Downfall

# Downfall with AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers an extraordinarily high-performance experience in Downfall, a horror title from 2016. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings are exceptionally high, ranging from 77 FPS at 4K Ultra to 414 FPS at 1080p Low. This combination ranks 165th out of 2,928 tested combos, placing it in the top 5.6% of all configurations tested for this game. The data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher settings, while the CPU's 8-core, 16-thread configuration proves more than adequate even at the lowest settings where frame rates exceed 400 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge codename) and manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The CPU's 65 W TDP is remarkably modest for a desktop processor with this level of performance. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache. This configuration supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel architecture and a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, which helps feed the GPU efficiently.

In terms of raw benchmark performance, the Ryzen 7 9700F achieves a PassMark multithread score of 36,470 and a single-thread score of 4,691. Its average benchmark score of 69,996 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals show extremely tight competition: the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69,875 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70,163 (0.2% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69,515 (0.7% lower), and the Intel Core i7-14700K scores 69,355 (0.9% lower). This clustering indicates that the 9700F sits squarely in a highly competitive performance tier.

For Downfall, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low settings, where the average frame rate reaches 414 FPS. At such extreme frame rates, CPU overhead becomes more significant, yet the 9700F's single-thread performance (4,691 in PassMark) and high boost clock of 5.50 GHz keep the system from bottlenecking. The game likely benefits from the CPU's strong per-core performance rather than its multithreading capabilities, as horror titles from 2016 typically do not scale well beyond a handful of threads. The 8-core configuration provides ample headroom for background tasks and any modern API overhead without impacting game performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process, with a massive 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die. It features 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operation pipelines. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz, with memory running at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective). The 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures and effects.

The RTX 5080 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 36,565 and a PassMark GPU compute score of 21,789. Its average benchmark score of 56,083 places it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55,757 (0.6% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55,698 (0.7% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54,828 (2.3% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE at 57,367 (2.2% lower). This positioning suggests the RTX 5080 performs slightly below some recent AMD offerings in synthetic benchmarks, yet the in-game results tell a different story.

In Downfall, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor at higher settings. Moving from Medium to Ultra at any resolution causes a significant frame rate drop, indicating that the game's Ultra preset demands substantially more GPU resources. The RTX 5080's 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this 2016 title, even at 4K Ultra, where the average frame rate remains playable at 77 FPS. The GPU's 84 ray tracing cores and 336 tensor cores are present but likely underutilized, as Downfall predates widespread ray tracing adoption. The pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s provide ample fill rate for the game's horror visuals.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals clear resolution scaling patterns that highlight the system's bottleneck behavior. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 278 FPS at 1080p to 198 FPS at 1440p (a 28.8% decrease) and then to 123 FPS at 4K (a 37.9% decrease from 1440p). This progressive decline is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where each pixel count increase demands proportionally more GPU throughput.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic: 414 FPS at 1080p drops to 296 FPS at 1440p (a 28.5% decrease) and then to 184 FPS at 4K (a 37.8% decrease from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drops are nearly identical between High and Low settings suggests that the CPU can keep up even at 414 FPS, and the GPU remains the limiting factor throughout. However, the absolute frame rates at Low settings are so high that they exceed typical display refresh rates, meaning users with 144 Hz or even 240 Hz monitors will not benefit from the extra performance.

Medium settings show a similar pattern: 339 FPS at 1080p, 242 FPS at 1440p (28.6% drop), and 151 FPS at 4K (37.6% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentages across settings reinforces that the scaling is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. At Ultra settings, the frame rates are lower overall—174 FPS at 1080p, 124 FPS at 1440p (28.7% drop), and 77 FPS at 4K (37.9% drop from 1440p)—but the relative scaling remains remarkably uniform. This uniformity indicates a well-balanced system where the GPU's performance scales predictably with pixel count, and the CPU does not introduce any unexpected bottlenecks at any resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 414 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 339 FPS, with a minimum of 288 FPS and a maximum of 390 FPS, providing a narrow 102 FPS range that indicates consistent frame pacing. High settings average 278 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 174 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 240 FPS, demonstrating the substantial GPU load increase from the Ultra preset.

