Downfall

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination delivers a robust performance profile in Downfall, demonstrating a clear dependency on resolution and graphical settings. At 1080p, the system achieves high frame rates that indicate a balanced workload, but the data reveals a significant shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution increases. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, focusing on how the hardware components interact with the game’s engine.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a pronounced scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 334 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 238 FPS, a reduction of 96 FPS. At 4K (3840x2160), the Low preset yields an average of 148 FPS. This trajectory indicates that the game becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drop between 1080p and 1440p (approximately 29%) is less severe than the drop between 1440p and 4K (approximately 38%). The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are working in closer concert, while higher resolutions place a greater strain on the graphics card’s rendering pipeline.

The scaling behavior becomes more telling when examining the High preset. At 1080p, the average FPS is 224, which drops to 160 at 1440p and further to 99 at 4K. The percentage decline from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 29%, and from 1440p to 4K is roughly 38%. This pattern mirrors the Low settings results, reinforcing the idea that the GPU’s workload scales consistently with pixel count. The fact that the 4K High result (99 FPS) is nearly identical to the 1440p Ultra result (100 FPS) suggests that the game’s Ultra preset at 1440p imposes a similar shading load to the High preset at 4K, pointing to a GPU-limited scenario in both cases.

For the Medium preset, the measured averages are 273 FPS at 1080p, 195 FPS at 1440p, and 121 FPS at 4K. The frame rate drops are 78 FPS and 74 FPS respectively, showing a more linear decline compared to other presets. This could indicate that Medium settings balance the load between CPU and GPU more evenly, mitigating the sharp falloff seen with heavier settings. The Ultra preset, however, shows the steepest scaling cliff: 140 FPS at 1080p, 100 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 38 FPS, which is a 38% reduction, indicating that Ultra settings at 4K push the GPU to its limits, making it the clear limiting component.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 plays a pivotal role in these results, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. Its memory configuration includes 12 GB of GDDR7 type memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. The boost clock is listed at 2512 MHz, with a base clock of 2325 MHz. These specifications support the high frame rates observed at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU can maintain substantial throughput. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 334 FPS, which is well above typical display refresh rates, indicating that the RTX 5070 has ample headroom for less demanding scenes.

The GPU’s influence becomes more apparent when analyzing the Ultra preset results. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 62, which is a significant reduction from the 121 FPS seen at 4K Medium. This 59 FPS gap highlights the cost of enabling the highest graphical features, likely including advanced lighting and shadow effects that stress the GPU’s shading units and ROPs. The RTX 5070 has 6144 shading units and 80 ROPs, with a texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s. These figures suggest a capable mid-range card, but the 4K Ultra result indicates that Downfall’s highest settings can saturate its capabilities, leading to a sub-60 FPS experience that may not be ideal for smooth gameplay.

In terms of raw benchmark scores, the RTX 5070 achieves a Passmark G3D score of 29137 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 172660. These numbers place it above many rivals in the database, though the nearestRivals list shows a tight competition: the AMD Radeon Pro 580 has an average score of 40318, which is 0.1% higher, while the RTX 5070’s average score is 40377. The deltaPct values for other rivals are small, indicating that the RTX 5070 is positioned in a highly competitive performance tier. The GPU’s 82nd percentile ranking among all tested GPUs further confirms its strong standing, but the 4K Ultra results suggest that its 12 GB memory and 192-bit bus may be a limiting factor for the most demanding settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable at 4K with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 148, achieved with Low settings. The Medium preset yields 121 FPS, while High drops to 99 FPS and Ultra to 62 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset at 1440p compare to High at 4K?

A: The measured data shows that Ultra at 1440p produces an average of 100 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 99 FPS average for High at 4K. This suggests that the GPU workload is similar between these two configurations.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p with Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 334 FPS. Given the high frame rate, the GPU is likely not the limiting factor, and the CPU’s single-thread performance becomes more relevant. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has a 3DMark single-thread score of 1269, which supports strong CPU-bound performance.

Q: What is the frame time consistency for the Medium preset?

A: For the Medium preset, the measured min and max FPS are available: at 1080p, the range is 232 to 314 FPS; at 1440p, it is 166 to 224 FPS; and at 4K, it is 103 to 139 FPS. These ranges indicate a relatively stable frame pacing.

Q: How does the RTX 5070’s performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, has an average benchmark score of 40318, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 5070’s average score of 40377. This indicates a negligible performance difference in synthetic benchmarks.

