Downfall

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Downfall on this combination of Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 spans three resolutions and four quality presets. The measurements provide a complete picture of performance scaling across the board.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates start at 77 FPS on Low settings. Moving to Medium drops the average to 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS recorded. High settings reduce the average further to 52 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset at 4K yields only 32 FPS on average. This resolution shows a clear downward progression as graphical load increases, with the gap between Low and Ultra reaching 45 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance improves substantially. Low settings deliver an average of 124 FPS. Medium settings produce 102 FPS on average, with a minimum of 86 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. High settings still maintain an average of 83 FPS. Ultra settings at this resolution drop to 52 FPS on average. The spread from Low to Ultra here is 72 FPS, showing that the preset choice has a large impact on the experience.

At 1920x1080, the combination reaches its highest frame rates. Low settings average 174 FPS. Medium settings average 142 FPS, with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS. High settings hold at 117 FPS on average. Ultra settings still manage 73 FPS on average. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 101 FPS, which indicates that even the heaviest preset leaves headroom for smooth gameplay.

The minimum and maximum figures are only recorded for Medium presets across all three resolutions. At 4K Medium, the range is 54 to 73 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 86 to 117 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the range is 121 to 164 FPS. These intervals suggest consistent frame delivery without severe dips, particularly at lower resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the graphics card is the primary performance limiter in this pairing, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU, Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its average benchmark score is 84003, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. The GPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, has an average benchmark score of 15290 and sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. This percentile gap strongly suggests the GPU will constrain frame rates before the CPU does.

The scaling between resolutions confirms this interpretation. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on Low settings, the average FPS drops from 174 to 124, a reduction of 50 FPS. From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 on Low settings, the average drops from 124 to 77, another 47 FPS reduction. This consistent decline with increasing pixel count points to GPU-bound behavior. A CPU-bound scenario would show less variation across resolutions.

The preset scaling within each resolution also reflects GPU dominance. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces the average from 174 to 73 FPS, a 58 percent reduction. At 1440p, the same preset change drops the average from 124 to 52 FPS. At 4K, Low to Ultra goes from 77 to 32 FPS. The magnitude of these drops grows with resolution, which is characteristic of a GPU that reaches its fill rate or shader limits before the CPU becomes relevant.

The CPU's role is not negligible, however. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has a passmark single-thread score of 4823 and a multithread score of 60860. These figures are far above what Downfall, a horror game from 2016, would require. The game's release date suggests modest CPU demands by modern standards. Therefore, the data shows that the RTX 2060 governs the achievable frame rates at every resolution and preset combination tested.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS on average is as follows.

At 3840x2160, Medium settings are the highest preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold, delivering an average of 63 FPS. Low settings also pass with 77 FPS, but Medium is the best choice among playable options. High settings fall short at 52 FPS, and Ultra drops to 32 FPS, so neither can maintain smooth gameplay at 4K.

At 2560x1440, High settings are the top playable preset, averaging 83 FPS. Medium averages 102 FPS and Low averages 124 FPS, but High provides the best visual quality while still exceeding the 60 FPS mark. Ultra at this resolution averages 52 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are playable with an average of 73 FPS. This is the only resolution where the highest preset remains above 60 FPS. High averages 117 FPS, Medium averages 142 FPS, and Low averages 174 FPS, but Ultra is the recommended choice for maximum graphical fidelity at 1080p.

The verdict data confirms these selections. For 3840x2160, the playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium as the best at 63 FPS. For 2560x1440, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High as the best at 83 FPS. For 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with Ultra as the best at 73 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly in this game.

For the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, the closest competitor is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, with an average score of 83807 and a delta of 0.2 percent. This means the 290K Plus is slightly ahead by a negligible margin. The AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83090, a 1.1 percent gap, and the AMD EPYC 9135 scores 82980, a 1.2 percent gap. The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85072, which is 1.3 percent higher than the 290K Plus. These deltas are all within a couple of percent, so any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall when paired with the same GPU. The game is not CPU-sensitive at these performance levels.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, the closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, with an average score of 15283 and a delta of 0 percent. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, a 0.1 percent delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, a 0.6 percent delta. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, a 0.8 percent delta. Since the RTX 2060 and these rivals are within 1 percent of each other on average benchmark score, the measured FPS in Downfall would be virtually indistinguishable across these GPUs. Users with any of these cards can expect similar playable settings and frame rates at each resolution.

The combination's rank of 2937 out of 3716 tested combos reflects the GPU's mid-range position. The CPU is far above average, but the GPU pulls the overall ranking down. Swapping the GPU for a higher-tier model would change the ranking substantially, while swapping the CPU for any of its nearest rivals would not.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU pairing at 2937 out of 3716 tested combinations for Downfall. This places the combo in the lower portion of the distribution, around the 21st percentile from the top. The ranking is driven almost entirely by the GPU's performance class, as the RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is at the 96th percentile among all CPUs.

The measured frame rates support this ranking. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 73 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. At 1440p High, it averages 83 FPS. At 4K Medium, it averages 63 FPS. These figures are consistent with a mid-range GPU from 2019 paired with a flagship 2025-era CPU. The CPU does not bottleneck the GPU in any tested scenario, so the GPU's limits define the experience.

The rank of 2937 out of 3716 means that roughly 779 tested combos perform worse, while about 2936 perform better. This is a below-average result for the full field of tested hardware. However, the absolute performance is still sufficient for smooth gameplay at several preset and resolution combinations, as detailed in the verdict section.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Downfall at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 73, which exceeds the 60 FPS playable threshold. Ultra is the best playable preset at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest playable preset at 2560x1440?

A: High settings are the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 83 FPS. Ultra at 1440p averages 52 FPS and is not playable.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only on Low or Medium settings. Medium averages 63 FPS and Low averages 77 FPS. High and Ultra at 4K average 52 and 32 FPS respectively, which are below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2 percent higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K at 83807. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and AMD EPYC 9135 are 1.1 and 1.2 percent lower respectively, while the AMD EPYC 7F72 is 1.3 percent higher.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 at 15283, a 0 percent delta. The AMD Radeon 680M, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, and AMD Radeon RX 7600 are all within 0.8 percent of the RTX 2060.

Q: What is the overall rank of this combo in the database for Downfall?

A: The combination ranks 2937 out of 3716 tested combos. This places it in the lower half of tested hardware, primarily due to the GPU's mid-range performance class.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Downfall at all three tested resolutions, but the playable settings vary by resolution.

At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on every preset. The best playable setting is Ultra, averaging 73 FPS. High, Medium, and Low also exceed the threshold with averages of 117, 142, and 174 FPS respectively. This resolution offers the most flexibility, allowing users to choose maximum visual quality without compromising smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable on High, Medium, and Low settings. High is the best choice, averaging 83 FPS. Medium averages 102 FPS, and Low averages 124 FPS. Ultra falls below the threshold at 52 FPS, so it should be avoided at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the system is only playable on Low and Medium settings. Medium is the best playable preset, averaging 63 FPS. Low averages 77 FPS. High and Ultra are not playable, with averages of 52 and 32 FPS respectively.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p Ultra is fully playable, 1440p High is fully playable, and 4K Medium is playable with reduced visual quality. Users targeting 60 FPS should select the recommended presets above. The GPU is the limiting factor throughout, and the CPU provides ample headroom for this 2016 horror title.