Downfall

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Downfall with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER reveals a clear picture: this combo is heavily GPU-limited at every resolution, but the nature of that limitation shifts dramatically as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the system delivers 147 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it collapses to 27 FPS — a 5.4x performance drop that points squarely at the graphics card as the bottleneck.

Looking at the transition from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all settings drops by roughly 28-30%. For example, High settings go from 99 FPS at 1080p to 71 FPS at 1440p, while Low settings drop from 147 FPS to 105 FPS. This scaling is remarkably consistent, suggesting that the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are being taxed in a predictable manner. The GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1440p but starts to show strain at higher resolutions.

The jump from 1440p to 4K is where the combo truly struggles. High settings fall from 71 FPS to 44 FPS, and Ultra settings plummet from 44 FPS to 27 FPS. This 38-39% reduction is steeper than the 1080p-to-1440p drop, indicating that at 4K, the GPU is hitting both a fill-rate ceiling and a memory-bandwidth wall. The 6 GB VRAM capacity also becomes a concern at 3840x2160, as the card's 48 ROPs and 85.68 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient for the pixel count.

The CPU side of this equation is not the limiting factor. The Ryzen 7 5700's benchmark results — including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20655 and a Passmark multithread score of 24303 — show ample headroom for this horror title. Even at 1080p Low where the GPU is least stressed, the 147 FPS result suggests the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them. The data indicates that upgrading the graphics card would yield far greater FPS gains than any CPU change.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1080p is the only resolution where the system consistently exceeds 60 FPS across all settings. At 1440p, only Low and Medium settings break the 60 FPS threshold, while at 4K, every setting falls below 65 FPS, with Ultra dropping to 27 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 12986 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, which scores 12940 — a 0.4% difference. The AMD Radeon RX 580 scores 12928 (0.4% lower), while the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 scores 13075 (0.7% higher).

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700 holding back the GTX 1660 SUPER?

A: No. The CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 3296 and 3DMark single-thread score of 901 indicate strong per-core performance. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a GPU-bound pattern, with no evidence of CPU-induced frame drops even at the lowest settings.

Q: What settings preset gives the most balanced experience at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 deliver 86 FPS average with a minimum of 73 FPS and maximum of 99 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset that maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS while offering better visual quality than Low settings.

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

A: Technically yes, but the experience is poor. At 4K High, the system averages 44 FPS, and Low settings reach 65 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 27 FPS, which is not suitable for a horror game requiring responsive controls. Only the Low preset at 4K approaches acceptable playability.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 3177 out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 15% of all configurations. This low ranking reflects the GTX 1660 SUPER's age and performance tier rather than any CPU deficiency.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER serves as the primary performance limiter in this Downfall configuration. The card's Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, packs 6,600 million transistors into a 284 mm² die. With 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, the GPU delivers 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s. These specifications explain the FPS patterns observed across resolutions.

The memory subsystem is particularly relevant for Downfall's performance scaling. The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. At 1080p, this bandwidth proves sufficient — the card achieves 147 FPS on Low settings and 120 FPS on Medium. However, as resolution increases, the bandwidth requirement grows proportionally with pixel count. The 4K results — 44 FPS on High and 27 FPS on Ultra — suggest the memory bus is saturated, causing the GPU to stall on texture fetches and frame buffer operations.

The clock speeds provide additional context. With a base clock of 1530 MHz and boost clock of 1785 MHz, the card operates at a reasonable frequency, but the 125 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU indicate power delivery is not the constraint. The pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s becomes the binding constraint at 4K Ultra, where the 27 FPS result aligns with the theoretical fill-rate limit for that resolution.

In the GPU benchmark landscape, the GTX 1660 SUPER sits in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 12986. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940, 0.4% lower), AMD Radeon RX 580 (12928, 0.4% lower), and NVIDIA Tesla M2090 (13075, 0.7% higher). These close scores indicate that the card performs near the median of modern GPUs, which is consistent with its end-of-life production status and 2019 release date.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination ranks 3177 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places the system in the bottom 15.5% of all configurations, a position driven almost entirely by the GPU's performance ceiling. The rank reflects the fact that Downfall's measured FPS at 4K Ultra (27 FPS) and even 1440p Ultra (44 FPS) are well below what competitive configurations achieve.