*Q: Does the combo’s ranking in Downfall suggest a top-tier configuration?*

A: The combo ranks 558th out of 2928 tested combinations, placing it in the top 19% of all combos. This suggests it is a strong performer, though not at the very top of the list.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 224 FPS, which is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at this resolution yields 140 FPS, still comfortably above 120 FPS, so users with 144 Hz displays could opt for Ultra without sacrificing smoothness. The Medium preset at 273 FPS offers a middle ground, but High appears to be the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at 1080p.

For 2560x1440, the High preset produces 160 FPS, which is excellent for most gaming scenarios. The Ultra preset drops to 100 FPS, which remains playable but may not fully utilize a 144 Hz panel. The Medium preset at 195 FPS is a strong alternative, providing a higher frame rate with a slight reduction in visual quality. Given that the Ultra preset at 1440p (100 FPS) is similar to High at 4K (99 FPS), users prioritizing frame rate should stick with High or Medium at 1440p to maintain a smoother experience.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes significantly. The High preset averages 99 FPS, which is borderline for 60 Hz displays but may exhibit occasional dips. The Medium preset at 121 FPS is a safer choice for 4K gaming, offering a higher average with a minimum of 103 FPS. The Ultra preset at 62 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold for a 60 Hz monitor, making it less ideal for consistent gameplay. The Low preset at 148 FPS is viable for competitive play, but it sacrifices much of the game’s visual atmosphere. For 4K, the Medium preset provides the best combination of frame rate and visual quality, as it maintains an average above 120 FPS while retaining more detail than Low.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS values provides a detailed view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 334 FPS, the Medium preset averages 273 FPS (with a range of 232 to 314 FPS), the High preset averages 224 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 140 FPS. These figures show a clear hierarchy, with Low offering the highest raw throughput and Ultra imposing the heaviest load.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 238 FPS for Low, 195 FPS for Medium (with a range of 166 to 224 FPS), 160 FPS for High, and 100 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset’s minimum of 166 FPS ensures a consistently smooth experience, while the Ultra preset’s 100 FPS average is still respectable for the resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 148 FPS for Low, 121 FPS for Medium (with a range of 103 to 139 FPS), 99 FPS for High, and 62 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset’s minimum of 103 FPS is notable, as it stays above 100 FPS even in demanding scenes. In contrast, the Ultra preset’s 62 FPS average suggests that the GPU is heavily taxed, and the lack of a reported minimum FPS for Ultra indicates that the data may be less stable. Overall, the measured data shows that the combo is most effective at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring careful settings selection to maintain high frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D contributes significantly to the high frame rates observed at lower resolutions. With 12 cores and 24 threads, this CPU offers substantial multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47737 and Geekbench multi-core score of 22884. Its boost clock of 5.50 GHz and base clock of 4.40 GHz provide strong single-thread performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics calculations. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739 indicate that the CPU can keep up with the GPU at higher frame rates.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at 1080p, where the GPU is less likely to be the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the 334 FPS average suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain such high throughput. The 128 MB of L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth support fast data access, reducing potential stalls in game logic. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 91st among all CPUs further underscores its high-end status, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, shows a deltaPct of -0.6%, meaning the 9900X3D is slightly ahead in average benchmark score.

However, the CPU’s influence wanes at 4K, where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor. The fact that the frame rate drops consistently across all presets when moving from 1440p to 4K indicates that the CPU has ample headroom to handle the increased resolution, while the GPU struggles to keep pace. The data shows that the combo’s performance is well-balanced at 1080p and 1440p, with the CPU playing a supporting role that ensures the GPU is not starved of data. At 4K, the CPU’s strong performance is still present, but it is overshadowed by the GPU’s rendering limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of Downfall, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination ranks 558th out of 2928 tested combos. This places it in the top 19% of all configurations, indicating a strong overall performance. The rank reflects a balance between the CPU’s high multi-threaded capabilities and the GPU’s solid mid-range performance. While the RTX 5070’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon Pro 580, show nearly identical synthetic scores, the measured FPS data in Downfall demonstrates that the combo excels in real-world gaming scenarios, particularly at 1080p and 1440p.

The ranking also highlights that there is room for improvement, as 557 other combos outperform this configuration. These higher-ranked combos likely feature more powerful GPUs, which would provide better 4K performance, especially on Ultra settings. The combo’s 558th rank confirms its versatility, offering high frame rates at mainstream resolutions while still managing playable performance at 4K with adjusted settings. The data suggests that users seeking the absolute highest performance in Downfall would need to consider a GPU with more memory or higher raw throughput, but for most gaming scenarios, this combo delivers a compelling experience. The percentile ranking of 82nd for the GPU and 91st for the CPU further contextualizes the combo’s position, showing that both components are above average, yet the combination does not reach the top tier due to the GPU’s limitations at extreme settings.