Downfall

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER presents a stark study in component hierarchy within the horror title Downfall. The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a combination that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings, yet shows the CPU's limitations only when the graphical load is reduced. This analysis breaks down the scaling behavior, ranking, and optimal settings for this specific pairing based on the provided benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K clearly demonstrates the shifting balance of workload between the processor and the graphics card. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination achieves 285.5 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset, indicating that the RTX 4080 SUPER is being held back by the Intel Core i5-10400F's single-thread performance, as the CPU cannot feed the GPU enough data to push beyond this threshold. The scaling from 1080p Low to 1440p Low shows a moderate decline to 256.1 FPS, a drop of roughly 10%, which still suggests a CPU-limited scenario where the GPU has ample headroom.

The trend shifts dramatically as resolution increases. Moving from 1440p Low (256.1 FPS) to 4K Low (173.5 FPS) results in a substantial 32% performance hit, indicating that the GPU is now becoming the primary bottleneck. This is the classic signature of a GPU-bound workload: the frame rate drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count. The pattern is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 168.3 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, this falls to 119.2 FPS, a 29% reduction. The most significant drop occurs when jumping to 4K Ultra, where the average FPS plummets to 73.5, a further 38% decrease from the 1440p figure. This severe scaling at the highest settings confirms that the RTX 4080 SUPER's compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors in 4K scenarios.

The data suggests that the i5-10400F is sufficient to drive the RTX 4080 SUPER to high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, particularly at lower graphical presets. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, are evidently capable of keeping up with the GPU's demands until the pixel workload becomes too great. The 4K results, particularly at Ultra, show a clear GPU bottleneck, with the 73.5 FPS average being the lowest in the dataset. This indicates that for a smooth 4K experience, the graphical settings must be carefully managed, as the GPU's performance headroom is exhausted at the highest quality preset.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve at 1080p?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 285.5 FPS, which is achieved with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average frame rate is 73.5 FPS. This is the lowest performance point recorded in the dataset for this combination.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the combo achieves 192.2 FPS. The relatively small performance drop from the 1080p High result of 245.9 FPS suggests the system is still partially CPU-limited at this resolution, as the GPU has enough bandwidth to handle the increased resolution without a huge penalty.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: The difference is exactly 100 FPS. Low settings produce 173.5 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 73.5 FPS at 3840x2160.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER's performance percentile align with its measured results here?

A: The GPU holds an 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs, and its benchmark scores are strong. However, in this specific game, the 4K Ultra performance of 73.5 FPS shows that even a high-percentile GPU can be brought to its knees by demanding settings.

Q: Which preset offers the most balanced performance at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 yields 232.2 FPS, while High yields 192.2 FPS and Ultra yields 119.2 FPS. Medium provides a significant frame rate advantage over High and Ultra while still maintaining a higher level of graphical fidelity than Low.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Downfall, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER holds a rank of 241 out of 1741 tested combos. This places the system in the top 14% of all tested configurations, indicating a very high level of overall performance. The percentile ranking is strong, though it is not at the absolute top, which is consistent with the CPU not being the most powerful available.

The ranking suggests that while the RTX 4080 SUPER is a top-tier GPU, the i5-10400F prevents this combo from achieving the absolute highest frame rates. The CPU's average benchmark score places it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, and it is closely matched with rivals such as the AMD EPYC 7552, which has a deltaPct of 0.4, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, with a deltaPct of -0.8. This shows the i5-10400F is a solid mid-range performer, but it is not in the same class as the GPU. The combo's rank of 241 reflects this imbalance; the GPU is doing the heavy lifting in most scenarios, but the CPU is a bottleneck in CPU-light, high-FPS situations. This is a powerful combination, but not the absolute fastest, as systems with more robust CPUs would likely rank higher.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear guide for optimizing the experience in Downfall with this hardware. For players targeting the highest refresh rates at 1920x1080, the Low preset at 285.5 FPS is the only way to approach 285 FPS, but the Medium preset still offers an exceptional 267.1 FPS, which is a better balance of visual quality and speed. The High preset at 245.9 FPS is also viable for high-refresh displays, but the jump to Ultra at 168.3 FPS represents a significant 32% performance cost for the highest visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset stands out as the optimal choice. It delivers 232.2 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay and is only slightly lower than the Low preset's 256.1 FPS. The High preset at 192.2 FPS is also excellent for 1440p, but Ultra's 119.2 FPS is a considerable drop, making it less ideal for competitive play. For 4K gaming, the data shows that only the Low preset at 173.5 FPS provides a high-refresh experience. The Medium preset at 145.7 FPS is still very smooth, but the High preset at 118.9 FPS is approaching the lower limit for high-refresh displays. The Ultra preset at 73.5 FPS is best reserved for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, as it is the only setting that pushes the GPU to its absolute limit. The best experience per the measured rows is generally the Medium preset at 1080p and 1440p, offering a strong compromise, while Low is recommended for 4K high-refresh targets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a complete breakdown of the measured average FPS for the Intel Core i5-10400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER across all tested resolutions and settings.

1920x1080:

• Low: 285.5 FPS
• Medium: 267.1 FPS
• High: 245.9 FPS
• Ultra: 168.3 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 256.1 FPS
• Medium: 232.2 FPS
• High: 192.2 FPS
• Ultra: 119.2 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 173.5 FPS
• Medium: 145.7 FPS
• High: 118.9 FPS
• Ultra: 73.5 FPS

The data reveals a consistent pattern. At 1080p, the performance is heavily influenced by the CPU, with a 98 FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings. This gap widens to 136.9 FPS at 1440p, showing the GPU starting to become more involved. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra is exactly 100 FPS, but the absolute values are much lower, confirming the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the 4K Ultra workload, but the 52.22 TFLOPS of compute power is not enough to maintain high frame rates at that preset. The i5-10400F, with its 12 MB of L3 cache and 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth, provides a stable platform, but its 6 cores are the limiting factor when the GPU is not fully stretched.