Downfall

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is High, with a recorded average of 85 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the playable threshold at 53 FPS, so it is not recommended at this resolution. Medium runs at 104 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS, and Low reaches 127 FPS, but High offers the best visual fidelity while still clearing the 60 FPS bar by a comfortable margin.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is fully playable, delivering an average of 86 FPS. This is a significant jump from the 4K result, where Ultra dropped to 53 FPS. High runs at 137 FPS, Medium at 168 FPS with a minimum of 142 FPS, and Low at 205 FPS. Since Ultra is the highest quality setting and it stays well above 60 FPS, it is the clear choice at 1440p.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is the best setting, averaging 120 FPS. This is exactly double the 4K Ultra result, and it remains far above the playable threshold. High delivers 192 FPS, Medium 235 FPS with a minimum of 199 FPS, and Low 287 FPS. The 1080p results show that this combination has substantial headroom, making Ultra the obvious pick for users who prioritize image quality without sacrificing smoothness.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 35670. Its nearest rivals are extremely close in aggregate performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 scores 35719, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the Core Ultra 9 185H is effectively tied with it. The Intel Core 7 250H scores 35728, also -0.1% relative difference. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 scores 35802, a -0.4% gap, and the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X scores 35909, putting it -0.7% ahead of the Core Ultra 9 185H. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Downfall, since the differences are within measurement noise.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks at the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. The closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%. This means the RTX 4080 is essentially indistinguishable from the 4080 SUPER in aggregate GPU benchmarks. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, putting it -1.1% behind the RTX 4080. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, a -2.6% gap, and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, -2.7%. While these AMD cards are close in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4080's lead over them is consistent, and in a horror title like Downfall, the frame rate differences would be minor at most.

For users considering a similar build, swapping the Core Ultra 9 185H for a Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 or Core 7 250H would result in virtually unchanged performance, as all three CPUs fall within a 0.2% band of each other. On the GPU side, the RTX 4080 SUPER is the most direct equivalent, with a 0.1% delta that would translate to a one or two frame difference at most in real gameplay.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 53 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at 4K is High, which averages 85 FPS.

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

A: Ultra, with an average of 86 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear 60 FPS at 2560x1440, so the Ultra preset is both visually superior and well within playable range.

Q: How much performance headroom is there at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 120 FPS, exactly double the 4K Ultra result. The Low preset reaches 287 FPS, showing that the RTX 4080 has enormous headroom at 1080p for this game.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 closer to the RTX 4080 SUPER or to the Radeon RX 6750 GRE?

A: The RTX 4080 is much closer to the RTX 4080 SUPER. The delta between the two is 0.1%, while the gap to the RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is -2.6%. In practical terms, the 4080 SUPER is a near-identical performer, while the RX 6750 GRE is measurably slower in aggregate benchmarks.

Q: Does the CPU matter for Downfall at 4K?

A: The data indicates that at 3840x2160, the GPU is the limiting factor, since the Ultra preset falls to 53 FPS while the CPU is nowhere near its limits. The Core Ultra 9 185H sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, so it is unlikely to bottleneck the RTX 4080 in this game at any resolution.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate at Medium settings in 4K?

A: The minimum recorded frame rate at 3840x2160 Medium is 89 FPS, with a maximum of 120 FPS. This is the only resolution and preset combination in the measured data that includes both minimum and maximum values.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Downfall with strong results. The verdict data shows that at 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best at 85 FPS. Ultra at 4K is not playable, as it drops to 53 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 86 FPS. At 1920x1080, all four presets are also playable, and Ultra hits 120 FPS.

The clear takeaway is that this combination is excellent for 1440p and 1080p gaming, where it can run the game at maximum settings with substantial frame rate headroom. At 4K, users must step down to High to stay above 60 FPS, which is still a high-quality setting. The 85 FPS average at 4K High is smooth and responsive, making this a viable 4K machine for Downfall as long as expectations are set correctly: Ultra is off the table, but High is very comfortable.

For a horror game, where consistent frame pacing matters for immersion and responsiveness, the 85 FPS at 4K High and 86 FPS at 1440p Ultra are both well above the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum frame rate at 4K Medium is 89 FPS, which is reassuring for users who want to avoid dips during intense scenes.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear progression of GPU-bound behavior as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 287 FPS, Medium 235 FPS, High 192 FPS, and Ultra 120 FPS. This scaling indicates that even at 1080p, the GPU is the primary driver of performance, since frame rates drop significantly as settings increase. The CPU, with a passmark multithread score of 29376 and a single-thread score of 3697, provides ample headroom at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates scale similarly: Low at 205 FPS, Medium at 168 FPS, High at 137 FPS, and Ultra at 86 FPS. The ratio between Low and Ultra is about 2.4x, which is consistent with the GPU workload increasing substantially at higher settings. The CPU's role remains secondary, as the frame rate differences between presets are driven by GPU workload.

At 3840x2160, the pattern continues but with a more pronounced drop at Ultra. Low delivers 127 FPS, Medium 104 FPS, High 85 FPS, and Ultra 53 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra is a 32 FPS drop, which is the largest single-step decline in the measured data. This suggests that Ultra at 4K imposes a particularly heavy GPU load, and the RTX 4080 cannot sustain 60 FPS under those conditions.

The CPU's contribution is more visible at lower resolutions, where frame rates are high enough to potentially expose CPU limitations. However, even at 1080p Low with 287 FPS, the Core Ultra 9 185H does not appear to bottleneck the system, as the frame rate continues to scale with GPU settings. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17984.5 and single-core score of 1810.5 indicate strong all-around performance, and its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms it is a high-end mobile processor.

Across all resolutions, the GPU is the dominant factor in Downfall. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth provide ample resources for the horror game's visuals. The CPU's role becomes relevant only in ensuring that frame times remain consistent, which the data suggests it does, given that the minimum frame rates at Medium settings are 89 FPS at 4K, 142 FPS at 1440p, and 199 FPS at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 1219th out of 3716 tested combinations in the database for Downfall. This places it in the 67th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of the systems in the database while trailing the top third.

The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The Core Ultra 9 185H is a strong mobile processor, ranking in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4080 ranks in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. When paired, they produce a system that is well above average for this game, but not at the absolute top tier. The 3716 total combinations include many desktop systems with higher-end CPUs and GPUs, which explains why this combo does not crack the top 1000.

Given that the RTX 4080 is an end-of-life product with a successor in the GeForce 50 series, and the Core Ultra 9 185H is a mobile part, this ranking is expected. The combo delivers excellent 1080p and 1440p performance, and capable 4K performance at High settings, but it is not the fastest configuration available for Downfall. Users seeking higher 4K Ultra frame rates would need a more powerful GPU, while those satisfied with 1440p Ultra or 1080p Ultra will find this combo more than sufficient.