Downfall

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 1603 out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places the pairing in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations, a result that signals significant performance limitations for this horror title. The ranking reflects a combination where the GPU's age and the CPU's mid-range positioning combine to deliver playable but far from optimal frame rates. With the RX 580 sitting at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs and the i5-11400F at the 75th percentile among CPUs, the bottleneck is clearly on the graphics side. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 104.7 FPS, but this drops sharply as graphical demands increase. The rank of 1603 suggests that most other tested hardware combinations outperform this pairing, making it a low-tier option for Downfall despite the CPU's relatively strong standing.

# Settings Recommendations

For the best experience measured, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 104.7 FPS, which is the only configuration exceeding the 100 FPS threshold. This is the clear recommendation for smooth gameplay, as the next step up, Medium at 1080p, drops to 86.3 FPS. The High preset at 1080p provides 67.2 FPS, which remains playable but with noticeable compromises. Ultra at 1080p falls to 44 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold for a horror game where responsiveness matters. At 1440p, the Low preset gives 75.6 FPS, making it a viable alternative for users with higher-resolution displays who can tolerate lower graphical fidelity. The Medium preset at 1440p yields 61.2 FPS, still acceptable for slower-paced horror gameplay. However, High at 1440p drops to 49.8 FPS, and Ultra becomes nearly unplayable at 29.3 FPS. For 4K, only Low settings at 44.9 FPS approach playability, while Ultra at 16.4 FPS is effectively a slideshow. The data strongly indicates that Low settings provide the most stable experience across all resolutions, with Medium serving as a compromise only at 1080p.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a GPU-bound system. At Low settings, the drop from 104.7 FPS at 1080p to 75.6 FPS at 1440p represents a 27.8% reduction, while the further drop to 44.9 FPS at 4K is another 40.6% decline. This steep curve indicates that the RX 580's rendering capabilities are the primary limiter, as the CPU has ample headroom. At Medium settings, the progression is 86.3 FPS at 1080p, 61.2 FPS at 1440p, and 39.2 FPS at 4K, showing a consistent reduction of roughly 29% between each resolution step. The High preset follows a similar pattern: 67.2 FPS at 1080p, 49.8 FPS at 1440p, and 28.8 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings demonstrate the most dramatic scaling, with 44 FPS at 1080p dropping to 29.3 FPS at 1440p and finally 16.4 FPS at 4K. The consistent ~30% drops per resolution increase across all settings confirm that pixel throughput is the bottleneck. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, combined with its 4.40 GHz boost clock, are not the limiting factor here; the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus are insufficient for the higher pixel counts at 4K.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the full settings spectrum shows a wide performance range. Low delivers 104.7 FPS, Medium drops to 86.3 FPS, High settles at 67.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44 FPS. This represents a 58% reduction from Low to Ultra, indicating that the RX 580 is particularly strained by the highest graphical presets. The jump from Medium to High costs 19.1 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 23.2 FPS, showing that Ultra settings impose a disproportionate penalty. At 1440p, the pattern repeats with lower absolute numbers: Low at 75.6 FPS, Medium at 61.2 FPS, High at 49.8 FPS, and Ultra at 29.3 FPS. The gap between Medium and High narrows to 11.4 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 20.5 FPS. At 4K, the results are mostly unplayable: Low at 44.9 FPS, Medium at 39.2 FPS, High at 28.8 FPS, and Ultra at 16.4 FPS. The Low to Medium gap at 4K is only 5.7 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is completely overwhelmed at this resolution. The data shows that 1080p Low is the only configuration that provides a consistently smooth experience, with 1440p Low being a secondary option for those with higher-resolution displays.

# GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580's specifications directly explain the measured performance. With a base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz, the GPU's 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units are tasked with rendering Downfall's horror environments. The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p but becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU's 42.88 GPixel/s pixel rate and 193.0 GTexel/s texture rate are modest by modern standards, and the 6.175 TFLOPS FP32 performance places it well below contemporary mid-range cards. The RX 580's 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13559, puts it in the lower half of the performance distribution. Its nearest rivals, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13564) and GTX 950 (13549), show near-identical average scores, with delta percentages of 0% and 0.1%, respectively. This marginal separation confirms that the RX 580 is essentially a mid-tier GPU from its era, and Downfall's demanding visuals push it to its limits, particularly at Ultra settings where 4K performance drops to 16.4 FPS.

# FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the optimal resolution, with Low settings delivering 104.7 FPS and Medium providing 86.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low at 75.6 FPS remains smooth, while 3840x2160 fails to exceed 44.9 FPS even on Low.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 13559, nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 at 13564 (0% difference) and GTX 950 at 13549 (0.1% difference). The AMD Radeon Pro 455 trails at 13416, 1.1% behind.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The i5-11400F ranks in the 75th percentile among CPUs, while the RX 580 sits at the 53rd percentile. The consistent FPS drops across resolution increases, particularly from 1080p to 4K, point to GPU rendering limits rather than CPU processing constraints.

Q: Can this combo handle Ultra settings at any resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra delivers 44 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 29.3 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 16.4 FPS. The data indicates Ultra is only viable at 1080p, and even then with significant compromises.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: Low settings achieve 104.7 FPS, while Ultra drops to 44 FPS, representing a 58% reduction. The largest single-step penalty is from High (67.2 FPS) to Ultra (44 FPS), costing 23.2 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark performance support this GPU?

A: The i5-11400F scores 14372 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2029 in single-core tests, with a PassMark multithread score of 16908. These results, combined with its 6 cores and 12 threads, ensure the CPU does not hold back the GPU at any tested setting.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides a solid foundation for this gaming combo, though its capabilities are largely underutilized in Downfall due to the GPU bottleneck. With 6 cores and 12 threads running at a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost up to 4.40 GHz, the CPU offers strong single-threaded performance that is crucial for game logic. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth are adequate for feeding the GPU, but the data shows that even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is most strained, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The CPU's benchmark results are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and single-core score of 2029, with a Geekbench multicore score of 7579 and single-core score of 1979. These numbers place the i5-11400F at the 75th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17181. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189, 0% difference) and Intel Core i7-1260P (17212, -0.2% difference), showing that the CPU performs competitively within its class. The 65W TDP and Rocket Lake architecture on a 14 nm process provide efficient operation, but the 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes offer more bandwidth than the RX 580's PCIe 3.0 interface can utilize. In Downfall, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame pacing, and the measured FPS across all settings suggests it does so without introducing stutter or frame drops. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 5619 and 3dmark_single_thread score of 868 confirm that both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads are handled well, ensuring that the horror game's AI and physics calculations do not compromise the experience. However, the 4K Ultra result of 16.4 FPS is purely a GPU limitation, as the CPU would need to be severely underpowered to cause such a low frame rate at this resolution.