Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Downfall, with the data showing that this combination is capable of maintaining high frame rates across all tested resolutions. The benchmark results indicate a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but retains enough headroom at 1080p to push maximum settings well past the 60 FPS playability threshold. Below is a detailed breakdown of how this hardware pairing performs in this specific horror title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 131 FPS. This is the maximum quality setting available, and the system clears the performance bar with more than double the required frame rate, leaving substantial room for additional background tasks or future driver overhead.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is also Ultra, with an average of 94 FPS. While this is a significant drop from the 1080p result, it remains comfortably above the playable threshold, indicating that the RTX 4070 has ample compute headroom at this resolution to handle the game's most intensive visual effects.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, which delivers an average of 93 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution falls to 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Therefore, for a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, users must select High settings rather than Ultra.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals distinct roles for the CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high, with Low settings hitting 312 FPS and Medium reaching 256 FPS. This suggests that the Intel Core Ultra 5 235's single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085, is sufficient to feed the RTX 4070 without creating a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop by roughly 30-40% across all settings (e.g., High goes from 210 FPS to 150 FPS). This scaling indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the pixel fill rate and shading requirements increase. The RTX 4070's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate are being taxed more heavily.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's role becomes even more dominant. The Ultra preset drops to 58 FPS, a 38% reduction from the 1440p Ultra result of 94 FPS. This 4x increase in pixel count from 1440p to 4K disproportionately impacts the GPU, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant. The data shows that the Core Ultra 5 235, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, is never the primary constraint; rather, the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are the deciding factors at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 sits at the 89th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest performance rival is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which scores 46030 — a negligible delta of 0.1%. The Intel Core i9-13900HX is also essentially tied, with a score of 46098 and a delta of -0.1%. Both of these alternatives would behave nearly identically in Downfall at all resolutions, meaning users with those CPUs should expect the same frame rate outputs when paired with the same GPU.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks at the 81st percentile, with an average benchmark score of 37648. The closest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which scores 37628 (delta 0.1%), though that is a compute-oriented card not typically used for gaming. More relevant for gaming is the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, scoring 37507 with a 0.4% delta, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which scores 38135 with a -1.3% delta. The RTX 4080 Mobile is slightly faster, which would translate to roughly 1-2 FPS higher averages in Downfall — a marginal difference that would not change the verdict at any resolution. The AMD Radeon PRO W6400 at 37157 (delta 1.3%) would be slightly slower, potentially dropping the 4K Ultra preset from 58 FPS to around 57 FPS, still below the 60 FPS threshold.

The Verdict

This PC can run Downfall effectively at all tested resolutions, provided the correct settings are chosen. At 1920x1080, all presets including Ultra are playable, with the Ultra preset delivering 131 FPS average. This is far above the 60 FPS playable threshold, making it an excellent experience for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, all presets including Ultra are again playable, with Ultra averaging 94 FPS. This provides a smooth experience even on 144Hz displays, though users seeking absolute maximum frame rates might prefer High at 150 FPS for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is more nuanced. The High preset is fully playable at 93 FPS, but the Ultra preset falls short at 58 FPS, missing the 60 FPS threshold by a small margin. For 4K gaming, users should select High settings for a locked 60+ FPS experience, or be prepared to accept slightly sub-60 frame rates if they insist on Ultra. The data clearly shows that this hardware combination is capable, but 4K Ultra is the one scenario where it does not fully meet the playability standard.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K UHD)

• Ultra: Average 58 FPS (no min/max data recorded)
• High: Average 93 FPS (no min/max data recorded)
• Medium: Average 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 FPS and maximum of 131 FPS
• Low: Average 139 FPS (no min/max data recorded)

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: Average 94 FPS (no min/max data recorded)
• High: Average 150 FPS (no min/max data recorded)
• Medium: Average 182 FPS, with a minimum of 155 FPS and maximum of 210 FPS
• Low: Average 223 FPS (no min/max data recorded)

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: Average 131 FPS (no min/max data recorded)
• High: Average 210 FPS (no min/max data recorded)
• Medium: Average 256 FPS, with a minimum of 217 FPS and maximum of 294 FPS
• Low: Average 312 FPS (no min/max data recorded)

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only recorded min/max data, showing consistent frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 97 FPS ensures no drops below the playable threshold, while at 1440p Medium the minimum of 155 FPS indicates extremely stable performance. The absence of min/max data for other presets suggests the telemetry focused on the Medium setting, but the average values alone demonstrate a well-optimized experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 58, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Users must select High settings at 4K to achieve 93 FPS average.

Q: What is the highest quality preset that stays above 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is fully playable with an average of 94 FPS. All other presets (High, Medium, Low) also exceed 60 FPS, with Low reaching 223 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rival in this game?

A: The RTX 4070's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which has an average benchmark score of 38135 versus 37648 for the RTX 4070, a delta of -1.3%. In Downfall, this translates to approximately 1-2 FPS difference, which would not alter the playability verdict at any resolution.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the system achieves 312 FPS on Low settings, indicating that neither component is severely limited. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 score of 2085) is sufficient to keep the GPU fed, and the RTX 4070's capabilities are the primary driver of frame rates.

Q: What are the recorded minimum FPS values for this combination?

A: Minimum FPS data is only available for the Medium preset. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 97 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 155 FPS; and at 1920x1080, it is 217 FPS. All other presets have no recorded min/max values in the data.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + RTX 4070 combination ranks 862nd out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 23% of all configurations, indicating strong overall performance for this specific game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 862 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top quartile of all configurations tested. This ranking is driven primarily by the GPU's strong performance at higher resolutions, as the RTX 4070's 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs outperforms the CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs in terms of impact on gaming frame rates.

The rank suggests that while this is not the absolute fastest configuration available, it sits well above the median. The CPU's nearest rivals (AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX) would likely achieve nearly identical rankings when paired with the same GPU, given their deltaPct values of 0.1% and -0.1% respectively. Similarly, swapping the GPU for an RTX 4080 Mobile would improve the rank slightly due to its -1.3% deltaPct (indicating higher performance), while an RX Vega 56 would cause a marginal drop.

The ranking reflects the system's balanced capability: it handles 1080p and 1440p with extreme ease, achieving frame rates well above the playable threshold even at Ultra settings. The only weakness is at 4K Ultra, where the 58 FPS average falls just short of the 60 FPS target, but the High preset at 4K still delivers a smooth 93 FPS. Overall, this combo ranks as a capable high-performance configuration for Downfall, suitable for most gaming scenarios without requiring significant settings compromises.