Downfall

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Downfall, a horror title released in 2016. Measured data shows this combination is not merely playable but overwhelmingly powerful across all tested resolutions and presets, with the lowest average frame rate recorded at 63.4 FPS in 4K Ultra. The data set, which includes 12 distinct resolution and settings combinations, reveals a system that consistently exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold, often by a substantial margin.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The performance profile is defined by the measured average FPS across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high. The Low preset produces an average of 339.7 FPS, which is the highest figure in the entire data set. Moving to Medium yields 277.8 FPS, while High settings still manage an impressive 225.7 FPS. The most demanding preset at 1080p, Ultra, maintains an average of 139.5 FPS, which is more than double the playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably but remains robust. The Low preset achieves 241.1 FPS, and Medium follows closely with 196.3 FPS. High settings deliver an average of 163.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p, which is often a stress point for many systems, still produces a strong 103.2 FPS. This represents a significant drop from the 1080p Ultra score, but the absolute numbers remain well within high-refresh-rate territory.

The 3840x2160 resolution presents the greatest challenge for the hardware. Here, the Low preset yields 150.3 FPS, Medium drops to 121 FPS, and High settings maintain a solid 103.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration in the entire test suite that approaches the 60 FPS threshold, with an average of 63.4 FPS. It is notably the data does not include separate min or max FPS values; all figures are averages, which means transient dips during intense horror sequences are not captured in this dataset.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K resolution in Downfall?*

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 is 63.4 FPS on the Ultra preset. All other presets at this resolution—High, Medium, and Low—produce higher averages of 103.9, 121, and 150.3 FPS respectively, all clearing the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the fastest preset at 1080p for this hardware?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 produces the highest measured average frame rate in the entire dataset, at 339.7 FPS. The Medium preset follows at 277.8 FPS, and High at 225.7 FPS.

Q: How does the 1440p Ultra performance compare to the 4K Ultra performance?

A: The 2560x1440 Ultra preset averages 103.2 FPS, which is approximately 63% higher than the 3840x2160 Ultra average of 63.4 FPS. This indicates a substantial performance scaling between the two resolutions.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at all three tested resolutions?

A: Yes. The data shows the Ultra preset maintains an average of 139.5 FPS at 1920x1080, 103.2 FPS at 2560x1440, and 63.4 FPS at 3840x2160. All three figures exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The lowest average FPS in the measured data is 63.4 FPS, which occurs specifically at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset. No other configuration falls below this figure.

Q: Does the game support high refresh rates at 1440p?

A: Yes. The measured data shows 241.1 FPS on Low, 196.3 FPS on Medium, and 163.4 FPS on High at 2560x1440. Even the Ultra preset at this resolution achieves 103.2 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate capability of most standard monitors.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets indicates a workload that is primarily GPU-bound, though the CPU is sufficiently powerful to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, featuring a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. This places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs tested, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a clear GPU dependency. At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 139.5 at 1920x1080 to 103.2 at 2560x1440, a reduction of approximately 26%. The further drop to 63.4 FPS at 3840x2160 represents a 55% reduction from the 1440p score. This non-linear scaling is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the increase in pixel count directly impacts the rendering workload.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and presets. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 339.7 FPS, a figure that demands exceptional single-thread performance to feed the GPU. The i9-14900K's 6.00 GHz boost clock and its PassMark single-thread score of 4697 are critical here. The data suggests that at these extreme frame rates, the CPU is working near its limits, but the measured scores indicate it does not hold back the GPU.

The RTX 5070, based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, has 6144 shading units and a boost clock of 2512 MHz. Its performance, as measured by the PassMark G3D score of 29137, places it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. The difference between the 1440p and 4K Ultra scores—103.2 versus 63.4 FPS—highlights how the GPU's 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth are taxed by the higher resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested hardware combinations for Downfall, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 683rd out of 3716 total combinations. This places it in the top 18.4% of all tested systems, which is a strong result given the age of the game relative to the hardware.

The ranking is likely influenced by the fact that Downfall is a 2016 title, and modern hardware far exceeds the requirements of its era. The combination's percentile rankings for the individual components are notable: the CPU sits in the 95th percentile versus all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 82nd percentile versus all GPUs. This asymmetry suggests the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU in the broader hardware landscape.

The high rank within the game-specific combo list indicates that this system handles Downfall exceptionally well. The data shows that the combo achieves playable frame rates at every setting and resolution tested, which is not always the case for many combinations in the database. The 683rd rank out of 3716 represents a position well above the median, reflecting the overall high performance of both components.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For users considering similar hardware, the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for equivalent performance. The Intel Core i9-14900KF has an average benchmark score of 79371, which is 0.3% lower than the i9-14900K's score. This indicates that the KF variant, which lacks integrated graphics, performs nearly identically in compute tasks.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, a 0.6% difference, while the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, 1.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% lower than the i9-14900K. These deltas are all within a narrow band, meaning any of these CPUs would produce very similar frame rates in Downfall when paired with the same GPU.

On the GPU side, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro 580 with an average score of 40318, just 0.1% lower than the RTX 5070's score of 40377. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 scores 40063, a 0.8% difference, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 40870, which is 1.2% higher. The NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile scores 39568, 2% lower. These professional-grade alternatives would yield nearly identical performance in Downfall, though they may lack some of the gaming-specific features of the RTX 5070.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Downfall with exceptional performance. The verdict data confirms that all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at all three tested resolutions. The playable threshold is defined as 60 FPS, and every measured average exceeds this figure.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers between 139.5 and 339.7 FPS depending on the preset, making it suitable for even the highest refresh rate monitors. At 2560x1440, the range is 103.2 to 241.1 FPS, which covers high-refresh-rate gaming comfortably. Even at 3840x2160, the hardware maintains 63.4 to 150.3 FPS across the presets, meaning 4K gaming is fully viable.

The data indicates that this combination is overkill for Downfall in most scenarios. The game's age means it does not stress modern hardware as much as newer titles, but the measured results show that users can max out the settings at 4K and still maintain an average above 60 FPS. This is a definitive pass for all tested configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

For users seeking the highest visual quality while maintaining at least 60 FPS, the data provides clear guidance. At each resolution, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option, and it remains playable in all cases.

At 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra, which produces an average of 63.4 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset comes close to the 60 FPS threshold, but it still clears it by a margin of 3.4 FPS. Users who prefer a larger safety buffer could select High settings, which deliver 103.9 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is the best choice, with an average of 103.2 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold while delivering the highest visual fidelity. The High preset at this resolution achieves 163.4 FPS, which would be preferable for users with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is again the recommended setting, producing an average of 139.5 FPS. This comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold and is also sufficient for 120Hz displays. The data shows that at this resolution, even the most demanding settings leave significant headroom, allowing users to prioritize visual quality without sacrificing smooth gameplay.