Downfall

# Downfall with AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti

The benchmark data for Downfall reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet demonstrates remarkable headroom at 1080p where the CPU's capabilities come into sharper focus. The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D, an 8-core/16-thread Zen 5 part with a 96 MB shared L3 cache, paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (16 GB GDDR7, 896.0 GB/s bandwidth), produces a wide spread of frame rates across the measured matrix—from a demanding 70 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 376 FPS at 1080p Low. The data suggests this combo ranks 384th out of 3,716 tested combinations in this game, placing it comfortably in the top tier of performers.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is stark and revealing. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 252 FPS at 1920x1080 to 180 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 112 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 55.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings, a pattern that strongly indicates the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases. The scaling is not linear—the jump from 1440p to 4K costs 68 FPS (a 37.8% drop), while the move from 1080p to 1440p costs 72 FPS (a 28.6% drop). This non-linear degradation is typical of a graphics card that is being pushed toward its limits at 4K, where the 16 GB GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth are fully exercised.

At Low settings, the pattern intensifies. The 1080p result of 376 FPS drops to 269 FPS at 1440p (a 28.5% decrease) and then to 167 FPS at 4K (a 38% decrease from 1440p). The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate falls below 170 FPS suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti's raw compute—43.94 TFLOPS FP32—is the limiting factor at that resolution, rather than any CPU constraint. Conversely, the 1080p Low result of 376 FPS hints that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is capable of feeding the GPU at very high frame rates, but the GPU still cannot exceed that ceiling.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling: 158 FPS at 1080p, 113 FPS at 1440p, and just 70 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest in the entire dataset, and the 55.7% drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra mirrors the High setting trend, reinforcing that resolution is the dominant variable. The data implies that at 4K Ultra, the RTX 5070 Ti is nearly saturated, leaving little room for higher fidelity without compromising frame rate.

GPU Role

The RTX 5070 Ti's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth, appears sufficient for Downfall's demands across all measured settings. The fact that 4K Ultra still achieves 70 FPS, rather than collapsing to unplayable levels, indicates that VRAM capacity is not being exhausted—a 16 GB buffer is clearly ample for this horror title, even at 4K with maximum settings. The memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) and the 256-bit bus width combine to produce that 896.0 GB/s figure, which likely prevents any memory-bandwidth-related stuttering in the measured frames.

Clock speeds matter here. The GPU's base clock of 2295 MHz and boost clock of 2452 MHz are relatively modest for a high-end card, yet the benchmark results show strong performance. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,604 and Passmark G3D score of 32,974 place this GPU in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, which aligns with the observed frame rates. The geometry throughput—235.4 GPixel/s pixel rate and 686.6 GTexel/s texture rate—directly supports the 4K Medium result of 137 FPS (with a minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 157 FPS), where the card demonstrates it can maintain playable performance even when pixel fill becomes demanding.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks—AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (0.1% lower average score), Intel Arc A550M (0.4% higher), AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (2% lower), and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (3.1% higher)—suggest that the RTX 5070 Ti sits in a competitive performance band. However, in Downfall specifically, the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (70 FPS) versus 4K High (112 FPS) shows a 37.5% penalty for the Ultra preset, indicating that the GPU's shading units (8,960) and ray tracing cores (70) are heavily taxed by the higher-quality effects.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows suggest that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across resolutions. At 4K Medium, the system delivers 137 FPS average with a 116 FPS minimum and 157 FPS maximum, which is a far more consistent performance envelope than the High preset's 112 FPS (with no min/max recorded) or Ultra's 70 FPS. The tight min-max spread at Medium—a 41 FPS range—indicates stable frame pacing that would be preferable for a horror game where sudden stutters can break immersion.

At 1440p, Medium again shines with 220 FPS average (min 187, max 253), a 66 FPS range that still allows for high refresh rate displays without the volatility that might accompany the Ultra preset's 113 FPS. For 1080p users, Medium's 308 FPS (min 262, max 354) is nearly identical in consistency to the 1440p result, making it the recommended choice for competitive or high-refresh play.

The High preset, while offering better visual quality, sacrifices significant frame rate: at 4K it drops to 112 FPS (20% lower than Medium), and at 1440p to 180 FPS (18.2% lower). The Ultra preset, at 70 FPS 4K and 113 FPS 1440p, is only advisable for players who prioritize maximum fidelity over frame rate stability—the data shows it is the only preset that dips below 100 FPS at any resolution, which may be problematic for a genre that relies on smooth motion for atmosphere. Low settings, while achieving 376 FPS at 1080p and 167 FPS at 4K, likely strip away too much visual detail, making Medium the sweet spot.

FAQ

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Downfall?

A: Yes, the data shows playable frame rates at 4K across all settings, from 70 FPS at Ultra to 167 FPS at Low. The 4K Medium result of 137 FPS with a 116 FPS minimum is particularly strong for 4K play.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is still the primary limiter even at 1080p. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads, with a 4.70 GHz base and 5.60 GHz boost, likely have headroom, but the RTX 5070 Ti caps frame rates—the 1080p Low result of 376 FPS is likely near the GPU's maximum output.

Q: How much VRAM does Downfall use at 4K Ultra?

