Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a dominant performance profile in Downfall, ranking in the top 6.2% of all tested combinations. This pairing excels at high refresh rates across all resolutions, with the most balanced experience found at 2560x1440 on High settings, where it achieves 191 FPS. The data indicates that this combo is severely CPU-limited at 1080p and GPU-limited at 4K Ultra, but remains exceptionally playable throughout.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU and GPU combo in Downfall?*

A: The combination ranks 230 out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the top 6.2% of all systems evaluated for this game.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080's average benchmark score is 54247, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER's score of 54209. In practical terms, the performance difference is negligible.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gameplay with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset provides the best balance, delivering 119 FPS average. The Ultra preset drops to 74 FPS, while Medium offers 145 FPS, making High the sweet spot for visual quality and smoothness.

Q: Is this system capable of 240Hz gaming at 1080p?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 400 FPS average. Even on the Ultra preset, it maintains 168 FPS, which is above the 144Hz threshold but below 240Hz.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X compare to the Intel Core i9-14900 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57498, which is 1.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900's score of 58115. The difference is minor and unlikely to impact gaming performance significantly.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo in the measured data?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 123 FPS, observed at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 198 FPS, and at 1920x1080 Medium, it is 278 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of frame rates in Downfall, especially at higher resolutions. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the card provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for the game's demands even at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz and base clock of 2205 MHz allow it to sustain high utilization across all tested settings.

The RTX 4080's 76 RT cores and 304 Tensor cores, while not directly benchmarked in Downfall, contribute to its overall compute capability. The card's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are reflected in the measured results. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor on the Ultra preset, where the average FPS drops to 74. This represents a 38% decrease compared to the High preset's 119 FPS, indicating that the Ultra settings place a significant load on the graphics card.

The GPU's performance relative to its peers is noteworthy. With an average benchmark score of 54247, it sits 0.1% above the RTX 4080 SUPER but 2.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. This positioning suggests that the RTX 4080 is a well-balanced card, though not the absolute top performer in synthetic tests. In Downfall specifically, the measured FPS data shows that the card scales predictably with resolution changes. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on High settings, the average FPS drops from 268 to 191, a 29% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K High results in a further 38% drop to 119 FPS, demonstrating the expected scaling pattern.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X provides ample processing power to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4080 in Downfall. With 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, the CPU offers substantial multi-threaded capability. The base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensure strong single-thread performance, which is critical for game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark results reinforce its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 32172 in multi-core and 2253 in single-core tests. The Geekbench scores of 22174 multi-core and 3010 single-core further confirm its strength. The 3DMark results show a progression from 2519 with 2 threads to 13929 with max threads, indicating excellent scaling across core counts. This scaling suggests that Downfall, which likely uses multiple threads for rendering and AI, can take full advantage of the CPU's resources.

The Ryzen 9 9900X's 64 MB of L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast access to frequently used data, reducing latency in game scenarios. The CPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 57498, places it just 0.1% above the AMD EPYC 9015 and 1.1% below the Intel Core i9-14900. This competitive positioning means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the Ryzen 9 9900X will perform nearly identically to its closest rivals.

At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 400 FPS, but the CPU's role becomes more pronounced at this resolution. The frame rate difference between Low and High at 1080p is 132 FPS (400 vs 268), which is larger than the difference at 1440p (94 FPS) or 4K (59 FPS). This indicates that the CPU is handling the game's processing demands efficiently, allowing the GPU to render frames at very high rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 230 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places the system in the 93.8th percentile, meaning it outperforms 93.8% of all other combinations tested. The ranking reflects the synergy between the 12-core CPU and the high-end GPU, which together provide exceptional frame rates across all resolutions.

The rank is particularly impressive given the GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all CPUs. The combination's performance exceeds what either component would suggest individually, indicating that the pairing is well-matched for this game. The CPU's strong single-thread performance (2253 in Cinebench R23 single-core) ensures that it can keep up with the GPU's frame output, while the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM prevents memory-related stutters at high resolutions.

