Downfall

The data presents an extreme pairing: a 2018 six-core AMD Ryzen 5 2600 processor paired with NVIDIA’s flagship 2025 GeForce RTX 5090 D graphics card. In Downfall, a 2016 horror title, this combination produces exceptionally high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, but the underlying performance dynamics reveal a classic bottleneck scenario where the aging CPU limits the potential of the modern GPU. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, contextualizes the results against the hardware's specifications, and provides actionable settings guidance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 250 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 223 FPS, a reduction of 27 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average falls further to 191 FPS, representing a 32 FPS drop from the 1440p result. This scaling indicates that while the GPU is becoming more stressed at higher resolutions, the frame rates remain extraordinarily high, suggesting the CPU is the primary limiter even at 4K.

The gap between resolutions narrows as settings increase, which is a key indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At High settings, the progression is 217 FPS (1080p), 194 FPS (1440p), and 144 FPS (4K). The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is approximately 33.6%, which is less severe than the 23.6% drop seen at Low settings from 1080p to 4K. This pattern suggests that at lower settings, the CPU is maxed out and cannot feed the GPU enough frames, while at higher settings, the GPU workload increases, slightly relieving the CPU bottleneck.

The Medium settings row provides the only min/max FPS data in the pack. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average is 233 FPS with a minimum of 198 FPS and a maximum of 268 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the average is 208 FPS with a minimum of 177 FPS and a maximum of 239 FPS. At 3840x2160 Medium, the average drops to 175 FPS with a minimum of 149 FPS and a maximum of 202 FPS. The variance between min and max FPS stays relatively tight, indicating stable frame delivery without severe stuttering, even under the CPU constraint.

The overall resolution scaling data suggests that this game is not heavily GPU-bound at 1080p or 1440p for this particular combo. The RTX 5090 D is capable of far higher frame rates than the Ryzen 5 2600 can provide, as evidenced by the relatively small FPS differences between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings (250 vs 223 FPS). Only at 4K does the GPU begin to assert itself, but even then, the 191 FPS at Low settings remains far above typical display refresh rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a monstrously powerful piece of silicon, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node. Its specifications include 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU has 21,760 shading units and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. This hardware is designed to obliterate 4K gaming workloads, and in Downfall, it does exactly that when given the chance.

However, the data reveals that the GPU's immense power is not fully utilized. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 250 FPS, but this is likely a CPU ceiling rather than a GPU limitation. The GPU could theoretically render far more frames, but the Ryzen 5 2600 cannot issue draw calls fast enough to keep up. The high memory bandwidth and 32 GB VRAM are completely unnecessary for a 2016 horror game, but they do ensure that there are no memory-related frame drops or texture streaming issues at any resolution.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its dominance. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 14,326. In Geekbench Vulkan, it achieves 376,915. The Passmark G3D score is 44,065, and the GPU compute score is 28,396. These scores place the RTX 5090 D in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (deltaPct -1.6), NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (deltaPct -2.4), and AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (deltaPct 1.1). None of these rivals come close to its raw compute capability.

In the context of Downfall, the GPU role is to provide a massive headroom that the CPU cannot exploit. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 90 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 144 FPS at 4K High. This drop indicates that the Ultra preset pushes the GPU harder, but the absolute numbers are still limited by the CPU. The data shows a GPU that is operating well below its potential in this pairing, especially at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 410th out of 2,928 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 14% of all combinations tested. While that sounds impressive, it is important to contextualize this rank relative to the hardware involved. The RTX 5090 D is one of the most powerful GPUs available, and its pairing with a much older CPU drags the overall ranking down.

The Ryzen 5 2600 itself is a mid-range processor from 2018. Its average benchmark score is 21,484, and it sits in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i9-11900H (deltaPct 0.5), Intel Xeon D-1746TER (deltaPct -0.7), and AMD EPYC 9454 (deltaPct 1.2). These rivals have nearly identical average scores, indicating that the Ryzen 5 2600 is a solid performer for its generation, but it is nowhere near the level of modern high-end CPUs.

The rank of 410 out of 2,928 suggests that many other combinations, likely featuring newer CPUs, achieve better performance in Downfall. The data indicates that the GPU is being held back, and a more balanced pairing would likely result in a much higher rank. The combination of a top-tier GPU with a lower-tier CPU results in a combo that performs well in absolute terms but fails to maximize the GPU's potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets.

1920x1080:

• Low: 250 FPS average
• Medium: 233 FPS average (min 198, max 268)
• High: 217 FPS average
• Ultra: 181 FPS average

At 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high, with even the Ultra preset exceeding 180 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 27.6% performance drop, which indicates that the GPU is becoming more involved as settings increase, but the CPU remains the limiting factor. The Medium preset's min FPS of 198 FPS shows that even in the most demanding scenes, the combo never drops below the 144 Hz refresh rate threshold.

