Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT pairs an 8-core, 16-thread Zen 3 design with a 3.80 GHz base and 4.80 GHz boost clock, backed by a 32 MB L3 cache. For a 2016 horror title like Downfall, this is a substantial amount of processing headroom. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore result of 23794 and a single-core score of 3359, indicate that it is not the limiting factor in this combination. The data suggests that the 5800XT’s high single-thread performance is more than adequate for the game’s logic and AI, which typically do not scale to 16 threads. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 7683 versus the 2-thread score of 1879 shows strong scaling, but a horror game from 2016 rarely utilizes such parallelism. Consequently, the CPU’s role here is to provide a stable, high-frequency platform that avoids bottlenecking the GPU, allowing the graphics card to dictate the final frame rates. The processor’s 86th percentile ranking versus all CPUs further confirms it is a high-end part that sits well above the requirements for this title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy for settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 144.8 FPS average, which is exceptionally high and likely beyond the refresh rate of many monitors. Medium produces 117.7 FPS, and High yields 99.1 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 62.1 FPS. The most significant performance hit occurs when moving from High to Ultra, a reduction of 37 FPS (from 99.1 to 62.1). This suggests that Ultra enables effects that are disproportionately expensive for the GTX 1660 SUPER. For the best balance, the High preset appears optimal, as it maintains an average above 90 FPS at 1080p while likely offering a richer visual experience than Medium. At 2560x1440, High still delivers a playable 68.6 FPS, but Ultra falls to 41.7 FPS, which is less ideal for a smooth experience. At 3840x2160, even Medium only achieves 55.2 FPS, with High at 44.8 FPS, making these presets marginal for 4K. The data indicates that High settings are the sweet spot for this combo, providing a good compromise between visual quality and frame rate, while Ultra should be reserved for scenarios where playability is not a primary concern.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is telling. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 99.1 at 1920x1080 to 68.6 at 2560x1440, and then to 44.8 at 3840x2160. This represents a 31% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 35% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across other presets. For instance, at Medium settings, the FPS goes from 117.7 to 85.2 to 55.2 across the same resolution steps. This scaling behavior indicates that the system is becoming increasingly GPU-bound as the pixel count rises. The GTX 1660 SUPER, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, is being tasked with more pixel work. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset collapses to 26.4 FPS, while 4K Low manages 62.6 FPS, highlights that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are the primary bottlenecks at higher resolutions. The 5800XT’s performance is effectively static across these tests, confirming that the graphics card is the limiting component, not the processor.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1552 out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the lower 11% of all tested systems for this game. This low ranking is surprising given the CPU’s high percentile (86th) but is directly explained by the GPU’s more modest standing. The GTX 1660 SUPER is in the 55th percentile versus all GPUs, which is a mid-range position. The rank suggests that while the CPU is overqualified, the GPU holds the combo back from reaching higher performance tiers. Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (avg score 29856, delta -0.3%) and the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (avg score 29868, delta -0.3%) are extremely close in synthetic benchmarks, showing that the 5800XT’s processing power is comparable to those mobile parts. However, in this game, the frame rates are dictated by the GPU. The combo’s rank implies that many other systems, likely with more powerful graphics cards, will significantly outperform it, even if their CPUs are slower.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive component in this pairing. With a boost clock of 1785 MHz, 1408 shading units, and 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, it provides a baseline for performance. Its 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is a modest figure for modern standards but is relevant for a 2016 game. The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary driver of the FPS differences. At 1080p Low, the 144.8 FPS result shows the GPU can handle simple scenes, but at 4K Ultra, the 26.4 FPS result demonstrates a hard limit. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is also a factor; at higher resolutions and settings, the texture data requirements increase, and the 6 GB capacity can become strained, potentially causing performance dips. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 14286 places it near the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (score 14314, delta -0.2%), which indicates its performance class. The data shows that for Downfall, the 1660 SUPER is the component that determines whether the experience is smooth or choppy, with the CPU merely providing a stable platform.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Downfall?*

A: The 1920x1080 resolution provides the most consistent and high frame rates, with Low at 144.8 FPS, Medium at 117.7 FPS, and High at 99.1 FPS, making it the most suitable for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the Ultra preset affect performance compared to High?

A: At 1080p, moving from High to Ultra drops the average FPS from 99.1 to 62.1, a significant 37 FPS reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 68.6 to 41.7 FPS, and at 4K, it falls from 44.8 to 26.4 FPS.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT bottlenecking the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER?

A: No, the data indicates the opposite. The CPU’s high single-core score of 3359 in Cinebench R23 and its 86th percentile ranking suggest it is not a limiting factor. The FPS scaling with resolution points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck.

Q: How does this system’s ranking compare to other tested combos?

A: This combo ranks 1552 out of 1741 total tested combinations in Downfall, placing it in the lower percentile of systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the GPU’s performance class based on its benchmark scores?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 14286, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, has a score of 14314 with a delta of -0.2%, indicating they perform at a similar level.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K gaming in this title?

A: While the game runs, the performance is poor. At 4K High, the average FPS is 44.8, and at Ultra it is 26.4, suggesting the VRAM and memory bandwidth are insufficient for a playable 4K experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Downfall with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is as follows:

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 62.6 FPS
• Medium: 55.2 FPS
• High: 44.8 FPS
• Ultra: 26.4 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 107.4 FPS
• Medium: 85.2 FPS
• High: 68.6 FPS
• Ultra: 41.7 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 144.8 FPS
• Medium: 117.7 FPS
• High: 99.1 FPS
• Ultra: 62.1 FPS

The data shows a clear pattern where the Low preset offers the highest frame rates at every resolution, while the Ultra preset consistently delivers the lowest. The differences between presets are more pronounced at lower resolutions. For instance, the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 82.7 FPS, while at 4K it is 36.2 FPS. This suggests that the GPU’s fill rate and shader performance are more stressed by the combination of high resolution and high settings, leading to diminishing returns on the Ultra preset. The 1080p Low result of 144.8 FPS is the only figure that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, while all other configurations fall below 120 FPS. The data confirms that for consistent performance, 1080p with Medium or High settings is the recommended configuration, while 4K should only be attempted with Low settings for a playable frame rate.