’s 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU’s 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The CPU’s higher percentile suggests that the i7-14700KF is relatively stronger in the broader hardware landscape than the RTX 4080 is among GPUs, but the combination still lands comfortably in the upper tier. For context, the delta between the CPU and its nearest rival is only 0.2%, while the GPU’s nearest rival is 0.1% away, meaning that small variations in component selection would not shift this rank significantly.

The data indicates that this combo is overkill for Downfall, as the game’s 2016 release date predates the hardware by several years. The rank of 230 out of 3716 reflects that there are 229 other combinations with higher measured performance, but these are likely to feature top-tier GPUs such as the RTX 4090 or newer generations, which are not directly comparable in this analysis.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average FPS of 168. This is the highest preset available, so no further tuning is needed. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also qualifies, with an average FPS of 120. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 74 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the best choice for 4K gaming.

The data shows that there is no resolution where the user must compromise on preset quality to achieve playable frame rates. The Ultra preset at 4K, while the lowest performer of the measured configurations, still offers a 14 FPS buffer above the playable threshold. For users seeking maximum visual fidelity, the recommendation is to run Ultra at all resolutions, as the average FPS values (168, 120, and 74) all clear the threshold with room to spare.

If a user prefers to prioritize frame rate over visual quality, the Medium preset at 4K offers a 145 FPS average with a minimum of 123 FPS, but this is unnecessary given the Ultra preset’s performance. The measured data includes min/max FPS only for Medium presets, and those figures (4K: 123-167, 1440p: 198-268, 1080p: 278-376) confirm that frame pacing remains consistent even at higher settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 4K resolution?

A: The Ultra preset is playable at 3840x2160, with an average FPS of 74, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold by 14 FPS.

Q: Does this combination achieve 60 FPS at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the 2560x1440 Ultra preset produces an average of 120 FPS, which is double the playable threshold.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Low settings, and why is it so high?

A: The 1920x1080 Low preset averages 400 FPS. This high value reflects the CPU’s ability to generate frames quickly when the GPU is not heavily loaded at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4080’s nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER, with a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% higher in average score, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% higher.

Q: Is there any resolution where this PC fails to reach 60 FPS?

A: No. The lowest average FPS recorded is 74 at 4K Ultra, and all other presets at all resolutions are higher, so every configuration clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the combo rank for this CPU-GPU pairing in Downfall?

A: The i7-14700KF and RTX 4080 combination ranks 230th out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.2% of all tested hardware pairings for this game.