Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (launch MSRP $549) paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (launch MSRP 329 USD) was measured in Downfall, a 2016 horror title. The data set includes average FPS at three resolutions and four quality presets, plus a combo rank of 1401 out of 1741 tested combinations. This pairing combines a high-end 12-core CPU with a mid-range GPU, and the results reveal where the bottleneck lies.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS shows a clear downward trend as resolution increases, but the shape of that curve varies by preset. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 172.5 at 1920x1080 to 122.6 at 2560x1440 and then to 77.4 at 3840x2160. That is a drop of 49.9 FPS from 1080p to 1440p, and another 45.2 FPS from 1440p to 4K. The step between 1440p and 4K is slightly smaller in absolute terms, but the relative loss is similar. At High settings, the progression is 119.5 → 85.8 → 49.6, a drop of 33.7 FPS then 36.2 FPS. At Ultra, the numbers are 71.6 → 50.4 → 35.9, with a 21.2 FPS drop then a 14.5 FPS drop. The pattern suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, because the CPU is far more powerful than the GPU in this pairing. At 1080p, the FPS is high enough that the CPU can feed the GPU without constraint, but as pixel count increases, the GPU's workload grows and FPS falls accordingly. The fact that even Low settings at 4K only reach 77.4 FPS, while 1080p Low hits 172.5, indicates that the GPU's compute and memory resources are saturated at 4K. The scaling is not linear; the drop from 1440p to 4K is proportionally larger at High and Ultra than at Low, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario where higher settings add more shading and texture work.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1626 MHz, boost clock 2491 MHz, and game clock 2044 MHz. The GPU's average benchmark score is 25235, placing it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the AMD Radeon 890M scores 25246 (deltaPct 0), the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP scores 25287 (deltaPct -0.2), the AMD Radeon RX 6700M scores 25180 (deltaPct 0.2), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 25120 (deltaPct 0.5). This means the RX 6600 is essentially tied with these cards in general compute performance. In Downfall, the GPU's limitations become obvious at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 35.9. That is below the 60 FPS threshold, and even at 4K High it only reaches 49.6. The 8 GB VRAM may be sufficient for this game, but the memory bandwidth of 224 GB/s is likely a constraint at high resolutions and settings. The boost clock of 2491 MHz is high, but the GPU's raw throughput (8.928 TFLOPS FP32) is what limits the frame rate. The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this combo, especially at 1440p and 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 7000 series, based on Zen 4 (Raphael) architecture. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with 64 MB of shared L3 cache. Its average benchmark score is 50556, which places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 (avgScore 50598, deltaPct -0.1), the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT (50738, -0.4), the Intel Core i7-13850HX (50827, -0.5), and the Intel Core i9-13980HX (50944, -0.8). The CPU is only 0.1% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, making it effectively a peer. In Downfall, the CPU's high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6168) likely helps maintain high frame rates at 1080p, where the GPU is not fully stressed. The measured 172.5 FPS at 1080p Low is well above typical display refresh rates, indicating that the CPU can drive the GPU effectively. At 4K, the FPS drops to 77.4 at Low, which is still playable, but the drop is entirely attributable to the GPU. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 43695) are not fully utilized in this horror game, which likely relies on fewer threads. The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this combo; it provides ample headroom for the GPU to be the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1401 out of 1741 tested combinations in Downfall. This places it in the lower 20% of all tested pairings. Given that the CPU is in the 93rd percentile and the GPU is in the 69th percentile, the low rank is clearly driven by the GPU's modest performance relative to the CPU. The GPU's average benchmark score of 25235 is close to its nearest rivals, but the CPU's high score does not compensate for the GPU's limitations in this game. Many other CPU-GPU combinations deliver higher FPS in Downfall, likely because they pair a similarly strong CPU with a more capable GPU. The rank of 1401 means that 1400 combos perform better, and only 340 perform worse. This is a significant underperformance for a system with a top-tier CPU. The data implies that the GPU is the weak link, and that upgrading the GPU would yield a much larger improvement than upgrading the CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 71.6.

Q: How does the CPU's average benchmark score compare to the Intel Core Ultra 5 235?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X scores 50556, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 235's 50598.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the combo's rank in Downfall?

A: The combo ranks 1401 out of 1741 tested combinations.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded?

A: The highest average FPS is 172.5, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded?

A: The lowest average FPS is 35.9, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 49.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 77.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 64.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 35.9 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 85.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 122.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 104 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 50.4 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 119.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 172.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 144.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 71.6 |

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows show that the best balance between visual quality and frame rate depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, High settings deliver 119.5 FPS, which is smooth and well above 60 FPS, while Ultra still achieves 71.6 FPS, making it a viable choice for those who prioritize fidelity. At 2560x1440, Medium settings provide 104 FPS, and High settings give 85.8 FPS, both comfortably above 60 FPS; Ultra drops to 50.4 FPS, which may be acceptable for some but is below the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, only Low (77.4 FPS) and Medium (64.7 FPS) exceed 60 FPS; High (49.6) and Ultra (35.9) are not recommended for smooth gameplay. For a 60 FPS target, the data suggests that 1440p High (85.8 FPS) is the sweet spot, offering a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a comfortable frame rate. If 4K is the goal, Medium settings at 64.7 FPS is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS. For those with a 1080p display, High settings at 119.5 FPS provide a large margin over the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra at 71.6 FPS is still playable. The data indicates that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at 4K Ultra, so users should avoid that preset unless they accept sub-60 FPS.