Downfall

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 built on the Zen 4 (Raphael) architecture using a 5 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, which positions it as a high-frequency desktop part. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 cache per core provide substantial on-die storage for game assets and instructions. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor scores 19,088 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,987 in single-core, while Geekbench results show 12,451 multi-core and 2,289 single-core. These figures place the 7700X in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35,909.

Looking at the measured FPS in Downfall, the CPU's contribution becomes evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 226 FPS average, which is the highest recorded value across all tested configurations. This suggests that at lower graphical loads, the Ryzen 7 7700X has ample headroom to feed frames to the GPU. The CPU's strong single-thread performance — evidenced by a PassMark single-thread score of 4,190 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,090 — is critical for a horror game like Downfall, where consistent frame pacing matters for atmosphere and responsiveness.

The 7700X's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (avg score 35,802, deltaPct 0.3), Intel Core 7 250H (35,728, deltaPct 0.5), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35,719, deltaPct 0.5), and Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (35,670, deltaPct 0.7). The data shows the 7700X leads this group by a narrow margin — from 0.3% to 0.7% — indicating that its performance is competitive but not dominant against these alternatives. For Downfall specifically, the CPU's 16 threads and high boost clock ensure that even in complex scenes with multiple entities, the processor is unlikely to become the primary bottleneck until the GPU is fully saturated.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1830 MHz with a boost clock of 2460 MHz, and memory runs at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). With 3,072 shading units, 96 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 24 RT cores, and 96 tensor cores, the RTX 4060 provides 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. Its pixel rate is 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate is 236.2 GTexel/s. The GPU scores 19,545 in PassMark G3D and 95,057 in Geekbench OpenCL, placing it in the 61st percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 17,639.

In Downfall, the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the tested resolutions, but the data reveals clear performance scaling tied to memory bandwidth and compute throughput. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 42 FPS average — the lowest recorded figure — which indicates that the GPU is heavily taxed at maximum settings and 2160p. The 128-bit memory bus and 272 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors when pushing high-resolution textures and effects. However, at 1080p Low, the GPU reaches 226 FPS, showing that when pixel count and settings are reduced, the RTX 4060 has significant headroom.

The RTX 4060's nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (avg score 17,666, deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon 780M (17,588, deltaPct 0.3), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17,551, deltaPct 0.5), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17,509, deltaPct 0.7). The deltaPct values show the RTX 4060 sits within -0.2% to 0.7% of these GPUs, meaning the performance gap is minimal. For Downfall, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra, the combination of memory capacity and bandwidth constraints likely contributes to the steep FPS drop from 68 at High to 42 at Ultra.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p High, the combo averages 152 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 108 FPS; and at 4K High, it falls to 68 FPS. This represents a 29% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is more pronounced at Ultra settings: 95 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p (a 28% drop), and 42 FPS at 4K (a 56% drop from 1080p). These percentages indicate that the RTX 4060 is the primary limiting component as resolution increases, since the CPU's performance remains constant regardless of pixel count.

The Low settings configuration shows the most extreme scaling: 226 FPS at 1080p, 162 FPS at 1440p, and 101 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Low is 55%, nearly identical to the High and Ultra percentages. This consistency across settings strongly suggests that resolution scaling is dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities rather than CPU constraints. At 1080p Low, the 226 FPS figure likely approaches the CPU's maximum frame generation capacity, but at higher resolutions, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become the bottleneck.

