Downfall

# Downfall with AMD Ryzen 5 5600X + Intel Arc B390

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a playable but constrained experience in Downfall, with the GPU acting as the clear bottleneck across all resolutions. The combo ranks 2589th out of 2928 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom 12% of systems, and the measured frame rates show a steady progression from playable at 1080p to marginal at 4K. The Intel Arc B390's benchmark percentile of 9 versus all GPUs and its nearest rivals — all NVIDIA entry-level parts from over a decade ago — signal that this is a low-end graphics solution, while the Ryzen 5 5600X's 75th percentile CPU standing suggests the processor is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

Frame rates in Downfall drop predictably as resolution increases, but the pattern reveals a GPU-bound system at every step. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 106 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 76 FPS, a reduction of 30 FPS or roughly 28%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 47 FPS, which is 59 FPS below the 1080p Low result — a 56% decrease from the starting point. This steep scaling curve is characteristic of a graphics card that runs out of fillrate and shading capacity as pixel count rises.

The Intel Arc B390's specifications support this interpretation. With 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, the GPU produces a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. At 4K, the B390 must push over 8.3 million pixels per frame, and the 20 FPS Ultra result at 3840x2160 shows the card is overwhelmed when both resolution and quality settings are maxed. The 32 FPS High result at 4K is likewise below the 30 FPS threshold many consider the minimum for consistent playability, though the Low preset at 47 FPS is technically playable.

The scaling from High to Ultra settings at each resolution shows a consistent penalty that further confirms GPU limitation. At 1080p, High delivers 71 FPS while Ultra falls to 44 FPS — a 27 FPS drop. At 1440p, High produces 51 FPS and Ultra drops to 32 FPS, a 19 FPS penalty. At 4K, High manages 32 FPS and Ultra collapses to 20 FPS, a 12 FPS loss. The diminishing absolute penalty at higher resolutions is typical: the GPU is already so saturated that additional settings have less headroom to remove. In contrast, the Ryzen 5 5600X with 6 cores and 12 threads at 3.70 GHz base and 4.60 GHz boost is far more capable than the frame rates suggest, as its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11838 and single-core score of 1541 indicate.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X is a Zen 3 Vermeer part on the AM4 socket, built on TSMC's 7 nm process with 4,150 million transistors in a 74 mm² die. Its 6 cores and 12 threads, combined with 32 MB of L3 cache and 512 KB L2 per core, make it a solid mid-range processor for gaming. The 3DMark results show strong scaling from 1793 at 2 threads to 5588 at max threads, indicating the CPU can handle multi-threaded workloads without significant contention. The PassMark multi-thread score of 21858 and single-thread score of 3364 place it well above the bottom quartile of CPUs.

In Downfall, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The measured frame rates at 1080p Low — 106 FPS average — are the highest in the dataset, and this is exactly where a weaker CPU would begin to show if it were the constraint. The fact that frame rates scale down so steeply with resolution (106 to 76 to 47 across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K at Low settings) indicates the graphics card, not the processor, is dictating performance. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain roughly flat across resolutions because the same number of draw calls and game logic updates would be processed regardless of pixel count.

The Ryzen 5 5600X's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H at 21749 (a 0.1% difference), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U at 21874 (-0.5%), the Intel Core i7-11700 at 21891 (-0.5%), and the AMD EPYC 9554P at 21899 (-0.6%). All of these are within 1% of the 5600X's average score of 21771, confirming that the CPU is a competent, mid-pack performer. In a horror game like Downfall, which typically relies on scripted sequences and environmental rendering rather than heavy simulation, a 6-core/12-thread CPU with a 4.60 GHz boost clock is more than sufficient. The bottleneck is unambiguously the Intel Arc B390.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Downfall at 1080p with playable frame rates?

A: Yes. At 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate is 106 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 87 FPS, and High produces 71 FPS. Even the Ultra preset manages 44 FPS, which is above the 30 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The B390's average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 places it 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710 (1443). These are all entry-level parts, and the B390's 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its low-end positioning.

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the most viable resolution. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS and maximum of 100 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 62 FPS, and at 4K Medium it falls to 39 FPS. For a consistently smooth experience, 1080p is the recommended target.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5600X holding back the Intel Arc B390?

A: No. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows classic GPU bottleneck behavior. At Low settings, 1080p produces 106 FPS, 1440p produces 76 FPS, and 4K produces 47 FPS. The CPU's 75th percentile ranking and strong multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core of 11838) suggest it is not the limiting component in this pairing.

