Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a playable, if uneven, experience in Downfall, with performance heavily dictated by resolution and the game’s demanding Ultra preset. The data shows a combination that is capable at 1080p and 1440p, but which struggles to maintain high refresh rates at 4K, particularly when settings are maxed out. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all tested configurations, contextualizes the results against other hardware combinations, and examines the specific roles of the CPU and GPU in shaping the final output.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases, with the RTX 2070 SUPER clearly becoming the limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 210 FPS, which drops to 150 FPS at 1440p and further to 94 FPS at 4K. This represents a 55% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a steep decline that underscores the GPU's workload scaling with pixel count.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced at higher quality presets. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 141 at 1080p to 101 at 1440p (a 28% drop) and then to 63 at 4K (a 55% drop from 1080p). The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic degradation, with averages of 88 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and just 39 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K at Ultra is particularly severe, representing a 38% performance loss, which suggests that the 8 GB VRAM and the GPU's raw compute power are both being pushed to their limits at 3840x2160.

The data indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the dominant bottleneck across most resolutions. At 1080p, the Ryzen 7 9700F with its 8 cores and 16 threads is likely sufficient to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the high frame rates. However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (210 to 150 FPS) is not linear, suggesting that even at lower settings, the GPU is struggling with the increased pixel throughput. The 4K results, particularly the 39 FPS average at Ultra, clearly show that this combination is not designed for 4K gaming at maximum fidelity. The performance drop from Medium to Ultra at 4K (77 to 39 FPS) highlights the extreme cost of the Ultra preset's additional effects, which the GPU cannot handle at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience for this hardware combination, providing a significant step up from Low without the crippling performance hit of Ultra. At 1080p, Medium delivers an average of 172 FPS with a minimum of 146 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, the Medium preset maintains a robust 123 FPS average with a minimum of 105 FPS, making it the sweet spot for players with 1440p displays.

The High preset is viable but with caveats. At 1080p, it still produces an excellent 141 FPS average, but the jump to 1440p drops the average to 101 FPS, which is still playable but begins to show strain. At 4K, High drops to 63 FPS, which is borderline for a smooth experience, especially in a horror title where frame pacing is critical for atmosphere. The Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution above 1080p, and even at 1080p, the 88 FPS average is significantly lower than Medium or High, with no corresponding benefit in the data to justify the performance cost.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that Low settings are the only viable option, yielding a 94 FPS average. However, this sacrifices visual fidelity, which is often a key component of the horror genre's immersion. A more practical approach would be to target 1440p with Medium or High settings, which offer a far better balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 1440p, with its 123 FPS average and 105 FPS minimum, is the strongest recommendation from the measured data, as it provides a smooth, consistent experience without the frame rate dips seen at High or the excessive performance penalty of Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 1653 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all configurations. This percentile positioning indicates that while this setup is far from the worst, it is also not competitive with higher-end hardware. The rank suggests that a significant portion of tested systems—roughly 56%—deliver better performance in this specific game.

This ranking is consistent with the individual component profiles. The RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, meaning it outperforms 65% of the GPUs in the database, but it is outclassed by modern mid-range and high-end cards. The CPU, however, is a much stronger performer, ranking in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69,996. This discrepancy highlights the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this pairing.

The combo's rank of 1653 is a direct consequence of this imbalance. The Ryzen 7 9700F is capable of driving much faster GPUs, but the RTX 2070 SUPER limits the overall frame output, particularly at higher resolutions. The nearest rival GPUs to the RTX 2070 SUPER, such as the Intel Arc B570 (with a deltaPct of -1.3) and the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct of -1.5), show that the GPU is closely matched with other mid-range options, none of which would be considered top-tier for demanding titles like Downfall. The data shows that this combo is a functional but not exceptional pairing, best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than high-end 4K performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a 144 FPS average?

