Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pairing in Downfall delivers a balanced 1080p and 1440p experience, with 4K Ultra proving too demanding for the GPU. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings, with the CPU’s strong multi-threaded scores supporting high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

FAQ

*Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Downfall?*

A: This pairing ranks 1057 out of 1741 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 36029, sitting 0.2% above the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940) and 0.6% above the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802), while trailing the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H by 0.4% and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H by 0.8%.

Q: What is the best 1080p setting for high frame rates?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 211.5 fps average, while Medium achieves 173.1 fps and High reaches 140.4 fps. The Ultra preset drops to 86.8 fps.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p gaming?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440 the Low preset averages 151.4 fps, Medium runs at 124.3 fps, and High maintains 99 fps. Ultra falls to 62 fps, which remains playable but noticeably lower.

Q: Is 4K viable with this setup?

A: 4K Ultra is not recommended, as the average drops to 37.7 fps. Lowering to High at 3840x2160 yields 63.4 fps, while Low reaches 91.9 fps, showing the GPU struggles at higher settings in this resolution.

Q: What are the GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER scores 22206 on average, placing it 0.5% below the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307) and 2.3% below the RTX 4060 Mobile (22729), while outperforming the GTX TITAN Z by 0.9% and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 by 2.5%.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9700X provides 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boosting to 5.50 GHz. This Zen 5 architecture chip, built on a 4 nm process, delivers strong single-thread performance with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4459. Multi-threaded results are equally robust: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 31588, while Geekbench multicore hits 17002.

In Downfall, a horror title from 2016, the CPU’s capabilities become apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 211.5 fps, indicating the processor can feed frames well beyond typical display refresh rates. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9824 and max-thread score of 9771 show consistent scaling across threads, which helps maintain frame pacing in scenes with multiple entities. The 32 MB shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth support rapid data access, reducing potential stutter.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all processors underscores its high-end positioning. Compared to the Intel Core i5-14500HX, which scores a nearly identical 35940 average (0.2% difference), the Ryzen’s advantage is marginal in synthetic tests. However, the 9700X’s 5.50 GHz boost clock gives it a single-thread edge that matters for Downfall’s physics and AI calculations. The 65 W TDP also indicates efficient operation, though the data does not link power draw directly to in-game performance.

GPU Role

The RTX 2070 SUPER comes equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 1605 MHz boosts to 1770 MHz, and the Turing architecture includes 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores offer hardware acceleration, though Downfall predates widespread ray tracing adoption.

The GPU’s 65th percentile ranking reflects its mid-range standing, with an average benchmark score of 22206. Its PassMark G3D score of 18169 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 indicate DirectX 12 capability, though the game’s 2016 release likely uses older APIs. The 9.062 TFLOPS FP32 performance is adequate for the measured frame rates.

The data reveals the GPU as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, dropping from High (63.4 fps) to Low (91.9 fps) yields a 45% improvement, while Ultra falls to 37.7 fps. This pattern holds at 2560x1440, where Low (151.4 fps) more than doubles Ultra (62 fps). At 1920x1080, the gap narrows proportionally: Low (211.5 fps) versus Ultra (86.8 fps) still shows a 144% difference, but even Ultra remains playable. The 8 GB VRAM appears sufficient for this title, as no memory-related stalls are evident in the measured data.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 1057 out of 1741 combos, this pairing sits in the bottom 40% of tested configurations for Downfall. The data suggests the RTX 2070 SUPER drags down the overall position, as the CPU’s 89th percentile standing would normally place it higher. The GPU’s 65th percentile ranking creates an imbalance: the processor can drive high frame rates, but the graphics card limits output at demanding settings.

This rank means roughly 60% of tested combos outperform this pairing in Downfall. The gap between CPU and GPU capabilities is evident in the resolution scaling: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 211.5 fps, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 37.7 fps—a 5.6x reduction. The combo’s position reflects this GPU-bound behavior, where the Ryzen 7 9700X’s headroom goes unused at higher resolutions.

The nearest rival combos in the database—those with similar CPU or GPU scores—would likely produce comparable results, given the Ryzen 7 9700X’s 0.2% delta from the i5-14500HX and the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 0.5% delta from the RTX A400. This consistency suggests the rank is stable across similar hardware configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to 1920x1080 High as the sweet spot for this combo, delivering 140.4 fps average. This setting balances visual quality with performance, providing a smooth experience well above 60 fps. For players prioritizing frame rate, the 1080p Low preset at 211.5 fps offers maximum responsiveness, though visual fidelity suffers.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 99 fps remains excellent for most displays, while Medium at 124.3 fps gives additional headroom. The Ultra preset at 62 fps is borderline; it maintains playability but leaves little margin for demanding scenes. For 1440p users, High is recommended over Ultra, as the 37 fps difference (99 vs 62) outweighs the visual gains.

4K gaming is only viable at Low (91.9 fps) or Medium (77.4 fps) settings. The High preset at 63.4 fps is playable but close to the edge, while Ultra at 37.7 fps is not recommended for consistent gameplay. The data suggests 4K users should accept reduced settings or lower the resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the settings ladder shows clear progression: Low averages 211.5 fps, Medium reaches 173.1 fps, High achieves 140.4 fps, and Ultra drops to 86.8 fps. The step from Low to Medium costs 38.4 fps (18%), while High to Ultra costs 53.6 fps (38%), indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern persists but with lower absolute numbers: Low runs at 151.4 fps, Medium at 124.3 fps, High at 99 fps, and Ultra at 62 fps. The Ultra preset here barely exceeds the 60 fps threshold, whereas at 1080p it had 26.8 fps of headroom. The resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p reduces Low settings performance by 28% (211.5 to 151.4).

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor: Low averages 91.9 fps, Medium falls to 77.4 fps, High manages 63.4 fps, and Ultra drops to 37.7 fps. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration below 60 fps at any resolution, confirming that this combo cannot handle maximum settings at 4K. The delta between 1440p High (99 fps) and 4K High (63.4 fps) is 36%, while the delta between 1080p High (140.4 fps) and 4K High (63.4 fps) is 55%, illustrating the exponential cost of resolution scaling.