Downfall

# Downfall with AMD Ryzen 7 9700X + AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a fundamentally balanced 1080p and 1440p experience in Downfall, with the data showing a clear transition from CPU-bound behavior at lower resolutions to GPU-bound behavior at 4K. This combination ranks 1234th out of 3716 tested combos in the game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, and the measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings confirm a system that handles the horror title's demands without significant bottlenecks at typical gaming resolutions.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge codename) using TSMC's 4 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache, totaling a substantial cache hierarchy that benefits latency-sensitive workloads. Memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, and the processor connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes.

In the context of Downfall, a horror game released in 2016, the CPU's single-thread performance is particularly relevant. The processor scores 1280 in 3DMark single-thread and 2211 in Cinebench R23 single-core, figures that place it well above the thresholds needed for older game engines that often rely heavily on one or two threads. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2525 and 4-thread score of 4869 indicate strong scaling across the first few cores, which is crucial for games that use a handful of threads for game logic, physics, and audio. The 8-thread score of 8184 and 16-thread score of 9824 show that the processor maintains robust performance as more threads are utilized, though the diminishing returns from 8 to 16 threads suggest that Downfall's engine does not fully saturate all available threads.

The CPU's percentile ranking against all CPUs is 86, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of processors in general benchmark workloads. Its average benchmark score of 37943 places it in close competition with the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911, 0.1% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904, 0.1% delta), the Intel Core 5 211E (37829, 0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (37804, 0.4% delta). These near-identical scores indicate that the Ryzen 7 9700X is at the top of its performance class, with negligible differences from its closest rivals.

For a 2016 horror title, the Ryzen 7 9700X's combination of high single-thread performance and strong multi-thread scaling ensures that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor at 1080p and 1440p. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 282 FPS on average, a figure that is far above what the game's engine would require from a CPU standpoint. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS of 118 suggests the CPU has ample headroom, as the frame rate drop from Low to Ultra is more consistent with GPU limitations than CPU constraints.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture (Navi 32 chip, Wheat Nas codename) using TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1295 MHz, a game clock of 2124 MHz, and a boost clock of 2430 MHz, with memory running at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective). The chip contains 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, 96 render output units, and 60 ray tracing cores, with a 263 W TDP and dual-slot cooling.

In Downfall, the GPU's 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for the game's demands. Even at 4K Ultra, the game does not approach the memory limit, as evidenced by the steady frame rates across all settings. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s is a key asset at higher resolutions, where texture streaming and memory access patterns become more demanding. The pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, while the FP32 performance of 37.32 TFLOPS ensures that shader-heavy scenes in the horror game render without excessive slowdown.

The GPU's benchmark scores paint an interesting picture. Its average benchmark score of 11627 places it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (11680, -0.5% delta), AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (11528, 0.9% delta), NVIDIA Tesla K20c (11479, 1.3% delta), and AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (11842, -1.8% delta). The extremely small deltas (all within 2%) between the RX 7800 XT and these rivals in average benchmark score are notable, but the measured FPS data in Downfall shows the GPU performing strongly, indicating that the game's workload favors the RX 7800 XT's specific architecture.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4157 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 54228 suggest solid DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, while the PassMark G3D score of 24176 and GPU compute score of 13473 provide additional context. The DirectX 11 score of 249 and DirectX 12 score of 93 in PassMark are lower relative to other metrics, but these tests are not directly representative of Downfall's workload. The GPU's 60 ray tracing cores are present but not heavily utilized in this 2016 title, which does not feature ray-traced effects.

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

The measured FPS data across three resolutions and four settings reveals a clear picture of where the bottleneck shifts between CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 282 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 202 FPS, a reduction of 80 FPS (approximately 28.4%). At 4K Low, the average further drops to 125 FPS, a reduction of 77 FPS from 1440p (approximately 38.1%). The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is approximately 55.7%, which is substantial but not as severe as the drop at higher settings.

At Medium settings, the progression is 231 FPS at 1080p, 165 FPS at 1440p, and 103 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 66 FPS (approximately 28.6%), and from 1440p to 4K is 62 FPS (approximately 37.6%). The similarity in percentage drops between Low and Medium settings suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution increases, but the CPU still has some influence at 1080p.

At High settings, the FPS values are 189 at 1080p, 135 at 1440p, and 84 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 54 FPS (approximately 28.6%), and from 1440p to 4K is 51 FPS (approximately 37.8%). The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate a well-balanced system where neither component is dramatically over or under-powered for the other.

At Ultra settings, the FPS values are 118 at 1080p, 85 at 1440p, and 53 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33 FPS (approximately 28.0%), and from 1440p to 4K is 32 FPS (approximately 37.6%). The 4K Ultra result of 53 FPS average is the only measured configuration that dips below 60 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is the limiting factor at this extreme setting.

