Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core i5-10400F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070

The Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination delivers a playable horror experience in Downfall, but the data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions while showing surprising CPU headroom at 1080p. The combo ranks 1447th out of 1741 tested configurations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, yet the measured frame rates tell a more nuanced story across the three resolutions and four quality presets tested. This pairing of a 6-core, 12-thread Comet Lake processor with a Pascal-generation GPU produces results that range from borderline unplayable at 4K Ultra to exceptionally smooth at 1080p Low, with the sweet spot appearing in the 1440p range where the GTX 1070's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus can stretch its legs.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and clearly demonstrates that the GTX 1070 becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 105.3 at 1920x1080 to 77.7 at 2560x1440, then plummets to 49.9 at 3840x2160. That represents a 52.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings, a scaling pattern typical of a GPU that is running out of raw throughput rather than a CPU bottleneck. The GTX 1070's 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 256.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth are simply insufficient to feed 8.3 million pixels at 4K with demanding settings.

The scaling becomes even more telling when comparing Low settings across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system produces 155.6 FPS, dropping to 114.7 at 1440p and 70.9 at 4K. The fact that 4K Low still nearly matches 1080p High (70.9 vs 105.3) suggests that the game's visual complexity at Low settings reduces the GPU workload enough to keep the GTX 1070 from being fully saturated. However, the gap between 1440p and 4K Low (114.7 to 70.9, a 38.2% drop) indicates that even at minimal settings, the 4K resolution overwhelms this GPU's capabilities.

At Ultra settings, the picture is bleak for 4K enthusiasts. The average FPS collapses to 26.7 at 3840x2160, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a horror title where reaction time matters. The scaling from 1440p Ultra (47.6 FPS) to 4K Ultra (26.7 FPS) represents a 43.9% reduction, and the GPU is clearly the bottleneck throughout. The i5-10400F, with its 4.30 GHz boost clock and 12 MB of shared L3 cache, shows no signs of holding back the GTX 1070 at any resolution, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate declines that track with pixel count rather than CPU workload.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium settings as the optimal balance for this combination across all three resolutions, with 1440p Medium (91.3 FPS) offering the best combination of visual quality and performance headroom. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 129.9 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay, while 4K Medium drops to 56.3 FPS—still playable but with noticeable compromise. The step from Medium to High costs 14.9% of performance at 1080p (129.9 to 105.3), 14.9% at 1440p (91.3 to 77.7), and 11.4% at 4K (56.3 to 49.9), making High a reasonable choice for those prioritizing visuals over frame rate stability.

Ultra settings should be avoided at 4K entirely, as the 26.7 FPS average falls below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered the minimum for playable frame rates. Even at 1440p, Ultra's 47.6 FPS is marginal for a horror game where sudden movements and quick camera pans can exacerbate perceived stutter. The 1080p Ultra result of 67.3 FPS is acceptable, but the 48.3% performance penalty over Medium (129.9 FPS) is difficult to justify unless the visual improvements are critical to the experience. For players with 1080p monitors, High at 105.3 FPS provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while delivering substantially better visuals than Medium. At 1440p, High's 77.7 FPS is the recommended target, offering both quality and responsiveness. At 4K, Low (70.9 FPS) is the only preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS, but Medium's 56.3 FPS may be acceptable for players who prioritize image clarity over frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz provide solid single-thread performance, as reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1453 and Geekbench single-core score of 1454. In Downfall, a horror title that relies on consistent frame delivery rather than massive multi-threaded workloads, this CPU's performance is more than adequate to feed the GTX 1070. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 688 and 2-thread score of 1350 indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for game engines that still depend heavily on a few primary threads.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are not the limiting factor in this pairing. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297 and PassMark multithread score of 12115 demonstrate that the 12 threads can handle background tasks and game logic without creating bottlenecks. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, compared to the GPU's 51st percentile, suggests that the processor has more headroom than the graphics card. The nearest CPU rivals—the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4% higher average score), AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.8% lower), and Intel Core i5-8500 (1.1% lower)—all fall within a narrow performance band, confirming that the i5-10400F sits in a well-populated mid-range tier where small differences rarely translate to meaningful FPS changes in GPU-limited scenarios.

