Downfall

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptional performance in the horror title Downfall, with measured frame rates ranging from 74 FPS at 4K Ultra to 284 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows that this combination is highly capable of driving high-refresh-rate displays at 1080p and 1440p, while still maintaining playable performance at 4K with reduced settings. The benchmark results indicate a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU's six cores and 12 threads proving sufficient for this title's demands across all tested configurations.

FAQ

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

A: At 1440p with Low settings, the combination achieves 254 FPS, and at High settings it reaches 191 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming. At 4K, the average drops to 119 FPS on High, which is still above the standard 60 FPS threshold, but for maximum smoothness, 1440p is the sweet spot.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's memory configuration affect performance?

A: The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. This large memory pool and high bandwidth ensure that the game's textures and assets are handled with ease at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 74, indicating the memory subsystem is not a bottleneck.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets?

A: At 1440p, the difference is 134 FPS, with Low achieving 254 FPS and Ultra achieving 120 FPS. This indicates a heavy reliance on GPU compute for visual effects, with the RTX 4080's 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance being the primary factor in the scaling.

Q: Is the i5-10400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU's performance is still sufficient, as the average FPS at High settings is 246, and at Low it is 284. The CPU's 12 threads and 12 MB of L3 cache provide enough headroom, and the data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions, as the frame rate scales with resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: In average benchmark scores, the RTX 4080 is 0.1% ahead of the RTX 4080 SUPER, 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, and 2.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. This indicates that the RTX 4080's performance is within a tight band of its closest competitors.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance relative to its rivals?

A: The i5-10400F's average benchmark score is 14185, which is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6756E, 0.3% behind the Intel Core 7 160UL, 0.5% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7552, and 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C. This places it in a competitive mid-range position.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. In Downfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 284, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is able to keep up with the GPU's output, as the RTX 4080 is a high-end card that can produce extremely high FPS at lower resolutions.

The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451, suggests that it has adequate single-threaded performance for gaming. In Downfall, the single-threaded performance is crucial for the game's main loop, and with a Passmark single-thread score of 2541, the i5-10400F is able to handle the game's demands without bottlenecking the GPU. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce latency when accessing frequently used data, which is beneficial for the game's AI and physics calculations.

The CPU's memory bandwidth is 42.7 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR4 interface, which is ample for this title. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this combination, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary driver of performance. The CPU's 68th percentile rating among all CPUs also places it in the upper half of the performance spectrum, which is sufficient for the game's requirements.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this combination, with a 16 GB GDDR6X memory pool on a 256-bit bus delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. In Downfall, the GPU's role is to handle the game's rendering, including shading, and the RTX 4080's 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs provide substantial raw compute power. The GPU's FP32 performance is 48.74 TFLOPS, which is a key metric for the game's visual effects as seen in the performance scaling between settings.

The RTX 4080 has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, which is a modest boost that contributes to its high frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 74, which is the most demanding setting tested, and this shows that the GPU is still able to maintain a playable frame rate. The GPU's memory bandwidth is critical for the 4K textures, and the 716.8 GB/s is ample for the game's needs, as shown by the relatively small frame rate dips between Medium and High settings at 1440p.

The RTX 4080's benchmark performance is strong, with a Passmark G3D score of 34457 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567. This is a GPU that is 86th percentile among all GPUs, placing it well above the average. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 SUPER, which is only 0.1% ahead in average score, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, which is 1.1% behind. These differences are small, indicating that the RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU that can handle Downfall with ease.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combination in Downfall show a clear trend of decreasing FPS with increasing resolution and settings. At 1080p, the lowest average is 168 FPS at Ultra, while the highest is 284 FPS at Low. The 1080p Medium settings produce an average of 264 FPS, with a minimum of 225 FPS and a maximum of 304 FPS, showing a stable frame rate. At High settings, the average is 246 FPS, which is still very high, but the jump from High to Ultra is significant, with a 78 FPS drop.

