Downfall

# Downfall with AMD Ryzen 5 7500F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 produces a fundamentally GPU-limited experience in Downfall, a 2016 horror title that favors raw frame throughput over multi-threaded CPU muscle. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings show a clear pattern: the 6-core/12-thread Zen 4 processor has ample headroom, while the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface become the dominant constraint as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 91 FPS average, but Ultra settings at 4K collapse to 17 FPS — a spread that highlights where the bottleneck shifts. This analysis breaks down the measured data to explain what each component contributes, how the pairing scales, and which settings deliver the best experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael) using a 5 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz boosts to 5.00 GHz, with 64 KB L1 and 1 MB L2 cache per core, plus 32 MB shared L3 cache. The chip supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth, and it connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes. These specifications place it in the 77th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24,964.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The game's measured FPS data shows no scenario where CPU threading becomes a limiting factor. At 1080p Low — the least GPU-demanding setting tested — the combo produces 91 FPS, which is below what the CPU could theoretically push given its single-thread performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 974 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,218 indicate strong per-core capability, yet the frame rates never approach a CPU-bound ceiling. The multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core at 22,799, Geekbench multi-core at 12,362) confirm that even if Downfall used more threads, the 7500F would handle it without issue. The nearest CPU rivals — Intel Core i7-11850H (deltaPct 0.1), AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (deltaPct -0.2), and Intel Core i7-13620H (deltaPct 0.2) — all sit within 0.4% of the 7500F's average score, meaning any of these would perform nearly identically in this game.

The data indicates that the CPU's 65 W TDP and efficient architecture allow it to maintain boost clocks without thermal throttling, but in Downfall, the processor rarely breaks a sweat. The game's horror genre typically relies on scripted events and lighting effects rather than complex physics simulations, so the 7500F's 6 cores are more than adequate. The measured FPS deltas between settings (e.g., 91 FPS at 1080p Low vs. 38 FPS at 1080p Ultra) are purely GPU-driven, not CPU-driven. For this title, the Ryzen 5 7500F is effectively a bystander — powerful enough to never bottleneck, but not the component that determines frame rates.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture GPU (chip TU117) built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, with 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its base clock of 1485 MHz boosts to 1665 MHz, and the 4 GB GDDR5 memory runs at 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective) over a 128-bit bus, yielding 128.1 GB/s bandwidth. The GPU's FP32 performance is 2.984 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s. It sits in the 40th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 7,472. The nearest GPU rivals — AMD Radeon HD 8850M (deltaPct 0.3), Intel UHD Graphics 750 (deltaPct 0.4), and AMD Radeon R7 350 (deltaPct 0.6) — are all within 1% of its score, while the Intel Arc A310 is 1% faster.

The GTX 1650 is the clear bottleneck in Downfall. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is the most critical constraint: at 4K Ultra, the game demands more memory than available, causing the average FPS to drop to 17. Even at 4K High, the combo only manages 27 FPS, and 4K Medium reaches 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 FPS. The 128-bit memory bus and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth limit texture streaming and high-resolution asset loading. The GPU's 75 W TDP and lack of power connectors mean it operates within a strict power envelope, which caps its boost behavior under sustained load. The DirectX 12 score of 35 in PassMark suggests the GPU handles modern API workloads modestly, aligning with the measured frame rates.

The GTX 1650's performance in Downfall follows a predictable pattern: lowering settings improves FPS proportionally more than lowering resolution. For instance, at 1440p, dropping from High (44 FPS) to Low (65 FPS) yields a 48% increase, while at 1080p, the same settings change yields a 49% increase (61 to 91 FPS). This indicates that the GPU's compute and memory subsystems are the limiting factors, not the CPU. The GPU's 40th percentile ranking reinforces that this is a mid-low-tier card by current standards, and Downfall's 2016 release date means it was already a few years old when the GTX 1650 launched in 2019.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a steep resolution scaling curve that confirms the GPU as the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 91 at 1080p to 65 at 1440p (a 28.6% decrease) and then to 41 at 4K (a 36.9% decrease from 1440p). This nonlinear decline — where the 4K-to-1440p drop is steeper than the 1440p-to-1080p drop — is characteristic of a GPU hitting its memory bandwidth or fill rate ceiling. The GTX 1650's 128.1 GB/s bandwidth simply cannot feed the pixel throughput required at 4K, regardless of settings.

At High settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers: 61 FPS at 1080p, 44 FPS at 1440p (27.9% drop), and 27 FPS at 4K (38.6% drop). The percentage drops are nearly identical between Low and High, indicating that the GPU's resource limits scale consistently with pixel count. Medium settings show the same trend: 75 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p (29.3% drop), and 33 FPS at 4K (37.7% drop). Ultra settings are the most dramatic: 38 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p (28.9% drop), and 17 FPS at 4K (37.0% drop). The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings strongly suggests a hardware ceiling rather than a software or driver issue.

