Downfall

The Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 580 pairing in Downfall presents a classic study in bottleneck dynamics. The measured results show a system where the GPU is decisively the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s six cores and twelve threads provide a stable foundation that rarely constrains output. This combination ranks 1606th out of 1741 tested combos, placing it in the lower quartile of all systems, a position that reflects the age of both components relative to modern hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, revealing a purely GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 (100.3 FPS) to 2560x1440 (73.3 FPS) represents a 27% reduction, while the jump to 3840x2160 (46.8 FPS) drops another 36% from the 1440p figure. This pattern is not linear but exponential, which is the signature of a graphics card hitting its memory bandwidth and pixel throughput ceiling.

The data implies that the RX 580’s 256 GB/s bandwidth and 42.88 GPixel/s pixel rate are the hard limits. At 1080p Medium, the system produces 82.1 FPS, but at 4K Medium that number collapses to 37.3 FPS — a 55% loss. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings is even more telling: 71.3 FPS down to 29.8 FPS, a 58% reduction. This suggests that the frame rate is not merely dropping due to resolution, but that the GPU’s shading units are being overwhelmed by the fill rate demands.

The CPU’s role in this scaling is minimal. Had the i5-10400F been a bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to plateau or drop more sharply at lower resolutions where the CPU has less time to prepare frames. Instead, the 1080p Low result of 100.3 FPS shows the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond what the RX 580 can render at higher settings. The conclusion is unambiguous: Downfall at 4K is a torture test for this GPU, not the CPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580’s 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is sufficient for 1080p and even 1440p, but the 4K results indicate it is the primary constraint. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the GPU produces only 22 FPS, which is unplayable. The boost clock of 1340 MHz and base of 1257 MHz are modest by modern standards, and the 2304 shading units simply cannot process the geometry and texture data at that resolution.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, measured at 6.175 TFLOPS FP32, are directly reflected in the scaling patterns. The passmark DirectX 11 score of 60 and DirectX 12 score of 43 show that the card is more efficient in legacy APIs, which aligns with Downfall’s 2016 release date. The game likely uses DirectX 11, where the RX 580’s GCN 4.0 architecture still performs respectably. The 8 GB VRAM is not the issue; even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate is limited by compute, not memory capacity. The data shows the GPU’s percentile rank of 53 places it in the middle of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, scores nearly identically (13564 vs 13559 avg). This is a card that was mid-range at launch and remains mid-range, but modern titles outpace it.

The VRAM clock of 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) is another indicator. At 4K, the memory controller must feed data to the 32 ROPs, and the 42.88 GPixel/s pixel rate becomes the bottleneck. For a horror game like Downfall, which likely relies on dark scenes and volumetric effects, the pixel fill rate is critical. The measured FPS at 4K High (29.8) versus 4K Medium (37.3) shows a 20% gain from dropping one quality tier, which is a typical response when the ROPs are saturated.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides six cores and twelve threads with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This is a capable processor for gaming, and the benchmark data confirms it. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10297 and single-core score of 1453 indicate a balanced chip. In Downfall, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The 1080p Low result of 100.3 FPS shows the CPU can handle high frame rates without breaking a sweat, as the 12 MB of shared L3 cache reduces latency.

The CPU’s performance relative to rivals is interesting. The nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7552, scores nearly identically (14115 vs 14168 avg) with a delta of 0.4%. This suggests that the i5-10400F is not a weak link. The 3dmark single-thread score of 688 and 2-thread score of 1350 show that the chip’s single-thread performance is adequate for games that are not heavily threaded. Downfall, being a horror title, likely uses a few threads for AI and scripting, which the 4.30 GHz boost clock handles efficiently.

The 65W TDP is low, but the benchmark scores show no thermal throttling in the data. The 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for this game, as the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution. The data implies that the CPU has headroom left on the table. At 4K Low, the GPU produces 46.8 FPS, but the CPU could likely push higher if paired with a stronger GPU. The percentile rank of 73 vs all CPUs places it above average, confirming that the i5-10400F is not the reason for the low combo ranking.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F holding back the RX 580 in Downfall?

A: No. The data shows the CPU is never the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 100.3 FPS, and the CPU’s 3dmark single-thread score of 688 suggests it can handle higher frame rates. The GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions and settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Downfall?

