Downfall

# Downfall with AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 produces a fascinating set of results in Downfall, a horror title from 2016. The measured FPS data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but shows signs of CPU headroom at 1080p, offering a clear picture of how this combination scales across settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about which component is the limiting factor. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 152 at 1920x1080 to 108 at 2560x1440, then down to 68 at 3840x2160. That represents a 29% drop moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 37% drop moving from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is consistent—each resolution step costs roughly a third of the remaining performance.

Looking at Low settings, the scaling is even more revealing. At 1080p Low, the system produces 226 FPS average. At 1440p Low, that drops to 162 FPS (a 28% reduction), and at 4K Low it falls to 101 FPS (a 38% reduction from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drops are similar across both Low and High settings suggests the rendering workload scales predictably with pixel count, which points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck.

The Medium preset offers the only complete data with min/max FPS values, and it shows the same scaling trend. From 185 FPS at 1080p Medium (min 157, max 213), the average drops to 132 FPS at 1440p Medium (min 112, max 152), then to 82 FPS at 4K Medium (min 70, max 95). The min FPS values at each resolution are roughly 85% of the average, which indicates reasonably consistent frame pacing rather than severe stuttering.

Ultra settings show the steepest resolution penalty. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 95 FPS average. At 1440p Ultra, that halves to 68 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it collapses to 42 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra at the same resolution costs between 44% and 38% of performance depending on resolution, which suggests Ultra enables effects that are disproportionately expensive on this GPU.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push very high frame rates, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The RTX 4060 with its 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth appears to be the constraint at 4K, where even Low settings only produce 101 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060's specifications explain much of the observed behavior. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, this GPU has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivers 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is modest for a modern GPU and likely contributes to the resolution scaling penalties seen in Downfall.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (avg score 17666, deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon 780M (avg score 17588, deltaPct 0.3), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (avg score 17551, deltaPct 0.5), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (avg score 17509, deltaPct 0.7). These are all within 0.7% of the RTX 4060's score, which indicates this GPU sits in a crowded performance tier.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient for Downfall at all tested settings, as the game runs at 4K Ultra with 42 FPS average, suggesting the memory isn't spilling over. However, the bandwidth limitation becomes evident in the scaling pattern. At 1080p, the GPU delivers 226 FPS at Low, but the frame rate doesn't double when resolution halves—it only increases by about 2.2x from 4K Low (101 FPS) to 1080p Low (226 FPS). This sub-linear scaling is typical for a bandwidth-constrained GPU.

The RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate provide enough raw compute for Downfall at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results show the GPU working near its limits. The fact that Low settings at 4K only produce 101 FPS, while High at 1080p produces 152 FPS, suggests that pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Why does the FPS drop so significantly from 1080p to 4K?

A: The data shows a consistent 28-38% FPS reduction at each resolution step across all settings. This pattern indicates the GPU's memory bandwidth (272.0 GB/s) and pixel rate (118.1 GPixel/s) become the limiting factors as pixel count increases, rather than the CPU.

*Q: Is the RTX 4060 capable of running Downfall at 4K?*

A: At 4K, the system produces playable frame rates on Low (101 FPS) and Medium (82 FPS), but High drops to 68 FPS and Ultra to 42 FPS. The GPU can handle 4K, but only at lower settings for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance cost?

A: At every resolution, Ultra costs roughly 40-45% of the High preset's frame rate. For example, at 1080p High produces 152 FPS while Ultra produces 95 FPS, and at 4K High produces 68 FPS while Ultra produces 42 FPS.

Q: What do the min and max FPS values for Medium settings indicate?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p shows min 157 FPS and max 213 FPS around an 185 FPS average, at 1440p min 112 and max 152 around 132 average, and at 4K min 70 and max 95 around 82 average. The spread of roughly ±15% from average suggests consistent performance without major stuttering.

Q: Does the CPU ever become a bottleneck in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the system reaches 226 FPS, which is very high. The fact that frame rates continue to scale with resolution changes suggests the CPU (with 6 cores, 12 threads, and 96 MB L3 cache) provides enough headroom to avoid bottlenecking even at high frame rates.

