Downfall

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combo in Downfall?

A: The combo ranks 2827 out of 2928 tested combinations in this game. This places it in the bottom percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it will struggle with demanding scenarios.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1650 scores 7472 on average, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon HD 8850M and 0.4% higher than the Intel UHD Graphics 750. It also sits 0.6% above the AMD Radeon R7 350 but trails the Intel Arc A310 by 1%.

Q: What is the best playable setting for this combo at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 91 FPS, while Medium yields 75 FPS. High produces 61 FPS, and Ultra drops to 38 FPS. For a smooth experience, Medium is the highest preset that stays comfortably above 60 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 61 at 1080p to 44 at 1440p and then to 27 at 4K. This represents a 56% reduction from 1080p to 4K, highlighting the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5500X3D bottleneck the GTX 1650 in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU has a PassMark multithread score of 20363 and sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU only reaches the 40th percentile. The massive FPS drop from 91 at 1080p Low to 17 at 4K Ultra points squarely at the graphics card.

Q: What is the CPU's nearest rival and how close is the performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600F is the closest rival with an average score of 36945, which is just 0.2% lower than the 5500X3D's 37018. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 also sits at 36938, a 0.2% difference.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the undisputed bottleneck in this pairing for Downfall. This GPU, built on the Turing architecture at 12 nm, has 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its memory configuration of 4 GB GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus provides 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is modest by modern standards.

In synthetic benchmarks, the GTX 1650 scores 7880 in PassMark G3D and 305 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its PassMark DirectX 11 score of 58 and DirectX 12 score of 35 reveal that it handles older APIs better than newer ones, which directly affects Downfall's performance profile given the game's 2016 release date.

The GPU's clock speeds are set at 1485 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost, with memory running at 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1080p gaming but become inadequate as resolution increases.

The GTX 1650 sits in the 40th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7472. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 8850M, is 0.3% slower, while the Intel UHD Graphics 750 is 0.4% slower. The Intel Arc A310 leads by 1%, showing that this GPU is at the bottom of the discrete graphics hierarchy.

The 4 GB VRAM capacity is particularly problematic for Downfall at higher settings. The game's Horror genre often relies on detailed textures and atmospheric effects, which consume memory quickly. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 17 FPS, while at 4K Low it reaches 41 FPS. This 24 FPS swing between presets indicates that texture quality and shading complexity are heavily taxing the GPU's limited resources.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a GPU-bound scenario with steep performance cliffs. At High settings, the average FPS is 61 at 1920x1080, dropping to 44 at 2560x1440 (a 28% reduction), and then to 27 at 3840x2160 (a 56% reduction from 1080p). This nonlinear drop indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become increasingly insufficient as pixel count grows.

The Low preset shows a similar pattern but with higher absolute numbers: 91 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 41 FPS at 4K. The 50 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings represents a 55% loss, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling. This consistency suggests the GPU is hitting a hard architectural limit rather than a VRAM capacity wall.

Ultra settings paint the grimmest picture. At 1080p, the combo manages 38 FPS, which drops to 27 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 17 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below playable thresholds for any genre, let alone a Horror game that may require quick reactions.

The Medium preset offers the most complete data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 75 FPS with a range of 64 to 86 FPS. At 1440p, this drops to 53 FPS (45-61 range), and at 4K it falls to 33 FPS (28-38 range). The 1% lows at 4K Medium—28 FPS—would cause noticeable stuttering in tense gameplay moments.

The scaling behavior indicates that the GTX 1650 is the primary limiting component throughout the resolution spectrum. A CPU-bound scenario would show less FPS variation across resolutions, but the data shows a consistent 50-56% performance drop from 1080p to 4K across all presets. This is classic GPU-bound behavior.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2827 out of 2928 tested combinations places it in the 96th percentile from the bottom—meaning only 101 tested systems perform worse. This is a remarkably low ranking that reflects the GTX 1650's age and limited capabilities rather than any deficiency in the CPU.

For context, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D alone sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, while the GTX 1650 languishes in the 40th percentile of all GPUs. The combination of a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU creates a severely imbalanced system for gaming purposes. The CPU is capable of feeding far more powerful graphics cards, but the GTX 1650 cannot translate that CPU headroom into playable frame rates at higher resolutions.

