Downfall

FAQ

Q: What is the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX's position among all CPUs?

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX sits in the 95th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 76212. Its closest rival is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, which scores 76155, a 0.1% difference; the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D trails by 0.6% at 75779.

Q: How does the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648 and ranks in the 81st percentile. The NVIDIA Tesla P4 is essentially tied at 37628 (0.1% higher), while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507 (0.4% higher); the RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% ahead at 38135.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Downfall?

A: The highest average FPS is 226, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next-best is 185 FPS at 1080p Medium, then 162 FPS at 2560x1440 Low.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded?

A: The lowest average is 42 FPS, observed at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. The second-lowest is 67 FPS at 4K High, indicating a steep drop at the highest resolution and preset.

Q: How does the combo rank in this game among all tested combos?

A: The combo ranks 2035th out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the database. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance and the GPU's mid-range standing.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 have a launch MSRP?

A: Yes, the launch MSRP is 599 USD. This figure is stated once for reference; the data elsewhere focuses solely on performance metrics.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and houses 5888 shading units. Its base clock is 1920 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. These specifications indicate a GPU designed for high-throughput rendering, which is directly relevant to Downfall's horror atmosphere where texture detail and lighting effects dominate.

In Downfall, the GPU's role becomes increasingly evident as resolution rises. At 1920x1080, the RTX 4070 produces 226 FPS on Low, but the frame rate drops to 152 FPS on High — a 32.7% reduction. This scaling suggests that even at 1080p, higher settings place meaningful load on the GPU's shading and texture units. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor: the average FPS on Ultra falls to 42, which is less than one-fifth of the 1080p Low result. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's needs at all tested settings, as no memory-related stutters or anomalies appear in the measured data; the frame drops are consistent with compute and bandwidth limits rather than capacity constraints.

The GPU's pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s provide context for these results. At 4K, the pixel throughput requirement quadruples compared to 1080p, and the measured FPS drop from 226 to 101 on Low (a 55.3% reduction) aligns with this increased demand. The RTX 4070's 64 ROPs and 184 TMUs handle the workload, but the data shows diminishing returns as resolution climbs. The benchmark scores reinforce this: the passmark G3D score of 26927 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854 indicate a GPU that performs well but is not top-tier, which matches its 81st percentile ranking.

Resolution Scaling

Examining the FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck shifts. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 226 at 1920x1080 to 162 at 2560x1440 (a 28.3% drop) and then to 101 at 3840x2160 (a 37.7% drop from 1440p). This steady decline indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint even at Low settings, as the CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads are unlikely to be saturated by a horror game's typical draw calls.

At High settings, the scaling is steeper: 152 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1440p (a 29.0% drop), and 67 FPS at 4K (a 38.0% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the game's rendering pipeline scales linearly with pixel count, which is characteristic of GPU-bound workloads. The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 95 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p (a 28.4% drop), and 42 FPS at 4K (a 38.2% drop from 1440p). The uniformity of these drops — all in the 28-38% range — points to a predictable resolution scaling behavior.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts based on resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the 226 FPS average suggests the CPU may become a secondary factor, as the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can feed it. However, the CPU's strong single-thread score (6030 in Cinebench R23) and multi-thread score (42713 in R23) mean this is unlikely to cause severe frame pacing issues; the measured minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 157, which remains playable. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck, with the 42 FPS average being far below what the CPU's performance would allow if it were the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 2035th out of 3716 tested combinations in Downfall. This places it in the 54.8th percentile of all combos, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of the database. The rank is influenced by both components: the CPU ranks in the 95th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 81st percentile. The combination's overall rank being lower than either component's individual percentile suggests that Downfall's performance is more sensitive to GPU capabilities than CPU strengths.

Comparing to the CPU's nearest rivals, the Ryzen 9 8945HX's average score of 76212 is essentially tied with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (76155, 0.1% ahead) and the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P (76492, 0.4% behind). This means that swapping to a rival CPU would produce negligible changes in Downfall's frame rates, as the game is unlikely to be CPU-bound at most settings. The GPU's nearest rivals tell a similar story: the Tesla P4 (37628) and RX Vega 56 (37507) are within 0.4% of the RTX 4070's score, while the RTX 4080 Mobile is only 1.3% ahead. These small deltas indicate that the combo's rank is stable within a narrow band of similar hardware.

