Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 pairing presents a classic generational mix in the horror title Downfall. The CPU is a 6-core, 12-thread Zen-based processor from 2018, while the GPU is a high-end Ampere-based card from 2020. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that can deliver very high performance at 1080p and 1440p, but which also exhibits clear scaling limits at 4K Ultra. The data shows a combination that ranks at 1199 out of 3716 tested combos, placing it comfortably in the upper third of all systems tested for this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS for the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combo at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 125 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 21484. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, scores 21440, which is a delta of 0.2%, putting the AMD CPU effectively on par with that competitor.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 holds a percentile rank of 68, indicating it performs better than 68% of all GPUs in the database's benchmark suite.

Q: Is there a significant performance drop when going from 1440p High to 4K High?

A: Yes. The average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 143 FPS, which drops to 89 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings. This represents a 54 FPS decrease.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 149 FPS, with a maximum of 201 FPS and an average of 175 FPS.

Q: Which component in this combo has a higher percentile rank?

A: The CPU has a percentile rank of 75, while the GPU has a percentile rank of 68. This indicates that the CPU is ranked higher relative to its peers than the GPU is relative to its own peers.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the primary driver of graphical performance, and its specifications in the data pack explain the high frame rates observed. It features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. This ample bandwidth is crucial for feeding the 8704 shading units at high resolutions, especially when texture detail and resolution scale up. The GPU's boost clock is listed at 1710 MHz, with a base clock of 1440 MHz, and its compute power is rated at 29.77 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as the workload shifts from CPU-bound scenarios to GPU-bound ones. At lower resolutions like 1080p, the RTX 3080 has enough headroom to render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls, leading to frame rates that are more limited by the processor. However, at 4K resolution, the sheer number of pixels—3840x2160—places a massive load on the GPU's pixel rendering pipeline. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 56, which is less than half of the 125 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. This demonstrates that the GPU is being fully saturated at the highest resolution and settings, making it the bottleneck in that scenario.

The GPU's performance profile also shows a clear relationship with settings. At 4K, moving from Low to Medium settings increases the average FPS, but this is an anomaly. The progression from 133 FPS at Low to 109 FPS at Medium and then 89 FPS at High indicates that the RTX 3080's raw power is sufficient to handle these presets, but the Ultra preset introduces effects and shading loads that dramatically reduce performance. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is a 33 FPS drop, which is a 37% reduction, showing that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding than the High preset for this GPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores indicate a solid mid-range performance level; for example, it scores 1248 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 2239 in Passmark single-thread. The CPU's percentile rank of 75 against all CPUs suggests it is outperforming the majority of processors in the database, though it is not a top-tier part.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is primarily to manage game logic, physics, and draw calls. At 1080p, the CPU appears to be the limiting factor. The data shows that at 1920x1080, the average FPS for Low, Medium, and High settings are 250, 233, and 201, respectively. These are very high frame rates, but the scaling is not linear with GPU load. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p results in a 76 FPS drop to 125 FPS, which is a much larger drop than the previous steps. This suggests that at 1080p Ultra, the CPU is still able to feed the GPU enough data to hit 125 FPS, but the GPU is not the constraint; rather, the CPU's single-thread performance is limiting the maximum frame rate.

