Downfall

# Downfall with AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a commanding performance profile in Downfall, a 2016 horror title that scales aggressively across resolutions and settings. This combination ranks 109th out of 3,716 tested combos, placing it in the top 3% of all configurations. The measured frame rates reveal a system that remains fluid even at 4K Ultra, though the scaling behavior between settings and resolutions exposes where each component's workload begins and ends.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but not catastrophic, indicating a balanced pairing that shifts from CPU-bound at lower resolutions to GPU-bound at higher ones. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 442 at 1920x1080 to 315 at 2560x1440 — a 28.7% reduction — and then to 196 at 3840x2160, another 37.8% drop from 1440p. This progression shows the GPU becoming the primary limiter as pixel count increases, with the total 4K-to-1080p decline reaching 55.7%.

Medium settings follow a similar trajectory: 361 FPS at 1080p, 258 FPS at 1440p (a 28.5% decrease), and 161 FPS at 4K (a 37.6% decrease from 1440p). High settings show 296 FPS at 1080p, 212 FPS at 1440p (28.4% lower), and 132 FPS at 4K (37.7% lower). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings — roughly 28% from 1080p to 1440p and 38% from 1440p to 4K — suggests the scaling is driven by resolution's pixel-count increase rather than settings-specific bottlenecks.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest resolution scaling: 185 FPS at 1080p drops to 132 FPS at 1440p (28.6% lower), then to 82 FPS at 4K (37.9% lower). The 4K Ultra result of 82 FPS is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset, yet it remains playable, indicating that even the most demanding configuration stays within a functional range. Notably, the 1080p-to-4K drop at Ultra is 55.7%, identical to Low, which implies the resolution penalty is consistent regardless of quality preset.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, a figure that appears more than sufficient for Downfall's demands at all tested settings. The GPU's base clock of 2235 MHz and boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16,384 shading units, deliver the raw compute needed to sustain the high frame rates observed. At 4K Ultra, the 82 FPS average suggests the GPU is heavily loaded, but the absence of min FPS data for Ultra settings leaves the worst-case frame pacing unspecified.

The memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) and the 1.01 TB/s bandwidth correlate with the measured results: at 4K Medium, the GPU sustains 161 FPS with a min of 136 FPS, indicating stable memory throughput even under load. The RTX 4090's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are likely underutilized in this horror title, as Downfall's 2016 release predates widespread ray tracing adoption, but the raw rasterization performance from 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 clearly drives the observed numbers.

The GPU's end-of-life production status and 450 W TDP suggest it operates near its thermal and power limits in sustained 4K sessions, yet the data shows no signs of throttling — the 4K Medium min FPS of 136 against a 161 average implies consistent delivery. The 24 GB frame buffer is never stressed by this game's texture loads, even at Ultra, which explains why resolution scaling follows a predictable pixel-count curve rather than hitting memory capacity walls.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows indicate that High settings offer the most balanced experience across all three resolutions. At 1080p, High delivers 296 FPS — 34.6% lower than Low's 442 FPS but 37.5% higher than Ultra's 185 FPS. At 1440p, High's 212 FPS is 32.7% below Low's 315 FPS and 37.9% above Ultra's 132 FPS. At 4K, High's 132 FPS is 32.7% below Low's 196 FPS and 37.8% above Ultra's 82 FPS. This consistency makes High the predictable middle ground, offering a 37% performance headroom over Ultra while presumably retaining most visual fidelity.

Medium settings provide a compelling alternative for users prioritizing frame rate over visual detail. At 4K, Medium's 161 FPS is 22.0% higher than High's 132 FPS, and the min FPS of 136 at 4K Medium exceeds High's average at the same resolution. The Medium preset's min-to-max range at 4K (136 to 185 FPS) shows tighter frame pacing than the other settings, which only report averages. At 1440p, Medium's 258 FPS with a 219 min and 297 max represents a 35.7% improvement over High's average, making it the best choice for high-refresh-rate displays.

Low settings are unnecessary for this hardware combination except at extreme refresh rates. The 442 FPS at 1080p Low exceeds the capabilities of most monitors, and even 4K Low's 196 FPS is well above typical display refresh rates. Ultra, while playable at 82 FPS average, leaves no headroom for demanding scenes; the lack of min FPS data for Ultra means the worst-case performance is unknown, making it a risky choice for consistent gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 109 out of 3,716 tested configurations places it in the 97.1st percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings in Downfall. This elite standing reflects the synergy between the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's 8-core, 16-thread Zen 5 architecture and the RTX 4090's Ada Lovelace GPU. The CPU's 96 MB of shared L3 cache, a hallmark of the X3D line, likely mitigates memory latency in this title's traversal-heavy horror sequences, while the GPU's raw throughput handles the visual load.

