Downfall

Downfall pairs the Intel Core i3-12100F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, a combination that lands at rank 1592 out of 3716 tested combos in this horror title. The data shows a system that can handle 1440p comfortably and even touches playable 4K at medium settings, but the measured FPS curves reveal where each component takes charge. This analysis breaks down how resolution scaling, CPU limitations, and GPU headroom interact across the four presets tested.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about which component becomes the bottleneck as pixel count rises. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 257 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 183 FPS, a reduction of 74 FPS or roughly 29%. Going further to 3840x2160 Low yields 114 FPS, another 69 FPS drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern—where each resolution step costs roughly 70 FPS at Low settings—indicates the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting even at the lowest preset.

The High preset shows a similar but slightly different curve. From 172 FPS at 1080p, the average falls to 123 FPS at 1440p (a 49 FPS drop, or about 28%), then to 77 FPS at 4K (a 46 FPS drop, or 37%). The percentage loss from 1440p to 4K is steeper than from 1080p to 1440p, which suggests the RTX 3070’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth start to feel pressure as resolution climbs.

Ultra settings present the most dramatic scaling. The combo delivers 108 FPS at 1080p, falls to 77 FPS at 1440p (a 31 FPS drop, or 29%), and then collapses to 48 FPS at 4K—a 29 FPS drop from 1440p, representing a 38% reduction. The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS sits below the 60 FPS threshold many players target, and the gap between 1440p Ultra (77 FPS) and 4K Ultra (48 FPS) is the largest percentage loss among all presets. This indicates that at Ultra quality, the combination of pixel count and settings demand exceeds what this GPU can sustain at 4K.

Medium settings offer the most complete data, with min and max FPS recorded at every resolution. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 210 FPS with a min of 179 and max of 242. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 150 FPS (a 60 FPS loss, or 29%) with min 127 and max 172. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 93 FPS (a 57 FPS loss, or 38%) with min 79 and max 107. The min FPS values at each resolution—179, 127, and 79—show that even the worst-case frame times stay above 60 FPS through 1440p, but at 4K the minimum dips to 79 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge.

The pattern across all presets is consistent: 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 28-31% performance, while 1440p to 4K costs 37-38%. This steeper second drop points to the GPU’s memory bandwidth and pixel throughput becoming the limiting factor at 4K. The RTX 3070’s pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1440p but start to show strain at 2160p, particularly with higher settings that increase texture and shading work per pixel.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F brings 4 cores and 8 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost up to 4.30 GHz. Its cache layout includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3. The processor uses the Alder Lake architecture on Intel’s 10 nm process, with a 58 W TDP. For a horror game like Downfall, which typically involves scripted sequences and limited on-screen actors, this 4-core configuration appears adequate based on the FPS data.

The CPU’s benchmark scores provide context for its gaming headroom. In Cinebench R23, it scores 11860 multi-core and 1674 single-core. The 3DMark results show 4051 for 16 threads, 4026 for 8 threads, and 4023 for max threads, which indicates the 8-thread configuration delivers nearly all the performance available—adding more threads beyond 8 only improves the score by 0.07%. This suggests the CPU is fully utilized with its 8 threads, and Downfall’s workload likely fits within that envelope.

The single-thread performance is strong relative to its multi-thread showing. The 3DMark single-thread score of 893, Geekbench single-core of 1932, and PassMark single-thread of 3444 all indicate a capable per-core performer. In games where frame pacing depends on a main thread, this helps maintain consistent FPS. The measured results support this: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 257 FPS, which is high enough that even a strong CPU might become the limiting factor if the game’s main thread is heavy. However, the fact that FPS scales so predictably with resolution—dropping from 257 to 183 to 114 as resolution increases—suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck even at 1080p Low. If the CPU were severely limiting, we would expect the 1080p Low result to be capped at a value closer to the 1440p or 4K results.