Q: What settings preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 76 FPS, Medium averages 62 FPS, and High averages 51 FPS. The Medium preset at 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS is the best balance, as it stays above 60 FPS average while offering improved visuals over Low. High at 51 FPS is acceptable but drops below the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: It ranks 2589th out of 2928 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of systems. This low rank is primarily attributable to the Intel Arc B390, which ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 75th percentile.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2589 out of 2928 tested configurations in Downfall places it in the 11.6th percentile of all systems tested. This is a low standing, and the composition of the pairing makes the cause clear. The Intel Arc B390 is a 3 nm Intel part from the Arc Graphics-M (Panther Lake) generation with 1536 shading units and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 puts it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 — all parts that were low-end even at their release. The B390's 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are modest figures for a modern GPU.

In contrast, the Ryzen 5 5600X is a well-regarded mid-range processor. Its average benchmark score of 21771 places it in the 75th percentile among all CPUs, and its nearest rivals — the Ryzen 7 4800H, Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U, Core i7-11700, and EPYC 9554P — are all within 0.6% of its aggregate score. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 21858 and Geekbench multi-core score of 9173 indicate a capable processor that should not struggle with a 2016 horror title. The disparity between the CPU's 75th percentile and the GPU's 9th percentile explains why the combo ranks so low overall: the graphics card is dragging down an otherwise competent processor.

The rank of 2589 means that 339 tested combos performed worse in Downfall, while 2588 performed better. Given the GPU's low-end positioning, this rank is unsurprising. The B390's nearest GPU rivals all have scores within 2.7% of the B390's 1482, and these are parts that would struggle with modern games at any resolution. The fact that the combo still manages 106 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates that Downfall, released in 2016, is not a demanding title by current standards.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rate data supports a clear settings hierarchy for this combo. At 1080p, the Medium preset at 87 FPS average is the sweet spot: it provides a 19 FPS improvement over High (71 FPS) while maintaining a minimum of 74 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target. The Low preset at 106 FPS is the maximum performance option, but the jump to Medium costs only 19 FPS while presumably offering better visual fidelity. Ultra at 44 FPS is playable but drops below the 60 FPS threshold, making it a poor trade-off for the visual gains.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 62 FPS average with a 53 FPS minimum is the recommended choice. This is the only 1440p preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS, and the minimum of 53 FPS is close enough to the target that most players would not notice significant stuttering. The High preset at 51 FPS is a fallback option if visual quality is prioritized, but the 11 FPS penalty over Medium is substantial. Low at 76 FPS is the performance option, but the visual downgrade may not be worth the 14 FPS gain over Medium. Ultra at 32 FPS is not recommended for 1440p gameplay.

At 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset at 47 FPS is the only 4K option that clears the 30 FPS minimum playability threshold with margin to spare. Medium at 39 FPS is technically playable but close to the edge, and High at 32 FPS is borderline. Ultra at 20 FPS is not playable in any practical sense. For 4K, the Low preset is the only sensible choice, and even then, players should expect occasional dips below 30 FPS in demanding scenes. The 4K data shows this combo is not designed for 4K gaming, and the 47 FPS Low result is the best case scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 106 FPS, the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS and maximum of 100 FPS, providing a smooth experience with a 13 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS target. High settings average 71 FPS, which is still comfortable but 16 FPS below Medium. Ultra settings average 44 FPS, a significant drop from High's 71 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional effects impose a heavy cost on the B390.

At 2560x1440, performance drops but remains usable at lower presets. Low settings average 76 FPS, a 30 FPS decrease from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS, keeping the average just above 60 FPS. High settings average 51 FPS, which is 20 FPS below 1080p High and starts to approach the edge of smooth gameplay. Ultra settings average 32 FPS, a 12 FPS drop from High and a result that is marginal for playability. The 1440p Medium result of 62 FPS is the standout: it is the only 1440p preset that maintains both a 60+ FPS average and a minimum above 50 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 47 FPS, which is 29 FPS below 1440p Low and 59 FPS below 1080p Low. Medium settings average 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 44 FPS, a result that is playable but with noticeable dips. High settings average 32 FPS, which is exactly at the 30 FPS minimum threshold and likely to feel inconsistent. Ultra settings average 20 FPS, making the preset effectively unplayable. The 4K results show a clear progression: each settings tier costs roughly 7-12 FPS, and the GPU's limited pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s cannot sustain high-quality rendering at this resolution. The Medium preset's minimum of 33 FPS at 4K is the only 4K result with a recorded minimum above 30 FPS, and even that is barely above the threshold.