To understand this ranking, consider the CPU's benchmark position. The Ryzen 7 5700 scores in the 78th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 25517. Its nearest rivals — the Intel Xeon D-2752TER (25530, -0.1%), AMD Ryzen 5 7640U (25485, +0.1%), AMD Ryzen 5 6600H (25550, -0.1%), and AMD Ryzen 7 5825U (25446, +0.3%) — all perform within 0.3% of each other. This CPU is a high-performer, yet the combo ranks poorly because the GPU's 53rd percentile standing dominates the system's overall capability.

The gap between CPU and GPU performance tiers explains the bottleneck. A top-quartile CPU paired with a median GPU creates a system where the graphics card cannot translate CPU headroom into frame rate. This is evident in the FPS data: even at 1080p Low, where the CPU has the least work to do, the system only reaches 147 FPS. Stronger GPUs in the same CPU tier would likely achieve significantly higher frame rates at this resolution.

The combo's rank also reflects the age of the GPU relative to the CPU. The Ryzen 7 5700 was released in April 2022, while the GTX 1660 SUPER debuted in October 2019. This three-generation gap means the GPU lacks modern features and raw throughput, placing the combo at a disadvantage against systems with newer graphics cards that pair well with the Ryzen 7's Zen 3 architecture.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 147 FPS, Medium settings achieve 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS and maximum of 138 FPS, High settings reach 99 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 62 FPS. These numbers show that 1080p is the only resolution where every preset maintains at least 60 FPS, making it the baseline for playable performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS figures decline across the board. Low settings average 105 FPS, Medium settings average 86 FPS with a range of 73 to 99 FPS, High settings average 71 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 44 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is notable for being the only setting in this resolution that stays comfortably above 60 FPS while offering improved visual quality over Low.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 65 FPS, Medium settings average 54 FPS with a range of 45 to 62 FPS, High settings average 44 FPS, and Ultra settings plummet to 27 FPS. The 4K results show a clear pattern: only the Low preset remains above 60 FPS, and even that is marginal. The Medium preset's minimum of 45 FPS indicates significant frame-time variance, which could be problematic for a horror game requiring smooth motion.

The scaling between resolutions follows a consistent pattern. From 1080p to 1440p, FPS drops by approximately 28-30% across all settings. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is steeper at 38-39%. This non-linear scaling suggests the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate become progressively more strained as pixel count increases, with the 4K resolution exposing the card's architectural limits.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience across all resolutions, Medium settings provide the best compromise between visual quality and frame rate. At 1080p, Medium delivers 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay in Downfall's tense, horror-driven sequences. At 1440p, Medium maintains 86 FPS average with a 73 FPS minimum, which remains above the 60 FPS threshold for responsive controls. Even at 4K, Medium achieves 54 FPS average, though the 45 FPS minimum may cause occasional stutter.

High settings are viable at 1080p (99 FPS) and 1440p (71 FPS), offering better visual fidelity than Medium while staying above 60 FPS. However, at 4K, High drops to 44 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for a game that relies on atmosphere and movement. Ultra settings are only recommended at 1080p, where the 62 FPS average remains playable. At 1440p (44 FPS) and 4K (27 FPS), Ultra produces frame rates that compromise the horror experience.

Low settings serve as a fallback for maximum frame rate. At 1080p, Low reaches 147 FPS, which is beneficial for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, Low achieves 105 FPS, and at 4K, it is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS (65 FPS). For users prioritizing smoothness over visuals, Low is the recommended preset at 4K.

The data suggests that users should prioritize Medium settings for most scenarios. The 1440p Medium configuration delivers 86 FPS average, which balances visual quality and performance better than any other combination. For 4K users, Low settings are the only viable option for maintaining a playable experience, while 1080p users have the flexibility to choose between Medium for quality or Low for maximum frame rate.