The CPU’s 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs places it above average, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 (avgScore 13492, deltaPct 0), Intel Core i5-9500 (avgScore 13452, deltaPct 0.3), Intel Core 5 120UL (avgScore 13594, deltaPct -0.7), and Intel Core i7-1250U (avgScore 13351, deltaPct 1.1). These deltas are all within 1.1%, meaning the i3-12100F performs essentially on par with those chips in aggregate benchmarks. For Downfall specifically, the 4-core/8-thread design with boost to 4.30 GHz appears sufficient to feed the RTX 3070, since the FPS curves show GPU-bound behavior across all tested resolutions and settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 uses the GA104 chip on Samsung’s 8 nm process, with 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. Its memory configuration is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GPU has 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores. Base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost of 1725 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The card carries a 220 W TDP and uses a single 12-pin power connector, with a suggested 550 W PSU.

The GPU benchmarks show a mixed profile. PassMark G3D scores 22214, while 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 scores 3162. Geekbench results include 112821 for OpenCL and 21022 for Vulkan. The PassMark DirectX scores are notably lower: DX9 at 247, DX10 at 150, DX11 at 182, and DX12 at 85. These legacy API scores suggest the architecture favors modern rendering paths, which aligns with Downfall’s requirements if the game uses contemporary APIs.

The GPU’s 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs and its nearest rivals show it sits close to the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (avgScore 17083, deltaPct 0.7), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (avgScore 17037, deltaPct 1), AMD Radeon HD 7970M (avgScore 17019, deltaPct 1.1), and NVIDIA Tesla K40c (avgScore 17468, deltaPct -1.5). The small deltas—all within 1.5%—indicate the RTX 3070’s aggregate performance is competitive with those parts, though the GTX 690 and HD 7970M are much older architectures with different feature sets.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes relevant at 4K Ultra, where the combo drops to 48 FPS. While 8 GB is sufficient for many titles at 1440p, higher resolutions and Ultra settings increase texture memory pressure. The measured data shows the Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, and the large drop from 1440p Ultra (77 FPS) suggests the GPU is hitting a memory or compute ceiling at 2160p. The medium preset at 4K (93 FPS) and High at 4K (77 FPS) remain playable, indicating the GPU’s raw compute is capable but Ultra settings push beyond what the memory subsystem can efficiently feed.

The RTX 3070’s FP32 throughput of 20.31 TFLOPS and FP16 of 20.31 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio) provide substantial shading power. The pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s are high enough that at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is rarely the constraint—the FPS values at those resolutions (up to 257 FPS at 1080p Low) reflect headroom. Only at 4K with higher settings does the GPU start to show its limits, which aligns with the steeper FPS drops observed from 1440p to 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Downfall at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at Medium settings, where the measured average is 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS. At High settings, 4K averages 77 FPS, which still clears 60 FPS. At Ultra, the average drops to 48 FPS, below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the Intel Core i3-12100F a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. FPS scales consistently with resolution—from 257 FPS at 1080p Low to 114 FPS at 4K Low—which is the expected pattern for a GPU-bound workload. The CPU’s 8-thread performance (3DMark 8 threads score of 4026 vs max threads of 4023) shows the processor is fully utilized with its available threads.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The loss ranges from 28% to 31% depending on preset. At Low, 1440p (183 FPS) is 74 FPS below 1080p (257 FPS), a 29% drop. At High, the drop is 49 FPS (172 to 123), about 28%. At Ultra, 1080p yields 108 FPS and 1440p yields 77 FPS, a 31 FPS or 29% reduction.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 179 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 127 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 79 FPS. These are the only settings with recorded min FPS in the data.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Downfall?

A: It ranks 1592 out of 3716 combos, placing it in the upper portion of tested systems. The data confirms the combo is measured, not estimated, so these FPS values come from direct testing.

