Downfall

# Downfall with AMD Ryzen 7 5700X + Intel Arc B570

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable but uneven experience in Downfall, a 2016 horror title that responds strongly to both CPU and GPU resources depending on resolution and settings. The measured data shows this combination ranks 2343rd out of 2928 tested combos, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database. At 1080p, the combo achieves solid frame rates across all settings, but 4K Ultra drops to an average of 30 FPS, indicating a hard ceiling for this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows reveal a clear hierarchy across the four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 163 FPS, Medium averages 133 FPS with a minimum of 113 FPS, High averages 109 FPS, and Ultra drops to 68 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 24 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 41 FPS—a substantial penalty for the visual upgrade.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low averages 116 FPS, Medium 95 FPS (minimum 81 FPS), High 78 FPS, and Ultra 49 FPS. The Medium-to-High drop is 17 FPS, and High-to-Ultra costs 29 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low averages 72 FPS, Medium 59 FPS (minimum 50 FPS), High 49 FPS, and Ultra 30 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is essentially unplayable for smooth motion, while Medium at 4K remains above the 50 FPS minimum threshold.

For the best experience per the measured rows, the Medium preset stands out as the optimal choice across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 133 FPS average with a 113 FPS minimum, which is smooth and leaves headroom for frame pacing. At 1440p, Medium's 95 FPS average with an 81 FPS minimum remains fluid. At 4K, Medium's 59 FPS average with a 50 FPS minimum is the highest preset that stays above 50 FPS throughout. High at 4K averages 49 FPS, which dips below the 50 FPS comfort threshold. Ultra is only viable at 1080p, where 68 FPS average provides a playable experience, but the 41 FPS loss from High makes it a questionable trade-off.

The data suggests prioritizing Medium settings for consistent performance, especially at higher resolutions. Low settings offer the highest frame rates—163 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K—but the visual quality reduction may not justify the gains over Medium. Ultra settings should be reserved for 1080p only, as the 30 FPS average at 4K and 49 FPS at 1440p fall below acceptable smoothness standards.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 5000 series, based on Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) on a 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 5700X scores 13,184 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1,499 in single-core. Geekbench results show 10,779 multicore and 2,016 single-core. PassMark multithread score is 26,612, with a single-thread score of 3,385. The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 79, indicating it outperforms roughly four-fifths of tested processors. Its average benchmark score is 27,578, which puts it exactly on par with the Intel Core i5-12600K (deltaPct 0.0). It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 and 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, while trailing the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X by 0.2%.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is less likely to be the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 163 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires strong per-core performance. The 5700X's single-thread score of 3,385 in PassMark and 1,499 in Cinebench R23 provides the foundation for this. The 8-core/16-thread configuration ensures that background tasks and game threads have ample resources, and the 32 MB L3 cache helps with data locality in a horror game that may stream assets.

The boost clock of 4.60 GHz is a key factor for frame rate consistency. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 95 FPS (163 vs. 68), which suggests that while the CPU can drive high frame rates, the GPU becomes the limiting factor as settings increase. At 4K Low, the combo averages 72 FPS, which is less than half the 1080p Low result—this indicates that resolution scaling heavily favors the GPU workload, and the CPU's contribution diminishes as pixel count rises.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a Battlemage-generation GPU (Arc 5 series) built on a 5 nm process with the BMG-G21 chip. It has a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The GPU features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The shading units number 2,304, with 144 TMUs and 80 ROPs, plus 18 RT cores. The FP32 performance is 11.52 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. The TDP is 150 W, requiring a 450 W suggested PSU and a single 8-pin power connector.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Arc B570 scores 14,195 in PassMark G3D and 7,281 in GPU compute. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2,649. The GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 65, and its average benchmark score is 20,556. This places it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, while trailing the Intel Arc A750 by 0.1% and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X by 0.5%.

In Downfall, the GPU's role becomes dominant at higher resolutions and settings. At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 68 FPS, which is a 95 FPS drop from Low—this shows the GPU struggling with the Ultra preset's effects. At 1440p Ultra, the average falls to 49 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 30 FPS. The 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game, as the measured rows show no indication of memory-related stutters or crashes at any resolution. The 380.0 GB/s bandwidth supports the texture and geometry loads at 4K, but the raw compute power (11.52 TFLOPS) appears to be the limiting factor.

The GPU's clock behavior is consistent—base and boost are both 2500 MHz—which means no dynamic clocking headroom. This explains the linear scaling of FPS with resolution: at 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 133 FPS, at 1440p Medium 95 FPS (a 28.6% drop), and at 4K Medium 59 FPS (a 37.9% drop from 1440p). The GPU is clearly the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU's 8 cores are unlikely to be fully taxed at lower frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2343 out of 2928 tested combinations in Downfall, placing it in the bottom 20% of all tested systems. This rank reflects the pairing's overall capability: the Ryzen 7 5700X is a strong CPU (79th percentile), and the Arc B570 is a mid-tier GPU (65th percentile), but the combination does not synergize exceptionally well in this specific game.

