Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Downfall, but the data shows that 4K Ultra settings push this combination beyond its comfort zone. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes it against other tested combos, and explains exactly what each component contributes to the final frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K in Downfall reveals a predictable shift in system bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 210 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 150 FPS, a 28.6% reduction, and at 4K Low, the average falls to 94 FPS, which represents a 55.2% drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the system is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, as the CPU has ample headroom at these frame rates.

At High settings, the scaling pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The 1080p High average is 141 FPS, which falls to 101 FPS at 1440p High (a 28.4% decrease) and then to 63 FPS at 4K High (a 55.3% decrease from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and High settings suggests that the rendering load scales uniformly with pixel count, and the GPU is the primary constraint throughout.

The Ultra settings tell a more dramatic story. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 88 FPS, which is playable but not high-refresh territory. At 1440p Ultra, that number drops to 63 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it collapses to 39 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling: it is less than half the 1080p Ultra score, and the gap between 1440p Ultra (63 FPS) and 4K Ultra (39 FPS) is a 38.1% loss. This steep falloff at the highest settings confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of 4K Ultra in this horror title, where the GPU becomes the unequivocal limiting factor.

The data shows that the sweet spot for this pairing is 1080p at any setting, where even Ultra stays above 60 FPS. At 1440p, Medium (123 FPS) and High (101 FPS) are excellent, while Ultra just barely clears 60 FPS. At 4K, only Low (94 FPS) and Medium (77 FPS) are viable, with High dipping to 63 FPS and Ultra falling below 40 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1653 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the 56.4th percentile of all pairings, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of the systems tested but sits firmly in the mid-pack rather than the upper echelon.

This ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual component scores. The CPU ranks in the 85th percentile against all tested processors, and the GPU ranks in the 65th percentile against all GPUs. The fact that the combo ranks lower than either component individually suggests that Downfall is demanding enough that the RTX 2070 SUPER holds back the Ryzen 5 5500X3D in a way that limits the overall system performance relative to other pairings.

The combo's position in the rankings reflects a system that is well-balanced for 1080p gaming but not optimized for high-resolution or max-settings play. Many of the combos ranked above this pairing likely feature more powerful GPUs that can maintain higher frame rates at 1440p and 4K, where this system's GPU bottleneck becomes apparent. Conversely, the 5500X3D's strong CPU performance ensures that it outperforms many combos with weaker processors, even when paired with comparable or slightly better GPUs.

For a builder targeting 1080p high-refresh gaming, this rank is respectable. For someone hoping to push 4K, the data indicates that many of the 1,275 combos ranked below this one would struggle even more, but the 1,652 combos ranked above it generally offer better 4K headroom. The rank of 1653 out of 2928 is a clear signal that this is a mid-tier pairing in the context of Downfall specifically.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, built on TSMC's 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with a 105 W TDP. Its defining feature is the large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is characteristic of the X3D line and particularly beneficial in gaming workloads.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates. The PassMark single-thread score of 2941 and multithread score of 20363 indicate solid general-purpose performance. The data compression score of 230392 and encryption score of 13967 are less relevant to gaming, but the floating-point math score of 34511 and integer math score of 60033 reflect the computational capacity available for game logic and physics.

The 5500X3D's nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0.2% higher average score), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (0.2% lower), the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (0.2% higher), and the Intel Core i9-12900T (0.3% lower). These deltas are essentially negligible, meaning the 5500X3D performs within a hair of several other mid-range processors. In the context of Downfall, this means the CPU is not a differentiator; any of these chips would likely produce similar frame rates when paired with the same RTX 2070 SUPER.