2560x1440:

• Low: 223 FPS average
• Medium: 208 FPS average (min 177, max 239)
• High: 194 FPS average
• Ultra: 144 FPS average

At 1440p, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. The drop from Low to Ultra is 35.4%, which is more pronounced than at 1080p. The Ultra preset at 144 FPS exactly matches the 4K High preset, showing that the GPU is being worked harder. The Medium preset's min FPS of 177 FPS still ensures a smooth experience on most high-refresh-rate monitors.

3840x2160:

• Low: 191 FPS average
• Medium: 175 FPS average (min 149, max 202)
• High: 144 FPS average
• Ultra: 90 FPS average

At 4K, the performance drops are more significant. The Low preset still achieves 191 FPS, but the Ultra preset falls to 90 FPS, a 52.9% reduction from Low. This is the only scenario where the GPU appears to be the primary bottleneck. The Medium preset's min FPS of 149 FPS is still playable, but the Ultra preset's 90 FPS average is the only time the combo fails to clear the 100 FPS mark.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 181 FPS is the best choice for users with 165 Hz or 240 Hz monitors. The visual quality increase over High (217 FPS) is worth the 36 FPS drop, as both presets remain well above any standard refresh rate. For 144 Hz monitors, the High preset at 217 FPS provides a significant safety margin and is recommended.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset at 144 FPS is perfectly suited for 144 Hz displays. The High preset at 194 FPS offers more headroom but sacrifices some visual fidelity. For 240 Hz monitors, the Medium preset at 208 FPS is the best option, as it provides the highest average FPS above 200 while maintaining good visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The High preset at 144 FPS is the clear winner for 144 Hz displays, delivering a perfect match. The Medium preset at 175 FPS is better for 165 Hz monitors, but the Ultra preset at 90 FPS is only viable for 60 Hz displays or users who prioritize maximum visual quality over frame rate. The Low preset at 191 FPS is unnecessary for any display, as the visual degradation is not worth the FPS gain over High.

Overall, the High preset provides the most balanced experience across all resolutions, with 217 FPS at 1080p, 194 FPS at 1440p, and 144 FPS at 4K. It offers a strong visual uplift over Medium while keeping frame rates high enough for any gaming display.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Downfall at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows an average of 90 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is perfectly playable on a standard 60 Hz display, though not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves exactly 144 FPS, making it a perfect match. At 3840x2160, the High preset also hits 144 FPS, offering higher resolution at the same frame rate.

Q: Why is the frame rate so high despite the old CPU?

A: The RTX 5090 D is extremely powerful, and Downfall is a 2016 game that is not heavily threaded. The Ryzen 5 2600, while old, still provides enough single-thread performance for this title, allowing the GPU to push very high frame rates.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D being held back by the Ryzen 5 2600?

A: The data suggests yes. The frame rate differences between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings are small (250 vs 223 FPS), indicating a CPU bottleneck. A newer CPU would likely allow the GPU to reach higher frame rates.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded?

A: The only minimum FPS data available is for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 198 FPS. At 2560x1440, it is 177 FPS. At 3840x2160, it is 149 FPS.

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

A: It ranks 410th out of 2,928 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 14% of all combinations, but the high GPU performance is offset by the older CPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 2000 series, based on the Zen+ architecture (Pinnacle Ridge). It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. The CPU features 96 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with a bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s. The CPU has a TDP of 65 W and uses the AMD Socket AM4.

In benchmark tests, the Ryzen 5 2600 achieves a Cinebench R15 multicore score of 1,248 and a single-core score of 157.3. Its Geekbench scores are 5,648 multicore and 1,154 single-core. The Passmark multithread score is 13,160, and the single-thread score is 2,239. These scores place the CPU in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21,484.

The CPU's role in Downfall is critical. The measured FPS data suggests that the Ryzen 5 2600 is the limiting factor at 1080p and 1440p. The frame rates at these resolutions are high, but the small differences between resolutions indicate that the CPU cannot feed the GPU enough data. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, but the CPU still influences the minimum frame rates, particularly at Medium settings.

The Ryzen 5 2600's 12 threads are more than sufficient for Downfall, which is a single-player horror game that likely uses fewer cores. The CPU's boost clock of 3.90 GHz provides adequate single-thread performance, but it is far below the clocks of modern processors. The data indicates that a newer CPU with higher IPC and clock speeds would allow the RTX 5090 D to reach its full potential, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where the CPU limit is most apparent.