Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Arc B390 combination produces a highly constrained gaming experience in Downfall, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck across all tested settings. The data reveals a system where playable frame rates are achievable only at lower resolutions and settings, while higher presets quickly become untenable. This analysis breaks down the measured performance metrics, contextualizes them against similar hardware, and provides specific recommendations based on the benchmark results.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best average frame rate achievable with this combo in Downfall?*

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 106 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only setting measured that exceeds the 100 FPS threshold, indicating that the system is only capable of very high refresh rate performance at the lowest graphical preset and resolution.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc B390 scores 1482. This places it 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460). It also leads the GeForce GT 625 OEM by 2.5% and the GT 710 by 2.7%. The performance delta is very small, indicating these are all similarly performing entry-level parts.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700X a strong performer relative to other CPUs?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700X holds a 79th percentile ranking against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 27578 is exactly matched by the Intel Core i5-12600K, which also scores 27578. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, while being 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X.

Q: What is the frame rate drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 71 FPS at 1920x1080 to 51 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 32 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 54.9% drop in performance from 1080p to 4K, demonstrating that the rendering load at 4K is significantly more than the GPU can handle.

Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate is consistently above 60 FPS?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080, both Low (106 FPS) and Medium (87 FPS) settings produce average frame rates above 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low setting (76 FPS) achieves an average above 60 FPS. No settings at 3840x2160 reach this threshold.

Q: How many cores does the Ryzen 7 5700X have, and what is its boost clock?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700X has 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz, and it can boost up to 4.60 GHz. The CPU's architecture is Zen 3, codenamed Vermeer, and it is manufactured on a 7 nm process node by TSMC.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four settings presets. The primary goal for a playable experience is to maintain an average frame rate that avoids severe stuttering, with 60 FPS being a common target. The results show that the Ultra preset is not viable at any resolution, yielding a maximum average of 44 FPS at 1080p and dropping to a mere 20 FPS at 4K. The High preset offers a playable experience only at 1080p, with 71 FPS, but falls below 60 FPS at 1440p and becomes unplayable at 4K.

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended starting point. It delivers an average of 87 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and provides a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset. The data also shows a minimum FPS of 74 at this setting, indicating that frame times are relatively stable and unlikely to cause major hitches. If a higher resolution is desired, the Low preset at 2560x1440 is the only option that remains above 60 FPS, averaging 76 FPS.

Choosing Ultra is not recommended, as it nearly halves the frame rate compared to High at every resolution. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p results in a drop from 71 to 44 FPS, a 38% performance loss for what is typically a marginal visual improvement. Similarly, the Medium preset at 1440p (62 FPS) is a viable alternative to High at 1080p, offering a higher resolution with a slightly lower but still playable frame rate. Ultimately, the data suggests that users should prioritize either 1080p with Medium or High settings, or 1440p with Low settings, to achieve a smooth experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the GPU. As resolution increases, the pixel count rises exponentially, and the Intel Arc B390 struggles to keep pace. The data shows a consistent and significant drop in average FPS at every settings level when moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. For instance, at Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 106 FPS at 1080p to 76 FPS at 1440p, and then to 47 FPS at 4K. This pattern is repeated at all other presets.

The most telling indicator is the performance at 4K, where even the Low preset can only muster an average of 47 FPS. This suggests that the Arc B390's rendering throughput is insufficient for the demands of 4K in Downfall, regardless of the graphical complexity. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing; at High settings, the drop is from 51 FPS to 32 FPS, a 37.3% reduction. This severe decline points directly to the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth as the limiting factors, rather than the CPU.

The Ryzen 7 5700X, with its high multi-threaded performance (e.g., a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13184), is unlikely to be the bottleneck at these resolutions. The pattern of frame rate decline is consistent with a GPU that is being saturated by the increasing pixel workload. The 12 RT cores and 24 ROPs of the Arc B390 are simply not enough to process the data required for 4K rendering in this title, confirming that the GPU is the primary limiting component in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 5700X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3303 out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall. This places it in the bottom 11.1% of all systems tested, indicating a performance level that is significantly lower than the majority of other hardware pairings. This low ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's position in the performance hierarchy. The Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482.

This ranking is consistent with the GPU's closest rivals, which are all entry-level or legacy parts. The GPU's score is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a GPU from a different era. The system's overall rank in Downfall is dragged down by this GPU performance, despite the CPU being a relatively capable part that sits in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. The data suggests that while the CPU is not a bottleneck, it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations.

The rank of 3303 out of 3716 serves as a clear indicator that this is not a gaming-focused configuration. Users can expect performance that is on par with systems using much older or lower-tier graphics solutions. The CPU's high benchmark scores are effectively irrelevant in this scenario, as the GPU is unable to translate that processing power into high frame rates in a graphically demanding game like Downfall.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in this system's performance. Its specifications, including a boost clock of 2500 MHz and a base clock of 300 MHz, are paired with 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. Critically, the memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This architecture contributes to its low performance ceiling, which is reflected in its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The benchmark data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck in Downfall. The average FPS numbers are consistently low, and the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher settings and resolutions. The GPU's 12 RT cores do not provide a meaningful advantage in this title, as the overall processing power is insufficient. The measured FPS figures, such as 32 FPS at 4K High and 44 FPS at 1080p Ultra, are indicative of a GPU that is being overwhelmed by the game's rendering demands.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is telling. It is only 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a GPU that is several generations old. This shows that the Arc B390 is not a competitive gaming part. The lack of dedicated VRAM and the overall low compute throughput (7.680 TFLOPS FP32) are the primary reasons for the poor results. In this pairing, the GPU's limitations are the sole reason for the system's low ranking in Downfall.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 106 FPS, which is the highest score recorded. The Medium preset averages 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. The High preset averages 71 FPS. The Ultra preset is the weakest at this resolution, with an average of 44 FPS, making it the only setting at 1080p that falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops across the board. The Low preset averages 76 FPS, which is the only setting at this resolution to remain above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. The High preset averages 51 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 32 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is significant, a 57.9% decrease in performance.

At 3840x2160, the system is unable to provide a smooth experience on any setting. The Low preset averages 47 FPS, the Medium preset averages 39 FPS (with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS), and the High preset averages 32 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to just 20 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the system is only capable of high frame rates at 1080p with lower settings, and any attempt to increase resolution or visual fidelity results in a dramatic performance penalty.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is a high-performance desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65W TDP. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13184 and a single-core score of 1499. It sits in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is a capable processor that is well above average.

In the context of Downfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data. Given the low frame rates observed, it is clear that the CPU is not a limiting factor. The CPU's high multi-threaded performance, demonstrated by a Passmark multi-thread score of 26612, is more than sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics at the frame rates the GPU can produce. The bottleneck is entirely on the GPU side.

The data shows that the CPU is capable of delivering much higher frame rates than the GPU can render. For example, the CPU's performance is on par with the Intel Core i5-12600K, which has an identical average benchmark score of 27578. This indicates that the processor is not holding the system back. The performance in Downfall is entirely dictated by the Intel Arc B390's ability to process graphics, not by the Ryzen 7 5700X's computational power. The CPU's high performance is effectively wasted in this particular configuration.