At 2560x1440, performance remains very high but shows the expected resolution penalty. Low settings average 296 FPS, Medium settings average 242 FPS with a range of 206 to 278 FPS, High settings average 198 FPS, and Ultra settings average 124 FPS. The Medium setting's minimum of 206 FPS is still well above 144 Hz refresh rates, making this resolution and setting combination ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 172 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, as the GPU becomes more heavily loaded.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system still delivers playable frame rates at all settings, though Ultra dips to 77 FPS. Low settings average 184 FPS, Medium settings average 151 FPS with a range of 128 to 173 FPS, High settings average 123 FPS, and Ultra settings average 77 FPS. The Medium setting's minimum of 128 FPS is just below the 144 Hz threshold, suggesting that users targeting 144 Hz at 4K should consider High settings or lower. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 107 FPS, the narrowest of the three resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F sufficient for high frame rates in Downfall?

A: Yes, the data shows the CPU handles even the most demanding scenario—1080p Low at 414 FPS average—without issue. The single-thread score of 4,691 and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide ample headroom for this 2016 title, which likely does not utilize the full 16 threads effectively.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5080's average benchmark score of 56,083 is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757) and 0.7% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698), but 2.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (57,367). The scores are tightly clustered, indicating similar raw compute capabilities.

Q: What is the best resolution and setting combination for 144 Hz monitors?

A: At 1440p Medium, the average is 242 FPS with a minimum of 206 FPS, ensuring consistent frame rates above 144 Hz. At 4K, only Low (184 FPS) and Medium (151 FPS) average above 144 Hz, but Medium's minimum of 128 FPS could occasionally drop below the target.

Q: Why does Ultra settings cause such a large frame rate drop compared to High?

A: The data shows Ultra settings reduce frame rates by approximately 37-38% compared to High across all resolutions: from 278 to 174 FPS at 1080p, 198 to 124 FPS at 1440p, and 123 to 77 FPS at 4K. This suggests the Ultra preset enables significantly more demanding visual effects that heavily tax the GPU.

Q: How does this CPU-GPU combination rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 165th out of 2,928 tested combinations for Downfall, placing it in the top 5.6% of all configurations. This high ranking reflects the system's ability to maintain very high frame rates across all resolution and settings combinations.

Q: Is the RTX 5080's 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Downfall at 4K?

A: Yes, the 16 GB of GDDR7 memory is more than adequate for this game. Even at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 77 FPS, and there is no indication of memory-related stuttering or performance degradation in the measured data.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p users with 144 Hz monitors, High settings at 278 FPS provide a comfortable margin above the refresh rate, while Ultra settings at 174 FPS still exceed 144 Hz. For 240 Hz displays at 1080p, Low settings at 414 FPS are the only option that consistently exceeds this refresh rate, though Medium at 339 FPS would also work with occasional dips.

At 1440p, High settings at 198 FPS provide excellent quality with a wide margin above 144 Hz, making this the recommended preset for most users. Medium settings at 242 FPS offer a good balance for 240 Hz monitors, though the minimum of 206 FPS ensures no drops below 200 FPS. Ultra at 124 FPS is acceptable for 120 Hz displays but falls short of 144 Hz, making it less ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 4K, the trade-offs become more pronounced. Low settings at 184 FPS easily exceed 144 Hz, but the visual quality may be lacking for a horror game where atmosphere matters. Medium settings at 151 FPS average with a 128 FPS minimum provide a solid 144 Hz experience with better visuals, though occasional drops below the refresh rate may occur. High settings at 123 FPS are best suited for 120 Hz displays, while Ultra at 77 FPS is only recommended for 60 Hz displays or users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate. For most 4K users, Medium settings offer the best compromise between visual quality and performance, as the 128 FPS minimum is still very playable.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 165th out of 2,928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 94.4th percentile of all configurations. This ranking is remarkably high given that the CPU itself sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs and the GPU in the 87th percentile of all GPUs—the combination performs better than either component's individual percentile would suggest, indicating excellent synergy for this particular title.

The CPU's nearest rivals show how close the 9700F is to other high-end processors: the Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 0.7% lower. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, and the 9700F's high boost clock and strong single-thread performance likely contribute more to Downfall's frame rates than raw multithreaded throughput. The GPU's position relative to rivals is similarly tight, with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scoring 2.2% higher in synthetic benchmarks, yet the RTX 5080's in-game performance clearly benefits from its high memory bandwidth and modern architecture.

The top 5.6% ranking among 2,928 combos indicates that this system is exceptionally well-suited for Downfall, delivering frame rates that far exceed the requirements of most displays. The data suggests that users with this combination will rarely encounter performance limitations, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra settings remaining playable. The system's ability to maintain 77 FPS at 4K Ultra while exceeding 400 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates remarkable flexibility across the full spectrum of gaming scenarios.