A: 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. The system achieves 71.3 FPS at High and 82.1 FPS at Medium, which are playable. At 2560x1440, the High preset drops to 47.2 FPS, which is borderline, and at 3840x2160, even Low only hits 46.8 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 13559, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 scores 13564, a delta of 0%. The AMD Radeon Pro 455 scores 13416, a 1.1% deficit. The performance is effectively identical to the GTX 570.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM help at 4K in Downfall?

A: No. The 4K Ultra result of 22 FPS shows the GPU is compute-limited, not memory-limited. The 256 GB/s bandwidth is the constraint, not the 8 GB capacity. Lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 4K only improves FPS from 22 to 46.8, which is still not smooth.

Q: What CPU benchmark score best predicts the i5-10400F's gaming performance?

A: The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1453 is most relevant for gaming. The 3dmark 2-thread score of 1350 also indicates strong dual-core performance, which matches the needs of a 2016 horror title.

Q: Is this combo ranked poorly because of the CPU or GPU?

A: The GPU. The combo ranks 1606th of 1741, but the CPU ranks in the 73rd percentile vs all CPUs. The GPU ranks in the 53rd percentile, and its age relative to the game’s release date is the primary factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results show a clear hierarchy. Low settings produce 100.3 FPS, Medium drops to 82.1 FPS, High yields 71.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40.3 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is 31 FPS, which is significant, indicating that Ultra introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU. The 1080p data is the only resolution where all presets are technically playable, with the exception of Ultra being borderline.

At 2560x1440, the scaling becomes more pronounced. Low hits 73.3 FPS, Medium yields 62 FPS, High drops to 47.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 33.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 39.4 FPS, showing that the GPU struggles with higher settings at this resolution. The 1440p High result of 47.2 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, suggesting users should stick to Medium or Low for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the results are mostly unplayable. Low achieves 46.8 FPS, Medium drops to 37.3 FPS, High yields 29.8 FPS, and Ultra hits 22 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 24.8 FPS, which is narrower than at lower resolutions, indicating the GPU is hitting a hard wall. Even at Low settings, 4K is not consistently smooth, and the frame times are likely erratic.

Settings Recommendations

The best experience per the measured rows is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, producing 82.1 FPS. This gives a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while retaining visual quality. High settings at 1080p (71.3 FPS) are also viable, but Medium provides a 10.8 FPS improvement with minimal visual difference in a dark horror game. Ultra is not recommended, as the 40.3 FPS result is below the smooth threshold.

For users with 1440p monitors, Medium at 62 FPS is the only preset that consistently hits the 60 FPS mark. Low at 73.3 FPS is smoother but sacrifices visual fidelity. High at 47.2 FPS is playable but not ideal for a game that relies on atmospheric tension, where frame pacing matters. The data suggests that 1440p users should prioritize frame rate over quality.

At 4K, no preset is truly playable. Low at 46.8 FPS is the only option above 30 FPS, but the experience will be stuttery. The recommendation is to avoid 4K entirely with this combo, as even the lowest settings cannot provide a consistent experience. The 22 FPS Ultra result is a slideshow and should be avoided.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1606th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems, which is a poor result. The rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the CPU’s percentile of 73 is respectable. The GPU’s percentile of 53 is average, but the age of the Polaris 20 chip (released in 2017) relative to the game’s 2016 release means it was already mid-range at launch.

The nearest rival comparisons for the GPU show that the RX 580 is statistically tied with the GTX 570 (0% delta) and slightly ahead of the Radeon Pro 455 (1.1%). This indicates that the GPU is not a bad performer for its class, but the class itself is outdated. The CPU’s nearest rivals, like the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4% delta), show that the i5-10400F is competitive with much more expensive server chips in average benchmark scores.

The low combo rank is a function of pairing a 73rd percentile CPU with a 53rd percentile GPU. The data suggests that the system would rank higher if the GPU were upgraded, as the CPU has headroom. The benchmark results indicate that the i5-10400F is not the limiting factor, and any improvement in the combo’s rank would come from replacing the RX 580 with a more modern graphics card. The measured FPS data supports this: the CPU can push 100+ FPS at 1080p Low, but the GPU cannot sustain that at higher settings.