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

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D + RTX 4060 ranks 1531 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the middle of the distribution for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 226 FPS, Medium produces 185 FPS (min 157, max 213), High produces 152 FPS, and Ultra produces 95 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 41 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 33 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 57 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces a disproportionately heavy workload compared to the step from High.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop across the board. Low settings average 162 FPS, Medium averages 132 FPS (min 112, max 152), High averages 108 FPS, and Ultra averages 68 FPS. The relative spacing between settings remains similar to 1080p, with Ultra again showing the largest drop from High at 40 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system produces its lowest results. Low settings average 101 FPS, Medium averages 82 FPS (min 70, max 95), High averages 68 FPS, and Ultra averages 42 FPS. Interestingly, the gap between High and Ultra at 4K is 26 FPS, which is smaller in absolute terms than at lower resolutions, but the percentage drop remains consistent at around 38%.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions. The min FPS values are 157 at 1080p, 112 at 1440p, and 70 at 4K. The max FPS values are 213 at 1080p, 152 at 1440p, and 95 at 4K. These ranges show that the system maintains playable frame rates even in the worst-case scenarios at 4K Medium.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series with a base clock of 4.00 GHz and boost clock of 4.50 GHz. Its 96 MB of shared L3 cache is notable, and the 65 W TDP indicates efficient power usage. The CPU's benchmark scores show a Passmark single-thread score of 3494 and a multithread score of 25047, placing it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H (avg score 44466, deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i9-13950HX (avg score 44342, deltaPct 0.5), AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (avg score 44309, deltaPct 0.6), and Intel Core i5-14600 (avg score 44889, deltaPct -0.7). All of these are within 0.7% of the Ryzen 5 7500X3D's average benchmark score of 44573.

In Downfall, the CPU appears to provide ample headroom. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 226 FPS, which is typically a point where CPU limitations would emerge in many games. The fact that frame rates scale consistently with resolution suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck at any tested configuration. The large L3 cache likely helps with game logic and scene management, which is common in horror titles with complex lighting and shadow calculations.

The CPU's 5 nm process node and TSMC fabrication contribute to its efficiency, but more importantly, the 96 MB L3 cache and 12 threads provide enough parallel processing capability for Downfall's workloads. The data shows no signs of CPU-induced frame drops or stuttering, as the min FPS values at Medium settings stay close to the averages.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for the best experience with this combo. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers 185 FPS average with a min of 157 FPS, which provides smooth gameplay while leaving headroom for demanding scenes. High at 152 FPS is also excellent, but Medium's lower workload ensures more consistent frame delivery.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 132 FPS (min 112) is the sweet spot. High at 108 FPS is still very playable, but the 24 FPS difference between Medium and High might not justify the visual upgrade if consistent frame rates are a priority. Ultra at 68 FPS is borderline, as horror games often require stable performance for atmosphere.

At 4K, the situation changes significantly. Low settings at 101 FPS provide the most reliable experience, while Medium at 82 FPS (min 70) is acceptable for players who want better visuals. High at 68 FPS is the maximum playable setting, but the 14 FPS drop from Medium to High suggests that Medium offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at this resolution.

Across all resolutions, the Ultra preset is difficult to recommend. The 38-45% performance penalty compared to High, combined with the fact that even High at 1080p produces 152 FPS, means Ultra only makes sense for players who prioritize maximum visual quality over frame rate stability. The data consistently shows that Medium provides the best compromise between visual quality and performance, particularly at 1440p and 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 1531 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the 52nd percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly half of the tested combinations perform better and half perform worse.

This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the individual component benchmarks. The CPU sits in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 61st percentile among all GPUs. The combination of a high-performing CPU with a mid-range GPU results in a system that performs well overall but is limited by its graphics component, especially at higher resolutions.

The ranking suggests that in Downfall, this combo is more capable than the GPU's percentile would indicate, likely due to the CPU's strength in handling the game's logic and the efficient use of the GPU's resources. However, the 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS shows that the system is not designed for maximum settings at the highest resolution.

Given that the combo ranks 1531 out of 2928, players with this system can expect a solid mid-tier experience in Downfall. The system excels at 1080p and 1440p with Medium to High settings, delivering frame rates that exceed typical display refresh rates. At 4K, the system requires settings compromises to maintain playable performance, which is typical for a GPU in the 61st percentile of all GPUs.