Downfall

Downfall, a 2016 horror title, responds dramatically to the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER pairing, with measured frame rates scaling from a demanding 67.7 FPS at 4K Ultra to a blistering 340.1 FPS at 1080p Low. The data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but begins to expose CPU limitations at lower settings, making the choice of graphics preset critical for balancing visual fidelity against the silky-smooth performance this combo can deliver.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 1440p is the standout choice. The data shows 166.6 FPS average at 2560x1440 High, which is a 60% improvement over the 4K High result of 105.7 FPS, while still offering the richer visual detail that the horror genre benefits from. This setting provides a significant headroom above the 144Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors, ensuring no frame pacing stutters during tense gameplay sequences.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the most sensible compromise. The 128.5 FPS average at 3840x2160 Medium is nearly double the 67.7 FPS seen at Ultra, and the jump from Medium to High at this resolution only yields a 21.6 FPS gain (from 128.5 to 105.7, actually a loss), indicating the Ultra preset is disproportionately punishing. The Ultra preset at any resolution appears to introduce effects that are not worth the substantial frame rate cost, with 143.6 FPS at 1080p being the only Ultra result that remains comfortably playable.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, the Low preset at 1080p unlocks the full potential of the hardware, reaching 340.1 FPS. This is particularly useful for players who prioritize responsiveness over visuals, but the gap between Low and High at 1080p (340.1 vs 234.7 FPS) suggests High is the better default for most users, as the visual uplift is substantial while still maintaining over 230 FPS.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Downfall's textures even at 4K Ultra. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz (base 1980 MHz) on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 7168 shading units delivers the raw compute power needed to push these frame rates.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its strong role: a Passmark G3D score of 29995 and an average benchmark score of 42576 place it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. Interestingly, its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, scores 42653, a mere 0.2% difference, while the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE is 0.3% behind with a score of 42723. This suggests the RTX 4070 SUPER is a very consistent performer, and the measured FPS in Downfall reflects that, with the GPU clearly being the bottleneck at 4K where the frame rate drops by nearly half when moving from High to Ultra settings (105.7 to 67.7 FPS).

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 plays a supporting but essential role. With 6 cores and 12 threads based on Zen 3 architecture (Cezanne), it boosts up to 4.20 GHz (base 3.60 GHz). Its benchmark results are solid but not exceptional: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and single-core score of 2319, placing it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs.

The CPU's influence becomes apparent when analyzing the frame rate scaling at 1080p. Moving from 1080p Low (340.1 FPS) to 1080p High (234.7 FPS) shows a 105.4 FPS drop, which is a much larger absolute drop than the equivalent settings change at 4K (from 156.7 to 105.7 FPS, a 51 FPS drop). This indicates that at 1080p Low, the CPU is nearing its limit, unable to feed the GPU enough frames to reach even higher values. The Ryzen 5 5500's nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12500, scores 20897 vs the 5500's 20875 average (a 0.1% difference), confirming that this CPU is a mid-range part that can handle high frame rates but will cap the absolute maximum FPS in lighter scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings:

• 1920x1080: Low 340.1 FPS, Medium 283.4 FPS, High 234.7 FPS, Ultra 143.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 56.7 FPS, while High to Ultra is a staggering 91.1 FPS drop, showing the Ultra preset is a major performance killer.
• 2560x1440: Low 250.5 FPS, Medium 204.3 FPS, High 166.6 FPS, Ultra 104.2 FPS. The scaling here is more linear, with roughly a 45 FPS drop per setting tier until Ultra, which costs 62.4 FPS from High.
• 3840x2160: Low 156.7 FPS, Medium 128.5 FPS, High 105.7 FPS, Ultra 67.7 FPS. At 4K, the Ultra preset drops below 70 FPS, making it borderline unplayable for smooth gameplay, while Low remains above 150 FPS.

The data shows that at every resolution, the Ultra preset is the least efficient, often costing more than double the frame rate of the step from High to Medium. Conversely, the Low preset consistently offers the highest frame rates, but the visual compromise is significant.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested combinations, this pairing of AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 287th out of 1741 combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 16.5% of all systems tested, which is a strong result given the CPU is not a top-tier part.

The high rank is likely attributable to the GPU's strength, as the RTX 4070 SUPER's 84th percentile performance overshadows the CPU's 79th percentile. This ranking suggests that while the CPU might limit the absolute peak frame rates, the combination is well-balanced for 1440p and 4K gaming, where the GPU is the primary driver. The 287th rank out of 1741 combos indicates that this system outperforms the vast majority of alternatives, even those with more expensive CPUs, because the GPU is doing the heavy lifting in this horror title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Downfall?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 2560x1440 offers the best balance. At High settings, it produces 166.6 FPS, which is 60% higher than 4K High (105.7 FPS) and still a very playable 72 FPS above the 1080p High result (234.7 FPS) when considering the visual upgrade.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever worth using?

A: Only at 1080p, where it still achieves 143.6 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 104.2 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 67.7 FPS. The data suggests Ultra is disproportionately expensive, with a 91.1 FPS loss from High to Ultra at 1080p.

Q: Which component limits performance at 4K?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck at 3840x2160. The frame rate drops from 156.7 FPS at Low to 67.7 FPS at Ultra, a 130% reduction, while the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases, confirming the RTX 4070 SUPER is the limiting factor.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20875, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897) and 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20900). This shows it is essentially performance-equivalent to its closest competitors.

Q: Can this system hit 240 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings, where it reaches 340.1 FPS. On Medium, it drops to 283.4 FPS, and on High, it falls to 234.7 FPS. To maintain 240 FPS, Medium is the highest preset that reliably stays above that threshold.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and High at 1440p?

A: The difference is 83.9 FPS, with Low achieving 250.5 FPS and High achieving 166.6 FPS. This indicates that the High preset offers a significant visual upgrade for a 33.5% reduction in frame rate, which is a reasonable trade-off for most players.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the classic pattern of a GPU-bound system. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 340.1 FPS at 1080p to 250.5 FPS at 1440p (a 73.6% retention) and then to 156.7 FPS at 4K (a 46.1% retention from 1080p). This steep decline is expected as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

However, the Ultra preset shows a more dramatic drop: from 143.6 FPS at 1080p to 104.2 FPS at 1440p (a 72.6% retention) and then to 67.7 FPS at 4K (a 47.1% retention). The fact that the percentage retention is similar across settings suggests that the GPU is consistently the limiting factor, but the absolute FPS numbers at Ultra are so low that they become unplayable at 4K.

The data also indicates that the CPU becomes relatively stronger at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the CPU can only push 340.1 FPS, but at 4K Low, it easily feeds the GPU to achieve 156.7 FPS. This means that the Ryzen 5 5500 is not a significant bottleneck at 4K, but it does cap the absolute maximum frame rate at lower resolutions. The scaling pattern confirms that for this horror game, the RTX 4070 SUPER is the component that determines playability, and users should prioritize GPU settings over CPU-intensive effects to maximize performance.