At 1440p, the performance is still strong, with Low achieving 254 FPS and High achieving 191 FPS. The Medium setting at 1440p results in an average of 233 FPS, with a minimum of 198 and maximum of 268. Ultra at 1440p is 120 FPS, which is half the Low FPS, showing the heavy cost of Ultra visuals. The frame rates at 1440p are sufficiently high for a 144Hz monitor, except for Ultra, which would still provide a very good experience.

At 4K, the performance drops significantly, with Low at 178 FPS, Medium at 145 FPS, and High at 119 FPS. The Ultra setting at 4K is 74 FPS, which is the lowest measured average. The Medium setting at 4K has a minimum of 123 FPS and maximum of 167 FPS, showing a broader variation than other settings. The 4K results indicate that the RTX 4080 is capable of 4K gaming, but the Ultra preset may be too demanding for a locked 60 FPS experience, as the average is 74 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows how the frame rate is impacted by the resolution and the limiting component. At 1080p, the High setting has an average of 246 FPS, and at 1440p it drops to 191 FPS, a 22% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the High setting drops to 119 FPS, a 38% decrease. This scaling is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, where the GPU's render load increases with resolution, and the CPU is not the bottleneck.

For the Low settings, the 1080p average is 284 FPS, which drops to 254 FPS at 1440p and then to 178 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is a 37% reduction, which is less than the High setting's 52% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is not fully saturated at Low settings, and the CPU may be a slight limiting factor at 1080p, but at 4K the GPU is fully utilized.

The Medium settings show a similar, with 264 FPS at 1080p, 233 FPS at 1440p, and 145 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is a 45% reduction. The Ultra settings have the steepest scaling, with 168 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K, a 56% reduction. This shows that the Ultra settings are very demanding on the GPU, and the RTX 4080 scales in a way that the frame rate drop is more pronounced at higher settings.

The resolution scaling analysis reveals that the RTX 4080 is the limiting component in this combination, as the frame rate scales in a typical GPU-bound pattern. The CPU's performance is sufficient to keep up with the GPU at all resolutions, as the FPS does not plateau at 1080p, but continues to increase with lower resolutions, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the best settings for this combination depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a 1080p display, the High setting offers an average 246 FPS, which is well above the 144Hz refresh rate of most monitors, and the Ultra setting drops to 168 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium setting at 1080p provides 264 FPS, which is also excellent, but the visual difference from High is minimal, so High is the recommended setting for 1080p.

For 1440p displays, the High settings achieve 191 FPS, which is perfect for 144Hz gaming, and the Medium setting at 233 FPS is an even better option for those who want to maintain a high frame rate. The Ultra setting at 120 FPS is also playable, but the jump from High to Ultra is not worth the 71 FPS drop, so High is the recommended setting for 1440p.

For 4K, the High setting at 119 FPS is the best choice for a smooth experience, as it is above 60 FPS. The Medium setting at 145 FPS is also a good option, but the High setting offers a better visual balance. The Ultra setting at 74 FPS is playable, but it may not be smooth enough for fast-paced gameplay, so it is not recommended for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

The data shows that the High preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions, with the RTX 4080's powerful GPU being able to delivering high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, and a good experience at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of Downfall benchmark combinations, this combo ranks 566th out of 3716 tested, placing it in the top 15.2% of all combinations. This rank is a strong indicator of the overall performance, and it shows that the i5-10400F and RTX 4080 are a well-matched pair for this game. The rank is influenced by the GPU's high performance, as the RTX 4080 is 86th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is 68th percentile. The combination's high rank is a result of the GPU's exceptional performance, which is able to compensate for the CPU's mid-range status.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals, which are all within 2.7% of its average score, shows that the RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU. The CPU's performance is also respectable, with a 68th percentile rating, and its performance in the game is sufficient to avoid being a bottleneck. The result is a combination that ranks in the top 566 of 3,716, which is a very high ranking, and it indicates that this system is well-suited for high-refresh gaming at 1080p and 1440p, and for 4K gaming at lower settings.