Downfall

FAQ

Q: What is the combo ranking of the Intel Core i3-12100F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Downfall?

A: This combination ranks 38th out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 1.3% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its closest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, which is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76904) and 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940). The data also shows it trails the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB by 2.1% and the 16 GB version by 2.4%.

Q: What is the best average FPS achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 384 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Medium preset delivers 358 average FPS, High delivers 324, and Ultra drops to 202 average FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions?

A: The data suggests CPU limitations appear at 1080p. The jump from Low (384 FPS) to Medium (358 FPS) is only 26 FPS, whereas at 4K the same setting change yields a 39 FPS difference (214 to 175). The i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads with a 4.30 GHz boost clock appear to constrain frame rates more at lower resolutions where GPU load is lighter.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the RTX 5090 D?

A: The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth and a 1750 MHz memory clock (28 Gbps effective). This large memory capacity is well above what Downfall, a 2016 horror title, would require.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 5090 D?

A: The launch MSRP is 2,299 USD. The CPU has a launch MSRP of $97.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across all four presets at three resolutions provides clear guidance on optimal settings. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset stands out as the recommended choice. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 358 average FPS with a minimum of 304 and maximum of 411. This represents a 34 FPS drop from Low's 384 average, but the visual improvement from Low to Medium is substantial for a horror game where atmosphere matters.

At 2560x1440, Medium produces 282 average FPS with a 240 minimum and 324 maximum. This remains well above the 144 Hz refresh rate commonly found in gaming monitors, making it the ideal preset for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 1440p delivers 231 average FPS, which is also playable, but Medium offers a 51 FPS advantage over High while likely providing similar visual fidelity in most scenes.

At 3840x2160, Medium averages 175 FPS with a 149 minimum and 202 maximum. This is the only 4K preset that maintains an average above 144 FPS. Ultra at 4K drops to 90 average FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced horror gameplay but represents a significant 85 FPS reduction from Medium. High at 4K delivers 144 average FPS, matching the Medium preset's 1440p performance, but Medium provides a 31 FPS advantage over High at the same resolution.

The Ultra preset, while offering maximum visual quality, shows diminishing returns. At 1080p, Ultra delivers 202 average FPS compared to Medium's 358 — a 156 FPS difference. At 1440p, Ultra averages 144 FPS versus Medium's 282. At 4K, Ultra drops to 90 average FPS. Given that Downfall is a horror game where consistent frame pacing matters for immersion, the Medium preset's higher minimum frame rates (149 at 4K, 240 at 1440p, 304 at 1080p) provide a smoother experience than Ultra's lower averages.

For players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity on high-refresh-rate 1080p displays, Ultra's 202 average FPS is still viable. However, the data indicates that Medium delivers the best combination of high average FPS, strong minimum frame rates, and reasonable visual quality across all resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing. Based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC, this GPU contains 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, delivering substantial compute throughput.

The memory subsystem is exceptionally robust. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, the RTX 5090 D achieves 1.79 TB/s bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. This configuration provides ample headroom for any resolution or texture quality setting Downfall can present. The GPU's 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units process geometry and pixels at rates of 1,636.8 GTexel/s and 423.6 GPixel/s respectively.

The RTX 5090 D's FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS and FP16 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS (1:1) indicate massive parallel processing capability. The GPU also includes 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores, though Downfall's 2016 release date means it likely does not utilize these modern features extensively.

The GPU's benchmark scores reflect its high-end positioning. It achieves 44,065 in Passmark G3D, 14,326 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and 376,915 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its percentile ranking of 92 versus all GPUs places it in the upper tier of graphics hardware. The nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% lower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% higher), though these are mobile parts with substantially different power characteristics.

The GPU's TDP of 575 W with a suggested 950 W PSU indicates this is a power-hungry component. However, the measured FPS results show that the RTX 5090 D delivers exceptional performance in Downfall, particularly at higher resolutions where its memory bandwidth and compute resources are fully utilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals consistent performance scaling across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 384 average FPS, Medium delivers 358 (minimum 304, maximum 411), High produces 324, and Ultra drops to 202. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 182 FPS total reduction, with the largest single drop occurring between Medium and High (34 FPS) and between High and Ultra (122 FPS).

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low averages 344 FPS, Medium delivers 282 (minimum 240, maximum 324), High produces 231, and Ultra averages 144. The gap between Low and Medium is 62 FPS, Medium to High is 51 FPS, and High to Ultra is 87 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p exactly matches the High preset at 4K, both delivering 144 average FPS.

At 3840x2160, performance drops further. Low averages 214 FPS, Medium delivers 175 (minimum 149, maximum 202), High produces 144, and Ultra drops to 90. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows the following reductions: Low drops from 384 to 214 (170 FPS decrease), Medium from 358 to 175 (183 FPS decrease), High from 324 to 144 (180 FPS decrease), and Ultra from 202 to 90 (112 FPS decrease).