The 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game, and the data shows no evidence of the CPU causing frame drops at any resolution or settings combination. The fact that FPS scales consistently with resolution and settings—rather than showing plateaus or sudden drops that would indicate CPU limits—confirms that the i5-10400F is performing its role without becoming a constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1447th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 17th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the age of the components: the GTX 1070 was released in 2016 with a launch MSRP of 379 USD, and the i5-10400F followed in 2020. The GPU's nearest rivals—NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (0.7% higher average score), GeForce GTX 880M (1.3% lower), GTX 1650 SUPER (1.4% lower), and Tesla K20Xm (1.7% lower)—show that the GTX 1070 sits in a dense cluster of similar-performing GPUs, all within a 3% band. This means that swapping to any of these alternatives would produce nearly identical frame rates in Downfall.

The CPU's position among rivals is similarly tight, with the nearest competitors—AMD EPYC 7552, Ryzen 3 7320C, i5-8500, and Ryzen Embedded V2546—all within 1.2% of the i5-10400F's average benchmark score of 14168. This suggests that the combo's ranking is determined more by the GPU's absolute performance than by the CPU's relative standing. The 1741 tested combos span a wide range of hardware, and a 1447th place finish indicates that this pairing is better suited to 1080p and 1440p gaming than to 4K. The data shows that the combo can deliver 60+ FPS at 1440p Medium and High, which positions it as a capable mid-range setup for this horror title, but it falls short of the performance needed for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Downfall at 4K smoothly?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 70.9 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 56.3 FPS, and at High it falls to 49.9 FPS. Ultra is not playable at 26.7 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: High settings at 77.7 FPS provides the best quality-to-performance ratio. Medium runs at 91.3 FPS, while Ultra drops to 47.6 FPS, which may be too low for comfortable play.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F bottlenecking the GTX 1070 in this game?

A: No. The frame rate scaling across resolutions and settings follows GPU workload patterns, and the CPU's benchmark scores (73rd percentile) are substantially higher than the GPU's (51st percentile), indicating the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1070's average benchmark score of 12331 is within 1.7% of the Quadro K4200, GTX 880M, GTX 1650 SUPER, and Tesla K20Xm, meaning these GPUs would perform nearly identically in Downfall.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with this setup?

A: The system averages 155.6 FPS at Low, 129.9 FPS at Medium, 105.3 FPS at High, and 67.3 FPS at Ultra. All presets exceed 60 FPS at this resolution.

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

A: It ranks 1447th out of 1741 total combos, placing it in the lower 17% of the database, which reflects the aging GPU more than the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system produces an average of 70.9 FPS on Low settings, 56.3 FPS on Medium, 49.9 FPS on High, and 26.7 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 44.2 FPS, a 62.3% reduction, highlighting the GTX 1070's struggle with 4K pixel counts under heavy graphical loads. At 2560x1440, the results improve substantially: Low averages 114.7 FPS, Medium 91.3 FPS, High 77.7 FPS, and Ultra 47.6 FPS. The 1440p results show a more reasonable spread, with Ultra still delivering nearly 48 FPS, which is playable for a slower-paced horror title. At 1920x1080, the system excels across all presets: Low hits 155.6 FPS, Medium reaches 129.9 FPS, High manages 105.3 FPS, and Ultra stays above 60 FPS at 67.3 FPS.

The scaling between settings is consistent across resolutions, with Ultra typically costing 50-60% of the performance of Low. The step from Medium to High costs approximately 15% at 1080p and 1440p, while the step from High to Ultra costs 36% at 1080p, 39% at 1440p, and 46% at 4K. This pattern indicates that Ultra settings introduce disproportionately heavy effects that punish the GTX 1070's 1920 shading units and 64 ROPs. The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory is sufficient for all tested configurations, as no texture-related stutters are indicated by the average FPS data, but the 256.3 GB/s bandwidth becomes a constraint at 4K Ultra where the 26.7 FPS result suggests the GPU is starved for data throughput.