Downfall

# Downfall with AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT produces a measurable performance profile in Downfall that is heavily dictated by the GPU’s age and the CPU’s modern architecture. The data shows a combo ranking of 2169 out of 2928 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database. This pairing leverages a 12-core, 24-thread Zen 5 processor with a 128 MB L3 cache, but the Radeon RX 5700 XT, an RDNA 1.0 part from 2019, becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases. The measured FPS across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions reveals a system that can handle competitive frame rates at lower settings but struggles to maintain playable performance at Ultra presets, particularly beyond 1080p.

FAQ

*Q: What is the combo rank of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT in Downfall?*

A: The combo ranks 2169 out of 2928 tested combinations, placing it in the 74th percentile. This indicates that while the CPU is strong, the overall pairing falls behind a majority of tested systems in this game.

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 187 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 153 FPS, High delivers 125 FPS, and Ultra drops to 78 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, which is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF’s score of 55093. It is 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K’s score of 54053.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration and bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is 1905 MHz, with a game clock of 1755 MHz.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 35, achieved at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is the only measured configuration that falls below the 40 FPS threshold.

Q: Does the GPU have any ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT has no RT cores and no tensor cores, as it is based on the RDNA 1.0 architecture, which predates dedicated ray tracing hardware in AMD’s lineup.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock is 4.40 GHz and boost clock is 5.50 GHz, with a TDP of 120 W. The CPU’s cache hierarchy is substantial: 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a total of 128 MB of L3 cache, which is characteristic of the 3D V-Cache design. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 47737 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6739 in single-core, while Geekbench multi-core reaches 22884 and single-core 3041. The PassMark multithread score is 56154, and the single-thread score is 4646.

In Downfall, a horror title that likely benefits from strong single-thread performance for game logic and physics, the 9900X3D’s high boost clock and large L3 cache are advantageous. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 91, indicating it outperforms 91% of processors in the database. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, has an average score of 55093, a delta of -0.6%, meaning the AMD chip is essentially tied with it. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245K scores 54053 (1.3% higher delta for AMD), and the Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53701 (2% higher delta for AMD). This suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 187 FPS average at 1080p Low. However, the CPU’s performance headroom is underutilized at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant regardless of settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is a RDNA 1.0 GPU on the Navi 10 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The base clock is 1605 MHz, boost clock is 1905 MHz, and game clock is 1755 MHz. Memory is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 9.754 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 121.9 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 304.8 GTexel/s. The TDP is 225 W, requiring a 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin power connector and a suggested 550 W PSU. The GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In the database, the RX 5700 XT has a percentile vs all GPUs of 59, meaning it outperforms 59% of GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 16361, with the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scoring 16351 (0.1% delta), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell scoring 16408 (-0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 scoring 16415 (-0.3% delta). The GPU’s lack of ray tracing cores is relevant for Downfall, a horror game that may not rely heavily on RT, but its age is evident in the 4K results. At 1080p Low, the GPU delivers 187 FPS, indicating it can handle lighter loads. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 35, which is a 81% reduction from 1080p Low. This demonstrates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this pairing, as the CPU’s high scores (e.g., 47737 in Cinebench R23) are not reflected in 4K performance gains.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in Downfall is 2169 out of 2928 tested combinations, placing it in the 74th percentile. This is a modest ranking that reflects the GPU’s limitations. Out of 2928 combos, 2169 perform better, meaning this pairing is in the lower third. The CPU alone ranks in the 91st percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 59th percentile, creating a significant imbalance. The data indicates that the CPU’s strong synthetic scores (e.g., 12490 in 3DMark 16 threads, 13795 in max threads) do not translate to top-tier gaming performance when paired with an older GPU. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (delta -0.6%), have similar processing power, but the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and RDNA 1.0 architecture limit the overall experience. For a horror game like Downfall, which may have demanding lighting and shadow effects, the combo’s rank suggests that users should expect mid-range performance, not high-end.

The ranking also considers the GPU’s rivals. The RX 5700 XT’s nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, scores nearly identically (16351 vs 16361, delta 0.1%), while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell scores 16408 (-0.3% delta), indicating the GPU is not far off from these parts in raw benchmarks. However, the combo rank of 2169 shows that in Downfall specifically, the pairing underperforms relative to many others, likely due to the game’s optimization and the GPU’s memory bandwidth constraints at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the average FPS across settings ranges from 78 (Ultra) to 187 (Low), with Medium at 153 and High at 125. Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS drops to 56 (Ultra), 89 (High), 109 (Medium), and 133 (Low). At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 35 (Ultra), 56 (High), 68 (Medium), and 83 (Low).

The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial. For Low settings, the FPS drops from 187 to 83, a 55.6% reduction. For Medium, it drops from 153 to 68, a 55.6% reduction as well. High settings drop from 125 to 56, a 55.2% reduction, and Ultra drops from 78 to 35, a 55.1% reduction. This consistent ~55% drop across settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU’s performance is resolution-independent. The scaling is linear, suggesting that the RX 5700 XT’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are saturated at 4K. In contrast, the 1080p to 1440p drop is less severe, ranging from 28.8% (Low) to 28.2% (Ultra), which still points to GPU-bound behavior. The data supports the conclusion that the CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU cannot keep up with the higher pixel counts, especially at Ultra settings where the 4K average of 35 FPS is below playable thresholds.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 187, providing a smooth experience for fast-paced horror gameplay. Medium settings yield 153 FPS (min 130, max 176), which is still highly responsive. High settings produce 125 FPS, and Ultra drops to 78 FPS. The 1080p data shows that the GPU can handle the game at all presets, with even Ultra exceeding 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades noticeably. Low settings average 133 FPS, Medium averages 109 FPS (min 93, max 126), High averages 89 FPS, and Ultra averages 56 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p is borderline, as 56 FPS is playable but not ideal for a horror game that may require precise timing. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 93 ensures no major stutters, but the gap between High and Ultra is 33 FPS, indicating a steep performance cost for the highest settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations are fully exposed. Low settings average 83 FPS, Medium averages 68 FPS (min 58, max 78), High averages 56 FPS, and Ultra averages 35 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only configuration that drops below 40 FPS, making it effectively unplayable for most users. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 58 is near the edge of acceptable, while High’s 56 FPS average is marginal. The 4K results reinforce that this combo is not suited for high-resolution, high-settings gaming, as the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the game’s demands at 2160p.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset’s 78 FPS average is playable, but for a horror game where frame pacing matters, the High preset at 125 FPS offers a better balance of visual quality and responsiveness. The Medium preset at 153 FPS provides an even smoother experience with minimal visual compromise, making it the best choice for competitive or high-refresh-rate play at 1080p.

At 1440p, the High preset’s 89 FPS is the sweet spot, as it maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while delivering better visuals than Medium’s 109 FPS. The Ultra preset at 56 FPS is playable but may exhibit occasional dips, so High is recommended for consistency. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 93 ensures no drops below 60, making it a safer option if stability is prioritized over visual fidelity.

At 4K, the data suggests that only Low (83 FPS) and Medium (68 FPS) settings are viable. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 58 is close to the 60 FPS threshold, but its average of 68 FPS is acceptable for a horror game. High’s 56 FPS average is borderline, and Ultra’s 35 FPS is unplayable. For the best experience at 4K, the Medium preset is recommended, as it offers the highest visual quality while maintaining an average above 60 FPS. Users with a preference for smoother motion should opt for Low, which provides 83 FPS but sacrifices visual detail. Overall, the combo is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with High settings, as the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached at 4K with Medium settings.