A: The data shows that only the 1080p Low preset achieves an average of 210 FPS, and the 1080p Medium preset reaches 172 FPS. The 1440p Low preset hits 150 FPS, but no other configuration at 1440p or higher reaches the 144 FPS mark.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming at Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 4K Ultra is 39 FPS, which is well below the threshold for smooth, playable performance. This is the lowest average FPS recorded across all tested configurations.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20,282. It is 1% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, 1.2% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, 1.3% faster than the Intel Arc B570, and 1.5% faster than the Intel Arc A750.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the combo achieves 141 FPS. Given that the CPU is in the 94th percentile and the GPU is in the 65th percentile, the GPU is the more likely limiting factor, as the high frame rate is still constrained by the GPU's rendering capabilities.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 123 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 63 FPS. This represents a 48.8% reduction in average FPS when moving from Medium to Ultra.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the 4K Medium preset?

A: The 4K Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS, with an average of 77 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER plays the defining role in this combination's Downfall performance, with its specifications directly explaining the observed FPS patterns. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a critical factor at higher resolutions; the 8 GB capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the data suggests it becomes a limiting factor at 4K, where the Ultra preset's 39 FPS average indicates the card is struggling to manage both the increased pixel count and the higher fidelity textures.

The GPU's clock speeds are modest by modern standards, with a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. This limits raw compute throughput, which is reflected in the card's FP32 performance of 9.062 TFLOPS. The 2,560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units provide adequate pixel throughput for mid-range gaming, but the 64 ROPs are a bottleneck for high-resolution rendering, particularly at 4K. The card's 12 nm process node and 13,600 million transistors also indicate an older architecture that is less power-efficient and slower than newer designs.

The benchmark data contextualizes the GPU's performance. Its PassMark G3D score of 18,169 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20,282. The nearest rivals show it is closely matched with the Intel Arc B570 (deltaPct -1.3) and the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -1.5), both of which are also mid-range options. In Downfall, this translates to strong 1080p performance, with the GPU capable of exceeding 140 FPS on High settings, but the 4K results, particularly the 39 FPS at Ultra, demonstrate that the card is beyond its designed capabilities at that resolution. The 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is not sufficient to feed the GPU's cores efficiently at 3840x2160, leading to the dramatic FPS drops observed in the data.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F provides a robust foundation for this gaming combination, with specifications that far exceed the demands of Downfall and ensure it is not the primary bottleneck. The CPU features 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture on a 4 nm process node. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz are among the highest in the database, providing exceptional single-threaded performance, which is crucial for gaming. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 cache per core offer substantial memory buffering, reducing latency and improving game load times.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its high-end positioning. It has a PassMark single-thread score of 4,691 and a multithread score of 36,470, placing it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 69,996 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (deltaPct 0.2) and the Intel Core i7-14700KF (deltaPct -0.2), indicating it is a top-tier processor for any workload, including gaming.

In the context of Downfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data quickly enough to avoid frame drops. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 210 FPS, which is a clear indication that the CPU is not limiting performance; the GPU is simply able to render frames as fast as the CPU can process game logic. However, the data shows that as resolution increases, the FPS drops significantly, which is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the bottleneck, not the CPU. The Ryzen 7 9700F's 5.50 GHz boost clock and 8 high-performance cores are more than adequate to handle the game's physics and AI calculations, even at the highest frame rates. The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with a dual-channel bus providing 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth also ensures that data can be transferred to the GPU without creating a systemic bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results: Low settings average 210 FPS, Medium averages 172 FPS with a minimum of 146 FPS and a maximum of 198 FPS, High averages 141 FPS, and Ultra averages 88 FPS. These figures indicate that the RTX 2070 SUPER is well-suited for 1080p gaming, with even the demanding Ultra preset remaining above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance begins to taper. Low settings still deliver a high 150 FPS average, while Medium averages 123 FPS with a minimum of 105 FPS and a maximum of 141 FPS. High settings drop to a 101 FPS average, which is still smooth for most displays. Ultra, however, falls to a 63 FPS average, which is the minimum recommended for playable performance, indicating that the Ultra preset is only marginally viable at this resolution.

The 3840x2160 results show the most significant strain. Low settings average 94 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to a 77 FPS average with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS. High settings fall to a 63 FPS average, and Ultra plummets to a 39 FPS average, which is not suitable for smooth gameplay. The progression from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a 58.5% reduction in average FPS, from 94 to 39, highlighting the immense cost of the Ultra preset at this resolution. The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is fully playable across all settings, 1440p is playable up to High, and 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings, with Medium being the borderline option.