Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is an exceptionally high-end combination, and the benchmark data for Downfall reflects that raw power. The measured frame rates are consistently far above the 60 FPS playability threshold, even at the most demanding settings. This analysis breaks down exactly what the data shows for this specific hardware pairing in this horror title.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Downfall at 4K resolution with the highest graphics preset?*

A: Yes. The benchmark data shows an average of 84 FPS at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra preset. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS playable threshold, indicating that the highest settings are viable at 4K.

*Q: What is the maximum frame rate recorded for this system in Downfall?*

A: The highest average frame rate in the measured data is 452 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This shows the system's capability at lower resolutions and less demanding settings.

Q: How does the frame rate scale between 1440p and 4K at the Medium preset?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 264 FPS. When moving up to 3840x2160 at the same Medium preset, the average frame rate drops to 164 FPS. This represents a significant performance decrease of roughly 38% when increasing resolution.

Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate drops below 60 FPS?

A: No. Every single measured configuration—across all three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra)—produces an average frame rate above 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 84 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 323 FPS. The Ultra preset at the same resolution produces an average of 135 FPS. The Ultra preset is therefore approximately 58% slower than Low, a substantial gap that shows the heavy load of the game's highest visual quality settings.

Q: Does the system maintain high frame rates during intense moments?

A: The data includes minimum frame rate readings for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 314 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 225 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 140 FPS. These minimums are still extremely high, suggesting strong frame time consistency even in demanding scenes.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The benchmark database places the RTX 5090 in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,842. Its nearest rivals in the database are surprisingly not modern gaming cards but rather professional and mobile solutions. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, a 0.3% delta, and the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, a 0.6% delta. This suggests that in raw compute terms, the RTX 5090's performance profile is similar to these data-center oriented cards, though gaming features differ. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, a laptop GPU, sits at 78,940 with a 1.1% delta, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is slightly ahead of the RTX 5090 in this metric, scoring 80,959 with a -1.4% delta.

For the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 sits in the 85th percentile of all processors with an average benchmark score of 36,938. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which scores 36,945, a negligible 0% delta. This indicates that in synthetic benchmarks, the Ultra 5 225 and the Ryzen 5 5600F offer nearly identical multi-threaded performance. The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37,018, a 0.2% delta, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37,093, a 0.4% delta. The Intel Core i9-12900T completes the list, scoring 37,112 with a -0.5% delta. All four rivals are within a 1% performance margin, meaning systems using these CPUs would exhibit very similar behavior in CPU-bound scenarios.

The data indicates that for Downfall, a system with a Ryzen 5 5600F or a Ryzen 5 5500X3D would behave almost identically to the Ultra 5 225 in terms of processing power. On the GPU side, while the Tesla P100 cards match the RTX 5090 in compute benchmarks, they are not gaming-optimized, so the practical gaming performance in Downfall would likely differ. The RX 6850M XT, despite being a mobile part, is the closest gaming-oriented rival in the database.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data for Downfall reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at all tested resolutions. The evidence is the massive frame rate drop when increasing resolution while holding settings constant. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 452 at 1080p to 323 at 1440p and then to 201 at 4K. This is a clear sign that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the rendering load increases with pixel count.

The scaling pattern holds across all presets. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 303 at 1080p to 217 at 1440p and 135 at 4K. At Ultra settings, the numbers shift from 190 at 1080p to 135 at 1440p and 84 at 4K. The consistent drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 30% in each case, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is another 35-40%. This consistent scaling by resolution, regardless of the preset, points squarely at the GPU as the limiting factor.

The CPU's role appears minimal in this game, as even at 1080p with Low settings, where CPU load is typically highest relative to GPU load, the system still produces 452 FPS. This suggests that the Core Ultra 5 225 is more than capable of feeding the RTX 5090 with draw calls and game logic data. The CPU's 10 cores and 10 threads, with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, provide ample processing power that does not become a constraint at any resolution tested. The game is not CPU-bound in any of these scenarios, as frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and graphics preset, not with CPU workload.

The Verdict

The benchmark results are unequivocal: this PC does not merely run Downfall, it dominates it. The playability threshold is set at 60 FPS, and every single tested configuration exceeds this mark by a wide margin. The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at every resolution tested.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, delivering an average of 190 FPS. This is more than three times the playability threshold, offering headroom for high refresh rate monitors or future driver overhead. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset again stands as the best choice, with an average of 135 FPS. This is over double the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring a smooth experience with maximum visual fidelity. Even at the demanding 3840x2160 resolution, the Ultra preset remains playable with an average of 84 FPS. While this is the lowest average in the dataset, it is still 40% above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

The data shows that this system achieves a "best settings" designation of Ultra at every resolution. There is no scenario in the measured data where the user would need to compromise on visual quality to achieve playable frame rates. The RTX 5090's immense memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s and 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, combined with the CPU's strong single-thread performance, creates a pairing that is effectively overkill for this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 63rd out of 3,716 tested combos in the database for Downfall. This places it in the top 1.7% of all tested systems. This high ranking is expected, given that the GPU sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs and the CPU in the 85th percentile of all CPUs.

The rank of 63 suggests that there are 62 other combinations that produce higher frame rates in this game. These would be systems with even more powerful GPUs or CPUs, or possibly configurations with more optimized pairings. However, a rank of 63 out of 3,716 is an elite position, indicating that this system will outperform the vast majority of gaming PCs in Downfall. The data is measured, not estimated, which adds confidence to this ranking.

It is worth remembering the rank is based on the combination's overall performance in the game. Given that the GPU is the clear bottleneck, the CPU's contribution to the rank is likely secondary. A system with a slightly weaker CPU but the same RTX 5090 might achieve a similar rank, as the difference in CPU performance would have minimal impact on the frame rates in this GPU-bound title.

Best Settings per Resolution

The data identifies the most demanding preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above 60 FPS for each resolution. At every resolution, this is the Ultra preset.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 190 FPS. This is the highest quality setting and provides an exceptional level of performance, well suited for high-refresh-rate displays. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 135 FPS. This again is the best settings option, maintaining a high frame rate with full visual detail. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 84 FPS. This remains the recommended best setting, clearing the 60 FPS threshold with a 24 FPS buffer.

The consistency of the Ultra preset being the best option at all resolutions confirms the system's power. There is no resolution where the user must drop to High or Medium settings to achieve 60 FPS. The system has enough headroom at 4K Ultra (84 FPS) that even with potential future patches or more demanding scenes, it is likely to remain above the playability threshold.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured frame rate data for this system in Downfall is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 452 FPS
• Medium: Average 370 FPS, Minimum 314 FPS, Maximum 425 FPS
• High: Average 303 FPS
• Ultra: Average 190 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 323 FPS
• Medium: Average 264 FPS, Minimum 225 FPS, Maximum 304 FPS
• High: Average 217 FPS
• Ultra: Average 135 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 201 FPS
• Medium: Average 164 FPS, Minimum 140 FPS, Maximum 189 FPS
• High: Average 135 FPS
• Ultra: Average 84 FPS

The data shows a clear and predictable progression. As resolution increases, frame rates decrease proportionally. As settings move from Low to Ultra, the frame rates drop significantly. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, showing a tight range that indicates stable performance. For example, at 2560x1440 Medium, the range from minimum to maximum is 225 to 304 FPS, a spread of 79 FPS. This suggests the game is well-optimized for this hardware, with no major frame time spikes. The absence of min/max data for other presets leaves a slight gap in understanding the worst-case scenarios, but the high average FPS values make it unlikely that any configuration would drop near the 60 FPS threshold.