Downfall

Downfall, a 2016 horror title, places the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination in a strong position, with measured frame rates that show the pairing is capable of delivering very high performance across all tested resolutions and settings. The data indicates a system that excels at high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, while still providing a smooth experience at 4K, with the primary performance scaling driven by the GPU's workload.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases, with the most significant drops occurring at the highest settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 311 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings, the average drops to 222 FPS, a reduction of 89 FPS or roughly 28.6%. At 4K with Low settings, the average further falls to 138 FPS. This progression shows that even at the lowest graphical preset, the demand on the rendering hardware increases substantially with pixel count.

The scaling pattern becomes more dramatic at higher settings, which points to the GPU becoming the primary limiting component. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 130. When jumping to 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 93 FPS, a decline of 37 FPS. The transition to 4K Ultra is even more severe, with the average plummeting to 58 FPS. This represents a 55.4% drop in performance from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra. The fact that the frame rate nearly halves from 1080p to 4K at both Low and Ultra settings strongly suggests that the GPU's rendering throughput, rather than the CPU's processing power, is the bottleneck as resolution scales.

In contrast, the CPU's role appears more static across resolutions. The Ryzen 7 9700F, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, has enough headroom that its performance does not degrade with the increased resolution. This is evident because the FPS drop between 1080p and 1440p (e.g., from 254 to 182 at Medium settings) is a direct consequence of the GPU working harder, not a sign of CPU limitation. The data implies that a user could switch from 1080p to 1440p and expect a predictable FPS decrease that is entirely attributable to the graphics card's workload. The 4K results, particularly the 93 FPS at High and 58 FPS at Ultra, show that the RTX 3080 Ti is still the dominant factor, as these are typical frame rates for a high-end GPU under heavy load in a demanding horror title.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured rows, the Medium preset appears to offer the most balanced experience, providing a significant boost in visual quality over Low while maintaining frame rates that are high enough for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves an average of 254 FPS, with a minimum of 216 FPS and a maximum of 292 FPS. This suggests that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate rarely dips below 200 FPS, which is excellent for competitive or fast-paced gameplay. At 1440p Medium, the average is 182 FPS, with min/max of 154 and 209 FPS, respectively. These numbers indicate that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for 1440p, as it delivers well over 144 FPS on average, which is a common target for high-refresh-rate displays.

For users prioritizing the highest visual fidelity, the High preset is a viable option at 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p High, the average is 208 FPS, which is still very high, but the lack of min/max data for this setting makes it harder to assess frame-time consistency. At 1440p High, the average is 149 FPS, which is just on the cusp of 144Hz refresh rate, making it a good choice for those with 144Hz monitors who prefer better graphics. The Ultra preset, while offering the best visuals, demands a significant performance cost. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 130 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra it drops to 93 FPS. At 4K, the Ultra preset yields a playable but less fluid 58 FPS average, which may not be ideal for all players.

The Low preset, while producing the highest frame rates (311 FPS at 1080p), is not recommended for a game like Downfall where atmosphere and visual detail are likely crucial to the experience. The data shows that the Medium preset provides a 22.4% FPS reduction compared to Low at 1080p (from 311 to 254 FPS) but presumably offers a substantial improvement in visual quality. The jump from Medium to High is a smaller 18.1% FPS reduction at 1080p (from 254 to 208 FPS), suggesting that the visual gains might be less pronounced than the performance loss. Therefore, based on the measured data, the Medium preset offers the best experience per frame, balancing high average FPS with better graphical settings across all three resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination holds a rank of 709 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall. This places the pairing in the top 24.2% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a high-performing configuration for this specific game. The rank is a direct reflection of the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, showing that this combo outperforms the vast majority of other CPU and GPU pairings.

While a rank of 709 is impressive, the data suggests that there is still a significant performance ceiling above it. The fact that this combo is not in the top 10% implies that there are many other configurations, likely with more powerful GPUs, that can achieve higher frame rates, particularly at 4K Ultra where the RTX 3080 Ti produces 58 FPS. The CPU's own benchmark percentile is 94, meaning it outperforms 94% of all CPUs in general tests, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, Intel Core i7-14700KF, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and Intel Core i7-14700K, all with average scores within 0.9% of the 9700F. This indicates that the CPU is not holding the combo back, as its performance is on par with other top-tier processors.

