Downfall

Resolution Scaling

Downfall presents a demanding workload for this pairing, and the frame rate scaling across resolutions tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lives. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 103.6 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops that to 74.3 FPS, a decline of roughly 28%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 Low yields 47.5 FPS, which is another 36% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep, consistent drop as pixel count rises points directly at the GPU as the primary limiter; the render load is scaling almost linearly with resolution, which is typical of a graphics-bound scenario.

The picture changes somewhat when looking at the higher quality presets. At 1080p High, the average is 68.3 FPS, while 1440p High falls to 46.6 FPS and 4K High drops to 32.4 FPS. The percentage deltas here are slightly smaller than at Low settings, suggesting that at higher quality levels, the additional shading and texture work is already saturating the GPU even at 1080p. The Ultra preset confirms this: 1080p Ultra averages 44.9 FPS, 1440p Ultra averages 32.9 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to just 20.5 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Ultra is about 27%, but the gap between 1440p and 4K Ultra is nearly 38%, showing that the card is increasingly overwhelmed as resolution climbs.

The data indicates that 1080p is the only viable resolution for smooth gameplay with this combination. Even at 1080p, the Ultra preset struggles to maintain a comfortable frame rate, with the 44.9 FPS average falling below the 60 FPS threshold that most displays target. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with even Low settings failing to reach 50 FPS. The scaling pattern—where 4K Low (47.5 FPS) is roughly equivalent to 1440p High (46.6 FPS)—suggests that the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, not the CPU. If the processor were the constraint, we would expect to see 1080p and 1440p scores much closer together, since the resolution change would not affect the CPU workload. Instead, every resolution step produces a meaningful FPS penalty, confirming a GPU-limited configuration.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the frame rate ceiling. The card uses the Polaris 20 chip built on a 14 nm process, with a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory runs at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is modest by modern standards, and Downfall's high-resolution textures and effects appear to strain it.

The GPU's benchmark standing reinforces this interpretation. The RX 580 sits at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 13559. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (matching score of 13564, 0% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (13549, +0.1% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro 455 (13416, +1.1% delta). The fact that the RX 580 trades blows with a GTX 570—a card from an earlier generation—shows its age. The 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 193.0 GTexel/s texture rate are insufficient for Downfall's demanding 4K Ultra preset, which explains the 20.5 FPS result.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is worth noting. While it is not the limiting factor at 1080p (where the card achieves 103.6 FPS on Low), the 4K results suggest that memory bandwidth, not capacity, is the bottleneck. The 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is the same figure that characterized the card at launch in 2017, and Downfall's release in 2016 predates the card by about a year. The game was designed for an era when 4 GB GPUs were common, so the 8 GB buffer is ample, but the bandwidth and compute throughput cap performance. The GPU's DirectX 12 support (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3 API compatibility are present, but the architecture does not have the efficiency of newer designs, and the 185 W TDP with a 450 W suggested PSU indicates a power-hungry solution by modern standards.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT provides the compute foundation for this pairing, and its specifications show a processor that is far more capable than the GPU. The chip uses the Zen 3 architecture on TSMC's 7 nm process, with 6 cores and 12 threads. Base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost of 4.60 GHz. The 16 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s of dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth are healthy figures. The CPU also includes Radeon Vega 7 integrated graphics, though the discrete RX 580 renders all frames in these measurements.

The CPU's benchmark data demonstrates its strength. The Ryzen 5 5600GT scores 17272 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2438 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 7986 and single-core of 2035. The Passmark multi-thread score is 20325 with a single-thread score of 3348. The processor sits at the 78th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20740. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-10700 (20746, 0% delta), the Intel Core i5-12490F (20794, -0.3% delta, meaning the 5600GT is slightly slower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X (20680, +0.3% delta, meaning the 5600GT is slightly faster). This places the 5600GT in the upper mid-range of desktop CPUs, clearly not the limiting factor in this game.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The 3dmark scores—5523 for 16 threads and 913 for single-thread—indicate solid multi-threading capability. The game, being a 2016 horror title, likely does not scale perfectly across 12 threads, but the single-thread performance (913 in 3dmark single-thread, 2438 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is more than adequate. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 103.6 FPS and 1080p Medium reaches 83.7 FPS shows that the CPU can push well over 100 FPS in this title when the GPU is not the constraint. The drop to 68.3 FPS at 1080p High is almost entirely a GPU-side effect, as the added shading and post-processing load the RX 580 more heavily. The CPU's 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it an efficient and flexible choice, but in this specific game, its performance headroom is wasted because the GPU cannot keep pace.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 1599th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations in the database. This is a low ranking that reflects the GPU's age more than the CPU's capability. The RX 580, released in 2017, is end-of-life and sits at the 53rd GPU percentile, while the 5600GT, released in 2024, is active and at the 78th CPU percentile. The pairing creates a significant imbalance: a modern mid-range CPU paired with a legacy graphics card.

The rank of 1599 out of 1741 means that 142 other combos perform worse, but the vast majority of systems outperform this one. The data shows that the CPU is not the culprit—the 5600GT's nearest rival, the Ryzen 5 5600X, is only 0.3% faster in average benchmark score, yet a system using the 5600X with a modern GPU would rank substantially higher. The GPU's nearest rival, the GTX 570, matches its score, but that card is even older (2010-era). The RX 580's 53rd percentile ranking places it below the median GPU in the database, and Downfall's demanding 4K presets punish this limitation severely.

In practical terms, this combo is only suitable for 1080p gaming with medium-to-high settings in Downfall. The 1080p Medium average of 83.7 FPS is playable, and 1080p High at 68.3 FPS is acceptable for most users. However, the 1080p Ultra result of 44.9 FPS falls below the 60 FPS standard, and the 1440p and 4K results are increasingly marginal. The ranking reflects this reality: it is a bottom-decile configuration for this game, and users seeking higher resolutions or maximum quality settings would need a more capable GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo in Downfall?

A: The data shows 1080p Low achieves 103.6 FPS average and 1080p Medium reaches 83.7 FPS. For smoother performance, 1080p Low is the safest choice, while 1080p Medium offers a good balance of quality and frame rate. 1080p High at 68.3 FPS is playable, but 1080p Ultra drops to 44.9 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600GT has an average benchmark score of 20740. It is exactly matched by the Intel Core i7-10700 (0% delta), slightly slower than the Intel Core i5-12490F (-0.3% delta), and slightly faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X (+0.3% delta).

Q: Why is the 4K performance so poor?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo averages only 20.5 FPS, and even 4K Low manages just 47.5 FPS. The RX 580's 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are insufficient for the pixel load at 4K, making the GPU the clear bottleneck.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The 5600GT sits at the 78th CPU percentile, while the RX 580 is at the 53rd GPU percentile. The frame rate drops consistently with each resolution increase, which is a signature of a GPU-bound workload.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 1599th out of 1741 combos in Downfall, placing it in the bottom 8% of configurations. This low rank is primarily due to the GPU's age and performance level.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 103.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 44.9 FPS. This represents a 56.7% drop in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings at the same resolution.