Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination delivers exceptional performance in Downfall, a 2016 horror title that clearly favors high refresh rate displays. The data shows this pairing is capable of maintaining triple-digit frame rates even at 4K with high settings, while at 1080p it pushes well beyond what most monitors can display. This analysis breaks down how the resolution, GPU, and CPU each contribute to the overall experience, and where the bottlenecks appear.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a predictable yet pronounced scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 394.5 FPS, which drops to 283.2 FPS at 1440p and further to 178.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a 55% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary scaling factor as pixel count increases. The pattern holds across all settings presets, though the percentage drops vary.

With High settings, the frame rates are 268 FPS at 1080p, 190.6 FPS at 1440p, and 116.5 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is 56.5%, nearly identical to the Low preset. This consistency suggests that the rendering workload scales linearly with resolution regardless of the graphics preset. At Medium settings, the figures are 322.9 FPS, 230.3 FPS, and 144.9 FPS respectively, showing a 55.1% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

The Ultra preset tells a slightly different story. It starts at 168.2 FPS at 1080p, drops to 117 FPS at 1440p, and falls to 74.5 FPS at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 4K here is 55.7%, but the absolute numbers are much lower across the board. This indicates that Ultra settings impose a significant additional GPU load beyond just resolution scaling. The 4K Ultra result of 74.5 FPS is the only measured configuration that dips below the 100 FPS threshold, suggesting that this is where the GPU finally becomes the limiting factor.

The data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, even the most demanding preset remains highly playable. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 226.3 FPS, while at 4K that gap narrows to 103.6 FPS. This narrowing gap at higher resolutions reinforces that the GPU is the dominant constraint at 4K, while at lower resolutions the CPU has more headroom to push frame rates higher.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, along with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The GPU has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz. Memory duties are handled by 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's performance percentile ranks at 88 among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, which scores 53489, a delta of only 0.2%. The RTX 4080 SUPER also sits just 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M and 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti trails by 2.9% with a score of 52086.

In Downfall, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the 74.5 FPS result shows the GPU being pushed hard, while at 4K Low the 178.1 FPS indicates the GPU still has substantial headroom. The memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s appears sufficient for this game, as the frame rates do not show signs of memory-related stuttering or bottlenecks. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than adequate for a game from 2016, even at 4K with Ultra settings.

The boost clock of 2550 MHz is relatively high, and the data suggests that the GPU maintains its performance envelope consistently across the measured presets. The pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed to sustain high frame rates. The FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS gives this GPU ample compute headroom for the horror game's rendering demands.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a Zen 5 architecture processor built on a 4 nm process, codenamed Granite Ridge. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth.

The CPU ranks at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37780. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6353P at 37811 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 at 37831 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i9-13900HK at 38020 (0.6% higher), and the Intel Core i5-13600KF at 38028 (0.7% higher). This puts the 9800X3D in a tightly contested performance band, though its gaming-oriented design with the large L3 cache is well suited for Downfall.

In single-threaded workloads, the CPU scores 1212 in 3DMark, 483 in Cinebench R15, 2016 in R20, and 4800 in R23. Multi-threaded scores show 10081 in 3DMark 16 threads, 3427 in Cinebench R15 multicore, 14281 in R20, and 34004 in R23. The Geekbench single-core score is 3341, while multicore is 18413. These numbers indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for a game that may not scale perfectly across all 16 threads.

The CPU's role in Downfall becomes evident when examining the frame rates at 1080p. At Low settings, the 394.5 FPS result suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough frames to hit very high rates. The fact that this drops to 268 FPS at High settings and 168.2 FPS at Ultra shows that the game's settings also affect CPU workload, likely through draw calls and physics calculations. The 96 MB L3 cache likely helps maintain consistent frame pacing in a horror game with unpredictable scene changes.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Downfall with this combo?*

A: The data shows that 1440p High is the sweet spot, delivering 190.6 FPS with plenty of headroom. At 4K High, the combo still achieves 116.5 FPS, making it viable for high refresh rate 4K monitors, but 1440p offers a more comfortable margin above the 144 FPS threshold.

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

A: Across all settings presets, the frame rate drops by approximately 55-57% when going from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings it goes from 394.5 to 178.1 FPS, at Medium from 322.9 to 144.9, at High from 268 to 116.5, and at Ultra from 168.2 to 74.5.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER the limiting factor at 4K?

A: Yes, the data indicates this. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls to 74.5 FPS, which is the lowest measured result. The GPU's benchmark percentile of 88 and its close rivalry with the RX 6900 XT (0.2% delta) suggest that pushing 4K Ultra in this game is a heavy GPU workload.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9800X3D compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The 9800X3D scores 37780 on average, which is within 1% of the Intel Core i5-13600KF (38028, 0.7% higher) and Intel Core i9-13900HK (38020, 0.6% higher). It trails the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 by 0.1% and the Intel Xeon 6353P by 0.1%.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: It can run it, but at 74.5 FPS, which is below the 100 FPS mark that many gamers prefer. For a smoother experience at 4K, the High preset at 116.5 FPS is the better choice based on the measured data.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low produces 283.2 FPS while Ultra produces 117 FPS. This is a difference of 166.2 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset imposes a significant performance cost over the Low preset.

How This Combo Ranks

In Downfall, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination ranks 115 out of 1741 tested combos. This places it in the top 6.6% of all tested configurations, which is an impressive showing for a horror game that does not necessarily demand the absolute highest-end hardware. The rank of 115 out of 1741 means that this combo outperforms roughly 1626 other pairings tested in this game.

The ranking reflects the synergy between the CPU and GPU. The 9800X3D's 90th percentile CPU performance and the RTX 4080 SUPER's 88th percentile GPU performance combine to create a system that excels in Downfall. The high CPU rank ensures that the processor rarely becomes a bottleneck, while the GPU's strong performance at 4K and above maintains high frame rates even at demanding settings.

The combo's rank is particularly notable given the game's age. Downfall was released in 2016, and the data suggests that modern high-end hardware can significantly over-deliver on frame rates. The fact that this combo still ranks in the top 115 out of 1741 indicates that there are plenty of more powerful combinations tested, but for practical gaming purposes, this pairing is more than sufficient to crush the game's requirements.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. For 4K displays, the High preset at 116.5 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience while sacrificing some visual fidelity compared to Ultra. The Ultra preset at 74.5 FPS is playable but falls below the 100 FPS threshold that many gamers consider ideal, making it less desirable unless visual maximums are prioritized over frame rate.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 230.3 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate monitors. However, the High preset at 190.6 FPS is the better balance, as it provides higher visual quality while still maintaining frame rates well above 144 FPS. The Ultra preset at 117 FPS is also viable for 1440p displays with 120 Hz refresh rates, though it does not leave much headroom.

For 1080p, the High preset at 268 FPS is the standout choice. The Medium preset at 322.9 FPS is unnecessary for most displays, as 268 FPS already exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all monitors. The Ultra preset at 168.2 FPS is also excellent for 1080p, making it the best option for those who want maximum visual quality at this resolution without sacrificing frame rate.

The Low preset is not recommended at any resolution, as the visual quality trade-off is substantial for frame rates that exceed display capabilities. The Medium preset can be considered at 4K (144.9 FPS) if higher frame rates are preferred over High's visual improvements, but the High preset remains the best overall compromise between image quality and performance across all three resolutions.