Downfall

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The CPU has a 16 MB L3 cache, with 512 KB of L2 cache per core and 64 KB of L1 cache per core. It operates on a 7 nm process node from TSMC, with a transistor count of 10,700 million on a 180 mm² die. The processor supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. It uses PCIe Gen 3, which is worth noting when paired with a GPU that supports PCIe 4.0.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319. Its 3DMark results show a max-threads score of 5411, with single-thread performance at 836. The PassMark multithread score is 19330, while single-thread performance is 3058. The CPU's average benchmark score is 20875, placing it at the 79th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, scores 20897, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the Ryzen 5 5500 is effectively tied with that chip in aggregate CPU performance.

For Downfall, a horror game from 2016, the CPU's 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than sufficient for the game's threading demands. The game is not heavily multi-threaded, so the single-thread performance of 836 in 3DMark single-thread and 2319 in Cinebench R23 single-core will be the more relevant metrics. The boost clock of 4.20 GHz provides adequate headroom for the game's CPU-bound scenes, but the data suggests the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting, as evidenced by the FPS scaling across resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS data shows a clear hierarchy across presets. Low settings deliver 296.6 FPS average, Medium 246.1 FPS, High 198.9 FPS, and Ultra 125.1 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs 50.5 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 73.8 FPS, which is the largest single-step drop. For a 1080p display, the High preset at 198.9 FPS is a strong balance, providing a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while still maintaining a frame rate well above typical high-refresh-rate monitor capabilities.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low delivers 215.1 FPS, Medium 174.5 FPS, High 145 FPS, and Ultra 88.7 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra here is 56.3 FPS, which is significant. The Medium preset at 174.5 FPS offers a smoother experience relative to the resolution's pixel count, but High at 145 FPS remains very playable and is likely the sweet spot for most users seeking visual fidelity without sacrificing responsiveness.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the presets show a steeper decline. Low produces 134.4 FPS, Medium 109.5 FPS, High 88.1 FPS, and Ultra 57.5 FPS. The Ultra preset dips below 60 FPS, which is a critical threshold for smooth gameplay. Therefore, at 4K, the High preset at 88.1 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while offering the best visual quality among the presets that clear that bar.

Across all resolutions, the Ultra preset imposes a heavy penalty. The data indicates that the step from High to Ultra is the most costly transition in every resolution, suggesting that the Ultra preset includes settings that disproportionately impact performance without a commensurate visual benefit in this title.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals how this CPU-GPU combo scales across resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 296.6 at 1080p to 215.1 at 1440p, a reduction of 81.5 FPS (27.5%), and then to 134.4 at 4K, a further reduction of 80.7 FPS (37.5%). At High settings, the drop is from 198.9 at 1080p to 145 at 1440p (53.9 FPS, 27.1%), and then to 88.1 at 4K (56.9 FPS, 39.2%). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 125.1 at 1080p to 88.7 at 1440p (36.4 FPS, 29.1%), and then to 57.5 at 4K (31.2 FPS, 35.2%).

The pattern is consistent: the percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 27-29% across all settings, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is larger, ranging from 35-39%. This indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component as resolution increases, since the FPS scales inversely with pixel count in a predictable manner. The CPU is not the bottleneck here, because if it were, we would see a smaller FPS drop when moving to higher resolutions (as the GPU would still be waiting on the CPU). Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with the pixel count increase, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

At 1080p Low, the 296.6 FPS figure suggests the CPU can feed the GPU enough frames to reach near the GPU's upper limit, but the rapid decline at higher resolutions confirms that the RTX 3080's rendering throughput is what determines the final frame rate. The Ryzen 5 5500's 6-core configuration with a 4.20 GHz boost clock is sufficient to avoid becoming a limiting factor in this game, even at lower resolutions where CPU load is typically higher.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 525th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the 70th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 70% of the combos in the database for this specific game. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier ranking, though not at the very top.

The RTX 3080 alone sits at the 80th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35787. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE with a score of 36101 (delta of -0.9%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile with a score of 35435 (delta of 1%). The RTX 3080 is essentially performance-tier with these cards in aggregate, but the Ryzen 5 5500, at the 79th percentile among CPUs, is slightly below its GPU counterpart in relative standing. This suggests the CPU may be holding the combo back slightly in CPU-sensitive scenarios, but for Downfall specifically, the ranking of 525 out of 1741 indicates the pairing works well.

The combo rank is influenced by both components, but given that the game shows GPU-bound behavior in the resolution scaling analysis, the RTX 3080 is likely the dominant factor in achieving this rank. The Ryzen 5 5500's performance, while not class-leading, is sufficient to avoid dragging the combo down significantly. The 1741 combos tested include many with higher-end CPUs paired with similar or lesser GPUs, so the 525th rank reflects a balanced pairing that delivers strong results in this horror title.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Downfall?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 296.6, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 57.5, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has a 3DMark single-thread score of 836 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2319. Its average benchmark score is 20875, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-12500 at 20897.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings produce 145 FPS average, while Ultra produces 88.7 FPS, a difference of 56.3 FPS.

Q: Is the game more CPU-bound or GPU-bound at 1080p?

A: The data suggests GPU-bound behavior. The FPS drops proportionally with resolution increases (from 296.6 at 1080p Low to 134.4 at 4K Low), indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 525th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the average FPS values across settings are as follows: Low delivers 296.6 FPS, Medium delivers 246.1 FPS, High delivers 198.9 FPS, and Ultra delivers 125.1 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 50.5 FPS reduction, from Medium to High is a 47.2 FPS reduction, and from High to Ultra is a 73.8 FPS reduction. The Ultra setting imposes the heaviest penalty relative to High, representing a 37.1% drop in frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 215.1 FPS, Medium at 174.5 FPS, High at 145 FPS, and Ultra at 88.7 FPS. The reduction from Low to Medium is 40.6 FPS, from Medium to High is 29.5 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 56.3 FPS. The High-to-Ultra drop again represents the largest single-step penalty, at 38.8%.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low at 134.4 FPS, Medium at 109.5 FPS, High at 88.1 FPS, and Ultra at 57.5 FPS. The reduction from Low to Medium is 24.9 FPS, from Medium to High is 21.4 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 30.6 FPS. The Ultra setting falls below 60 FPS, which is the only preset at any resolution that fails to maintain a 60 FPS average.

Comparing across resolutions, 1080p High at 198.9 FPS outperforms 1440p Medium at 174.5 FPS by 24.4 FPS, and 1440p High at 145 FPS outperforms 4K Medium at 109.5 FPS by 35.5 FPS. The 4K Low at 134.4 FPS is faster than 1440p Ultra at 88.7 FPS by 45.7 FPS, illustrating the significant impact of resolution on the GPU's workload. The data shows that the RTX 3080's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for all tested configurations, with no anomalous drops that would suggest memory capacity issues.