Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination delivers a compelling performance profile in Downfall, a 2016 horror title. The benchmark data shows this pairing is capable of high frame rates across all tested resolutions, but the relationship between settings and resolution reveals distinct bottlenecks. This analysis examines the measured FPS data, component roles, and scaling characteristics of this specific combo.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for the highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 366 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. For a more balanced experience, 2560x1440 with High settings yields 174.5 FPS, while 3840x2160 with High settings drops to 109.4 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 245.4 at 1920x1080 to 174.5 at 2560x1440, and finally to 109.4 at 3840x2160. This represents a 55.4% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Which settings preset provides the largest performance jump over Ultra?

A: At 3840x2160, moving from Ultra (71.6 FPS) to High (109.4 FPS) yields a 52.8% increase in average FPS. The jump from Ultra to Medium (137.1 FPS) is even larger at 91.5%.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data shows 71.6 FPS average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered playable, but it is the lowest recorded result in the entire dataset.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D scores 37780 on average benchmarks, placing it 0.1% behind the Intel Xeon 6353P and Intel Core Ultra 5 225. It trails the Intel Core i9-13900HK and Core i5-13600KF by 0.6% and 0.7% respectively.

Q: What is the GPU's standing among all tested graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER sits in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 48704 puts it 0.7% behind the NVIDIA CMP 50HX and 1.6% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A2000.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is built on the Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The processor's 96 MB of shared L3 cache is substantial, likely providing a significant advantage in Downfall's horror gameplay where asset streaming and scene complexity can benefit from large cache pools.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong scaling from single-thread to multi-thread workloads. The 3DMark scores progress from 1212 in single-thread to 8252 in 8-thread and 10081 in 16-thread tests, indicating excellent parallel efficiency. Cinebench R23 results reinforce this, with a multicore score of 34004 versus a single-core score of 4800. This performance is competitive with its nearest rivals, where the average benchmark score of 37780 places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs.

In Downfall, the CPU's role appears most critical at lower resolutions where frame rates are exceptionally high. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 366 FPS, suggesting the processor is keeping up with the GPU's output. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2394 and 4-thread score of 4669 indicate strong single-threaded performance that helps maintain high frame rates in scenarios with limited parallelism. The L3 cache size likely reduces memory latency for frequently accessed game data, which is crucial for a horror title with unpredictable asset loads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER utilizes the AD103 chip on the Ada Lovelace architecture. It operates at a base clock of 2340 MHz with a boost clock of 2610 MHz. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for high-resolution textures. The GPU's 8448 shading units and 66 RT cores suggest it is well-equipped for modern rendering workloads.

The GPU's benchmark results place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 48704 is consistent across various tests, with the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test yielding 5569 and Geekbench OpenCL scoring 223091. The PassMark G3D score of 31811 indicates strong traditional rasterization performance. The GPU's 44.10 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 689.0 GTexel/s texture rate provide ample compute for Downfall's visual effects.

In Downfall, the GPU's influence becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the FPS varies dramatically between Low (167.1) and Ultra (71.6), showing the GPU's workload scaling with visual complexity. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for the game's textures at all tested settings, preventing memory-related bottlenecks. The 672.3 GB/s bandwidth supports the high pixel throughput required at 4K resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data provides 12 unique resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 366 at Low settings to 154.6 at Ultra. Medium settings produce 300.6 FPS, while High settings achieve 245.4 FPS. These results show a clear progression where each settings tier reduces performance by roughly 20-40 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues with Low settings at 264.7 FPS, Medium at 215.3 FPS, High at 174.5 FPS, and Ultra at 112.5 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra widens to 62 FPS, indicating that Ultra settings introduce significant computational overhead. The 4K resolution results show the most pronounced differences: Low settings average 167.1 FPS, Medium 137.1 FPS, High 109.4 FPS, and Ultra 71.6 FPS.

The data reveals that the transition from Medium to High settings costs roughly 18-20% performance at each resolution. Moving from High to Ultra is more expensive, with 1080p dropping 37% and 1440p dropping 35.5%. At 4K, the High to Ultra transition results in a 34.5% performance decrease. These consistent patterns suggest the Ultra preset adds features that disproportionately impact the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

Resolution scaling analysis shows how the system's workload shifts between components. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, FPS drops from 245.4 to 174.5, a 28.9% reduction. The subsequent jump to 3840x2160 reduces FPS further to 109.4, a 37.3% drop from 1440p. This acceleration in performance loss at higher resolutions indicates the GPU becomes increasingly the limiting factor.

At Low settings, the scaling is more dramatic: 366 FPS at 1080p drops to 264.7 FPS at 1440p (27.7% reduction), then to 167.1 FPS at 4K (36.9% reduction from 1440p). The absolute FPS values at 1080p Low are high enough that the CPU's frame generation capability may be near its limit. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10081 and PassMark multithread score of 40009 suggest the processor can handle these frame rates.

The scaling pattern indicates that at 1080p, the system is partially CPU-bound, as evidenced by the high FPS at Low settings (366). As resolution increases, the GPU's pixel processing becomes the dominant constraint. The consistent 35-37% performance penalty when moving from 1440p to 4K across all settings suggests the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary limiting factors at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the most balanced experience appears to be High settings at 2560x1440, which achieves 174.5 FPS. This provides a smooth frame rate while maintaining visual quality. At 1920x1080, High settings at 245.4 FPS would be suitable for high-refresh-rate displays, offering excellent responsiveness without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

For 4K gaming, High settings at 109.4 FPS represents the best compromise between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 71.6 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced horror gameplay but risks noticeable frame pacing issues. Medium settings at 4K (137.1 FPS) could be considered if higher frame rates are preferred over maximum visual detail.

The data suggests that Ultra settings provide diminishing returns. At every resolution, the performance cost of moving from High to Ultra (37% at 1080p, 35.5% at 1440p, 34.5% at 4K) is significant relative to the visual improvements likely gained. Players seeking maximum frame rates should consider Medium settings, which offer 300.6 FPS at 1080p and 137.1 FPS at 4K, both representing excellent performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER combination ranks 179th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 10.3% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the strong performance demonstrated across all resolution and settings combinations. The combo's ability to maintain above 100 FPS at 4K High settings and above 150 FPS at 1080p Ultra indicates a well-balanced pairing.

The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all graphics cards suggest both components are performing near the top of their respective categories. The combination's rank of 179 out of 1741 is consistent with these individual strengths, as the CPU's high multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multicore score of 34004) complements the GPU's substantial compute capabilities (44.10 TFLOPS FP32).

The data indicates this combo is particularly effective at 1440p and 4K resolutions, where the GPU's 16 GB VRAM and 672.3 GB/s bandwidth provide sufficient resources for high-quality rendering. The CPU's 96 MB L3 cache likely helps maintain consistent frame delivery in Downfall's horror scenarios, where sudden asset loads can otherwise cause stuttering. This ranking suggests the combo is well-suited for players seeking high refresh rates at 1440p or smooth 4K gameplay with adjusted settings.