The CPU's nearest rivals show that the 5700X is well-matched against contemporary processors—it ties the Intel Core i5-12600K at 27,578 average score. The GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 3070 Mobile (20,534, deltaPct 0.1) and the Arc A750 (20,582, deltaPct -0.1). This suggests that the Arc B570's performance is comparable to a mobile RTX 3070, which is a reasonable baseline for 1080p gaming.

The rank of 2343 indicates that many other combos outperform this pairing in Downfall. Given the game's 2016 release date, it is likely that the title is more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU, and the Arc B570's mid-tier position limits the overall result. The combo's best measured performance is 163 FPS at 1080p Low, which is competitive, but the 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS drags the overall ranking down. The data shows clear diminishing returns at higher settings, which is typical for a GPU-bound title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component clearly. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 163 at 1080p to 116 at 1440p (a 28.8% decrease) and then to 72 at 4K (a 37.9% decrease from 1440p). This scaling is steeper than the pixel count increase (1080p to 1440p is 1.78x pixels, but FPS drops by only 0.71x), indicating that the GPU is not the sole bottleneck at Low settings—the CPU is contributing to the headroom.

At Medium settings, the FPS drops from 133 at 1080p to 95 at 1440p (28.6% decrease) and then to 59 at 4K (37.9% decrease from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and Medium suggests that the CPU and GPU are both being utilized, but the GPU begins to dominate more as resolution increases.

At High settings, the FPS drops from 109 at 1080p to 78 at 1440p (28.4% decrease) and then to 49 at 4K (37.2% decrease from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 68 at 1080p to 49 at 1440p (27.9% decrease) and then to 30 at 4K (38.8% decrease from 1440p). The Ultra preset shows the most severe 4K penalty, with the 30 FPS average being less than half the 1080p result.

The pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K across all settings, as the FPS drops of roughly 38% from 1440p to 4K align with the increased pixel workload. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to maintain frame rates at lower resolutions, but the Arc B570's 11.52 TFLOPS cannot sustain high FPS at 4K. The 10 GB VRAM is not the issue, as even at Ultra settings, the game does not appear to exceed this capacity based on the measured rows.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following averages: Low 163 FPS, Medium 133 FPS (minimum 113 FPS, maximum 153 FPS), High 109 FPS, and Ultra 68 FPS. The Medium preset has the only recorded minimum and maximum in this resolution, showing a range of 40 FPS, which indicates some frame variance but stays above 113 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 116 FPS, Medium 95 FPS (minimum 81 FPS, maximum 110 FPS), High 78 FPS, and Ultra 49 FPS. The Medium preset again has a recorded range of 29 FPS (81 to 110), which is tighter than at 1080p, suggesting less variance at higher resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 72 FPS, Medium 59 FPS (minimum 50 FPS, maximum 68 FPS), High 49 FPS, and Ultra 30 FPS. The Medium preset's range is 18 FPS (50 to 68), the narrowest of all resolutions, indicating that at 4K, the system is more consistently GPU-bound.

The data shows a clear linear relationship between settings and FPS at each resolution. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 95 FPS. At 1440p, the spread is 67 FPS. At 4K, the spread is 42 FPS. This narrowing spread at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck, as the CPU can no longer push frame rates higher regardless of settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium is the best choice at 2560x1440, delivering a 95 FPS average with a minimum of 81 FPS. High averages 78 FPS, which is still playable, but Ultra drops to 49 FPS, which may feel less smooth.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 30, which is below the typical 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. Even High at 4K only averages 49 FPS, so Medium (59 FPS average) is the highest playable preset at 4K.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700X compare to its nearest rival?

A: The 5700X has an average benchmark score of 27,578, which is identical to the Intel Core i5-12600K (deltaPct 0.0). 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 GPU's closest competitor in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Arc B570's average score of 20,556 is 0.1% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% higher than the Intel Arc A750. It also sits 0.4% above the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 0.5% below the AMD Radeon R9 M390X.

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

A: At Low settings, the FPS drops from 163 at 1080p to 72 at 4K, a 55.8% decrease. This is largely due to the GPU's limited compute power (11.52 TFLOPS) and the massive pixel workload increase, which the Arc B570 cannot sustain at high resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The data shows the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions, as FPS scaling is consistent with pixel count increases. However, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (3,385 PassMark) enables high frame rates at 1080p, where the combo reaches 163 FPS on Low settings.