Downfall

The Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination is a top-tier pairing, and benchmark data for Downfall confirms it sits at rank 108 out of 3716 tested combos. This places it in the upper echelon of systems, though the data shows that the GPU, despite being near the top of its class, has some unusual direct competitors when looking strictly at average benchmark scores.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU, the Intel Core i7-14700KF posts an average benchmark score of 70,163, which places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are all extremely close in overall performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is essentially a statistical tie, with an average score of 69,996, a mere 0.2% behind. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX is similarly close at 69,875, trailing by 0.4%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X sits at 69,515, which is 0.9% slower. Interestingly, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is the only rival in the list that is ahead, scoring 70,879, which is 1% faster than the i7-14700KF. For gaming, these differences are negligible, meaning a system with any of these CPUs would deliver a nearly identical experience in Downfall.

The GPU situation is more peculiar. The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60,347, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. However, its nearest rivals, based on average score, are not the high-end gaming cards one might expect. The Intel Arc Pro A60 matches the RTX 4090 almost exactly with a score of 60,326, a 0% delta. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is also close at 60,140, a 0.3% deficit. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is actually faster in this metric, scoring 61,896, which is 2.5% ahead of the RTX 4090. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 trails by 2.9% with a score of 58,657. These results suggest that in the specific benchmark suite used, the professional-oriented cards perform on par with the flagship gaming GPU, though this does not reflect the RTX 4090’s massive advantage in raw gaming rasterization and ray tracing, which is evident in the measured FPS data for Downfall.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data for Downfall reveals how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with the Low preset hitting 439.6 FPS. This high frame rate at a lower resolution indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain these extreme speeds. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a significant drop, but the system remains GPU-bound. For instance, at High settings, the frame rate drops from 296.7 FPS at 1080p to 213.6 FPS at 1440p, a 28% reduction. This is a classic sign of increasing GPU load.

The transition from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 (4K) further emphasizes the GPU's dominance. At 4K High, the average FPS is 130.4, which is a 39% decrease from the 1440p High result of 213.6 FPS. This substantial drop when moving to 4K confirms that the RTX 4090 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU's role becomes less critical as resolution increases, as the GPU is tasked with rendering more pixels. The data shows a clear trend: at 1080p, the CPU is more relevant to achieving maximum frame rates, but at 1440p and especially 4K, the GPU’s performance dictates the overall experience. The RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensure it is never starved for data, allowing it to perform to its full potential.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdict data provides clear guidance on the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS at each resolution. At 3840x2160, the system achieves an average of 83.7 FPS on the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding option. This is above the 60 FPS playable threshold, so Ultra is the best setting for 4K. Moving down to 2560x1440, the performance headroom increases significantly. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 132.3 FPS, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. Finally, at 1920x1080, the Ultra preset produces an average of 183.6 FPS, which is more than enough for even the fastest esports displays. In all cases, the system can run the game at its highest graphical preset while staying well above the 60 FPS threshold.

The Verdict

The data is unequivocal: this PC can run Downfall exceptionally well at all tested resolutions. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. The highest quality preset, Ultra, is the recommended setting for every resolution because it maintains an average frame rate well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 4K Ultra, the system averages 83.7 FPS, providing a smooth and visually stunning experience. At 1440p Ultra, the average jumps to 132.3 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it reaches 183.6 FPS. This demonstrates that the combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is not just capable of running the game, but it is powerful enough to max out the settings at every resolution with a substantial performance buffer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across all settings and resolutions. All figures are average FPS.

At 1920x1080, the performance is as follows:

• Low: 439.6 FPS
• Medium: 359.9 FPS
• High: 296.7 FPS
• Ultra: 183.6 FPS

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high:

• Low: 317.6 FPS
• Medium: 260.9 FPS
• High: 213.6 FPS
• Ultra: 132.3 FPS

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers excellent performance:

• Low: 194.6 FPS
• Medium: 161.2 FPS
• High: 130.4 FPS
• Ultra: 83.7 FPS

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern. For example, at 4K, moving from Low to Ultra reduces the frame rate by approximately 57%, from 194.6 FPS to 83.7 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K on the Ultra preset is around 54%, from 183.6 FPS to 83.7 FPS. These results indicate that the RTX 4090 has enough headroom to handle the most demanding settings without dropping below the playable threshold at any point.

FAQ

*Q: Can the Intel Core i7-14700KF + RTX 4090 run Downfall at 4K with the highest settings?*

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the system achieves an average of 83.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting to use at 1440p for the smoothest experience?

A: The Ultra preset is the best option. It delivers an average of 132.3 FPS at 2560x1440, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU is more relevant for achieving the highest frame rates, as evidenced by the Low preset reaching 439.6 FPS. The GPU still performs strongly, but the CPU's ability to process the game logic becomes more critical at these lower resolutions.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1440p to 4K on the High preset?

A: The average frame rate drops from 213.6 FPS at 2560x1440 to 130.4 FPS at 3840x2160, a decrease of 39%. This indicates the GPU is heavily loaded at 4K.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 significantly faster than its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: No. According to the average benchmark scores, the RTX 4090 is virtually identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% delta) and only 0.3% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48. However, this does not reflect its real-world gaming performance in Downfall, which is exceptionally high.

Q: Does the system maintain 60 FPS on the Ultra preset at all resolutions?

A: Yes. The Ultra preset yields 183.6 FPS at 1080p, 132.3 FPS at 1440p, and 83.7 FPS at 4K. All of these results are comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold.