Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Downfall, with the data showing strong performance across all tested resolutions and presets. The combination of a 14-core Arrow Lake processor and an Ada Lovelace mid-range GPU proves sufficient to push this 2016 horror title well past the 60 FPS playable threshold in most scenarios, though 4K Ultra settings remain a challenge. Below is a detailed breakdown of the measured performance, comparative standing, and component roles.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160—each tested at four settings presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. The dataset provides average FPS for all configurations, with minimum and maximum FPS recorded only for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the system is clearly CPU-bound at lower presets, delivering exceptional headroom. The Low preset averages 226 FPS, which drops to 185 FPS at Medium with a recorded minimum of 157 FPS and maximum of 213 FPS. High settings yield 152 FPS average, while Ultra still maintains a robust 95 FPS. None of these configurations approach the 60 FPS playable threshold, meaning the combo effectively maxes out the monitor's refresh rate potential at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling is predictable: Low averages 162 FPS, Medium averages 132 FPS with a min/max of 112/152 FPS, High averages 108 FPS, and Ultra averages 68 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra represents a 58% reduction in average frame rate, indicating that pixel throughput begins to matter more at this resolution. Still, even the most demanding preset clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable 8 FPS margin.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low settings average 101 FPS, Medium averages 82 FPS with a min/max of 70/95 FPS, and High averages 68 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, falls to an average of 42 FPS, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold and not listed among the playable settings in the verdict data. The gap between High (68 FPS) and Ultra (42 FPS) is a substantial 26 FPS, suggesting that the Ultra preset's additional effects impose a heavy cost on the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus.

Notably, the Medium preset at each resolution includes min/max data, which provides insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 157 FPS is still far above the playable threshold, indicating no problematic stutters. At 1440p Medium, the 112 FPS minimum remains smooth, and even at 4K Medium, the 70 FPS minimum holds above 60 FPS. This suggests that the 1% lows do not threaten playability in the configurations where they were measured.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearestRivals data places the Core Ultra 5 235 in a tight cluster of processors with nearly identical average benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030, a delta of 0.1% relative to the Intel chip's 46062 average. The Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098, which is -0.1% delta, meaning it is effectively a statistical tie. Two AMD EPYC server processors—the 4364P at 45970 and the 7303 at 45960—also land within 0.2% of the Ultra 5 235's score. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame rates in Downfall, provided the GPU remains the same. The Core i9-13900HX is particularly relevant as a laptop part that appears in many gaming notebooks, so users coming from that platform should expect similar CPU-driven performance.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4060's nearest rivals are surprisingly modest. The AMD Radeon HD 7790, a much older discrete GPU, scores 17666 compared to the RTX 4060's 17639, a delta of -0.2%. The AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics scores 17588 (0.3% delta), the Radeon Pro 560 scores 17551 (0.5%), and the Radeon Pro 460 scores 17509 (0.7%). These deltas are all under 1%, meaning that in synthetic benchmarks, these GPUs are effectively equivalent. However, the RTX 4060's architectural advantages—including 24 RT cores, 96 tensor cores, and dedicated ray tracing hardware—may not be captured in the average score but could matter in newer titles. For Downfall, a 2016 release that predates widespread ray tracing adoption, any of these near-equal GPUs should produce comparable FPS at the same settings, though the 780M's reliance on shared system memory could alter results in practice.

The combo's overall rank of 2009 out of 3716 tested combinations places it in the lower-middle tier of the database. This ranking reflects that while the hardware is competent, many higher-end pairings exist. The fact that the CPU sits at the 89th percentile among all CPUs but the GPU only reaches the 61st percentile indicates that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the CPU dominates performance. The jump from Low (226 FPS) to Ultra (95 FPS) is driven by GPU load, but the fact that Low exceeds 200 FPS indicates that the Core Ultra 5 235's 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock are more than enough to feed the RTX 4060 at this resolution. The CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085, ensures that even the most CPU-intensive scenes in Downfall do not bottleneck the frame rate.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU's role grows. The average FPS at Low drops from 226 to 162, a 28% reduction, which is proportional to the increase in pixel count (from ~2 million to ~3.7 million pixels). The Ultra preset drops from 95 to 68 FPS, a similar 28% reduction. This consistent scaling suggests that at 1440p, the system remains balanced—neither component is a clear bottleneck, and both scale predictably with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the definitive constraint. The Low preset drops to 101 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 55% reduction from 1080p Low. The Ultra preset's collapse to 42 FPS—a 56% drop from 1440p Ultra—indicates that the RTX 4060's 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are insufficient for 4K Ultra in this title. The CPU, however, is not the issue: the Ultra 5 235's multicore performance (Cinebench R23 score of 14769) and 24 MB of L3 cache ensure that frame generation is not CPU-limited at any resolution. The evidence points to the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity being the likely culprit for the Ultra preset's poor 4K showing, as texture-heavy settings likely exceed the memory buffer.