The GPU's percentile is 83, meaning it outperforms 83% of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and NVIDIA Tesla M40, are not gaming-focused cards, which highlights the RTX 3080 Ti's strength in consumer gaming workloads. The combination of a top-6% CPU and a top-17% GPU results in a system that ranks in the top 24% for Downfall. This suggests that the pairing is well-balanced for this title, with neither component being a glaring weak point, but also that there is room for improvement at the very top of the performance spectrum, likely requiring a more powerful GPU to push 4K Ultra frame rates higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the combo's performance across a matrix of resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 311. The Medium preset yields an average of 254 FPS, with a minimum of 216 FPS and a maximum of 292 FPS. High settings produce an average of 208 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of 130 FPS. This shows a clear progression, with the Ultra preset demanding more than double the rendering time per frame compared to Low.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low setting average is 222 FPS. Medium settings result in an average of 182 FPS, with a minimum of 154 FPS and a maximum of 209 FPS. High settings achieve 149 FPS on average, and the Ultra preset produces 93 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra at 1440p is a significant 56 FPS, or 37.6%, indicating that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding at this resolution.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the GPU is heavily taxed. The Low preset still manages an average of 138 FPS, which is playable. Medium settings yield an average of 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 130 FPS, showing that even the minimum frame rate stays above 60 FPS. High settings produce 93 FPS on average, and the Ultra preset drops to 58 FPS. This 4K data illustrates that the RTX 3080 Ti can handle 4K gaming, but the Ultra preset will push it to the limit, resulting in frame rates that are just on the edge of what is considered smooth for all players.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve in Downfall?*

A: The highest average frame rate measured is 311 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system maintain a 60 FPS average at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, on the Low, Medium, and High presets. The average FPS at 4K is 138 for Low, 113 for Medium, and 93 for High. The Ultra preset is the exception, with an average of 58 FPS.

Q: How does the 1440p Ultra performance compare to the 1080p Ultra performance?

A: At 1440p Ultra, the average FPS is 93, while at 1080p Ultra it is 130. This represents a 37 FPS decrease, or a performance drop of approximately 28.5%.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for the Medium settings at 1440p?

A: The minimum frame rate recorded for Medium settings at 2560x1440 is 154 FPS, with a maximum of 209 FPS and an average of 182 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. As resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU has a high benchmark percentile (94) and is on par with other top-tier rivals, indicating it has sufficient headroom.

*Q: How does this combo's rank in Downfall compare to other tested systems?*

A: The combo ranks 709th out of 2928 tested combinations, placing it in the top 24.2% of all tested systems for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F plays a supporting role in this combo, providing a robust foundation that does not hinder the GPU's performance. With 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), this processor is well-suited for modern gaming workloads. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz, which can boost up to 5.50 GHz, ensuring high single-threaded performance that is critical for game logic and frame generation. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4691 and a multithread score of 36470, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Downfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The data shows that this is not a bottleneck, as the FPS scales with GPU load across resolutions. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with resolution. Instead, we see a 28.6% drop in FPS from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (311 to 222), confirming that the GPU is the primary driver of performance. The 9700F's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient to keep the RTX 3080 Ti fed with data.

The CPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% higher score), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% lower score), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% higher score). These tiny delta percentages, all within 0.9% of the 9700F, show that the processor is in elite company and its performance is not a differentiator in this combo. The CPU's 65W TDP and 4nm process node from TSMC indicate high efficiency, which is a positive attribute, but it does not directly translate to higher FPS in Downfall compared to a similarly performing rival. The data implies that for this game, any of these top-tier CPUs would produce nearly identical results when paired with the same GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, as its performance characteristics directly dictate the frame rates in Downfall. Based on the Ampere architecture (GA102 chip), this GPU has 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. Its core clocks are 1365 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost, and it features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. This high memory bandwidth is crucial for high-resolution textures and demanding scenes in a horror game.

The GPU's benchmark results are strong, with a Passmark G3D score of 26896 and a Passmark G2D score of 1091, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 41187, with nearest rivals like the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (0.8% lower) and NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB (1.2% higher). These are not typical gaming GPUs, which underscores the RTX 3080 Ti's position as a high-end consumer part.

In Downfall, the GPU's role is evident in the scaling data. The 12 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for the game's textures at 4K, as the frame rates do not show signs of stuttering or memory-related crashes, only a steady decline with higher settings. The GPU's 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is what allows it to achieve 311 FPS at 1080p Low, but the workload increases dramatically at 4K Ultra, reducing the average to 58 FPS. This 4K Ultra result is the lowest measured, showing that the GPU is working at its limit. The GPU's boost clock of 1665 MHz is a key factor, as it determines how fast the cores can process the rendering tasks. The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti is a very capable card for Downfall, offering high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, and playable, if not maximally smooth, frame rates at 4K. The performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at any resolution is substantial, with 4K seeing a 58% drop (from 138 to 58 FPS), which is a direct consequence of the increased GPU load from higher graphical fidelity.