The CPU's 12 threads allow it to handle modern game engines that utilize multiple cores, and the 96 MB L3 cache helps with data locality. However, the benchmark results from this specific combo show that at 1080p Low, the system hits 210 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show. This indicates the CPU is not limiting at lower settings. The real test is at 1080p Ultra, where the average drops to 88 FPS — still a CPU-friendly range, but the GPU is now doing more work. The fact that the 4K Ultra score is 39 FPS, barely above a quarter of the 1080p Low score, confirms that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions; the GPU is.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 210 FPS average
• Medium: 172 FPS average (146 min, 198 max)
• High: 141 FPS average
• Ultra: 88 FPS average

At 1080p, the system excels. Even at Ultra, the 88 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset's minimum of 146 FPS and maximum of 198 FPS show tight frame pacing, indicating a stable experience. The Low preset's 210 FPS is far beyond what any standard 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor can display, so players should not sacrifice visual quality for these extra frames unless using a 240 Hz+ display.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 150 FPS average
• Medium: 123 FPS average (105 min, 141 max)
• High: 101 FPS average
• Ultra: 63 FPS average

At 1440p, the system remains highly capable. Low and Medium presets deliver excellent frame rates, and High at 101 FPS is ideal for high-refresh 1440p monitors. Ultra at 63 FPS is just above the 60 FPS threshold, but the lack of min/max data for this preset suggests it may be close to the edge in demanding scenes. The Medium preset's min of 105 FPS shows that even at this resolution, the system maintains a comfortable buffer above 100 FPS in most situations.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 94 FPS average
• Medium: 77 FPS average (65 min, 88 max)
• High: 63 FPS average
• Ultra: 39 FPS average

At 4K, the system's limitations become clear. Low at 94 FPS is playable, and Medium at 77 FPS is acceptable, though the 65 FPS minimum shows some dips below the 60 FPS threshold. High at 63 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 39 FPS is not smooth enough for most players. The 4K Ultra result is the weakest data point in the entire set, and it clearly demonstrates that this combo should be paired with a 1080p or 1440p display for the best experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is based on the TU104 chip, built on TSMC's 12 nm process. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. The GPU has 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, enabling hardware ray tracing and DLSS support, though the benchmark data does not indicate whether these features were used in Downfall.

The GPU's memory configuration is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The FP32 performance is 9.062 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 113.3 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s.

In Downfall, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions. The PassMark G3D score of 18169 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (1% lower average score), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (1.2% lower), the Intel Arc B570 (1.3% lower), and the Intel Arc A750 (1.5% lower). These are all within 1.5% of the RTX 2070 SUPER, indicating that the GPU's performance level is well-established.

The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p in Downfall, as evidenced by the strong frame rates. However, at 4K Ultra, the 39 FPS average suggests that either VRAM capacity or memory bandwidth is a limiting factor. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is modest by modern standards, and the 8 GB capacity can be strained by high-resolution textures. The fact that 4K High (63 FPS) drops to 4K Ultra (39 FPS) — a 38.1% reduction — indicates that the Ultra preset's additional demands are more than the GPU can handle.

The GPU's 12 nm process node and 215 W TDP mean it runs relatively hot and consumes more power than newer, more efficient designs, but this is not reflected in the performance data. The 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C outputs provide good display connectivity options.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Downfall?*

A: The data shows 1080p is the sweet spot, with Ultra settings averaging 88 FPS. 1440p is also excellent, with High settings at 101 FPS and Ultra at 63 FPS. 4K is only viable at Low (94 FPS) or Medium (77 FPS) settings.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Downfall?*

A: Yes, but with significant compromises. At 4K Low, the average is 94 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it is 77 FPS. However, 4K High drops to 63 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 39 FPS, which is not smooth enough for most players.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is within 1.5% of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, Intel Arc B570, and Intel Arc A750. This suggests that these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall when paired with the same CPU.

*Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500X3D a bottleneck for the RTX 2070 SUPER in Downfall?*

A: The data indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 39 FPS, which is more indicative of GPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the 210 FPS average shows the CPU can push very high frame rates, suggesting it has ample headroom.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium averages 123 FPS (105 min, 141 max), while Ultra averages 63 FPS. This is a 48.8% reduction in average frame rate when moving from Medium to Ultra, a significant trade-off for visual quality.

*Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems in Downfall?*

A: This combo ranks 1653 out of 2928 tested combinations, placing it in the 56.4th percentile. It outperforms more than half of the tested systems but sits in the mid-pack overall, reflecting a capable but not top-tier pairing.