The scaling between presets also reveals which component matters more. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 131 FPS (226 to 95), a 58% reduction. At 1440p, the same preset change costs 94 FPS (162 to 68), a 58% reduction. At 4K, it costs 59 FPS (101 to 42), a 58% reduction. The consistent 58% penalty across all resolutions indicates that the Ultra preset imposes a fixed relative cost, regardless of resolution, which points to GPU shader and texture work rather than CPU logic.

The Verdict

The verdict data is unambiguous: this PC can run Downfall at 60 FPS or higher in almost every configuration tested. At 1920x1080, all four presets—Low (226 FPS), Medium (185 FPS), High (152 FPS), and Ultra (95 FPS)—clear the 60 FPS threshold with significant margin. The best settings are Ultra, delivering an average of 95 FPS, which is more than 50% above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the system also clears 60 FPS on all presets. Low averages 162 FPS, Medium 132 FPS, High 108 FPS, and Ultra 68 FPS. The Ultra preset is listed as the best settings with an average of 68 FPS, providing a narrow but secure margin above the 60 FPS threshold. Users seeking higher frame rates for competitive play could drop to High for 108 FPS, but Ultra remains fully playable.

At 3840x2160, the story is more nuanced. The playable settings include High (68 FPS), Low (101 FPS), and Medium (82 FPS), but Ultra falls to 42 FPS and is not playable. The best settings are High, with an average of 68 FPS. This means 4K gaming is possible, but only at High or lower presets. The 42 FPS average at Ultra is 18 FPS below the playable threshold, indicating that this combo cannot handle the full visual fidelity at 4K. For players prioritizing resolution over settings, High at 4K offers a solid experience; for those prioritizing settings, 1440p Ultra delivers the same 68 FPS average with the same visual quality.

In summary, the system is fully capable of running Downfall at 60 FPS for all resolutions and presets except 4K Ultra. The 1080p and 1440p configurations provide substantial headroom, while 4K requires a modest reduction in settings from Ultra to High.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2009th out of 3716 tested combinations in the database, placing it in the 54th percentile. This is a middle-of-the-pack position, reflecting the RTX 4060's 61st percentile standing among all GPUs and the Core Ultra 5 235's 89th percentile among all CPUs. The rank suggests that while this pairing is competent, it is far from the top of the performance hierarchy. Many combinations using higher-tier GPUs or CPUs would achieve higher frame rates in Downfall, particularly at 4K Ultra where this combo fails to reach 60 FPS.

The rank is consistent with the measured FPS data: the system excels at 1080p and 1440p, but its 4K Ultra deficiency prevents it from ranking higher. The CPU's high percentile (89th) does not compensate for the GPU's mid-tier position (61st), confirming that the graphics card is the primary determinant of this combo's overall standing. The rank of 2009 also implies that roughly 1,700 tested combinations perform better, which is expected given the wide range of hardware in the database.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Downfall at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict data lists only High, Low, and Medium as playable settings at 4K.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p?

A: Ultra is the best settings at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 68 FPS. This is the highest preset that remains above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 17639, which is within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon 780M's score of 17588. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, a -0.2% delta, meaning these GPUs are effectively equivalent in average benchmark performance.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: No. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo achieves 226 FPS average, indicating the Core Ultra 5 235 provides ample headroom. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs further supports that it is not a limiting factor.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the dataset?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 70 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 Medium settings. This is still above the 60 FPS playable threshold, indicating no problematic frame drops in the measured configurations.

Q: How many total combos does this pairing rank above?

A: The combo ranks 2009th out of 3716 tested combinations, meaning it outperforms approximately 1,707 other pairings in the database.