Downfall

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 2 (Matisse) architecture, built on TSMC's 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU has a 32 MB L3 cache, with 64 KB L1 and 512 KB L2 per core. It supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The CPU's TDP is 65 W, and it uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform with PCIe Gen 4, offering 24 lanes from the CPU itself.

In Downfall, a horror title released in 2016, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with enough draw calls and game logic updates. The Ryzen 7 3700X delivers solid multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19087 and PassMark multithread score of 22458. Single-thread performance is also respectable, with Cinebench R23 single-core at 2694 and PassMark single-thread at 2656. The CPU sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs in its benchmark average, indicating it is a capable mid-range-to-upper-tier part for its generation.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 3700X is effectively tied with the Intel Core i5-12600 (deltaPct -0.1), the Intel Core i5-12600H (deltaPct -0.1), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (deltaPct 0.1). The AMD EPYC 7203P is 0.2% ahead. This means the 3700X is not a bottleneck in most scenarios at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 200 FPS in low settings, but the CPU's contribution becomes less relevant as resolution increases and the GPU takes over the workload.

The measured FPS data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 209.1 FPS, and at High settings it reaches 138.9 FPS. These numbers suggest the CPU can sustain high frame rates, but the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p, since the differences between settings are large. The CPU's 16 threads and 8 cores are more than sufficient for Downfall's requirements, which is a game from 2016 and not particularly CPU-intensive by modern standards.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Downfall?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 209.1 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 3700X compare to its nearest rivals in overall CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i5-12600, Intel Core i5-12600H, AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT, and AMD EPYC 7203P. The largest delta is 0.2% ahead of the EPYC 7203P, and the largest deficit is 0.1% behind the i5-12600 and i5-12600H.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested CPU+GPU combinations in Downfall?

A: The combo ranks 1065 out of 1741 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the ranking.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS this combo records in Downfall?

A: The lowest average FPS is 40.7 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the GPU's benchmark performance align with its in-game results?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has a PassMark G3D score of 18169 and sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400, is 0.5% ahead, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 is 2.5% behind. In Downfall, the GPU produces 60.6 FPS at 4K High, which is playable but not high-refresh territory.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU?

A: The CPU's launch MSRP is $329, and the GPU's launch MSRP is 499 USD.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 209.1 at 1080p to 147.4 at 1440p, then to 95.5 at 4K. That is a 29.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 35.2% drop from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the drop is from 138.9 at 1080p to 98.6 at 1440p (a 29.0% decline), then to 60.6 at 4K (a 38.5% decline from 1440p). At Medium settings, the progression is 174.2 → 121.6 → 74.9, with drops of 30.2% and 38.4%. At Ultra, it goes 85.6 → 65.6 → 40.7, with drops of 23.4% and 38.0%.

These scaling patterns indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting component. The percentage drops from 1440p to 4K are consistently larger than the drops from 1080p to 1440p, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios where pixel count increases dramatically. At 4K, the RTX 2070 SUPER is under heavy load, and the CPU's 8 cores have ample headroom. The fact that even at 1080p Low the combo reaches 209.1 FPS suggests the CPU is not holding back the GPU at lower resolutions either, since a CPU bottleneck would manifest as a ceiling that does not scale with settings changes.

The data also shows that Ultra settings at 4K drop to 40.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth. This reinforces that the GPU is the limiting factor: the RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is simply not powerful enough for 4K Ultra in this title. The memory bus is 256-bit, and the GPU's FP32 performance is 9.062 TFLOPS, which places it in the mid-range tier for 2025 standards.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average FPS across settings: Low 209.1, Medium 174.2, High 138.9, Ultra 85.6. The gap between Low and Medium is 34.9 FPS, between Medium and High is 35.3 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 53.3 FPS. The Ultra setting represents a significant performance penalty, more than halving the Low-setting frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 147.4, Medium 121.6, High 98.6, Ultra 65.6. The relative gaps shrink slightly compared to 1080p: Low to Medium is 25.8 FPS, Medium to High is 23.0 FPS, and High to Ultra is 33.0 FPS. The Ultra setting still incurs a large penalty, but the overall frame rates are lower across the board.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 95.5, Medium 74.9, High 60.6, Ultra 40.7. The Low to Medium gap is 20.6 FPS, Medium to High is 14.3 FPS, and High to Ultra is 19.9 FPS. At 4K, even Low settings produce sub-100 FPS, and Ultra dips below 41 FPS. The scaling from settings is more compressed at 4K because the GPU is already saturated at lower settings.

The data shows that the RTX 2070 SUPER's performance in Downfall is consistent with its benchmark scores. Its PassMark DirectX 11 score of 151 and DirectX 12 score of 67 indicate that the GPU handles modern APIs reasonably well, but the game's requirements at 4K Ultra exceed what this card can deliver. The GPU's 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores do not provide a significant advantage in a horror game from 2016, which likely relies on traditional rasterization.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1065 out of 1741 tested combinations in Downfall, placing it in the 61st percentile of all combos (calculated as 1065/1741). This is a below-average position, which is expected given that the RTX 2070 SUPER is an end-of-life product from the Turing generation, and the Ryzen 7 3700X is from the Zen 2 era. The CPU alone sits at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, but the GPU sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, and the combination's in-game rank is dragged down by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions and settings.

The CPU's nearest rivals in overall benchmarks are all within 0.2% of its average score, meaning the 3700X is not a weak link. However, the GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A400 (0.5% ahead), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (0.9% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (2.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (2.5% ahead). This places the RTX 2070 SUPER in a competitive but not dominant position relative to its peers.

In Downfall specifically, the combo's rank of 1065 out of 1741 means there are 676 combos that perform worse and 1064 combos that perform better. The data suggests that for a 1080p gaming experience, this combo is more than adequate, but for 4K Ultra, it falls short. The ranking likely reflects that many newer GPUs can handle 4K Ultra at higher frame rates, while this setup caps out at 40.7 FPS in that scenario.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High setting delivers 138.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra setting at 1080p drops to 85.6 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 38.4% performance penalty compared to High. For most users, High at 1080p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance.

At 2560x1440, the High setting produces 98.6 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. Medium produces 121.6 FPS, which is better for competitive play, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often noticeable in a horror game where atmosphere matters. The Ultra setting at 1440p drops to 65.6 FPS, which is close to 60 FPS but may experience occasional dips. Medium or High are the recommended settings at 1440p, depending on whether frame rate or visuals are prioritized.

At 3840x2160, the High setting delivers 60.6 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS mark. This is the only 4K setting that achieves a playable frame rate in the traditional sense. Low at 4K produces 95.5 FPS, which is smoother but sacrifices visual fidelity. Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as 40.7 FPS is below the playable threshold for most users. Medium at 4K (74.9 FPS) is a reasonable compromise, offering better visuals than Low while maintaining a frame rate above 70 FPS.

The data indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions, so the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are not a limiting factor in any configuration. For a horror game like Downfall, where atmosphere and lighting are important, the High preset provides a good balance across all resolutions, with the caveat that 4K High is borderline at 60.6 FPS. Users with 1440p monitors will find High to be the sweet spot, while 1080p users can comfortably run Ultra if they prefer maximum visual quality.