The CPU's 12 threads are sufficient for this game, as the frame rates at 1080p do not show signs of a multi-threading bottleneck. The boost clock of 3.90 GHz, while not exceptional by modern standards, is adequate for maintaining high frame rates in this horror title. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s via dual-channel DDR4 is also a factor, but the data suggests it is not a significant constraint. The measured FPS at 1440p High (143 FPS) and 4K High (89 FPS) show that as resolution increases, the CPU's role diminishes, and the GPU becomes the dominant performance factor. The CPU is never a bottleneck at 4K, as the GPU is clearly maxed out, but at 1080p, it is the component that prevents frame rates from going even higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 250. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 233 FPS, with a minimum of 198 FPS and a maximum of 268 FPS. High settings yield an average of 201 FPS. The Ultra preset brings the average down to 125 FPS, which is still very playable but represents a significant hit compared to High.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low settings produce an average of 214 FPS. Medium settings average 175 FPS, with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 201 FPS. High settings average 143 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 90 FPS, which is a solid result for a demanding resolution and preset combination. The frame rate drop from 1080p Ultra (125 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (90 FPS) is 35 FPS, indicating the GPU is starting to feel the load.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed to its limits. Low settings average 133 FPS, which is still high enough for a smooth experience. Medium settings average 109 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS. High settings average 89 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to an average of 56 FPS, which is the lowest measured score in the entire dataset. This shows a clear progression: at 4K Ultra, the system is heavily GPU-bound, and the RTX 3080 cannot maintain the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling of FPS from 1080p to 4K reveals the dynamic between the CPU and GPU. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 201 at 1080p to 143 at 1440p, and then to 89 at 4K. This represents a 58 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p (a 29% decrease) and a 54 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K (a 38% decrease). The scaling is relatively consistent, indicating that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck as resolution increases.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more dramatic. The average FPS is 125 at 1080p, 90 at 1440p, and 56 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35 FPS (28% decrease), but the drop from 1440p to 4K is 34 FPS (38% decrease). This steeper decline at 4K Ultra suggests that the GPU is hitting a performance wall due to the combined load of high resolution and maximum graphical effects.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU is more likely the limiting factor, as evidenced by the high frame rates that do not scale perfectly with GPU load. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, as the frame rates scale directly with the pixel count and settings complexity. The RTX 3080's 10 GB of VRAM, while sufficient for this game, is being taxed at 4K Ultra, and the 56 FPS average suggests that the GPU's processing power is the primary constraint.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends on the user's resolution and preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers an excellent balance, with an average of 201 FPS. This provides a very smooth experience, and the jump to Ultra only adds visual detail at the cost of a 76 FPS drop. For users with high refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset at 233 FPS or even Low at 250 FPS would be preferable to maximize frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 143 FPS. This is high enough for most gaming scenarios and maintains good visual quality. The Medium preset at 175 FPS is also a strong option for those who prioritize frame rate. The Ultra preset at 90 FPS is playable but not ideal for competitive play, and the drop from High to Ultra is 53 FPS, which is substantial.

At 3840x2160, the High preset is the best balance, with an average of 89 FPS. This is suitable for a smooth experience on a 4K display. The Medium preset at 109 FPS is also a viable option, offering a higher frame rate with a modest reduction in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 56 FPS is not recommended for a consistent experience, as it dips below 60 FPS on average. The Low preset at 133 FPS is an option for those who want high frame rates at 4K, but it sacrifices significant visual fidelity. Overall, the High preset provides the best combination of visual quality and performance across all resolutions, with the Medium preset being a close second for higher frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination is ranked 1199 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall. This places it in the 68th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of the configurations in the database. This is a strong showing, especially considering the CPU is several generations older than the GPU.

The CPU's individual performance is a contributing factor to this ranking. With a percentile rank of 75, the Ryzen 5 2600 is well above average, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-11900H (0.5% higher score) and the AMD EPYC 9454 (1.2% lower score). This shows that the CPU is not a weak link in the system. The GPU, with a percentile rank of 68, is also above average, though its nearest rivals are less powerful cards like the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which has a nearly identical average score.

The combination's rank of 1199 suggests that while both components are individually capable, the pairing does not achieve the top-tier results seen with more modern CPUs. The data shows that the system is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the CPU's limitations at lower resolutions and the GPU's limitations at 4K Ultra prevent it from ranking higher. The high FPS at 1080p Low (250 FPS) and 1440p Low (214 FPS) indicate that the CPU can keep up with the GPU in many scenarios, but the 56 FPS at 4K Ultra shows that the GPU is the ultimate bottleneck for maximum settings. Overall, this combo is a solid performer that ranks in the upper third of all systems, offering a good experience for most gaming scenarios in Downfall.