Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a combo rank of 192 out of 3716 tested combinations in Downfall, placing it in the top 5.2% of all tested system pairings for this title. This position reflects a substantial gap between the raw capabilities of the RTX 4090 and the more modest Ryzen 5 5500, yet the combination still delivers frame rates that are broadly excellent across all tested settings. The high rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU’s dominance in this horror title, but the data reveals that the CPU imposes a clear ceiling at lower resolutions, preventing the system from reaching its full potential. The measured results show a system that is exceptionally fast, but one where component balance is skewed heavily toward the graphics card.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 192 out of 3716 tested pairings places it in the top percentile of all systems benchmarked for Downfall. This is a strong result, but the surrounding data suggests that the ranking is more evidence of the RTX 4090’s brute force than to the synergy of the two components. The GPU itself holds a percentile rank of 88 among all tested graphics cards, while the CPU sits at a percentile of 73 among all processors. The gap between these two percentiles is the key story: the GPU is performing near the top of its class, while the CPU is merely above average.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing’s rank is buoyed by the fact that the RTX 4090 can compensate for the Ryzen 5 5500’s limitations in most scenarios. The measured frame rates at 4K Ultra, for instance, are still 82 FPS, which is playable, but at 1080p Low the system reaches 342 FPS, indicating that the CPU is the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The rank of 192 suggests that there are 191 other combos that outperform this one, and given the CPU’s mid-tier standing, those superior combos likely feature more powerful processors paired with the same or similar high-end GPUs. The data indicates that this combo is overkill on the GPU side, but the overall ranking remains impressive due to the sheer speed of the RTX 4090 in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications make it exceptionally well-suited to Downfall’s demands. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This large memory pool and high bandwidth are crucial for a horror game that likely uses high-resolution textures and complex lighting effects, as the data shows the GPU maintaining high frame rates even at 4K resolution. The card’s base clock of 2235 MHz and boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16384 shading units, allow it to process geometry and shader work at a pace that far exceeds what the Ryzen 5 5500 can feed it in many scenarios.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its position as a top-tier part. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 4090 scores 9223, and its Passmark G3D score is 38194, with an average benchmark score of 60347. These scores place it at the 88th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60326, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, which scores 61896, representing a delta of -2.5%. The RTX 4090’s performance is within a few percentage points of these rivals, but its real-world advantage in Downfall is more pronounced because the game appears to scale well with the GPU’s raw compute resources. The 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores also suggest that if Downfall uses ray tracing or DLSS, the GPU has ample headroom, though the measured FPS data does not specify which features were enabled.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance scaling from 1080p to 4K, with the GPU becoming more of a bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the system achieves 296 FPS, but this drops to 212 FPS at 1440p High, and further to 132 FPS at 4K High. This represents a 55% drop in FPS from 1080p to 4K at High settings, which is a significant reduction, but the absolute numbers remain high throughout. The scaling is more dramatic at Ultra settings, where the system goes from 185 FPS at 1080p to 132 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 82 FPS at 4K, a total drop of 56% from 1080p to 4K.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the FPS differences between Low and High settings are relatively small. At 1080p Low, the system hits 342 FPS, while at High it is 296 FPS, a difference of only 46 FPS. This suggests that the Ryzen 5 5500 cannot push frames much beyond the 300 FPS range regardless of GPU load. At 4K, however, the GPU becomes the dominant factor, and the FPS drops are more directly tied to the graphics settings. For example, at 4K, the difference between Low (196 FPS) and Ultra (82 FPS) is 114 FPS, which is a much larger spread than at 1080p. This pattern is typical of a system where the GPU is far more powerful than the CPU, and it confirms that the RTX 4090 is being held back at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 342, which is the maximum measured across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings yield 319 FPS, with a minimum of 271 FPS and a maximum of 366 FPS, indicating some variability but still very smooth performance. High settings drop to 296 FPS, while Ultra settings reduce the average to 185 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is 111 FPS, which is a substantial penalty, suggesting that Ultra settings enable effects that heavily tax the GPU even at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected decline. Low settings produce 306 FPS, while Medium settings average 258 FPS, with a minimum of 219 FPS and a maximum of 297 FPS. High settings yield 212 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 132 FPS. The pattern is consistent: each step up in settings costs roughly 40-50 FPS at this resolution. At 4K, the performance is still playable, but the gap between settings widens. Low settings average 196 FPS, Medium settings average 161 FPS with a tight range of 136 to 185 FPS, High settings average 132 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 82 FPS. The data shows that the RTX 4090 can handle 4K High at 132 FPS, which is excellent for a horror game, but Ultra settings at 4K drop below the 100 FPS threshold, which may be noticeable for some players.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. It has 16 MB of L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 16429 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2319 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 19330. These scores place it at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 19593 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (19617) and the Intel Core i5-12500 (19668), with deltas of -0.1% and -0.4%, respectively.

In the context of Downfall, the CPU’s role is to feed the RTX 4090 with enough data to keep it busy. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (342 FPS) suggests that the CPU is nearing its limit, as the frame rate does not increase significantly when going from Low to Medium (319 FPS) or High (296 FPS). The 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for this game, but the clock speed of 4.20 GHz is not exceptionally high, which means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the system will plateau. The data shows that the CPU is the bottleneck at 1080p, but at 4K, the GPU takes over as the limiting factor, and the CPU has enough headroom to avoid causing major frame drops. The CPU’s 3DMark scores, such as 5386 in 16-thread and 836 in single-thread, indicate that it is a solid mid-range part, but it is clearly outclassed by the GPU in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends on the resolution target. At 1080p, High settings provide an average of 296 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors, and the jump to Ultra (185 FPS) is not worth the 111 FPS loss unless visual fidelity is the top priority. For players with high-refresh-rate displays, Medium settings at 1080p offer 319 FPS, which is nearly 25 FPS higher than High, and the minimum of 271 FPS ensures smooth gameplay. At 1440p, High settings at 212 FPS are the sweet spot, as they provide a high frame rate without the extreme drop seen at Ultra (132 FPS). The Medium settings at 1440p (258 FPS) are also excellent, but the visual improvements at High are likely worth the 46 FPS reduction.

At 4K, the recommendation is more nuanced. High settings yield 132 FPS, which is smooth for most players, but Ultra settings drop to 82 FPS, which is still playable but may feel less fluid. Given that the RTX 4090 is capable of handling High settings at 4K with a comfortable margin, the data suggests that High is the best choice for a balance of quality and performance. Medium settings at 4K (161 FPS) are also viable, but the step to High is only a 29 FPS reduction, making High the better value in terms of visual fidelity. In summary, the measured rows indicate that High settings are the optimal choice at all resolutions, with Medium as a strong alternative for those seeking maximum frame rates, while Ultra should only be used at 1080p or by players who prioritize graphics over frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested systems in Downfall?

A: The combo ranks 192 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the top 5.2% of all systems for this game.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19593, which is -0.1% compared to the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (19617) and -0.4% compared to the Intel Core i5-12500 (19668). It is 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core i7-10700F (19499).

Q: What is the maximum average FPS measured for this combo?

A: The maximum average FPS is 342, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much does the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 296 at 1080p High to 212 at 1440p High, and then to 132 at 4K High, representing a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the GPU become the primary bottleneck?

A: At 4K resolution, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the large spread between Low (196 FPS) and Ultra (82 FPS), which is 114 FPS. At 1080p, the CPU is more likely the limiter, with a smaller spread of 46 FPS between Low and High.

Q: What is the RTX 4090’s percentile rank among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 4090 holds a percentile rank of 88 among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347.