Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a fascinating dataset in Downfall, a horror title from 2016. The measured frames per second across three resolutions and four settings presets reveal a system with immense headroom, but the scaling patterns suggest that neither component is being pushed to its absolute limit in every scenario. This analysis breaks down the measured data to understand where the bottleneck truly lies.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation is the dramatic FPS drop when moving from 1440p to 4K, which is far steeper than the resolution increase alone would suggest. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 209.3 FPS at 2560x1440 to 134.2 FPS at 3840x2160, a decline of roughly 36%. This indicates that at 4K, the rendering load is overwhelming the GPU's ability to maintain the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

However, the drop from 1080p to 1440p tells a different story. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 294.6 at 1920x1080 to 209.3 at 2560x1440, a 29% reduction. This is closer to what one might expect from a purely GPU-bound scenario, but the fact that the 1080p numbers are so extraordinarily high—nearly 300 FPS on High—suggests the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU at these lower pixel counts.

The scaling pattern across settings at 4K is particularly revealing. Moving from Low (200.1 FPS) to Medium (160.2 FPS) to High (134.2 FPS) to Ultra (85.7 FPS) shows a consistent, steep drop-off. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the clear limiting component; each increase in graphical fidelity directly translates into a significant frame rate penalty. The data suggests that the RTX 4090 is working at its maximum capacity at this resolution, with the CPU having ample headroom to spare.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series, based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its boost clock of 5.00 GHz and 32 MB of shared L3 cache provide strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for older game engines like the one likely powering Downfall. The benchmark scores reinforce this: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218 and a multi-core score of 22799 place it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs.

In this game, the CPU's role appears to be providing a high enough ceiling to avoid becoming a bottleneck at 1080p and 1440p. The fact that the system achieves 427.5 FPS at 1080p Low settings strongly implies that the CPU is capable of delivering extremely high frame rates. The 3DMark single-thread score of 974 further supports this, as older horror titles often rely heavily on a single primary thread for game logic and draw calls.

However, the CPU's performance is not entirely without limits. The multi-threaded benchmarks, such as PassMark's multithread score of 26825, show that while the 7500F is capable, it does not have the sheer core count of higher-end rivals. The data implies that in Downfall, the processor is sufficient to drive the RTX 4090 to its limits at lower resolutions, but the game's engine may not be optimized to use all 12 threads effectively. This is typical for a 2016 release, where the CPU's single-thread performance is the primary factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a behemoth, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 384-bit memory bus providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and 16384 shading units give it massive compute potential, reflected in its PassMark G3D score of 38194 and its 91st percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The GPU's role in Downfall is clear: it is the dominant factor at 4K resolution. The average FPS at 4K Ultra (85.7) is less than half of the 4K Low (200.1), demonstrating that the RTX 4090's raw power is being taxed heavily by the game's highest settings. The VRAM capacity is almost certainly not a concern, as the game is from 2016 and unlikely to use even a fraction of the 24 GB available.

Conversely, at 1080p, the GPU is underutilized. The jump from 294.6 FPS at High to 427.5 FPS at Low shows that the RTX 4090 has plenty of headroom left, and the frame rate is likely being capped by the CPU's processing speed. The data suggests that the GPU's performance is so high that it can easily handle the game's demands at lower resolutions, but at 4K, the sheer pixel count and shading complexity begin to saturate its capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 38th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 2.2% of all tested systems, which is an exceptionally strong showing. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU's dominance, as the CPU is a capable mid-range part.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-11850H, which is 0.1% faster in average benchmark score, and the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, which is 0.3% slower. These are very close margins, indicating that the 7500F is a solid performer for its class. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla T4, which is 0.4% faster, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56, which is 0.9% slower. These are all professional or older workstation cards, highlighting the RTX 4090's consumer-focused performance advantage.

The rank of 38 suggests that while there are 37 other combinations that perform better, they almost certainly include more powerful CPUs or perhaps overclocked configurations. For a standard desktop setup, this combo offers a near-top-tier experience in Downfall, with the GPU providing the vast majority of the performance headroom.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 4K gaming, the High preset (134.2 FPS) is the best balance, as it delivers a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining visual quality. The Ultra preset (85.7 FPS) is also playable but offers diminishing returns for the significant frame rate drop from High.

At 1440p, the Medium preset (256.9 FPS) is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, offering a massive frame rate boost over High (209.3 FPS) without the quality loss of Low (316.3 FPS). If a player has a 240Hz display, the Low preset is the only option to approach that refresh rate, but Medium provides a far better visual experience.

At 1080p, the High preset (294.6 FPS) is recommended for most users, as it provides a great balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Medium preset (361.1 FPS) is ideal for competitive play on 360Hz monitors, while the Low preset (427.5 FPS) is only necessary for the absolute highest refresh rate displays. The Ultra preset (183.9 FPS) is still smooth, but the visual difference from High is less noticeable in a horror game with dark environments.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest measured average FPS for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 427.5, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 85.7, which is playable but significantly lower than other presets.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary limiting factor at 1080p, as frame rates are extremely high but show less variation between settings compared to 4K.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 38th out of 1741 tested combinations in Downfall.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between High and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings yield an average of 209.3 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 131 FPS, a difference of 78.3 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM matter in this game?

A: The game is from 2016, so it is highly unlikely to use a significant portion of the 24 GB VRAM. The GPU's raw compute power is the more relevant factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for each resolution and settings preset combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | ------: |

| 3840x2160 | High | 134.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 200.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 160.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 85.7 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 209.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 316.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 256.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 131 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 294.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 427.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 361.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 183.9 |

These numbers reveal a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, the system is capable of exceeding 400 FPS on Low, indicating extreme CPU-driven performance. At 1440p, the GPU begins to assert its influence, with a 26% drop from Low to High. At 4K, the GPU is fully in control, with the Ultra preset delivering less than half the frame rate of the Low preset. The data confirms that for this 2016 horror title, the RTX 4090 is the star of the show, but the Ryzen 5 7500F provides a sufficient foundation to avoid holding it back at lower resolutions.