Against its nearest CPU rivals, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's average benchmark score of 39,768 sits within 0.8% of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (40,081) and 0.7% above the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (39,485). The deltaPct values — -0.8% versus the Ryzen 7 7700 and +0.7% against the Ryzen AI 7 450 — indicate these processors are statistically equivalent in synthetic workloads, yet the 9800X3D's 3D V-Cache advantage may manifest more strongly in gaming-specific scenarios like Downfall.

For the GPU, the RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60,347 is virtually tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0% delta) and within 2.9% of the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58,657). This clustering in synthetic benchmarks underscores that the RTX 4090's real-world dominance in Downfall comes from its gaming-specific optimizations rather than raw compute superiority alone. The 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its top-tier status, but the combo's 97.1st percentile game rank suggests the CPU-GPU pairing extracts more performance than either component achieves alone.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a 4.70 GHz base and 5.20 GHz boost clock, provide substantial headroom for Downfall's threading model. The CPU's 96 MB shared L3 cache is the standout feature, likely reducing memory access latency in a game where sudden environmental changes and enemy spawns can cause cache misses. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth from dual-channel DDR5 support ensures the GPU receives data without CPU-side bottlenecks, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p where CPU load is typically highest.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce its capability: Cinebench R23 multicore of 23,230 and single-core of 2,080, Geekbench multicore of 18,696, and PassMark multithread of 40,009. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10,081 and single-thread score of 1,212 indicate balanced scaling across thread counts, which is crucial for a game that may not fully utilize all 16 threads. The PassMark physics score of 4,083 suggests strong computational throughput that keeps the simulation logic from becoming a bottleneck.

At 1080p Low, the 442 FPS average likely approaches the CPU's limit for this game, as the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. The 5.20 GHz boost clock and single-thread performance of 2,080 in Cinebench R23 position the 9800X3D well for Downfall's primary game thread, while the 16 threads handle background tasks and physics. The CPU's 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with a 0.4% deltaPct versus the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS, shows it leads its immediate rivals in synthetic workloads, though the gaming-specific advantage comes from the cache architecture.

FAQ

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

A: The maximum measured average is 442 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This drops to 315 FPS at 2560x1440 Low and 196 FPS at 3840x2160 Low.

Q: Is 4K Ultra playable with the RTX 4090 and Ryzen 7 9800X3D?

A: Yes, the measured average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 82 FPS. While this is the lowest average in the dataset, it remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. No min FPS data is available for Ultra settings.

Q: How much faster is Medium compared to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium averages 258 FPS with a min of 219 and max of 297, while High averages 212 FPS. Medium is 21.7% faster than High at this resolution.

Q: What memory configuration does the RTX 4090 use?

A: The GPU has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1313 MHz, which translates to 21 Gbps effective.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9800X3D compare to the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 39,768, which is 0.8% lower than the Ryzen 7 7700's 40,081. This places them within statistical noise of each other in non-gaming workloads.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average drops from 296 FPS at 1920x1080 to 212 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 132 FPS at 3840x2160. The total decrease from 1080p to 4K is 55.4%.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings spectrum shows a wide performance envelope. Low settings produce 442 FPS average, Medium delivers 361 FPS with a min of 307 and max of 416, High achieves 296 FPS, and Ultra reaches 185 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 257 FPS, representing a 58.1% reduction from the lowest to highest quality preset. The Medium setting's min-to-max range of 109 FPS indicates some scene-dependent variability, but the 361 average is robust.

At 2560x1440, the scaling tightens. Low averages 315 FPS, Medium 258 FPS (min 219, max 297), High 212 FPS, and Ultra 132 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra delta is 183 FPS, a 58.1% drop that mirrors the 1080p pattern. Medium's min FPS of 219 at 1440p is higher than Ultra's average at the same resolution, demonstrating that the Medium preset maintains better frame consistency than the top-tier settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance hierarchy compresses. Low averages 196 FPS, Medium 161 FPS (min 136, max 185), High 132 FPS, and Ultra 82 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra delta is 114 FPS, a 58.2% reduction. At 4K, Medium's min FPS of 136 exceeds High's average of 132, meaning that choosing Medium over High actually provides better worst-case performance while also delivering 22.0% higher average frame rates. The 4K results show this combo remains viable at every setting, though Ultra's 82 FPS average leaves limited headroom for demanding scenes.