Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination delivers overwhelming performance in Downfall, a 2016 horror title. Measured data shows this pairing exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold at every resolution and preset, from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra. The CPU has a launch MSRP of $257, and the GPU has a launch MSRP of 1,999 USD. The following analysis breaks down the exact frame rates, component roles, and how this combo compares to nearby hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 135 FPS on High, 201 FPS on Low, 164 FPS on Medium, and 84 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 140 FPS and a maximum of 189 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 117 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load on the GPU. Notably, the 4K High preset (135 FPS) sits exactly at the same value as the 1440p Ultra preset (135 FPS), suggesting that resolution scaling and preset scaling interact in a non-linear way. The 4K Low preset at 201 FPS is more than double the 4K Ultra figure, which shows that Downfall's graphics options have a dramatic impact on frame rate at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages climb to 217 FPS on High, 323 FPS on Low, 264 FPS on Medium, and 135 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Medium run shows a minimum of 225 FPS and a maximum of 304 FPS, a range of 79 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Medium preset's min/max data is available, and the 79 FPS spread indicates some frame-time variance, though the minimum still remains far above the 60 FPS threshold. The 1440p Low preset at 323 FPS is the second-highest figure recorded across all resolutions and settings, trailing only the 1080p Low result.

At 1920x1080, the averages reach 303 FPS on High, 452 FPS on Low, 370 FPS on Medium, and 190 FPS on Ultra. The 1080p Medium preset has a minimum of 314 FPS and a maximum of 425 FPS, a range of 111 FPS. The 1080p Low result of 452 FPS is the single highest average FPS in the entire dataset, while the 1080p Ultra result of 190 FPS is still more than triple the playable threshold. These numbers reveal that the game is highly scalable, with the Ultra preset cutting frame rates by roughly half compared to Low at each resolution. For example, at 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 262 FPS, while at 4K the same drop is 117 FPS, indicating that the absolute cost of Ultra settings diminishes as resolution increases.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear resolution-dependent scaling pattern. Moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS on Low drops from 452 to 323, a decrease of 129 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the Low preset drops from 323 to 201, a decrease of 122 FPS. This consistent drop across presets indicates that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the extremely high frame rates (452 FPS on Low) suggest that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU without limitation, given the Core Ultra 5 235's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085) and its 14 cores running at a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU's memory bandwidth is 102.4 GB/s, while the GPU's memory bandwidth is 1.79 TB/s, a massive difference that further supports the GPU-bound nature at higher resolutions.

The RTX 5090's compute resources (104.8 TFLOPS FP32, 32 GB GDDR7) are more heavily utilized as resolution increases. The CPU's Passmark multithread score of 37816 and the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 39650 both rank high, with the CPU in the 89th percentile and the GPU in the 92nd percentile. The game's 2016 release date means it does not leverage the latest multi-threading techniques, so the CPU's 14 cores (14 threads) may be underutilized, but the high single-thread score ensures no bottleneck at lower resolutions. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 4516 reinforces this, as does its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085, which is the more relevant metric for an older game engine. At 4K, the GPU's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth become the deciding factors, as evidenced by the 84 FPS Ultra result—still playable but clearly GPU-limited. The data indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU has ample headroom, while at 4K the GPU is the dominant constraint, a typical pattern for a high-end CPU paired with a flagship GPU.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold is set at 60 FPS. According to the measured data, every preset at every resolution is playable. The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra at all three resolutions. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 84 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 135 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 190 FPS. These figures indicate that users can max out the game's settings without concern, even at 4K. The data also shows that even the lowest preset at 4K (Low, 201 FPS) is far above the threshold, so there is headroom for future titles or higher refresh-rate displays. At 1440p, the Ultra preset's 135 FPS is exactly double the 4K Ultra result, a clean scaling point that suggests the GPU is the sole limiting factor. At 1080p, the Ultra preset's 190 FPS is more than three times the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution and preset combination ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. For players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, Ultra is the recommended setting at all resolutions, as it never dips below the playable threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals, based on average score, are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, a 0.1% difference), the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, -0.1%), the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970, +0.2%), and the AMD EPYC 7303 (45960, +0.2%). These CPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in CPU-bound scenarios, meaning that swapping the Core Ultra 5 235 for any of these would result in negligible FPS changes in Downfall. The i9-13900HX is a mobile part, while the EPYC processors are server chips, but their average scores place them in the same performance tier. For the GPU, the RTX 5090 scores 79842 on average. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605, +0.3%), the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396, +0.6%), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940, +1.1%), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (80959, -1.4%). The delta percentages are all within 1.5%, meaning frame rates in Downfall would be statistically indistinguishable between these GPUs. Note that the Tesla P100 parts are data-center accelerators, while the RX 6850M XT is a mobile GPU, but their benchmark scores align closely with the RTX 5090. In practice, any of these alternatives would yield average FPS within a few frames of the RTX 5090 in this game, though the RTX 5090's 32 GB memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth give it a theoretical edge in memory-heavy scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 holds the 63rd position out of 3716 tested combos. This places it in the top tier of all recorded systems. The CPU alone ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 92nd percentile. The combination's rank of 63 out of 3716 reflects the synergy between a high-end desktop CPU and the flagship RTX 5090, which is further evidenced by the measured FPS figures that exceed the playable threshold by a wide margin at all settings. The rank is particularly impressive given that the CPU is a mid-range part (14 cores, 14 threads) while the GPU is the current flagship, suggesting that the GPU is the primary driver of this high rank. The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 and the GPU's average score of 79842 contribute to a combined system that outperforms 99% of the 3716 tested combinations, with only 62 combos ranking higher. Those higher-ranked combos likely feature even more powerful CPUs, but the RTX 5090's dominance ensures that this pairing remains among the best for gaming workloads.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Downfall at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 4K Ultra is 84, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Low?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Low is 452.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS at 1440p Medium?

A: The minimum is 225 FPS and the maximum is 304 FPS, with an average of 264 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 compare to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375?

A: The Intel CPU has an average benchmark score of 46062, while the Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030, a 0.1% difference favoring the Intel part.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 63rd out of 3716 tested combinations.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking?

A: The RTX 5090 ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs.