Downfall

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 represents a classic mid-range configuration from two distinct hardware generations. In Downfall, a horror title from 2016, this combination produces a wide spectrum of performance outcomes, ranging from highly playable at high refresh rates to marginal at maximum settings in 4K. The data indicates a system where the GPU is the dominant performance limiter at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s 4-core/8-thread architecture provides sufficient headroom for the game’s demands. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, contextualizes them against the hardware’s benchmark profiles, and offers specific guidance on how to best configure the game for this specific pairing.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a TDP of 58 W. The processor features 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong single-threaded performance with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674. Its multi-threaded capability is also respectable, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860 and a Passmark multithread score of 14015.

For a game like Downfall, which is a horror title released in 2016, the CPU’s core configuration is generally sufficient. The game’s engine does not appear to be heavily dependent on high core counts, as the i3-12100F’s 4 cores and 8 threads are enough to feed the GTX 1070 in most scenarios. The data supports this interpretation: at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 157 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at that resolution and settings level. The CPU’s performance relative to other processors is solid, holding a percentile rank of 68 against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the Intel Core 3 N355 (0% delta) and the Intel Core i5-9500 (0.3% ahead), indicating that its overall processing power is in line with those parts. The boost clock of 4.30 GHz is particularly relevant for gaming, as it provides the single-thread speed that many game engines, including older ones like Downfall's, tend to favor. The data shows that this CPU can deliver high frame rates, but as resolution and settings increase, the load shifts away from the CPU, and the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Downfall, and at what settings?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 157 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the ceiling for this configuration in the measured data.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494. Its closest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, has an identical score with a 0% delta. The Intel Core i5-9500 is only 0.3% faster, while the Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% slower. This indicates the i3-12100F is positioned in a tight performance cluster.

Q: Is the GTX 1070 able to maintain 60 FPS at 1440p in Downfall?

A: Yes, the data shows that at 2560x1440 resolution, the system achieves 75 FPS on High settings and 92 FPS on Medium settings. Both of these exceed the 60 FPS threshold, making 1440p a viable resolution for this game with this GPU.

Q: What happens to performance when switching from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 105 FPS at 1920x1080 to 47 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a significant 55% decrease. This substantial drop indicates that the GPU is struggling to handle the increased pixel count at 4K.

Q: How does the GTX 1070’s performance rank relative to other GPUs?

A: The GTX 1070 holds a percentile rank of 47 against all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 9780, placing it near the AMD FirePro W5000, which is 0.2% slower, and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, which is 0.5% slower. This puts it in the middle of the performance spectrum.

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

A: The lowest average frame rate is 29 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is the only scenario in the measured data where the system falls below 30 FPS on average.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling behavior of this configuration is a clear indicator of where the performance bottleneck lies. Examining the High settings preset across all three resolutions provides the clearest picture. At 1920x1080, the system averages 105 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 75 FPS, a 29% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average plummets to 47 FPS, which is a 55% drop from the 1080p result and a 37% drop from the 1440p result. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU’s workload does not change with resolution. Instead, the data shows a steep decline in performance as pixel count increases. This proves that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the primary constraint on performance in Downfall. The GPU’s compute resources, with an FP32 performance of 6.463 TFLOPS and a memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s, are being saturated by the increasing rendering load at higher resolutions. The 1080p results, particularly the 157 FPS at Low settings, suggest that the CPU can push well beyond 100 FPS, but the GPU cannot keep pace at higher resolutions. The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with a 37% performance loss, highlighting the GPU’s limitations with a 4K output.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the comprehensive database of tested hardware combinations for Downfall, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 holds a combo rank of 3074 out of 3716 total combos. This places it in the lower portion of the ranking, specifically in the 17th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking is a holistic measure that considers performance across all tested resolutions and settings. While the system is capable of producing very high frame rates at 1080p, its performance at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where it averages only 29 FPS, significantly drags down its overall standing.

This rank is a reflection of the GPU’s age and position in the market. The GTX 1070, a Pascal architecture part, is now several generations old and is outperformed by many newer and more powerful cards. The CPU, while a modern part, is an entry-level i3, and its performance is not in the upper echelon either. The combination of a decent but not top-tier CPU and an older mid-range GPU results in a system that is outclassed by the majority of the 3716 combos on record. The data shows that this is a configuration suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it does not have the horsepower to compete with higher-end systems in the rankings for a demanding 4K scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured frame rate data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system is highly capable. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 157 FPS. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 128 FPS, with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 147 FPS. High settings yield an average of 105 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still manages an average of 66 FPS, which is comfortably playable.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong for most settings. Low settings produce an average of 112 FPS. Medium settings average 92 FPS, with a min of 78 and a max of 105. High settings average 75 FPS. Ultra settings see a significant drop to an average of 47 FPS, which is still above the 30 FPS playability threshold but may feel less smooth than the lower presets.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. Low settings average 70 FPS, which is playable. Medium settings average 57 FPS, with a min of 48 and a max of 66. High settings average 47 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, resulting in an average of just 29 FPS. This is the only scenario where the average frame rate drops below 30 FPS, indicating a poor experience for a horror game that benefits from smooth motion.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p, the High settings preset at 105 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual fidelity and performance, well above the 60 FPS standard. For users with high refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset at 128 FPS offers a very smooth experience with only a modest decrease in visual quality compared to High.

For 1440p, the High settings preset at 75 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining an average frame rate that is well above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 47 FPS is playable but represents a compromise to smoothness for additional visual effects.

For 4K, the system is pushed to its limits. The Low settings preset at 70 FPS is the only way to achieve a consistently smooth experience above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 57 FPS is a viable alternative if a lower frame rate is acceptable, but High and Ultra settings should be avoided due to their sub-60 FPS averages, with Ultra dipping to an unplayable 29 FPS. For the best overall experience across all resolutions, the High preset is the sweet spot for 1080p and 1440p, while Low is the most practical for 4K.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the performance anchor for this system. It is built on the Pascal architecture using the GP104 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 16 nm process. The GPU has a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. It is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. With 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, it delivers a fillrate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 6.463 TFLOPS.

In Downfall, the GPU’s role is clearly dominant, as demonstrated by the resolution scaling data. The 8 GB of VRAM is ample for this game, even at 4K, as the game is from 2016 and does not have the massive texture requirements of modern titles. The data does not indicate any VRAM-related stuttering, as the minimum frame rates at 4K Medium (48 FPS) are not abnormally low. The GPU’s raw compute power, specifically its 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, is the primary factor determining frame rates at higher resolutions. The significant performance drop from 1440p to 4K is directly attributable to the GPU being unable to process the increased pixel workload. The GTX 1070’s average benchmark score is 9780, ranking it in the 47th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the AMD FirePro W5000 and NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, which are within a 0.5% performance delta. This places it as a mid-range GPU, and the measured results in Downfall confirm that it is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being a stretch that requires significant settings reductions to be playable.