Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a very specific performance profile in Downfall, one defined by a stark contrast between a strong, modern CPU and a GPU that benchmarks near the bottom of the database. This combo ranks 2589 out of 2928 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the lower tier of systems, but the measured frame rates reveal that the experience is heavily dependent on resolution and settings, with the GPU acting as the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 2589 out of 2928 places this pairing in the 12th percentile of all tested combos for Downfall. This is a low ranking, driven almost entirely by the Intel Arc B390’s position in the GPU hierarchy. The GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus is 9, meaning it outperforms only 9% of all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 1482, which is nearly identical to its closest rivals. The nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463, a delta of 1.3% in favor of the Arc B390. The GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% slower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% slower), and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% slower). These deltas are tiny, indicating that the Arc B390 sits in a performance class with these older entry-level GPUs.

In contrast, the CPU is a much stronger component. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT has a percentileVsAllCpus of 81, meaning it outperforms 81% of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 29879. Its nearest rivals are all close: the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H scores 29868 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS scores 29955 (-0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS scores 29955 (-0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X scores 29713 (0.6% delta). The CPU is clearly not the limiting factor in this combo; the GPU is. The data shows a system where a top-tier CPU is paired with a very weak GPU, resulting in a ranking that reflects the weakest link. The combo’s rank is 2589 out of 2928, which is a poor result for the overall system, but the CPU’s contribution ensures that at lower resolutions and settings, the frame rates are still playable.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture (codename Vermeer) using a 7 nm process from TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB of L3 cache. This CPU supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel access and a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. It is an unlocked multiplier part, meaning it can be overclocked, and it has a TDP of 105 W.

In Downfall, a horror game, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, AI, physics, and frame pacing. The benchmark results for the CPU show strong multi-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 23794 in multicore and 3359 in single-core. In Cinebench R20, it scores 9993 multicore and 1410 single-core. The 3DMark tests show a scaling pattern: 1879 for 2 threads, 3603 for 4 threads, 6141 for 8 threads, and 7683 for 16 threads. This scaling indicates that the CPU can effectively use all 16 threads, which is beneficial for games that are well-threaded. PassMark scores reinforce this, with a multithread score of 28053 and a single-thread score of 3535.

However, in this combo, the CPU’s power is largely untapped because the Intel Arc B390 cannot deliver high frame rates. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 106 FPS average. This is the highest measured frame rate in the dataset, and it suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to reach this level. But at 4K with Ultra settings, the average drops to 20 FPS, which is a clear sign that the GPU is overwhelmed. The CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for a 2016 horror title like Downfall, which is not likely to be heavily multi-threaded. The single-thread performance of 3359 in Cinebench R23 is strong, and the 4-thread score of 3603 in 3DMark suggests that even lightly threaded workloads are handled well. The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache also helps with data locality, which can reduce memory latency. The data indicates that the CPU is never the bottleneck in this combo; at every resolution and settings combination, the frame rates are limited by the GPU’s rendering capabilities.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Downfall with this combo?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates. At Low settings, the average FPS is 106, at Medium it is 87, and at High it is 71. At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 76 (Low), 62 (Medium), and 51 (High). At 3840x2160, the averages are 47 (Low), 39 (Medium), and 32 (High). For a playable experience, 1080p is recommended.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463, which is 1.3% slower. The GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% slower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% slower), and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1443 (2.7% slower). The Arc B390 is slightly faster than all of them, but the differences are minor.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The CPU has a percentileVsAllCpus of 81, while the GPU has a percentileVsAllGpus of 9. The frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 106 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it averages only 20 FPS. The CPU’s performance is far above the GPU’s, so the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 62. The minimum FPS is 53 and the maximum is 71. This is a playable frame rate for a horror game, though it is lower than the 1080p results.

Q: Does the combo perform better at Low or High settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings yield an average of 47 FPS, while High settings yield an average of 32 FPS. The difference is 15 FPS, showing that the GPU struggles with higher settings at this resolution. Ultra settings drop to 20 FPS, which is the lowest measured average in the dataset.

*Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in Downfall?*

A: The combo ranks 2589 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the lower portion of the rankings, primarily due to the GPU’s weak performance relative to other components in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings levels (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). The data is complete for average FPS, with some entries also providing min and max FPS.

At 1920x1080, the results show a clear progression. With Low settings, the average FPS is 106. This is the highest average in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce an average of 87 FPS, with a min of 74 and a max of 100. High settings yield an average of 71 FPS. Ultra settings drop significantly to an average of 44 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 62 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed by the higher settings.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are lower across the board. Low settings produce an average of 76 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 62 FPS, with a min of 53 and a max of 71. High settings drop to an average of 51 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 32 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent: Low goes from 106 to 76 (a 30 FPS drop), Medium from 87 to 62 (a 25 FPS drop), High from 71 to 51 (a 20 FPS drop), and Ultra from 44 to 32 (a 12 FPS drop). This pattern shows that the GPU is increasingly stressed as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become very low. Low settings produce an average of 47 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 39 FPS, with a min of 33 and a max of 44. High settings drop to an average of 32 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 20 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The difference between Low and Ultra is 27 FPS, but even Low settings at 4K produce less than half the frame rate of Low settings at 1080p.