Medium settings provide additional granularity: 185 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K, with min/max values of 157/213, 112/152, and 70/95 respectively. The min FPS values show that frame dips are more pronounced at higher resolutions — the 4K Medium min of 70 FPS is 15% lower than the average, while the 1080p Medium min of 157 FPS is 15% lower than its average. This indicates that the GPU's memory subsystem and compute units are stressed more heavily at 4K, causing less consistent frame delivery. The data overall points to the RTX 4060 as the limiting component in this combo for Downfall, with the Ryzen 7 7700X providing sufficient headroom to avoid CPU bottlenecks at all tested resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Downfall, and at what settings?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 226, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The next highest is 185 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 162 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings in Downfall?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 42 FPS. This is the lowest recorded performance across all tested configurations, representing a 56% drop from the 1080p Ultra average of 95 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component, especially at higher resolutions. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent (around 55-56%) across Low, High, and Ultra settings, while the CPU's performance is resolution-independent. The GPU's 61st percentile ranking versus the CPU's 85th percentile further supports this conclusion.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 7700X compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 7700X leads its nearest rivals by narrow margins: 0.3% over the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, 0.5% over the Intel Core 7 250H and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350, and 0.7% over the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H. These differences are small enough to be considered statistically negligible in gaming workloads.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings produce an average of 108 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 68 FPS. This represents a 37% reduction in performance when moving from High to Ultra, which is the largest settings-based gap at any resolution.

Q: Does the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM cause issues at any tested resolution?

A: The measured FPS data shows no catastrophic failures at any resolution, but the 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS suggests the GPU is stretched thin. The 4K Medium min FPS of 70 and 4K High average of 68 indicate that 8 GB is adequate but not comfortable for high-resolution, high-settings play in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combo ranks 2009 out of 3716 tested combinations in Downfall. This places the combo in the 46th percentile of all tested systems — slightly below the median. Given that the CPU ranks in the 85th percentile among all CPUs and the GPU ranks in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, the combo's mid-pack ranking suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor for overall game performance. A higher-ranked GPU paired with this same CPU would likely move the combo substantially higher in the rankings, while a stronger CPU would yield diminishing returns given the GPU-bound nature of this game's workload.

The rank of 2009 out of 3716 means that approximately 1,707 tested combos perform worse and 2,009 perform better in Downfall. This positions the combo as a solid mid-range performer, capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p and 1440p but struggling at 4K with high settings. The data indicates that for this specific horror title, the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are the primary constraints, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops at 4K Ultra. Users seeking better 4K performance would need to consider a GPU with more memory bandwidth and capacity, while those targeting 1080p or 1440p will find this combo well-suited to the game's demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 226 FPS average
• Medium: 185 FPS average (min 157, max 213)
• High: 152 FPS average
• Ultra: 95 FPS average

At 1080p, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. Even at Ultra, the 95 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium settings show a tight min/max range of 157-213 FPS, indicating consistent frame delivery. Low settings push the combo to 226 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum output for this title.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 162 FPS average
• Medium: 132 FPS average (min 112, max 152)
• High: 108 FPS average
• Ultra: 68 FPS average

At 1440p, the combo remains playable at all settings, but Ultra dips to 68 FPS — just above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium settings show a min of 112 FPS, which is still smooth, but the gap between Low (162 FPS) and Ultra (68 FPS) is substantial at 58%. High settings at 108 FPS provide a good balance between visual quality and performance.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 101 FPS average
• Medium: 82 FPS average (min 70, max 95)
• High: 68 FPS average
• Ultra: 42 FPS average

At 4K, the combo's performance degrades significantly at higher settings. Low settings maintain 101 FPS, but Ultra drops to 42 FPS — below the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable gameplay. High settings at 68 FPS are borderline playable, while Medium at 82 FPS offers the best balance for 4K. The 4K Medium min FPS of 70 indicates that even at this setting, frame dips remain above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K play.

The overall FPS breakdown shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p delivers 95-226 FPS depending on settings, 1440p delivers 68-162 FPS, and 4K delivers 42-101 FPS. The largest single drop occurs between 1440p Ultra (68 FPS) and 4K Ultra (42 FPS), a 38% reduction. The smallest drop is between 1080p High (152 FPS) and 1440p High (108 FPS), a 29% reduction. These figures quantify the GPU's scaling limitations and confirm that the RTX 4060 is the performance ceiling for this combo in Downfall.