The ranking also reflects the game's demands. Downfall, released in 2016, was designed for hardware of that era. However, even at 1080p Ultra, this combo only manages 38 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target most modern players expect. The game's Horror genre often relies on sudden jumpscares and tense atmosphere, where frame drops below 30 FPS can ruin immersion.

Compared to other combos in the database, this system is clearly entry-level. The 2827th rank out of 2928 means it outperforms only the weakest integrated graphics solutions and very old discrete GPUs. For reference, the GTX 1650's nearest rivals include the Intel UHD Graphics 750, which is an integrated solution, and the AMD Radeon HD 8850M, a mobile GPU from years prior.

This ranking should be interpreted as a warning: the system is capable of running Downfall at low-to-medium settings at 1080p, but anything beyond that will require significant compromises in visual quality or resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D provides an interesting contrast to the GPU's weakness. This 6-core, 12-thread processor is based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer codename) on a 7 nm process. Its base clock of 3.00 GHz and boost clock of 4.00 GHz are modest, but the 96 MB shared L3 cache is substantial and beneficial for gaming workloads.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core and 512 KB L2 per core, with the massive 96 MB L3 shared across all cores. This large cache helps mitigate memory latency, which is crucial for game logic and physics calculations. The dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for the 5500X3D's needs.

In PassMark benchmarks, the CPU achieves a multithread score of 20363 and a single-thread score of 2941. Its integer math score of 60033 and floating-point math score of 34511 demonstrate strong computational throughput. The find prime numbers score of 170 and data compression score of 230392 further indicate a well-rounded processor.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 37018 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores 36945 (0.2% lower), while the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36938 (0.2% lower). The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 leads slightly at 37093 (0.2% higher), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112 (0.3% higher). These are all extremely close margins, indicating the 5500X3D is competitively positioned in its tier.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would have the most influence, the combo reaches 91 FPS—a respectable number that suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see smaller FPS differences between resolutions. Instead, the 50%+ drops from 1080p to 4K indicate the GPU is saturated at all times.

The CPU's 105 W TDP and AMD Socket AM4 compatibility make it a straightforward upgrade path for existing AM4 users. Its 7 nm process and 74 mm² die size contribute to efficient operation. The lack of integrated graphics (N/A) means the system relies entirely on the GTX 1650 for display output, which is expected for a desktop gaming configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's capabilities across three resolutions and four presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 91 FPS, which is smooth and playable. Medium drops to 75 FPS (min 64, max 86), still above the 60 FPS threshold. High yields 61 FPS, right at the edge of smoothness. Ultra falls to 38 FPS, which is playable but with visible stutter in demanding scenes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low preset manages 65 FPS, which is still acceptable. Medium averages 53 FPS (min 45, max 61), dipping below 60 FPS but remaining playable for a Horror game. High drops to 44 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27 FPS—both below the smoothness threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1650's limitations are fully exposed. Low preset achieves 41 FPS, which is borderline playable. Medium averages 33 FPS (min 28, max 38), approaching the stutter zone. High drops to 27 FPS, and Ultra plumments to 17 FPS, which is effectively unplayable.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the 64 FPS minimum ensures no major drops during gameplay. At 1440p, the 45 FPS minimum could cause noticeable hitches. At 4K, the 28 FPS minimum would make the game feel sluggish and unresponsive.

The FPS deltas between presets are consistent: roughly 16-20 FPS between Low and Medium, 14-16 FPS between Medium and High, and 23-37 FPS between High and Ultra. The largest gap is between High and Ultra at 4K (10 FPS difference), while the smallest is between Medium and High at 1080p (14 FPS).

For players targeting 60 FPS, the only viable configurations are 1080p Low (91 FPS), 1080p Medium (75 FPS), and 1080p High (61 FPS). At 1440p, only Low (65 FPS) reaches 60 FPS. At 4K, no preset achieves 60 FPS, and even 30 FPS requires dropping to Low (41 FPS).

The data clearly indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at medium-to-high settings. Pushing beyond that requires significant sacrifices in visual quality or resolution, making the system a poor fit for 1440p or 4K displays.