Downfall

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Downfall shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the rate of that scaling tells an interesting story about where the bottleneck sits in this AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination. At 1080p Low, the system produces 227.8 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 160.3 FPS, a reduction of roughly 30%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 99.9 FPS, which is another significant step down from the 1440p figure.

The pattern across all settings presets is consistent: the gap between 1080p and 1440p is larger than the gap between 1440p and 4K in percentage terms. For example, High settings show 151.9 FPS at 1080p, 108.4 FPS at 1440p, and 66.4 FPS at 4K. This suggests that the game becomes progressively more GPU-bound as resolution climbs, which is typical for a horror title with modern rendering demands. The RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are likely contributors to the steep 4K penalty, especially when texture quality increases.

What is particularly revealing is the Ultra preset scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 97.2 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 65.3 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average collapses to 43.8 FPS. The delta between 1440p Ultra and 4K Ultra is about 33%, while the delta between 1080p Ultra and 1440p Ultra is also around 33%. This linearity suggests that at Ultra settings, the GPU is the limiting factor across all resolutions, with the CPU having headroom to spare. The data indicates that this pairing is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but 4K Ultra is clearly beyond the comfortable operating range of the RTX 4060 in this title.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p High yields 108.4 FPS and 1440p Medium yields 129.8 FPS, both well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. 4K High at 66.4 FPS is playable, but the margin above 60 FPS is thin, and any demanding scene could push it lower.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 8400F holding back the RTX 4060 in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not the primary constraint. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 227.8 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show. The 6-core, 12-thread processor with a 4.70 GHz boost clock provides ample throughput for this title's frame generation demands.

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

A: The Ultra preset is substantially more demanding. At 1080p, Ultra delivers 97.2 FPS versus High's 151.9 FPS, a difference of about 36%. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 65.3 FPS compared to High's 108.4 FPS. The visual uplift from High to Ultra does not justify the performance hit in most cases.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Downfall?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, the average is 99.9 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 84.3 FPS. 4K High at 66.4 FPS is borderline, while 4K Ultra at 43.8 FPS is not recommended for a 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Medium settings?

A: The gap is moderate. At 1080p, Low produces 227.8 FPS and Medium produces 184.3 FPS, a difference of about 19%. At 1440p, the gap is similar: 160.3 FPS versus 129.8 FPS. At 4K, Low hits 99.9 FPS and Medium hits 84.3 FPS.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Downfall?

A: The measured results suggest yes for most settings, but the steep drop at 4K Ultra (43.8 FPS) indicates that the combination of high resolution and maximum texture quality strains the memory subsystem. The 272.0 GB/s bandwidth and 128-bit bus are the likely limiting factors at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. In the context of Downfall, a 2016 horror title, this CPU provides substantial single-thread performance that is critical for game logic and draw call processing.

The benchmark data for the 8400F shows a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943. The PassMark single-thread score is 3684, while the multithread score is 24530. These figures place the CPU at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25064. The nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (avg score 25057, delta 0%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (avg score 24993, delta 0.3%). This indicates that the 8400F is a solid mid-range performer that punches at a level comparable to older high-end parts.

In Downfall specifically, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the frame rates at low settings where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 227.8 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed frames at a very high rate. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6091 and max-thread score of 6165 show that the processor scales reasonably well with thread count, though Downfall is unlikely to use all 12 threads heavily given its age. The L3 cache is 16 MB shared, which is modest by modern standards, but sufficient for a game of this era.

The practical takeaway is that the 8400F is not the limiting component in this pairing for Downfall. Even at 1080p where CPU load is typically highest relative to GPU load, the system produces frame rates well above 144 Hz on Low and Medium settings. The CPU's 4.70 GHz boost clock and Zen 4 IPC ensure that single-threaded performance is robust enough to keep up with the RTX 4060's output capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 227.8 FPS, Medium produces 184.3 FPS, High produces 151.9 FPS, and Ultra produces 97.2 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is entirely comfortable for this hardware combination, with even the most demanding preset staying well above 90 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show the expected decline. Low settings average 160.3 FPS, Medium averages 129.8 FPS, High averages 108.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 65.3 FPS. The Ultra figure is notable because it falls below the 70 FPS mark, suggesting that 1440p Ultra is the first setting combination where the user must make a compromise between visual quality and frame rate smoothness.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060 begins to show its limitations. Low settings still manage a respectable 99.9 FPS, and Medium stays at 84.3 FPS. High drops to 66.4 FPS, which is playable but close to the edge of 60 FPS. Ultra falls to 43.8 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a horror title where frame pacing matters for atmosphere. The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in settings costs roughly 15-20% performance, and each resolution step costs a similar amount.

The combo ranks 985th out of 1741 combinations tested in Downfall, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the CPU and GPU pairing, where neither component dramatically outperforms the other to create a significant bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, along with 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and boosts to 2460 MHz. Memory consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In the context of Downfall, the GPU's role is dominant, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The PassMark G3D score of 19545 places the RTX 4060 at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23181. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (avg score 23321, delta -0.6%) and the Intel Arc B580 (avg score 23021, delta 0.7%). This competitive positioning means the RTX 4060 is a mid-range GPU that trades blows with other mainstream offerings.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in Downfall's higher settings. The game's Ultra preset at 4K produces only 43.8 FPS, which is likely influenced by the memory bandwidth limitation of 272.0 GB/s. The 128-bit bus is narrow compared to higher-tier GPUs, and at 4K with Ultra textures, the memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck. The pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the fill rate requirements at 4K begin to exceed what this GPU can comfortably deliver.

The RTX 4060's FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS suggests strong compute capability for a card in its class, and the 12 Ultimate DirectX support with ray tracing cores ensures compatibility with modern rendering techniques. However, for a 2016 game like Downfall, the GPU's raw rasterization performance is what matters most, and the data shows it handles 1440p High at 108.4 FPS with ease. The 115 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU indicate this is an efficient card that does not require a massive power supply, making it a practical choice for mid-range builds.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the display resolution and the user's frame rate target. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 97.2 FPS is entirely viable and provides the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness. The High preset at 151.9 FPS is preferable for users with 144 Hz monitors who prioritize frame rate over maximum visual fidelity.

For 1440p displays, the High preset at 108.4 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 129.8 FPS is a solid alternative for users who want higher frame rates and are willing to reduce some graphical effects. The Ultra preset at 65.3 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes, so it is not recommended for consistent 60 FPS gameplay.

For 4K displays, the Low preset at 99.9 FPS is the only setting that provides comfortable frame rates well above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 84.3 FPS is also acceptable, offering better visual quality while maintaining a healthy margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 66.4 FPS is borderline; it works for slower-paced horror exploration but may stutter in action sequences. The Ultra preset at 43.8 FPS should be avoided entirely, as it falls well below acceptable playability.

The data suggests that the RTX 4060 is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p in Downfall, with 4K reserved for lower settings. The measured rows indicate that Medium settings provide the most consistent experience across all resolutions, with frame rates of 184.3 FPS at 1080p, 129.8 FPS at 1440p, and 84.3 FPS at 4K. This preset strikes the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance headroom for this hardware combination.