Downfall

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using TSMC's 4 nm process. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.20 GHz, combined with a large 96 MB shared L3 cache, position it as a desktop part designed for high-throughput workloads. The processor sits in the 90th percentile among all CPUs tested in the database, with an average benchmark score of 37780. Its nearest rivals in aggregate performance are the Intel Xeon 6353P (37811, -0.1% delta), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (37831, -0.1%), Intel Core i9-13900HK (38020, -0.6%), and Intel Core i5-13600KF (38028, -0.7%) — all within a single percentage point, indicating the 9800X3D is at parity with these parts in general compute, though its gaming-specific advantage comes from the 3D V-Cache architecture that the benchmark averages do not fully capture.

In Downfall, a horror title released in 2016, the CPU's role is primarily about maintaining frame pacing and avoiding bottlenecks at high frame rates. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo delivers 313.2 FPS average, which is a frame rate where CPU throughput becomes increasingly relevant. The 9800X3D's single-thread performance — evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4800 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3341 — ensures that the game's primary simulation thread is not the limiting factor, even when the GPU is pushed to very high output levels. The 8-core/16-thread configuration also provides headroom for background tasks and any secondary threads the game may spawn, though Downfall is not a title known for heavy multi-threading given its era.

# Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS rows across four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) and three resolutions (1080p, 1440p, 4K) provide a clear picture of how this combo scales. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 131.9 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay on most displays. The High preset at 1080p yields 211.2 FPS, while Medium reaches 256 FPS and Low tops out at 313.2 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs roughly 79 FPS (from 211.2 to 131.9), which is a 37.5% drop — a substantial penalty for the visual uplift that Ultra provides over High. Given that High at 1080p still exceeds 200 FPS, this preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as the frame rate headroom is already far beyond what most 60 Hz or 144 Hz displays can use.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 152.4 FPS average, which comfortably exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates. The Medium preset at 1440p reaches 182 FPS, while Ultra drops to 91 FPS — still playable but below high-refresh thresholds. The 4K Ultra preset produces 59.5 FPS, which is near the 60 FPS baseline but not consistently above it, making it a marginal choice for strict 60 FPS locks. The 4K High preset, however, delivers 93.9 FPS, which is a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The data suggests that High settings provide the most consistent experience across all resolutions, as it maintains frame rates above 90 FPS even at 4K, while Ultra only manages 59.5 FPS at that resolution. For users prioritizing frame rate stability over maximum visual quality, High is the recommended preset, as it avoids the steep performance cliff seen when moving from High to Ultra at every resolution tested.

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

The resolution scaling pattern reveals where the bottleneck shifts between CPU and GPU. At Low settings, the frame rates are 313.2 FPS at 1080p, 225.8 FPS at 1440p, and 141.9 FPS at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is 87.4 FPS (27.9% drop), and from 1440p to 4K is 83.9 FPS (37.2% drop). At Low settings, the GPU is still capable of very high output, but the scaling is not perfectly linear with pixel count — the 4K resolution (which has 4x the pixels of 1080p) does not result in a 4x frame rate reduction, indicating that the CPU is beginning to limit at lower settings, particularly at 1080p where the 313.2 FPS figure approaches the practical ceiling for many game engines.

At Ultra settings, the frame rates are 131.9 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 59.5 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 40.9 FPS (31.0% reduction), and from 1440p to 4K is 31.5 FPS (34.6% reduction). This pattern is more consistent with a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load scales more predictably with pixel count. The fact that the percentage drops are similar between Low and Ultra settings when moving from 1440p to 4K (37.2% vs. 34.6%) suggests that at 4K, the RTX 4070 is the primary limiting component regardless of preset. However, at 1080p, the difference between Low (313.2 FPS) and Ultra (131.9 FPS) is 181.3 FPS — a 57.9% reduction — which shows that the GPU's workload scales significantly with settings, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom to feed the GPU even at Low settings where the frame rate is highest.

The data indicates that at 1080p Low, the combo approaches a CPU-bound state (313.2 FPS), but at 4K Ultra (59.5 FPS), the GPU is firmly the bottleneck. The mid-point at 1440p High (152.4 FPS) represents a balanced configuration where both components contribute meaningfully to the final frame rate, though the GPU still holds the upper hand in determining overall performance.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a rank of 402 out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 23.1% of all system configurations tested for this game, which is a strong showing given the GPU's position in the broader graphics landscape. The RTX 4070 sits in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, -0.6% delta), NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38008, -1.9%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, -2.2%), and AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36371, +2.5% delta). This means the RTX 4070 is statistically indistinguishable from the RX Vega 56 in aggregate benchmarks, though the architectural differences (Ada Lovelace vs. older GCN) manifest differently in specific workloads.

The combo rank of 402 out of 1741 suggests that many other configurations — likely those pairing higher-end GPUs with similarly strong CPUs — outperform this setup in Downfall. However, given that the RTX 4070 is a mid-range to upper-mid-range GPU (with the launch MSRP of 599 USD), achieving a top-quartile rank in a demanding horror title is notable. The CPU's 90th percentile standing and the GPU's 81st percentile standing combine to produce a system that outperforms roughly 77% of all tested combos in this game. The gap between the CPU's percentile (90) and the GPU's percentile (81) indicates that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis showing GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions and settings.

# FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 313.2 at 1080p with Low settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 131.9 FPS, showing a substantial performance cost for maximum visual quality.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 59.5, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. For a more comfortable margin, 4K High settings deliver 93.9 FPS average, which is well above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest benchmark rival?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507, a delta of -0.6%. This indicates near-parity in aggregate benchmarks, though game-specific performance can differ.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all tested processors?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37780. Its closest rival, the Intel Xeon 6353P, scores 37811, a delta of -0.1%.

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

A: The 1440p High preset delivers 152.4 FPS average, which exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates while maintaining high visual quality. This offers more headroom than 4K High (93.9 FPS) and better quality than 1080p Ultra (131.9 FPS) with similar performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The frame rates scale consistently with pixel count at this resolution (from 141.9 FPS at Low to 59.5 FPS at Ultra), indicating GPU-bound behavior, whereas at 1080p Low (313.2 FPS), the CPU begins to play a more significant role in limiting performance.