Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing delivers exceptional performance in Downfall, ranking in the top 4% of all tested combos. The data shows this system is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings, with the CPU providing ample headroom even at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 400 FPS on Low settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 (Raphael) architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The chip features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. Its memory support is DDR5 through a dual-channel bus, delivering 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth.

In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072. The PassMark multithread score is 25645, with a single-thread score of 3689. The processor's average benchmark score of 32750 places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs tested. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 7400F shows a 0.1% advantage over the Intel Core i5-14600T (avg score 32707) and a 0.2% edge over the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (32697). It is 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (32812) and 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (32662).

For Downfall, a horror title, the CPU's 12 threads handle game logic and AI processing without becoming a bottleneck in the measured scenarios. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 411, which strongly suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far beyond typical display refresh rates. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 82 FPS, indicating the workload shifts almost entirely to the GPU. The CPU's 32 MB L3 cache and high single-core performance (3072 in R23 single-core) are sufficient to maintain high frame pacing even when the GPU is producing more than 300 FPS at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship of the GeForce 40-series, based on the AD102 chip and Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, 176 raster output units, 128 RT cores, and 512 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective).

The memory subsystem is a 24 GB GDDR6X configuration on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This massive memory pool and bandwidth are crucial for Downfall at high resolutions, where texture data and frame buffers demand significant capacity. The GPU's pixel rate is 443.5 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 1,290.2 GTexel/s. Compute performance is rated at 82.58 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 (1:1).

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4090 scores 38194 in PassMark G3D and 26613 in PassMark GPU compute. Its average benchmark score is 60347, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals show interesting comparisons: the Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60326 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140 (0.3% behind), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896 (2.5% ahead), and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657 (2.9% behind). These rival comparisons are based on aggregate scores, not Downfall specifically.

The GPU's role in Downfall is dominant. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 82, which is a substantial drop from the 132 FPS at 4K High. This demonstrates that the Ultra preset imposes a heavy rendering load. The 24 GB VRAM ensures no texture swapping occurs even at 4K Ultra, as Downfall (a 2016 title) does not demand more than 24 GB. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth allows the GPU to stream high-resolution assets efficiently, contributing to the strong scaling from 1080p to 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 109th out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall. This places the pairing in the top 3.7% of all configurations tested, a remarkable result for a mid-range CPU paired with a flagship GPU. The rank reflects the GPU-driven nature of the game: the RTX 4090's raw compute power boosts the combo despite the Ryzen 5 7400F being a 6-core part.

The data indicates that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, with the rank primarily determined by the GPU's ability to push high frame rates across all settings. The CPU's 83rd percentile standing among all CPUs is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in most scenarios, as evidenced by the 411 FPS result at 1080p Low. The 109th rank out of 2928 means the combo is surpassed by only 108 other configurations, likely those pairing the RTX 4090 with higher-end CPUs like the Ryzen 7 or Core i7/i9 parts. However, the performance delta at 4K Ultra (82 FPS) suggests that the CPU has minimal impact on the highest-fidelity experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4090 produces staggering numbers. The Low preset delivers an average of 411 FPS, while Medium yields 361 FPS (with min/max of 307/416 FPS). The High preset drops to 296 FPS, and Ultra settles at 185 FPS. These figures show that at 1080p, the GPU is so powerful that it is likely CPU-limited even at Ultra, as the jump from High to Ultra is only 111 FPS, whereas the jump from Low to Medium is 50 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains extremely high. Low settings produce 315 FPS average, Medium provides 258 FPS (min 219, max 297), High delivers 212 FPS, and Ultra averages 132 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 20-30% across presets, consistent with the increased pixel count. At 1440p Ultra, the 132 FPS average is still well above the 120 Hz threshold for high-refresh monitors.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations begin to show. Low settings average 196 FPS, Medium averages 161 FPS (min 136, max 185), High averages 132 FPS, and Ultra drops to 82 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measurement below 100 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding configuration tested. The gap between Medium and High at 4K is 29 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 50 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset imposes a disproportionate performance cost.

The measured data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 4090 excels at 1080p and 1440p across all settings, with even the most demanding 1440p Ultra preset exceeding 130 FPS. At 4K, the GPU remains capable of smooth gameplay on High (132 FPS) but requires dropping to Medium (161 FPS) for higher headroom, while Ultra is best reserved for less demanding scenes.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on High settings provides a 212 FPS average, which is ideal for high-refresh displays. At 3840x2160, High still delivers 132 FPS, so 4K is viable if you prefer resolution over raw frame rate.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7400F perform compared to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32750, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600T (32707), 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (32697), 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (32812), and 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (32662).

*Q: Is the RTX 4090 overkill for a 2016 horror game like Downfall?*

A: The data indicates that at 1080p Low, the combo produces 411 FPS, which is beyond the refresh rate of any mainstream monitor. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 82, showing that the GPU is fully utilized at the highest settings and resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 212 FPS, while Ultra averages 132 FPS. This represents an 80 FPS drop, or approximately 38% lower performance, for the Ultra preset's added visual fidelity.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The 411 FPS average at 1080p Low suggests the CPU is near its limit at that resolution, but the 296 FPS at 1080p High and 185 FPS at 1080p Ultra indicate that the GPU remains the primary constraint at higher settings. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to avoid severe bottlenecks.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to all other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 109th out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 3.7% of all configurations. This rank reflects the RTX 4090's dominance in the game's rendering workload.

Settings Recommendations

For the best measured experience, the data suggests prioritizing the High preset. At 1920x1080, High yields 296 FPS, which is 111 FPS lower than Ultra (185 FPS) but still far above any display's refresh rate. At 2560x1440, High provides 212 FPS, while Ultra drops to 132 FPS. The 80 FPS difference at 1440p is significant, and the visual upgrade from High to Ultra may not justify the performance loss for a horror game where smoothness matters.

At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 132 FPS, which is ideal for a 120 Hz display. The Ultra preset at 4K averages only 82 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter in fast-paced scenes. Medium at 4K offers 161 FPS, but High is the better balance of visual quality and performance.

The Low preset is not recommended for any resolution above 1080p, as the visual degradation is severe and the frame rate gains (411 FPS at 1080p, 315 FPS at 1440p, 196 FPS at 4K) are unnecessary for most users. For players with 144 Hz monitors, the Medium preset at 1440p (258 FPS) or High at 4K (132 FPS) provides the best combination of smoothness and fidelity. The Ultra preset is best reserved for players with high-refresh 4K displays who prioritize maximum visual quality over frame rate, accepting the 82 FPS average at 4K.