Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER delivers a highly playable experience in Downfall at 1080p, but the data shows that the Ultra preset is a trap. The measured results indicate that this combo ranks in the 1489th position out of 1741 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of the database and highlighting that while the hardware is competent, it is not geared for maximum fidelity. The best experience is found by prioritizing frame rate over visual extremes, with the Medium and High presets offering the most balanced performance across all resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data makes a decisive case for the Medium preset at 1080p as the optimal choice for this combination. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset achieves an average of 122.5 FPS, which is a substantial 60.2 FPS improvement over the Ultra preset’s 62.3 FPS. This jump in fluidity comes at a minimal visual cost for a horror title where smooth motion is critical for immersion. The High preset at 1080p also performs admirably with 96.3 FPS, but the Medium setting provides a more significant safety margin for maintaining frame times during intense scenes.

At higher resolutions, the settings hierarchy shifts. For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, delivering 85.7 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, whereas the High preset at 72.5 FPS is still playable but leaves less headroom. The Ultra preset at 1440p collapses to 47 FPS, which is not ideal for a game that relies on tension and reaction time. For 3840x2160, the data suggests that only the Low preset is viable for consistent play, producing 66.9 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 57 FPS, which is borderline, while High and Ultra fall to 46 FPS and 28.6 FPS respectively, making them unsuitable for a responsive horror experience.

GPU Role

The GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary driver of the performance ceiling in these results, particularly at higher resolutions. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, which is a critical asset for texture-heavy horror environments.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, rated at 5.027 TFLOPS for FP32, are sufficient for 1080p gaming but become the limiting factor as resolution increases. The measured FPS drop from 122.5 at 1080p Medium to 57 at 4K Medium illustrates that the GPU is struggling to fill the additional pixels. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs puts it in the mid-range tier, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, is only 0.7% behind in average score, indicating that this is a competitive but not dominant segment. The VRAM capacity of 6 GB is adequate for the game’s presets, but the data does not suggest headroom for future high-texture packs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 2600 and GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1489th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This position, placing it in the 85th percentile of the ranking list, indicates that it is outperformed by a wide margin of more modern or higher-tier hardware. However, within its own class, the data shows it is a functional pairing rather than a bottleneck-heavy one.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 19616 places it near the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U, which is only 0.6% ahead, and the Intel Core i5-11600KF, which is 0.6% behind. This suggests the processor is not the limiting factor in the combo’s low rank; the GPU’s mid-range status is more likely the reason for the 1489th position. The GPU’s average score of 14286 places it near the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, which is only 0.2% behind, confirming that the graphics card is the performance anchor. In practice, this means the combo will deliver solid 1080p performance but will fall behind in higher-resolution or Ultra settings compared to higher-ranked configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo’s capabilities across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 148.6 FPS, which is the highest recorded value for this pairing. The Medium preset follows at 122.5 FPS, High at 96.3 FPS, and Ultra trails significantly at 62.3 FPS. This represents a 58% performance drop from Low to Ultra, showing that the Ultra preset is disproportionately demanding.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers scale down predictably. Low produces 106.2 FPS, Medium 85.7 FPS, High 72.5 FPS, and Ultra 47 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 55.7%, but the absolute values indicate that Ultra is not viable for consistent play. At 3840x2160, the performance collapses further: Low yields 66.9 FPS, Medium 57 FPS, High 46 FPS, and Ultra 28.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling, as it falls below the 30 FPS threshold, making the game feel sluggish and unresponsive. The data shows a consistent pattern where the high and ultra presets should be avoided at 1440p and above.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the best choice, delivering an average of 122.5 FPS. This provides a smooth experience with a 60.2 FPS advantage over the Ultra preset’s 62.3 FPS.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Downfall?*

A: Yes, but only at the Low preset, which achieves 66.9 FPS at 3840x2160. The Medium preset drops to 57 FPS, while Ultra is unplayable at 28.6 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1489th out of 1741 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of the database. This is driven primarily by the GPU’s mid-range performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this pairing?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 2600’s benchmark score is within 0.7% of the Intel Core i7-10700F, while the GTX 1660 SUPER’s score is near the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 106.2 FPS, while Ultra drops to 47 FPS. This is a difference of 59.2 FPS, making Ultra unsuitable for smooth play.

Q: Does the GTX 1660 SUPER’s VRAM affect the results?

A: The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is sufficient for the measured presets, but the data does not indicate headroom for higher texture loads at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 provides a stable foundation for the GTX 1660 SUPER, though its influence on the measured FPS is secondary to the GPU. The CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, based on the Zen+ architecture. Its 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 46.9 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for feeding the GPU in this title.

The processor’s benchmark results show a single-thread score of 2239 in PassMark and a multithread score of 13160, which are mid-range figures. Its percentile ranking of 77 among all CPUs indicates it is not a weak link, but it also does not boost the combo. In Downfall, the FPS differences between settings are more attributable to GPU load than CPU limitations, as the game is not heavily threaded. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-1345U, is only 0.4% ahead in average score, confirming that the Ryzen 5 2600 is competitive in its class. The data suggests that the CPU allows the GPU to reach its full potential without introducing a bottleneck, but it also cannot compensate for the GPU’s limits at high resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and expected scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the GPU becoming the dominant bottleneck. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Medium settings reduces the average FPS from 122.5 to 85.7, a drop of 36.8 FPS or 30%. This is a significant reduction that indicates the GPU is heavily taxed by the higher pixel count.

From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at Medium, the FPS falls further from 85.7 to 57, a 33.5% decrease. The trend is consistent across all settings, with the Low preset dropping from 148.6 at 1080p to 66.9 at 4K, a 55% reduction. This scaling behavior confirms that the limiting component is the GPU’s shading and memory throughput, not the CPU. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s 336 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K, as evidenced by the Ultra preset’s 28.6 FPS. The data implies that users should target 1080p or 1440p for the best experience, as the 4K results are only playable at the lowest settings. The combo is best suited for 1080p gaming where it can leverage its full potential, while higher resolutions expose its mid-range nature.