The minimum frame rates recorded for Medium settings provide additional insight. At 1080p, the minimum is 304 FPS with a maximum of 411, giving a range of 107 FPS. At 1440p, the minimum is 240 with a maximum of 324, a range of 84 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 149 with a maximum of 202, a range of 53 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates more consistent frame pacing as the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a combo rank of 38 out of 2928 tested combinations in Downfall. This places the configuration in the 98.7th percentile of all tested combos, meaning only 37 other combinations outperform it in this specific game.

This high ranking is notable given the CPU's modest specifications. The i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor with a 3.30 GHz base clock and 4.30 GHz boost clock. Its percentile ranking versus all CPUs is 68, indicating it sits in the upper two-thirds of processors but is far from top-tier. The GPU, by contrast, ranks in the 92nd percentile versus all GPUs.

The combination's ranking suggests that Downfall is heavily GPU-bound, allowing the RTX 5090 D to carry the performance load. The CPU's average benchmark score of 13,494 places it near the Intel Core 3 N355 (13,492, 0% delta), Intel Core i5-9500 (13,452, 0.3% higher), Intel Core 5 120UL (13,594, 0.7% lower), and Intel Core i7-1250U (13,351, 1.1% lower). These close scores indicate the i3-12100F performs comparably to a range of mid-range processors.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 77,712 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, 1.1% lower), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, 1.6% higher), NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396, 2.1% higher), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, 2.4% higher). The RTX 5090 D's position among these rivals shows it performs in line with high-end workstation and mobile gaming parts in synthetic benchmarks.

The rank of 38 out of 2928 reflects that this unusual pairing of a budget CPU with a flagship GPU works exceptionally well in Downfall. The game's 2016 release date likely means it does not demand high CPU thread counts, allowing the i3-12100F's strong single-thread performance to suffice.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, based on the Alder Lake architecture on a 10 nm process node. With a base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz, it provides solid single-thread performance for a budget desktop part. The CPU has a TDP of 58 W and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. It connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes. The processor is not multiplier unlocked, limiting overclocking potential. Despite its modest specifications, the i3-12100F achieves a 68th percentile ranking versus all CPUs.

Synthetic benchmark scores for the i3-12100F show a clear pattern. Single-thread performance is relatively strong: 3DMark single-thread scores 893, Cinebench R15 single-core scores 168, Cinebench R20 single-core scores 703, Cinebench R23 single-core scores 1,674, and Geekbench single-core scores 1,932. Multi-thread performance scales predictably: 3DMark 4-thread scores 2,859, 8-thread scores 4,026, and max-thread scores 4,023. Passmark multi-thread scores 14,015 while single-thread scores 3,444.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core 3 N355 (13,492, 0% delta), Intel Core i5-9500 (13,452, 0.3% higher), Intel Core 5 120UL (13,594, 0.7% lower), and Intel Core i7-1250U (13,351, 1.1% lower). These close margins indicate the i3-12100F performs competitively with a range of other processors.

In Downfall, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (384 average) versus 4K Low (214 average) shows a 170 FPS difference, indicating the GPU becomes more constrained at higher resolutions. Conversely, the relatively small gap between 1080p Low and 1080p Medium (26 FPS) suggests the CPU may be approaching its limits at very high frame rates. The 4-core, 8-thread configuration with 12 MB L3 cache provides adequate processing power for this horror title, which likely does not utilize more than a few threads effectively.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K reveals how this combo scales with resolution. Starting with the Low preset, performance drops from 384 average FPS at 1080p to 344 at 1440p (89.6% retention) and further to 214 at 4K (55.7% retention). The 170 FPS absolute difference between 1080p and 4K represents a 44.3% performance loss.

The Medium preset shows similar scaling: 358 average FPS at 1080p, 282 at 1440p (78.8% retention), and 175 at 4K (48.9% retention). The absolute drop from 1080p to 4K is 183 FPS. The High preset delivers 324 average FPS at 1080p, 231 at 1440p (71.3% retention), and 144 at 4K (44.4% retention), an 180 FPS total decrease.

The Ultra preset shows a different pattern: 202 average FPS at 1080p, 144 at 1440p (71.3% retention), and 90 at 4K (44.6% retention), a 112 FPS total decrease. Interestingly, the Ultra preset's absolute drop from 1080p to 4K is smaller than other presets, suggesting the higher settings introduce more GPU work per frame that scales more evenly with resolution.

The resolution scaling data provides insight into the limiting component. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 182 FPS (384 to 202), while at 4K the same comparison shows a 124 FPS difference (214 to 90). The shrinking gap at higher resolutions indicates the GPU becomes more dominant as pixel count increases. Conversely, the relatively small performance gains from lowering settings at 1080p suggest the CPU may be limiting frame rates even with the RTX 5090 D.

The RTX 5090 D's 32 GB GDDR7 memory with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provides more than sufficient memory bandwidth for all tested resolutions. The GPU's pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s scale well with increasing resolution, though the measured FPS drops indicate the rendering workload grows faster than these theoretical rates suggest. The data shows this combo delivers playable frame rates at all resolutions, with 4K Ultra remaining above 90 average FPS.