Downfall

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Downfall with the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 shows a clear performance curve across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the combination delivers strong frame rates at every settings level. Low settings produce an average of 174 FPS, Medium raises the visual load while still holding at 142 FPS on average with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS. High settings drop to 117 FPS average, and Ultra remains comfortably playable at 73 FPS average. The 1080p results show no preset dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution entirely safe for high refresh rate displays even at maximum quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale downward as expected. Low settings average 124 FPS, Medium averages 102 FPS with a recorded minimum of 86 FPS and maximum of 117 FPS. High settings produce 83 FPS average, which is still well above the playable threshold. Ultra settings, however, fall to 52 FPS average, which sits below the 60 FPS line. The 1440p data indicates that the first three presets are viable for smooth gameplay, while Ultra requires a reduction in quality or resolution to maintain consistent performance.

At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K rendering become apparent. Low settings average 77 FPS, Medium averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS and maximum of 73 FPS. High settings drop to 52 FPS average, and Ultra falls further to 32 FPS average. The 4K results show that only Low and Medium presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, and even Medium has a minimum that dips below it, suggesting occasional stutter in demanding scenes.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Downfall at 1920x1080 with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 produces an average of 73 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold with headroom to spare.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440 for this combo?

A: High settings is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, delivering 83 FPS average. Ultra drops to 52 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: Is 4K resolution playable with this hardware?

A: Partially. At 3840x2160, Low settings average 77 FPS and Medium averages 63 FPS, both clearing 60 FPS. High and Ultra fall short at 52 FPS and 32 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283 with a 0 percent delta, the AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270 with a 0.1 percent delta, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199 with a 0.6 percent delta, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171 with a 0.8 percent delta. These are all within 1 percent of each other.

Q: Where does this CPU+GPU combination rank among tested combos for Downfall?

A: The combo ranks 2937 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 21 percent of all tested systems for this game.

Q: Does the i9-14900K outperform its closest CPU rivals?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79097. The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 79371, which is 0.3 percent higher. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, 0.6 percent higher. The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, 1.2 percent higher. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7 percent lower than the i9-14900K.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling between resolutions reveals which component dominates in Downfall. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS at Medium settings drops from 142 to 102, a reduction of 40 FPS. From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, the Medium average falls from 102 to 63, another 39 FPS reduction. This consistent decline as resolution increases points to the GPU as the primary constraint at higher pixel counts. The RTX 2060 has 1920 shading units and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, and those specifications become the limiting factor when pixel fill rate demands rise.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's capabilities become more relevant. The i9-14900K with 24 cores and 32 threads, boosting to 6.00 GHz, has ample headroom for game logic and physics. The fact that Low settings at 1080p produce 174 FPS while Ultra produces 73 FPS shows that the GPU is still the main bottleneck even at this resolution, since the frame rate varies strongly with graphical load. The CPU percentile of 95 versus all CPUs indicates it sits near the top of the database, while the GPU percentile of 58 shows it is only slightly above median. This mismatch explains why the GPU determines playability at every resolution and preset.

The settings scaling reinforces this interpretation. At 3840x2160, going from Low to Medium costs 14 FPS on average, from Medium to High costs 11 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 20 FPS. The steep drop into Ultra suggests the RTX 2060 runs out of memory bandwidth or shading capacity when all effects are enabled. At 2560x1440, the same progression costs 22 FPS, 19 FPS, and 31 FPS respectively. At 1920x1080, the costs are 32 FPS, 25 FPS, and 44 FPS. The absolute differences are larger at lower resolutions because the starting frame rates are higher, but the relative scaling shows the GPU struggling most at 4K Ultra, where the average falls to 32 FPS.

For players seeking smooth performance, the data indicates that CPU upgrades beyond the i9-14900K would yield little benefit in Downfall. The recorded frame rates at 4K are bounded by the RTX 2060's rendering capabilities, not by processor throughput. Conversely, GPU upgrades would provide immediate gains across all resolutions, particularly at Ultra presets where the current combination falls short of 60 FPS at both 1440p and 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2937 out of 3716 tested systems for Downfall. This places the combo in the bottom 21 percent of all recorded configurations. The ranking reflects the imbalance between the high-end CPU and the mid-range GPU. While the i9-14900K sits in the 95th percentile for all CPUs, the RTX 2060 only reaches the 58th percentile for all GPUs. The game's performance is clearly limited by the graphics card, dragging the overall combo ranking down despite the processor's strength.

The rank position suggests that most other tested combinations, even those with weaker CPUs, achieve better results in Downfall because they pair them with stronger GPUs. The game appears to be GPU-bound in most scenarios, so the CPU's high benchmark scores do not translate into proportional frame rate advantages. The i9-14900K's cinebench r23 multicore score of 39399.5 and singlecore score of 2262.5 are exceptional, but they cannot compensate for the RTX 2060's passmark g3d score of 14111 and 3dmark steel nomad dx12 score of 1242.

The delta between this combo's rank and the top of the database is substantial. With 3716 total combinations and a rank of 2937, there are 779 tested systems that perform worse. This means the combo is closer to the bottom than to the middle of the field. Players with this hardware should expect performance comparable to entry-level gaming systems rather than high-end builds, despite the flagship CPU.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly in Downfall. On the CPU side, the Intel Core i9-14900KF has an average benchmark score of 79371, which is 0.3 percent higher than the i9-14900K's 79097. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, 0.6 percent higher, and the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, 1.2 percent higher. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7 percent lower. All four rivals are within 2 percent of the i9-14900K, meaning any of them would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall when paired with the same GPU.

On the GPU side, the RTX 2060's nearest rivals are remarkably close in performance. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has an average score of 15283, essentially identical to the RTX 2060's 15290 with a 0 percent delta. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, 0.1 percent lower. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, 0.6 percent lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, 0.8 percent lower. All of these GPUs would deliver nearly identical results in Downfall, within a fraction of a percent.

For players considering upgrades or replacements, the data shows that swapping the i9-14900K for any of its nearest CPU rivals would change nothing in practice. The bottleneck remains the GPU. Similarly, replacing the RTX 2060 with a GTX 580, Radeon 680M, RTX 3050 OEM, or RX 7600 would produce essentially the same frame rates, since all are within 1 percent of each other in average benchmark scores. The measured FPS for this combo would transfer directly to those alternatives.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i9-14900K with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 can run Downfall, but the playable range depends heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold. Low averages 174 FPS, Medium averages 142 FPS, High averages 117 FPS, and Ultra averages 73 FPS. This resolution is fully playable at maximum quality.

At 2560x1440, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium. High averages 83 FPS, Low averages 124 FPS, and Medium averages 102 FPS. Ultra drops to 52 FPS, below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Players at 1440p should stick to High or lower for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, only Low and Medium are playable. Low averages 77 FPS and Medium averages 63 FPS, though Medium's minimum of 54 FPS indicates occasional dips below 60. High and Ultra are not playable, averaging 52 FPS and 32 FPS respectively. The verdict is that this PC runs Downfall well at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K requires reduced settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 73 FPS. This provides the best visual quality while maintaining comfortable headroom above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best settings preset is High, averaging 83 FPS. This balances visual fidelity with performance, leaving 23 FPS of headroom above 60. Ultra is not viable at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the best settings preset is Medium, averaging 63 FPS. This barely clears the 60 FPS threshold, and the minimum of 54 FPS suggests that demanding scenes may cause brief stutters. Players seeking a more consistent experience at 4K could drop to Low, which averages 77 FPS with no recorded minimum below 60.