Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination delivers a clearly GPU-bound experience in Downfall, with frame rates scaling predictably as resolution increases and settings are adjusted. The data shows a system that can handle the horror title at high refresh rates on 1080p, but which requires careful compromise at higher resolutions to maintain playable performance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-limited scaling pattern. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 147.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops that to 106.2 FPS, a reduction of roughly 28%. At 4K with Low settings, the average falls further to 65.5 FPS, which is a 44% drop from the 1440p figure and a 56% decline from the 1080p baseline.

This scaling behavior is typical of a system where the graphics card is the primary performance constraint. The Ryzen 5 5600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the limiting factor in these tests. The CPU’s benchmark scores, including a 3DMark single-thread score of 882 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18309, indicate substantial headroom for this game’s demands. The consistent FPS drops as resolution climbs point directly to the GTX 1660 SUPER’s rendering capacity being exhausted.

The gap between settings also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the spread from Low (147.8 FPS) to Ultra (63.5 FPS) is 84.3 FPS. At 1440p, that spread narrows to 63.6 FPS (106.2 vs 42.6), and at 4K, it tightens further to 39.0 FPS (65.5 vs 26.5). This compression suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the absolute bottleneck, making settings adjustments less impactful than they are at lower resolutions where the GPU has more spare capacity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in this pairing. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but shows strain at 4K. The GPU’s base clock of 1530 MHz and boost clock of 1785 MHz are modest by modern standards, and its 1408 shading units must work hard to fill 4K frames.

The benchmark results for this GPU place it at the 55th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14286. Its nearest rivals in the aggregate benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, which has a nearly identical average score of 14389, indicating the GTX 1660 SUPER sits in a crowded mid-range tier. The GPU’s 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the theoretical ceiling that ultimately governs the Downfall frame rates.

At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 26.5 FPS, which is effectively unplayable. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is likely a contributing factor at this resolution, as texture data and frame buffers can exceed the available memory, causing the GPU to rely on slower data paths. The fact that 4K Low produces 65.5 FPS while 4K Ultra yields 26.5 FPS suggests that memory pressure is exacerbated by higher settings, not just by raw resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 1550 out of 1741 tested combinations for Downfall. This places it in the lower 11% of all tested combos, which is a sobering position for a system that can deliver 147.8 FPS at 1080p Low. The rank indicates that while the combo is capable of smooth frame rates in absolute terms, the broader ecosystem of tested hardware includes many combinations that achieve much higher performance in this title.

The Ryzen 5 5600 itself sits at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21765. Its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks include the Intel Core i7-11700F, which scores 21957, a delta of -0.9%. This shows the 5600 is a highly capable processor, but the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 55th percentile standing drags the overall combo rank down. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 14286 is within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, reinforcing that this is a mid-tier graphics solution paired with a strong budget CPU.

The disparity between the CPU’s high percentile and the GPU’s mid-tier percentile explains the combo’s low overall rank. The processor is rarely the limiting factor, but the graphics card caps the system’s performance in Downfall, preventing it from competing with combos that pair the 5600 with more powerful GPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 147.8 FPS on Low, 119.0 FPS on Medium, 96.9 FPS on High, and 63.5 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that 1080p is the sweet spot for this hardware, with even the demanding Ultra preset remaining above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings produce 106.2 FPS, Medium yields 88.0 FPS, and High falls to 68.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 42.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. The 1440p results demonstrate that this combo can handle high-refresh gaming at lower presets, but struggles to maintain fluid motion at higher quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1660 SUPER’s limitations become severe. Low settings produce 65.5 FPS, which is playable but not smooth by modern standards. Medium drops to 52.6 FPS, High falls to 42.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 26.5 FPS. The 4K results clearly indicate that this resolution is beyond the intended scope of this hardware, with even the lowest settings producing frame rates that are marginal for the horror genre’s need for responsive controls.

The progression from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra shows a total performance collapse from 147.8 FPS to 26.5 FPS, a reduction of 82%. This stark decline underscores the GPU-bound nature of the system, as the CPU’s performance remains constant regardless of resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with either High or Medium settings. The High preset delivers 96.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a good balance of visual quality and smoothness. Medium at 119.0 FPS offers even more headroom for those prioritizing frame rate consistency, while Low at 147.8 FPS is ideal for competitive play or for users with high-refresh-rate monitors.

For 1440p users, the data suggests that High settings at 68.9 FPS are the maximum viable option. This preset maintains playability while preserving visual fidelity. Medium at 88.0 FPS is a safer choice for ensuring frame rate stability, while Low at 106.2 FPS offers a smooth experience that is well-suited for fast-paced sequences. The Ultra preset at 1440p should be avoided, as 42.6 FPS falls below the smoothness threshold and may introduce noticeable stutter in a horror game where responsiveness is critical.

At 4K, the data does not support any settings preset for a consistently good experience. Low at 65.5 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but even this is marginal. Medium at 52.6 FPS and High at 42.8 FPS are both below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra at 26.5 FPS is unusable. Users with 4K displays should either reduce resolution or accept significant compromises in visual quality.

The overall recommendation is to play at 1080p with High settings for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. This preset provides 96.9 FPS, which is sufficient for smooth gameplay in a horror title that relies on atmosphere and tension rather than fast reflexes. For users with 1440p monitors, Medium settings at 88.0 FPS offer the best combination of resolution and frame rate. The combo’s 1550 rank out of 1741 reflects its position as a capable 1080p machine that should not be pushed beyond its comfort zone at higher resolutions.