Compared to the nearest rival combos, this system's rank is consistent with the component-level benchmarks. The RTX 4080's 0.1% deficit to the RTX 4080 SUPER and the CPU's 1.1% deficit to the Intel Core i9-14900 suggest that a combo with those components would rank only marginally higher. The data indicates that the Ryzen 9 9900X + RTX 4080 combination is a top-tier choice for Downfall, with only a small number of more expensive or newer components offering better performance.

The 230th rank out of 3716 combos also highlights the diminishing returns of higher-end hardware. While the system delivers 400 FPS at 1080p Low and 119 FPS at 4K High, these figures are already beyond what most displays can show. The ranking reflects that this combo is optimized for high-refresh-rate gaming without sacrificing visual quality, making it a strong recommendation for players who prioritize smoothness.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data reveals distinct performance tiers for each settings preset, and the optimal choice depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 3840x2160, the High preset is the clear recommendation, delivering 119 FPS average. This provides a smooth 120Hz-class experience with good visual fidelity. The Medium preset offers 145 FPS but with reduced graphical details, while the Ultra preset drops to 74 FPS, which may be too low for fast-paced horror gameplay where responsiveness is key.

For 2560x1440, the High preset again stands out with 191 FPS average. This is ideal for 144Hz and 165Hz monitors, providing a comfortable margin above the refresh rate. The Medium preset at 233 FPS is suitable for 240Hz displays, though the visual trade-off may not be worth the extra 42 FPS. The Ultra preset at 120 FPS is also viable for 120Hz screens, offering the best image quality while maintaining smoothness.

At 1920x1080, all presets exceed 165 FPS, making this resolution ideal for competitive play. The Low preset achieves 400 FPS, which is beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. The Medium preset at 327 FPS and High at 268 FPS both provide excellent experiences, with the choice depending on the display's capabilities. The Ultra preset at 168 FPS is the only one that falls below 240Hz, but it still offers a smooth experience on most displays.

For the best overall experience, the 2560x1440 High preset is the recommended starting point. It balances visual quality with high frame rates, achieving 191 FPS average with no reported minimum below 198 FPS at Medium. The data shows that this combo is versatile enough to handle any settings preset, but the High preset at 1440p provides the best combination of immersion and responsiveness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional frame rates. The Low preset achieves 400 FPS average, which is the highest recorded figure across all tests. The Medium preset follows at 327 FPS with a minimum of 278 FPS and maximum of 376 FPS. The High preset reaches 268 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 168 FPS. These figures show that even the most demanding settings at 1080p remain highly playable, with the Ultra preset still exceeding 144Hz.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows expected scaling. The Low preset achieves 285 FPS, which is 29% lower than at 1080p. The Medium preset delivers 233 FPS with a minimum of 198 FPS and maximum of 268 FPS. The High preset reaches 191 FPS, representing a 29% decrease from the 1080p High result. The Ultra preset drops to 120 FPS, which is exactly at the 120Hz threshold and provides a playable experience for most users.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. The Low preset achieves 178 FPS, which is impressive for 4K but represents a 38% decrease from 1080p Low. The Medium preset delivers 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and maximum of 167 FPS, providing a good balance. The High preset reaches 119 FPS, which is suitable for 120Hz displays. The Ultra preset drops to 74 FPS, which is the lowest result in the entire dataset and may require adjustments for smooth gameplay.

The scaling patterns are consistent across resolutions. From Low to High settings, the FPS drops by approximately 33% at 1080p (400 to 268), 33% at 1440p (285 to 191), and 33% at 4K (178 to 119). The jump from High to Ultra results in a steeper decline: 37% at 1080p (268 to 168), 37% at 1440p (191 to 120), and 38% at 4K (119 to 74). These consistent percentages indicate that the game's settings scale uniformly, with the Ultra preset representing a significant additional load on the GPU. The minimum FPS data, available only for the Medium preset, shows that the combo maintains stable frame times with no severe drops, as the minimums are within 15% of the averages across all resolutions.