Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination delivers a playable experience in Downfall, but the data reveals a pairing where the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck at higher resolutions. This analysis examines the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, interpreting the results against the component benchmarks and the broader combo database.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael, manufactured on a 5 nm process. Its base clock is 4.50 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, and it accesses 32 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 1 MB of L2 per core. The processor supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, sustaining a memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. These specifications place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs tested, indicating a high-performing part.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong scaling from single-thread to multi-thread workloads. Its 3DMark single-thread score is 1090, while the 16-thread score reaches 8859, and the max-thread score is 8852. Cinebench R23 results show a multicore score of 30325 and a single-core score of 4281. The PassMark multithread score is 35686, with a single-thread score of 4190. These results suggest the CPU can handle demanding physics and game logic computations without becoming a limiting factor in most scenarios.

In Downfall, the measured FPS at 1080p with Low settings reaches 209 FPS, which is the highest recorded value across all tested configurations. This high frame rate indicates that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is capable of driving the game well above typical display refresh rates. The data shows a significant drop when moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p (209 FPS to 89.2 FPS), which is a 57.3% reduction. This pattern is more characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, as the CPU workload does not typically scale as dramatically with graphics settings. The CPU’s high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core of 4281) ensures that even at 1080p, it is unlikely to be the primary constraint. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13500, has an average benchmark score of 34175, which is only 0.4% higher than the 7700X's 34313, confirming that the CPU is a top-tier performer.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU based on the TU104 chip, manufactured on a 12 nm process. It features 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's FP32 performance is 9.062 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 113.3 GPixel/s.

The GPU sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 22206. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400, scores 22307, which is only 0.5% higher, indicating the RTX 2070 SUPER is a mid-to-high-tier graphics card. In Downfall, the GPU's role becomes evident when analyzing the FPS scaling. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial, but the absolute FPS values are high (209 FPS at Low, 89.2 FPS at Ultra). The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's requirements at the tested settings, as there is no indication of texture thrashing or memory-related performance collapse in the data.

The critical observation is the performance cliff at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 37. This is a 82.3% reduction from the 1080p Low result, and a 58.7% reduction from 4K Low (94 FPS). This severe drop indicates that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed at the highest settings and resolution. The GPU’s 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 9.062 TFLOPS are simply insufficient for the pixel workload at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. The benchmark data shows that the GPU is the limiting component in this pairing, particularly as resolution and settings increase.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 143.5 at 1080p to 100.9 at 1440p, and further to 65.5 at 4K. This represents a 54.4% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the drop is from 170.5 FPS at 1080p to 124.1 FPS at 1440p, and then to 76.9 FPS at 4K, a 54.9% reduction. The Low settings show a similar trend: 209 FPS at 1080p, 150.5 FPS at 1440p, and 94 FPS at 4K, which is a 55.0% decline.

This consistent ~55% drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the CPU workload is resolution-independent. The data shows that the GPU’s rendering capabilities are being saturated as the pixel count increases. For example, at 1080p High, the GPU renders 143.5 FPS, but at 4K High, it manages only 65.5 FPS. The additional pixel workload at 4K (which is 4 times the pixel count of 1080p) reduces the frame rate by more than half, which is slightly less than the theoretical 75% reduction, but still indicates a GPU bottleneck.

The Ultra settings provide the most dramatic evidence. At 1080p Ultra, the FPS is 89.2, which drops to 65.5 at 1440p, and then plummets to 37 at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K Ultra is a 58.5% drop, which is slightly more severe than the other settings. This indicates that the Ultra preset introduces additional GPU-intensive effects (likely shadows, reflections, and post-processing) that disproportionately impact performance at higher resolutions. The data strongly suggests that for this combo, the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU has ample headroom.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1038 out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the 59.6th percentile of all combinations tested, meaning that approximately 40% of tested combos perform better in this specific game. This ranking is notably lower than the CPU’s individual percentile (89th) and slightly lower than the GPU’s percentile (65th), indicating that the pairing is not optimal for this game.

The rank suggests that while the CPU is a high-end part, the GPU is holding back the overall performance. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-13500 and Intel Core i7-12800HX, have average scores within 0.5% of the 7700X, meaning that swapping the CPU for a comparable model would not change the combo’s ranking. Conversely, the GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (which scores 2.5% lower), would likely produce a similar or slightly worse performance in this game.

The fact that the combo ranks in the bottom 40% of all tested combos is significant. It implies that many other CPU-GPU pairings, likely those with more modern or higher-tier GPUs, achieve higher frame rates in Downfall. The data does not include specific comparisons to combos with the RTX 2070 SUPER paired with a weaker CPU, but the ranking indicates that the GPU is the determining factor in this combo’s position. For a game like Downfall, which is a horror title, the performance data suggests that the GPU’s Turing architecture, while capable, is not optimized for the game’s engine, or that the 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are limiting factors at higher settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The data provides four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions.

At 1080p, the High preset delivers 143.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and offers a good balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 1080p still provides 89.2 FPS, which is playable, but the 54.3 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the visual improvement, especially if the user prefers higher frame rates. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 170.5 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the visual quality is lower than High. For most users at 1080p, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a strong frame rate without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 100.9 FPS, which is still very smooth and ideal for 1440p gaming. The Medium preset at 124.1 FPS is also viable, but High is preferable for better visuals. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 65.5 FPS, which is borderline for a 60 Hz display but may cause noticeable stuttering on a 144 Hz monitor. The Low preset at 150.5 FPS is excessive and not recommended due to poor visual quality. The recommended setting for 1440p is High, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining good detail.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The High preset delivers 65.5 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target for a 60 Hz display. The Medium preset at 76.9 FPS is also playable and offers a slight performance buffer. The Low preset at 94 FPS is the best for achieving high frame rates at 4K, but the visual quality is significantly reduced. The Ultra preset at 37 FPS is not recommended, as it falls well below the playable threshold and will result in a poor experience. For 4K, the High preset is the best compromise, providing acceptable frame rates with decent visuals. If the user prioritizes performance over visuals, the Medium preset is a safer choice, offering 76.9 FPS.

Overall, the data indicates that the High preset is the sweet spot for this combo across all resolutions, delivering 143.5 FPS at 1080p, 100.9 FPS at 1440p, and 65.5 FPS at 4K. Users with 60 Hz displays can confidently use High at 4K, while those with higher refresh rate monitors should stick to 1080p or 1440p with High settings. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p, where the 89.2 FPS result is still playable, but the performance drop at higher resolutions makes it unsuitable.