Downfall

# Downfall with AMD Ryzen 5 5600 + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers a robust experience in Downfall, a 2016 horror title. The measured frame rates reveal a configuration that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU's six Zen 3 cores provide ample headroom at 1080p. The combination ranks 334th out of 1,741 tested combos, placing it in the top quintile of all configurations in the database. The data shows a system capable of smooth gameplay across all settings at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K Ultra presenting the only significant challenge.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 clearly identifies the GPU as the primary performance limiter in this pairing. At High settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a drop from 225.7 FPS to 158.7 FPS, a 29.7% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K further reduces the average to 101 FPS, another 36.4% decline. This consistent, substantial scaling with resolution is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

The pattern intensifies at Ultra settings, where the pixel throughput demands are highest. The 1080p Ultra average of 143.2 FPS falls to 102.4 FPS at 1440p, a 28.5% drop, and then plummets to 63.8 FPS at 4K, a 37.7% decline from the 1440p figure. These sharp reductions indicate that the Radeon RX 7900 XT's rendering pipeline, with its 5376 shading units and 192 ROPs, is being saturated by the increased pixel count. The processor's role diminishes as resolution climbs, as evidenced by the widening gap between CPU-bound and GPU-bound performance.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic, highlighting the CPU's capability ceiling. The 1080p Low average of 334.9 FPS is exceptionally high, suggesting that at this resolution and settings combination, the Ryzen 5 5600 is nearing its maximum frame delivery. The drop to 242.4 FPS at 1440p and 151.4 FPS at 4K demonstrates that even with reduced graphical load, the GPU still handles the bulk of the work, but the CPU's 3.50 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost clocks are sufficient to feed the GPU effectively.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts based on resolution. At 1080p, particularly with Low and Medium settings, the Ryzen 5 5600's six cores and twelve threads keep the GPU well-fed, but the GPU still dictates the overall performance curve. At 4K, the RX 7900 XT's 20 GB of GDDR6 memory and 800.0 GB/s bandwidth become the decisive factors, with the CPU's influence waning to near-negligible levels.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1920x1080 with High settings in Downfall?

A: The average frame rate at 1080p High is 225.7 FPS. This indicates a very smooth experience, with the Ryzen 5 5600 providing sufficient single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 882.

Q: How does the RX 7900 XT perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average frame rate drops to 63.8 FPS. This is the lowest measured result across all configurations, representing a 55.5% decrease compared to the 1080p Ultra average of 143.2 FPS.

Q: Is the system CPU-bound or GPU-bound in Downfall?

A: The benchmark results indicate the system is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops by 36.4% from 1440p High to 4K High (158.7 to 101 FPS), while the CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 3256 suggests it is not the primary constraint.

Q: What is the best performance result achieved with this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 334.9 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the maximum output of the system under the lightest graphical load.

Q: How does the 1440p Medium performance compare to 1080p Medium?

A: At 1440p Medium, the average is 198.7 FPS, which is 28.5% lower than the 277.9 FPS achieved at 1080p Medium. This shows a consistent scaling pattern attributable to the GPU's pixel processing capabilities.

Q: What does the combo rank tell us about this configuration?

A: The combo ranks 334th out of 1,741 tested combinations in Downfall, placing it in the top 19.2% of all configurations. This indicates a high-performing pairing, with the GPU's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs being a key contributor.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600, based on the Zen 3 architecture and codenamed Vermeer, brings six cores and twelve threads to the table. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, paired with a 32 MB shared L3 cache, provide the computational foundation for Downfall's engine. The CPU's 3dmark_max_threads score of 5,659 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18,309 suggest ample multi-threaded capacity, though the game's age and genre may not fully utilize all twelve threads.

The single-thread performance is critical for a horror title like Downfall, where frame pacing and responsiveness matter. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,584 and 3dmark_single_thread score of 882 indicate solid per-core performance. This is corroborated by the 1080p Low result of 334.9 FPS, which approaches the practical limits of the game engine and suggests the CPU can sustain very high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 7 nm process node from TSMC, with 4,150 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, indicate an efficient design. Its memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s via dual-channel DDR4 is adequate for this workload, as the GPU's dedicated 20 GB GDDR6 frame buffer handles most data-intensive tasks. The Ryzen 5 5600's percentile ranking of 79 among all CPUs places it above the median, and its average benchmark score of 21,765 is within 0.9% of the Intel Core i7-11700F, its nearest rival in the database.

In Downfall specifically, the CPU's role becomes more pronounced at 1080p with lower settings. The difference between 1080p Low (334.9 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (143.2 FPS) is 191.7 FPS, a gap that narrows to 87.6 FPS at 4K (151.4 vs 63.8 FPS). This compression at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU's workload scales faster than the CPU's, reinforcing the interpretation that the Ryzen 5 5600 is a capable but not limiting partner for the RX 7900 XT in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 334.9 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce this to 277.9 FPS, a 17.0% decrease. High settings yield 225.7 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 143.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 191.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU's render pipeline, with its 336 texture mapping units and 459.6 GPixel/s pixel rate, handles the increased graphical complexity efficiently.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results show a proportional scaling. Low settings average 242.4 FPS, which is 27.6% lower than the 1080p Low figure. Medium settings produce 198.7 FPS, High settings achieve 158.7 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 102.4 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p at each setting level is consistent, ranging from 27.6% at Low to 28.5% at Ultra, demonstrating a predictable GPU-bound behavior.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve becomes steeper. Low settings still manage a respectable 151.4 FPS, while Medium averages 120.7 FPS. High settings drop to 101 FPS, and Ultra falls to 63.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 87.6 FPS, narrower than at lower resolutions, which suggests that the GPU's fixed-function units, including its 84 ray accelerators, are approaching their limits under the combined load of 4K resolution and Ultra settings.

The data shows that the RX 7900 XT's 800.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient to feed the GPU across all settings at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K Ultra, the 63.8 FPS average indicates that the card is working near its maximum capacity, with the 20 GB frame buffer likely handling the higher resolution textures without issue. The consistency of the scaling pattern across resolutions and settings confirms the reliability of the measured data.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT achieves a rank of 334 out of 1,741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 80.8th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's strong performance, as the RX 7900 XT sits in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 79th percentile. The synergy between these components is evident, with the system performing better than the sum of its individual parts might suggest.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database provide context for its performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile has an average score of 38,349, a 0% delta from the RX 7900 XT's 38,358 average. The NVIDIA CMP 70HX scores 38,225, which is 0.3% lower, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 scores 38,494, 0.4% higher. The RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38,135, a 0.6% deficit. These small deltas indicate that the RX 7900 XT's PassMark G3D score of 29,009 is competitive with a range of high-end graphics solutions.

For the CPU, the nearest rivals show a similarly tight clustering. The Intel Xeon D-1746TER scores 21,635, a 0.6% delta from the Ryzen 5 5600's 21,765 average. The AMD EPYC 9554P scores 21,899, 0.6% higher, and the EPYC 9534 scores 21,900, also 0.6% higher. The Intel Core i7-11700F scores 21,957, a 0.9% delta. This clustering suggests that the Ryzen 5 5600 delivers performance on par with a broad spectrum of server and desktop processors, making it a versatile choice.

The combo's rank of 334 indicates that it outperforms the majority of tested configurations in Downfall. The substantial frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, combined with playable 4K performance, position this pairing as a strong option for this title. The data confirms that the RX 7900 XT is the dominant contributor to the overall ranking, while the Ryzen 5 5600 provides sufficient support without becoming a limiting factor at any resolution or settings level tested.