Downfall

Downfall is a horror title from 2016 that still puts a modern mid-range pairing through its paces. With the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, the measured data shows a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and solid 60+ FPS gameplay at 4K, provided you manage settings carefully. The combination ranks 1489th out of 2928 tested combos, which places it just above the median, indicating a balanced but not top-tier setup for this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across all three resolutions points to the High preset as the best overall experience for this hardware combination. It delivers a smooth 154 FPS at 1080p, a highly playable 110 FPS at 1440p, and a console-beating 68 FPS at 4K. This preset strikes the ideal balance between visual fidelity and performance headroom, ensuring the game remains fluid without pushing the hardware to its limits.

The Ultra preset is the outlier in the data and should be avoided unless you are targeting 1080p exclusively. At 1080p, Ultra still delivers a playable 96 FPS, but the cost of moving up from High is steep. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 69 FPS, which is borderline for a fast-paced horror title. At 4K, Ultra is effectively unplayable, with the average FPS falling to 43. The performance cliff between High and Ultra suggests that the extra settings in Ultra are disproportionately heavy on the GPU, likely involving shadow quality and post-processing effects that this card cannot sustain at higher resolutions.

For players who prioritize frame rate above all else, the Medium preset is a strong alternative. It provides a 187 FPS average at 1080p and 134 FPS at 1440p, with only a slight visual compromise compared to High. The measured data also shows that Medium has a recorded minimum FPS of 159 at 1080p and 114 at 1440p, which means the frame pacing remains consistent during intense scenes. Low settings are only necessary for those chasing maximum refresh rates, as it pushes the 1080p average to 229 FPS, but the visual downgrade in a horror game that relies on atmosphere is likely not worth it.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the primary driver of performance in Downfall, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when resolution increases. The card features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is ample for a 2016 title, even at 4K resolution, where the High preset maintains a 68 FPS average without stuttering.

The GPU's clock speeds are notably high, with a base clock of 2321 MHz and a boost clock of 2581 MHz. These clocks allow the card to sustain high throughput in a game that is not particularly CPU-bound. The chip, Navi 22, is built on a 7 nm process with 17,200 million transistors, and it delivers 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This raw compute power is more than sufficient for Downfall's DirectX 12 rendering path, as the card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position. It scores 19786 in Passmark G3D, which places it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, is only 0.5% faster in average benchmark score, which is remarkable given the generational gap. This indicates that the RX 6700 XT is punching well above its weight class for this workload. The 40 ray tracing cores are present but largely irrelevant for Downfall, as the game's release predates widespread RT adoption, and the measured data does not include RT-specific tests.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly shows a GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 154 at 1080p to 110 at 1440p, a 28.6% reduction, and then to 68 at 4K, a further 38.2% reduction from 1440p. This steep decline is typical of a game where the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU (AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D) has enough headroom to feed the GPU at all resolutions.

The Ryzen 5 5500X3D, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, does not appear to bottleneck this GPU. The CPU's benchmark scores show it is competitive, with a Passmark single-thread score of 2941 and a multithread score of 20363. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, is only 0.2% faster in average score, indicating that the 3D V-Cache (96 MB shared L3) is not providing a significant advantage in this synthetic test, but it also is not holding the system back.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system has substantial headroom, as the Low preset reaches 229 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for frame generation. However, as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck. The fact that the FPS at 4K High (68) is still respectable confirms that the RX 6700 XT is the workhorse here, and the CPU is not the constraint. For users with high refresh rate 1080p monitors, the CPU may start to limit at the very top end, but the GPU is the component to upgrade if 4K Ultra is the goal.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a wide range of performance depending on settings. Low settings produce an average of 229 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play. Medium settings yield 187 FPS, with a minimum of 159 FPS and a maximum of 215 FPS, showing consistent frame delivery. High settings drop to 154 FPS, which is still well above the refresh rate of most monitors. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of 96 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game that may have sudden frame drops during scripted scares.

At 2560x1440, the performance is still strong. Low settings maintain a high average of 164 FPS. Medium settings deliver 134 FPS, with a minimum of 114 FPS and a maximum of 154 FPS, which is a solid experience for a 144Hz monitor. High settings provide 110 FPS, which is very good for 1440p gaming. Ultra settings fall to 69 FPS, which is the threshold for smooth play on a standard 60Hz display, but it leaves no headroom for demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals the limits of this combination. Low settings are surprisingly playable at 102 FPS, which suggests the game's low preset is not particularly demanding. Medium settings average 83 FPS, with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS, which is a comfortable experience for 4K. High settings drop to 68 FPS, which is still playable but close to the edge. Ultra settings are not viable for a smooth experience, with an average of 43 FPS, making it unplayable for a horror game where responsiveness matters.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination ranks 1489th out of 2928 tested combos for Downfall. This rank places it in the 49th percentile, meaning it outperforms just under half of all tested systems. This is a moderate result, reflecting the fact that while the GPU is strong, the CPU is a mid-range part that does not push the system into the top tiers.

The ranking is likely held back by the CPU's performance relative to other tested processors. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37018, which puts it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, but its nearest rivals are very close. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is 0.2% faster, and the Intel Core i9-12900T is 0.3% faster. This close grouping means the CPU is not a differentiator in the rankings.

The GPU, however, is a different story. The RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 27425, putting it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, has a delta of 0%, meaning they are statistically tied. The fact that the GPU is competitive with much newer and more expensive parts suggests that the system's rank is more limited by the CPU than the GPU. For a user looking to improve the combo rank, upgrading the CPU would likely yield a larger benefit than upgrading the GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this system handle Downfall at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only on specific settings. The measured data shows that at 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 68, which is playable. Medium settings provide a more comfortable 83 FPS, while Low settings reach 102 FPS. Ultra settings are not recommended, as they drop to 43 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: Based on the data, the High preset at 1440p delivers 110 FPS, which is good but not quite enough to fully saturate a 144Hz display. The Low preset achieves 164 FPS, which would fully utilize the refresh rate, but the Medium preset at 134 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and frame rate for a high-refresh monitor.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system for this game?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, indicating the RX 6700 XT is being stressed. However, at 1080p with Low settings, the CPU may start to limit the frame rate, as the system reaches 229 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6700 XT compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 6700 XT has an average benchmark score of 27425. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, has a delta of 0%, meaning they perform identically in synthetic tests. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is only 0.5% faster, which is a negligible difference.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset in Downfall?

A: Only if you are playing at 1080p and can tolerate frame rates around 96 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 69 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 43 FPS, which is too low for a smooth experience. The High preset is generally the better choice, as it offers significantly higher frame rates with a modest visual reduction.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5500X3D hold back the RX 6700 XT in this game?

A: The data suggests it does not hold back the GPU at standard resolutions. The CPU's synthetic benchmark scores are competitive, with a Passmark multithread score of 20363. The system's FPS scaling with resolution is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, indicating the CPU is providing sufficient data to the graphics card.