The min and max FPS data is only available for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 74 to 100 FPS, a spread of 26 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 53 to 71 FPS, a spread of 18 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 33 to 44 FPS, a spread of 11 FPS. This tightening range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU’s frame times become more consistent as it approaches its limit, but the overall performance is too low for smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data shows a clear and predictable pattern: as resolution increases, the average FPS decreases. This is a direct consequence of the GPU’s limited pixel throughput. The Intel Arc B390 has a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, with 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs. These specifications are modest, and they explain why the GPU struggles at higher resolutions.

From 1080p to 1440p, the frame rate drops by approximately 28-30% across all settings. For example, at Low settings, the average FPS goes from 106 to 76, a drop of 30 FPS. At Medium, it goes from 87 to 62, a drop of 25 FPS. At High, it goes from 71 to 51, a drop of 20 FPS. At Ultra, it goes from 44 to 32, a drop of 12 FPS. The percentage drop is higher at lower settings, which indicates that the GPU is less able to maintain performance as resolution increases.

From 1440p to 4K, the drop is even more severe. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 76 to 47, a drop of 29 FPS. At Medium, it goes from 62 to 39, a drop of 23 FPS. At High, it goes from 51 to 32, a drop of 19 FPS. At Ultra, it goes from 32 to 20, a drop of 12 FPS. The absolute drops are similar to the 1080p to 1440p transition, but the percentage drops are larger because the base frame rates are lower.

The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions above 1080p. Even at 1080p Low, the combo only reaches 106 FPS, which is not exceptionally high for a CPU that can score 23794 in Cinebench R23 multicore. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, which is low compared to modern discrete GPUs. The memory is system shared, which means it relies on DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s from the CPU side, but the GPU’s memory bandwidth is system dependent. This shared memory arrangement further limits the GPU’s ability to handle high-resolution textures.

The scaling behavior suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this combo. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates to be similar across resolutions, because the CPU’s workload does not change significantly with resolution. Instead, the frame rates drop by more than half from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic GPU-limited scenario. The CPU’s strong single-thread and multi-thread performance (3359 and 23794 in Cinebench R23, respectively) ensures that it can keep up with the GPU’s demands, but the GPU simply cannot render frames fast enough at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings to use for the best experience with this combo. The goal is to maintain a playable frame rate while maximizing visual quality. For a horror game like Downfall, a frame rate of at least 30 FPS is generally considered playable, but higher is better for smoothness and immersion.

At 1920x1080, the Medium settings provide the best balance. The average FPS is 87, with a min of 74 and a max of 100. This is well above the 30 FPS threshold and offers smooth gameplay. High settings at 1080p yield an average of 71 FPS, which is also playable, but Medium provides a higher minimum frame rate. Ultra settings at 1080p drop to 44 FPS, which is still playable but may show stuttering in intense scenes. Low settings at 1080p offer the highest frame rate at 106 FPS, but the visual quality is reduced. For the best experience, Medium settings at 1080p are recommended, as they provide a high average frame rate with a comfortable minimum.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are lower, and the options are more limited. Medium settings yield an average of 62 FPS, with a min of 53 and a max of 71. This is a playable frame rate, though not as smooth as 1080p. High settings at 1440p produce an average of 51 FPS, which is just above the 30 FPS threshold but may feel less responsive. Low settings at 1440p yield an average of 76 FPS, which is the best option for smoothness at this resolution. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 32 FPS, which is borderline playable but likely to have noticeable frame drops. For 1440p, Low settings provide the best frame rate, but Medium is acceptable if visual quality is preferred.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings yield an average of 47 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. Medium settings produce an average of 39 FPS, with a min of 33 and a max of 44. This is just above the 30 FPS threshold but may be inconsistent. High settings drop to 32 FPS, which is at the edge of playability. Ultra settings produce an average of 20 FPS, which is not playable for a smooth experience. For 4K, Low settings are the only reasonable choice, as they provide the highest frame rate. Medium settings are possible if the user is willing to accept lower performance.

Overall, the data suggests that this combo is best used at 1080p with Medium settings, where it achieves an average of 87 FPS. This provides a smooth and responsive experience for Downfall. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and users will need to reduce settings to maintain playable frame rates. The CPU’s performance is more than adequate for this game, so the focus should be on optimizing GPU settings.