The rank of 2035 suggests that while this combo is capable of playable frame rates at most settings, it does not reach the upper echelons of the database. For a 4K Ultra experience, the 42 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider smooth, which likely contributes to the mid-pack ranking. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the 226 FPS average would place this combo among top performers for competitive play, but the game's horror genre does not demand such high frame rates, so the rank reflects a balance across all tested configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions and four settings, providing a comprehensive view of performance. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 226 (Low) to 95 (Ultra). The Medium setting yields 185 FPS with a minimum of 157 and maximum of 213, indicating good frame consistency. High produces 152 FPS, while Ultra drops to 95 FPS — a 58.0% reduction from Low, showing that the Ultra preset imposes significant additional load.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 162 (Low), 132 (Medium), 108 (High), and 68 (Ultra). The Medium setting shows a minimum of 112 and maximum of 152, maintaining a 40 FPS spread. The drop from Low to Ultra is 58.0% again (from 162 to 68), mirroring the 1080p scaling pattern. This consistency suggests that the Ultra preset adds a fixed percentage of workload regardless of resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 101 (Low), 82 (Medium), 67 (High), and 42 (Ultra). The Medium setting's minimum of 70 and maximum of 95 show a tighter spread than at lower resolutions, likely due to the GPU being more consistently saturated. The drop from Low to Ultra is 58.4% (from 101 to 42), nearly identical to the other resolutions. This uniform percentage drop across all resolutions indicates that the Ultra preset's additional effects (likely shadow quality, reflections, and post-processing) scale proportionally with pixel count.

The most notable finding is the 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. Even 4K High at 67 FPS is only marginally above 60. At 1440p, the Ultra setting at 68 FPS is similarly borderline. The 1080p Ultra at 95 FPS is comfortable, while 1080p Medium at 185 FPS offers significant headroom. The data shows no min or max FPS values for most configurations, but the Medium settings at each resolution include them, providing the only frame time variability information: the spread narrows from 56 FPS at 1080p (157-213) to 40 FPS at 1440p (112-152) to 25 FPS at 4K (70-95), indicating that higher resolutions produce more stable frame delivery.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset at 185 FPS provides an excellent balance between visual quality and performance, with the minimum of 157 FPS ensuring smooth gameplay even during intense horror sequences. The High preset at 152 FPS is also viable, but the 33 FPS difference between Medium and High may not justify the visual upgrade, especially if the user prioritizes frame consistency.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 132 FPS (minimum 112) is the recommended choice for most users. The High preset at 108 FPS is acceptable but begins to approach the threshold where frame drops could become noticeable. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes; the data suggests that Medium provides a more comfortable margin. For users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, Low at 162 FPS is the only setting that fully utilizes such displays.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The Low preset at 101 FPS is the only 4K setting that exceeds 100 FPS, making it the clear choice for users prioritizing frame rate. Medium at 82 FPS (minimum 70) is the best balance for visual fidelity while maintaining playability. High at 67 FPS is borderline — it may experience drops below 60 in heavy scenes, though the data does not provide minimum values for this setting. Ultra at 42 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it falls well below the smoothness threshold.

The overarching recommendation is to use Medium settings at any resolution, as it consistently provides the best trade-off: 185 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset's minimum FPS values (157, 112, and 70 respectively) all remain above 60, ensuring no major stutters. For 4K specifically, dropping to Low (101 FPS) is advisable if the user has a 120Hz+ display, while Medium suffices for standard 60Hz monitors.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on Zen 4 architecture (codename Dragon Range), fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, and it features 64 MB of L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and single-core score of 6030. The PassMark multi-thread score is 51405, with a single-thread score of 3907. These figures place the CPU in the 95th percentile, indicating it is among the top 5% of all CPUs.

In Downfall, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU, but it is not negligible. The game's horror genre typically involves moderate draw calls and physics calculations, which benefit from the CPU's high single-thread performance. The 6030 score in Cinebench R23 single-core suggests that the CPU can handle the main game thread without becoming a bottleneck, even at high frame rates. The multi-thread capabilities (42713 in R23) are less critical for this game, as Downfall is unlikely to utilize all 32 threads effectively.

The nearest rivals for the CPU — Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (76155 avg, 0.1% ahead) and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (75779 avg, 0.6% behind) — show that the 8945HX is not an outlier in performance. This means that replacing the CPU with a comparable rival would have minimal impact on Downfall's frame rates. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the 226 FPS average is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game, but even a 0.6% slower CPU would only reduce that to approximately 225 FPS, an imperceptible difference.

The CPU's L3 cache of 64 MB and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (83.2 GB/s bandwidth) contribute to its ability to feed the GPU efficiently. The 5.40 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded workloads, which are common in game logic, are processed quickly. However, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at resolutions above 1080p. At 4K, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed, while the CPU sits idle relative to its capacity. This is evident from the consistent 58% drop from Low to Ultra across all resolutions, which is a GPU-driven effect rather than a CPU-driven one. The CPU's role is to avoid being the bottleneck, and the data confirms it succeeds in this capacity for all tested configurations.