The fact that the 4K-to-1440p drop (37-39%) is consistently larger than the 1440p-to-1080p drop (28-29%) points to the GPU's memory subsystem being overwhelmed at 4K. The 4 GB VRAM is likely insufficient for 4K textures, forcing the GPU to swap data to system memory via the PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, which adds latency and reduces throughput. The CPU's role in this scaling is negligible — the Ryzen 5 7500F's memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s and PCIe Gen 5 lanes are not the constraint. If the CPU were limiting, we would see smaller FPS drops at higher resolutions (since lower FPS reduces CPU load per frame), but the data shows the opposite: the GPU's workload scales directly with resolution.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 3,593 out of 3,716 tested combos in Downfall. That places it in the bottom 3.3% of all combinations — a poor result that underscores how severely the GPU holds back the CPU. The rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability; the Ryzen 5 7500F is a strong processor in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Instead, the rank reflects the GPU's 40th percentile standing and the game's demand for GPU resources.

To contextualize this ranking, consider that the combo is in the 3,593rd position out of 3,716, meaning only 123 combinations perform worse. This is a stark indicator that the GTX 1650 is inadequate for smooth gameplay at most settings in Downfall. The nearest GPU rivals — AMD Radeon HD 8850M, Intel UHD Graphics 750, and AMD Radeon R7 350 — all have average scores within 0.6% of the GTX 1650, yet none of these are modern gaming GPUs. The Intel Arc A310 is 1% faster but still in the same performance tier.

The combo's rank is driven entirely by the GPU, as the CPU's nearest rivals (Intel Core i7-11850H, AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, Intel Core i7-13620H, Intel Core 5 210H) all have near-identical average scores within 0.4% of the 7500F. If the GPU were swapped for a more capable model, the rank would improve dramatically. However, with the GTX 1650, the combo cannot achieve 60 FPS at 1080p Ultra (38 FPS) or 4K Low (41 FPS), making it unsuitable for high-refresh-rate displays or 4K gaming. The data suggests this pairing is only viable for 1080p Low/Medium gaming, where it achieves 91 and 75 FPS respectively.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and acceptable frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 91 FPS average, which is smooth and well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset offers 75 FPS average with a minimum of 64 FPS, providing a better visual experience while still maintaining playable frame rates. The High preset drops to 61 FPS average, which is borderline but still acceptable for a horror game where slower pacing is common. The Ultra preset at 38 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the smoothness threshold and would feel stuttery during fast movements.

At 1440p, the Low preset yields 65 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal. The Medium preset produces 53 FPS average with a minimum of 45 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced horror title but may feel less responsive. The High preset at 44 FPS is marginal, and Ultra at 27 FPS is not viable. For 1440p, Low or Medium settings are the only reasonable choices.

At 4K, all settings are below playable thresholds. The Low preset achieves 41 FPS average, which is technically playable but not smooth. Medium drops to 33 FPS, High to 27 FPS, and Ultra to 17 FPS. None of these are recommended for a good experience. The best overall experience is at 1080p Medium, which balances visual quality with a 75 FPS average and 64 FPS minimum — ensuring no major frame drops during intense scenes. For players prioritizing smoothness over visuals, 1080p Low at 91 FPS is the safest choice. The data clearly shows that this combo should be used at 1080p, with Medium being the sweet spot.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Downfall at 60 FPS on 1080p Ultra?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 38 FPS, which is well below 60 FPS. The GPU is the limiting factor, as its 4 GB VRAM and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth cannot handle the Ultra preset's demands.

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

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS (at Low and Medium settings). At 1440p, only Low achieves 65 FPS, and at 4K, even Low falls to 41 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7500F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F has an average benchmark score of 24,964. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-11850H (24,935, deltaPct 0.1), AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (25,005, deltaPct -0.2), and Intel Core i7-13620H (24,911, deltaPct 0.2). All are within 0.4% of each other.

Q: Is the GTX 1650's 4 GB VRAM enough for 4K gaming in Downfall?

A: No. At 4K, the combo achieves only 41 FPS on Low, 33 FPS on Medium, 27 FPS on High, and 17 FPS on Ultra. The 4 GB VRAM is insufficient for 4K textures, causing severe performance drops.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 64. At 1440p Medium, it is 45. At 4K Medium, it is 28. These minimums indicate frame stability, with 1080p being the only resolution with a minimum above 60 FPS.

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

A: It ranks 3,593 out of 3,716 combos, placing it in the bottom 3.3%. This poor ranking is due to the GTX 1650's 40th percentile GPU score, not the CPU, which is in the 77th percentile.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following data is directly from the measured FPS table, showing average FPS (and minimum/maximum where available) for each resolution and settings combination.

3840x2160 (4K):

• High: 27 FPS average
• Low: 41 FPS average
• Medium: 33 FPS average, 28 FPS minimum, 38 FPS maximum
• Ultra: 17 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• High: 44 FPS average
• Low: 65 FPS average
• Medium: 53 FPS average, 45 FPS minimum, 61 FPS maximum
• Ultra: 27 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• High: 61 FPS average
• Low: 91 FPS average
• Medium: 75 FPS average, 64 FPS minimum, 86 FPS maximum
• Ultra: 38 FPS average

The complete dataset shows that the combo's best performance is 91 FPS at 1080p Low, and its worst is 17 FPS at 4K Ultra. The Medium settings are the only ones with minimum and maximum FPS recorded, indicating that these were the most stable configurations. Across all resolutions, Ultra settings consistently halve the frame rate compared to Low, while Medium sits between the two. The GTX 1650's limitations are most evident at 4K, where even Low settings cannot reach 60 FPS, confirming that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with Medium or Low presets.