A: The 16 GB GDDR7 memory on the RTX 5070 Ti is not reported as exhausted in any measured row. The 4K Ultra result of 70 FPS indicates the GPU's compute, not VRAM capacity, is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the best setting for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 1440p, both Medium (220 FPS) and High (180 FPS) exceed 144 FPS, so either works. At 4K, only Medium (137 FPS) comes close to 144, while High (112 FPS) falls short.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of frame rate cost?

A: The Ultra preset costs significant performance: at 4K, it drops from 112 FPS (High) to 70 FPS, a 37.5% reduction. At 1080p, it drops from 252 FPS to 158 FPS, a 37.3% reduction.

Q: Does the 96 MB L3 cache on the CPU affect gaming performance here?

A: The data cannot isolate the cache's impact directly, but the CPU's benchmark scores—including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,807 and single-core of 2,228—place it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs, suggesting ample processing headroom for this game.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D's contribution to these results is best understood through its synthetic benchmarks and the frame rates at lower resolutions where CPU load is relatively higher. With 8 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 4.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, this Zen 5 part (Granite Ridge, 4 nm process) delivers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22,807 and single-core of 2,228. The Passmark multi-thread score of 41,318 and single-thread of 4,704 further characterize its capability, with the CPU ranking in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs.

The 96 MB shared L3 cache is notable for gaming, and the data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 376 FPS—a frame rate that likely tests the CPU's ability to feed draw calls and game logic. The fact that this is the highest measured FPS in the dataset, and that 1080p Medium achieves 308 FPS, suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor even at these high frame rates. The nearest CPU rivals in average benchmark score—Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (0.1% higher), Intel Xeon w5-2545 (0.2% lower), Intel Core i9-14900 (0.5% lower), and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 (0.7% higher)—are all within a narrow band, indicating that the 9850X3D is well-matched to contemporary high-end processors.

At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes further. The frame rate differences between settings (70 FPS Ultra, 112 FPS High, 137 FPS Medium, 167 FPS Low) are driven by GPU workload, not CPU. The CPU's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR5 support are sufficient to keep the GPU fed, especially given the game's 2016 release date, which likely does not stress modern high-core-count processors. The Ryzen 7's 4 nm process and 8,315 million transistors suggest efficiency, but in Downfall, the data indicates the CPU is rarely the bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured dataset provides a clear picture of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 376 FPS at Low, 308 FPS at Medium (min 262, max 354), 252 FPS at High, and 158 FPS at Ultra. The step from Low to Medium costs 68 FPS (18.1% reduction), Medium to High costs 56 FPS (18.2% reduction), and High to Ultra costs 94 FPS (37.3% reduction). The Ultra preset's disproportionate penalty suggests heavy reliance on effects that tax the GPU's shading units and RT cores.

At 2560x1440, the results are 269 FPS at Low, 220 FPS at Medium (min 187, max 253), 180 FPS at High, and 113 FPS at Ultra. The percentage reductions between presets are consistent: Low to Medium is 18.2%, Medium to High is 18.2%, and High to Ultra is 37.2%. This consistency across 1080p and 1440p indicates that the GPU's relative performance characteristics are stable until 4K.

At 3840x2160, the numbers compress: 167 FPS at Low, 137 FPS at Medium (min 116, max 157), 112 FPS at High, and 70 FPS at Ultra. Here, Low to Medium costs 18% (30 FPS), Medium to High costs 18.2% (25 FPS), but High to Ultra costs 37.5% (42 FPS). The 4K Ultra result of 70 FPS is the only sub-100 FPS figure in the entire dataset, and the 4K Medium min of 116 FPS indicates that even at lower presets, the GPU maintains a solid floor. The min/max data for Medium settings—116/157 at 4K, 187/253 at 1440p, and 262/354 at 1080p—shows that frame time consistency improves as resolution decreases, with the 1080p spread (92 FPS) being the widest absolute range but the smallest relative to the average.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 384th out of 3,716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 10.3% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates across all resolution and settings combinations, with no sub-30 FPS results and only one sub-100 FPS result (4K Ultra at 70 FPS). The rank is notable given the CPU's 92nd percentile standing and the GPU's 86th percentile, suggesting that the pairing is well-balanced for this particular game.

The gap between this combo's rank and its component percentiles implies that Downfall is not particularly demanding on either component in absolute terms—the game's 2016 release date means it likely does not utilize the latest features like ray tracing or mesh shaders, which would otherwise penalize older titles. The 3,716-combo pool includes many lower-end systems, so a top-10% rank is expected for this hardware, but the data shows it does not reach the absolute top tier, likely because the RTX 5070 Ti's 70 RT cores and 43.94 TFLOPS are overkill for this title, and the CPU's 96 MB L3 cache provides diminishing returns at frame rates above 300 FPS.

The rank also suggests that other combos with faster GPUs (e.g., RTX 5080 or 5090) would score higher, but the data only includes this specific pairing. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (376 FPS) is likely near the ceiling for what this CPU-GPU pair can achieve, and the 4K Ultra result (70 FPS) shows that even this high-end system is not immune to the demands of maximum settings at 4K. Overall, the combo provides a strong, consistent experience that would satisfy most players, with the caveat that 4K Ultra is the only setting where frame rates approach the lower bounds of what is typically considered acceptable for smooth gameplay.