The resolution scaling pattern indicates that the CPU has sufficient headroom at 1080p, where the GPU is likely the primary constraint at higher settings. The relatively consistent percentage drops across all settings (approximately 28% from 1080p to 1440p and 37-38% from 1440p to 4K) suggest that the system scales predictably with resolution, with the GPU becoming progressively more dominant as pixel count increases. The fact that 1080p Low yields 282 FPS, far above any display refresh rate, confirms that the CPU is not holding back the system at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 1234th out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in approximately the 66.8th percentile of all tested systems. This rank reflects a system that is above average but not in the top tier, which is consistent with the CPU's high percentile ranking (86th) and the GPU's more modest percentile ranking (51st).

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are all within 0.4% of the Ryzen 7 9700X, indicating that the processor is performing at the top of its class. However, the GPU's nearest rivals show a wider spread of performance deltas, with the RX 7800 XT sitting at the 51st percentile. This combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU creates a system where the GPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, particularly at higher resolutions and settings.

In Downfall, the combo's rank of 1234 out of 3716 suggests that many other combinations of CPUs and GPUs can achieve higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs paired with slightly weaker CPUs. The data indicates that the Ryzen 7 9700X's performance headroom is not fully utilized in this game, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K and even at 1080p Ultra (where FPS drops to 118 from 189 at High, suggesting GPU limitations rather than CPU constraints).

The ranking also reflects the age of the game relative to the hardware. Downfall was released in 2016, and the Ryzen 7 9700X (released in 2024) and RX 7800 XT (released in 2023) are both significantly newer than the game. This means the system has substantial performance headroom, and the rank likely reflects the fact that many newer, more powerful GPUs can push higher frame rates in a game that is not particularly demanding by modern standards.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 282 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 231 FPS average, with a minimum of 196 FPS and a maximum of 266 FPS. High settings produce 189 FPS average, while Ultra settings drop to 118 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 164 FPS decrease (approximately 58.2% reduction), indicating that the GPU is the primary factor in the FPS drop at 1080p, as the CPU's performance is more than sufficient at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down from 1080p. Low settings produce 202 FPS average, Medium settings yield 165 FPS average (with a minimum of 140 FPS and maximum of 190 FPS), High settings deliver 135 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 85 FPS average. The range from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 117 FPS (approximately 57.9% reduction), which is similar to the percentage reduction at 1080p, suggesting consistent scaling behavior.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more moderate. Low settings produce 125 FPS average, Medium settings yield 103 FPS average (with a minimum of 87 FPS and maximum of 118 FPS), High settings deliver 84 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 53 FPS average. The range from Low to Ultra at 4K is 72 FPS (approximately 57.6% reduction), again consistent with the pattern seen at lower resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 53 FPS is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the most demanding scenario in the dataset.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with min and max FPS values reported. At 1080p Medium, the range is 196 to 266 FPS (a 70 FPS spread). At 1440p Medium, the range is 140 to 190 FPS (a 50 FPS spread). At 4K Medium, the range is 87 to 118 FPS (a 31 FPS spread). The narrowing FPS range as resolution increases suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded at higher resolutions, reducing frame time variance.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Downfall?*

A: The highest average FPS is 282, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 53, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943, which is within 0.4% of its nearest rivals: the Intel Core i9-14901E (37911, 0.1% delta), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37904, 0.1% delta), Intel Core 5 211E (37829, 0.3% delta), and AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (37804, 0.4% delta).

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 189 at 1920x1080 to 84 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 105 FPS (approximately 55.6%).

Q: Does the GPU's benchmark ranking indicate it is a top-tier card?

A: No, the RX 7800 XT is in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 11627. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (11680, -0.5% delta) and AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (11842, -1.8% delta).

Q: Which resolution and setting combination provides the best balance of performance and quality?

A: The 2560x1440 High setting configuration, delivering 135 FPS average, provides a strong balance, as it maintains high frame rates while offering improved visual fidelity over Low and Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings configuration depends on the target resolution and performance requirements. At 1920x1080, all settings provide playable frame rates, with even Ultra settings delivering 118 FPS average. For users with high refresh rate displays (144Hz or higher), the High setting at 189 FPS average offers the best compromise between visual quality and frame rate, as it stays well above 144 FPS while providing significantly better visuals than Low or Medium.

At 2560x1440, the High setting at 135 FPS average is the recommended choice for most users. This configuration provides smooth gameplay on 120Hz displays and maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra setting at 85 FPS average is also viable for users prioritizing visual quality, as it remains above 60 FPS. The Medium setting at 165 FPS average is suitable for competitive play or high refresh rate displays, though the visual quality reduction may not be justified given the High setting's performance.

At 3840x2160, the High setting at 84 FPS average is the recommended choice, as it delivers smooth gameplay on 60Hz displays with a comfortable margin. The Medium setting at 103 FPS average is preferable for users with 120Hz displays, though the visual quality difference between Medium and High may be noticeable. The Ultra setting at 53 FPS average is only recommended for users who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over frame rate, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in less smooth gameplay. The Low setting at 125 FPS average is not recommended at this resolution, as the visual quality reduction is substantial while the frame rate increase over High is relatively modest.

Overall, the High preset across all resolutions provides the most balanced experience, with frame rates of 189 FPS at 1080p, 135 FPS at 1440p, and 84 FPS at 4K. This consistency makes High the default recommendation for this combo in Downfall, with adjustments made based on display refresh rate and personal preference for visual quality versus frame rate.