Q: Does the RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM cause problems in Downfall?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 48, which is the only configuration below 60 FPS. The 4K Medium (93 FPS) and 4K High (77 FPS) results remain playable, suggesting the 8 GB capacity is adequate for Medium and High presets at 4K but Ultra settings exceed what the memory can efficiently handle.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo covers four resolutions and four settings presets, with Medium being the only preset that includes min and max FPS at all resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 257 FPS average. Medium averages 210 FPS, with a minimum of 179 and maximum of 242. High averages 172 FPS. Ultra averages 108 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 149 FPS, meaning Ultra costs roughly 58% of the Low performance. The Medium min of 179 FPS is higher than the High average of 172 FPS, which shows that the Medium preset’s worst-case frame times still beat High’s typical performance.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 183 FPS. Medium averages 150 FPS, with min 127 and max 172. High averages 123 FPS. Ultra averages 77 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 106 FPS, with Ultra delivering 42% of Low’s performance. The Medium min of 127 FPS exceeds the High average of 123 FPS, maintaining the pattern seen at 1080p where Medium’s floor is above High’s mean.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 114 FPS. Medium averages 93 FPS, with min 79 and max 107. High averages 77 FPS. Ultra averages 48 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread is 66 FPS, and Ultra delivers 42% of Low’s performance—the same ratio as at 1440p. The Medium min of 79 FPS is just 2 FPS above the High average of 77 FPS, showing that at 4K, Medium and High presets converge in practical terms.

Comparing across resolutions, the Medium preset shows the most complete picture. From 1080p to 1440p, average FPS drops from 210 to 150 (60 FPS loss). From 1440p to 4K, it drops from 150 to 93 (57 FPS loss). The min FPS follows a similar path: 179 at 1080p, 127 at 1440p, 79 at 4K. The max FPS goes from 242 at 1080p to 172 at 1440p to 107 at 4K. These numbers show that the combo maintains a consistent 29-38% performance hit per resolution step, with the larger percentage loss occurring at the 4K step.

The Ultra preset has no min or max FPS recorded, only averages: 108 at 1080p, 77 at 1440p, and 48 at 4K. The High preset follows the same pattern with averages of 172, 123, and 77 respectively. Low averages are 257, 183, and 114. For all presets, the 4K result is 37-38% lower than the 1440p result, while the 1440p result is 28-31% lower than the 1080p result.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance for most use cases. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 210 FPS average with a minimum of 179, which provides substantial headroom above 60 FPS and even above 144 Hz monitors. At 1440p Medium, the average is 150 FPS with a minimum of 127, still comfortably above 60 FPS and sufficient for high-refresh 1440p displays. At 4K Medium, the average of 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 keeps every frame above 60 FPS, making this the only preset that achieves a 60+ FPS floor at 4K.

The High preset at 4K averages 77 FPS, which is technically above 60 FPS, but without min FPS data it’s unclear if frame dips could cross below that threshold. The Medium preset’s recorded minimum of 79 FPS at 4K provides confidence that the experience stays smooth. At 1440p High, the 123 FPS average is strong, but Medium’s 150 FPS average with a 127 FPS minimum offers more consistency for the same resolution.

The Low preset is unnecessary for this combo except in extreme scenarios. At 1080p Low, the 257 FPS average exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors, and the visual quality trade-off is not justified when Medium delivers 210 FPS. At 4K Low, the 114 FPS average is high, but the game would look noticeably worse, and Medium’s 93 FPS is still well above playable thresholds.

The Ultra preset is the weakest option. At 1080p Ultra, 108 FPS is playable but represents a 49% reduction from Medium’s 210 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, 77 FPS is borderline for high-refresh displays. At 4K Ultra, 48 FPS drops below 60 FPS and would likely feel stuttery in a horror game where smooth motion matters for atmosphere. The data does not support Ultra at 4K for this combo; even at 1440p, Medium or High offers a better experience than Ultra.

For players with a 1080p or 1440p display, Medium is the clear recommendation. It provides the highest minimum FPS of any preset at those resolutions (179 at 1080p, 127 at 1440p) while maintaining strong averages. For 4K displays, Medium is the only preset that guarantees 60+ FPS in all measured frames, making it the sole viable choice. High at 4K (77 FPS average) is acceptable if the player accepts the risk of unrecorded frame dips, but the Medium min FPS of 79 provides better data-backed assurance.

The RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth appear well-matched to Medium settings across all resolutions. The measured FPS at Medium—210, 150, and 93 at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively—show a system that scales predictably and maintains playable performance even at 4K. The i3-12100F’s 4-core/8-thread configuration with 4.30 GHz boost keeps up with the GPU’s demands, as evidenced by the GPU-bound scaling pattern. For a horror game that benefits from consistent frame pacing, Medium offers the best combination of visual quality and measured performance.