Downfall

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a robust experience in Downfall, a horror title from 2016. The data indicates this combination is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K remaining viable at medium settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, examining exactly where the CPU and GPU each play their part.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases, but the rate of decline reveals the underlying hardware dynamics. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 226 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings drops that average to 162 FPS, a reduction of approximately 28%. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 101 FPS, another 38% drop from the 1440p figure and a 55% decline from the 1080p baseline.

This scaling pattern indicates that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, especially at lower settings where the GPU has less work to do. The fact that the 1080p Low average of 226 FPS is nearly double the 1440p Low average of 162 FPS suggests the CPU is hitting its ceiling in the former case, preventing the GPU from stretching its legs even further. As resolution climbs, the load shifts to the GPU, which is why the frame rate drops are so steep.

At High settings, the same resolution progression is visible but with slightly different magnitudes. The 1080p High average is 152 FPS, the 1440p High average is 108 FPS (a 29% drop), and the 4K High average is 68 FPS (a 37% drop from 1440p). The gap between Low and High at each resolution is significant: at 1080p, High is 74 FPS slower than Low, while at 4K, High is 33 FPS slower than Low. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is already so saturated that the additional load from High settings has a smaller absolute impact, but a larger relative one on the already lower baseline.

The most telling data point for identifying the limiting component is the Ultra preset. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 42, which is less than half of the 4K Medium figure of 82 FPS. This massive drop indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K, as the Ultra settings likely introduce advanced effects that heavily tax the RTX 4060's compute and memory resources. At 1080p Ultra, the average of 95 FPS is still respectable, but it is significantly lower than the 152 FPS at High, showing that even at lower resolutions, the GPU is struggling with the highest quality presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14nm process. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU's benchmark data shows strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a single-core score of 2024. Its average benchmark score of 17177 places it in the 71st percentile of all CPUs tested.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p resolution. The 226 FPS average at Low settings is a clear indicator that the i5-11400F is capable of feeding frames to the GPU far beyond what the RTX 4060 can render at higher quality settings. The 3DMark scores support this: the 8-thread score of 4691 and the max-thread score of 5652 show that the processor has ample headroom for gaming workloads, which typically rely on fewer threads.

However, the data also shows the CPU's limits. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium settings reduces the average FPS from 226 to 185, a 41 FPS decrease. This is a smaller drop than the 71 FPS decrease seen from Low to High, but it still suggests that the CPU is not entirely idle. The 1080p Ultra average of 95 FPS is particularly interesting. While the GPU is definitely working hard, the fact that this is nearly equal to the 4K Low average of 101 FPS suggests that the CPU might be holding back performance in the 1080p Ultra case, or that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are particularly demanding on both components.

The CPU's L3 cache is 12 MB shared, and its memory bandwidth is rated at 51.2 GB/s with dual-channel DDR4 support. For a 2016 horror title, these specifications are more than adequate. The 11th-gen architecture, while not the newest, offers strong IPC that translates well to gaming. The data shows that the i5-11400F is not a bottleneck at 1440p or 4K, but at 1080p with low to medium settings, it is likely the limiting factor, preventing the system from reaching even higher frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The measured combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 achieves a rank of 2009 out of 3716 total tested combinations in Downfall. This places it in the 54th percentile of all combos, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of the tested systems. While this might seem average, it is important to contextualize this rank against the specific hardware.

The CPU sits at the 71st percentile of all CPUs, but its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% faster) and the Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% slower). These are very close scores, indicating that the i5-11400F is a solid mid-range performer. The GPU, however, is slightly less impressive relative to its competition. The RTX 4060 sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (0.2% faster) and the AMD Radeon 780M (0.3% slower).

The combo rank of 2009 suggests that while each component is individually capable, the pairing does not yield a top-tier result in Downfall. This is likely due to the game's age and its optimization patterns. The 1080p results are excellent, but the 4K Ultra score of 42 FPS drags down the overall ranking. For a horror game, which often relies on atmosphere and lighting rather than raw framerates, this rank is still perfectly playable, but it does indicate that the system is not at the absolute top tier for this title. The fact that it ranks just above the midpoint suggests that many other combinations of newer or higher-end parts can achieve better results, particularly at higher resolutions and settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete FPS data is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 226 FPS on Low settings. On Medium settings, the average is 185 FPS, with a minimum of 157 FPS and a maximum of 213 FPS. High settings produce an average of 152 FPS, and Ultra settings drop the average to 95 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low settings average is 162 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 132 FPS, with a minimum of 112 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. High settings produce 108 FPS on average, and Ultra settings drop to an average of 68 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low settings average is 101 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 82 FPS, with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS. High settings average 68 FPS, and Ultra settings drop significantly to an average of 42 FPS.

The data shows that the system is highly capable at 1080p, with even Ultra settings maintaining a 95 FPS average. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, Low settings at 1080p can push past 200 FPS, which is ideal for fast-paced action. At 1440p, the system is still very playable, with High settings sustaining 108 FPS and Ultra maintaining 68 FPS, which is acceptable for a slower-paced horror title. At 4K, the system requires settings adjustments: Low and Medium are smooth, with 101 FPS and 82 FPS respectively, but High drops to 68 FPS, and Ultra falls to 42 FPS, which may feel less fluid.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a modern GPU based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC's 5nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. Its compute capabilities include 3072 shading units, 24 RT cores, and 96 tensor cores, which are essential for modern rendering features.

In Downfall, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important as resolution and settings rise. The 4K data is the clearest indicator of the GPU's workload. At 4K Medium, the system manages 82 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 42 FPS. This is a 49% reduction, highlighting the immense strain that Ultra settings place on the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute units. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game, as the data does not show any signs of memory-related stuttering or frame drops.

The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 19545 places it at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (0.2% faster) and the AMD Radeon 780M (0.3% slower). This suggests that the RTX 4060 is a mid-pack performer, which aligns with its 1080p and 1440p results. At 1440p High, the 108 FPS average is strong, but it is not exceptional for a modern GPU. The 4K High average of 68 FPS is also decent, but it shows that the GPU is not designed for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming.

The GPU's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 236.2 GTexel/s texture rate are the key metrics that drive these results. The 128-bit memory bus is a potential limitation, but for a game like Downfall, which is not extremely memory-intensive, it does not appear to be a major bottleneck. The GPU is clearly the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, but at lower resolutions, it works well with the CPU to deliver high frame rates.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Downfall with this combo?*

A: The best resolution depends on your target frame rate. For maximum smoothness, 1080p with Low settings provides 226 FPS. For a balanced visual-to-performance ratio, 1440p with High settings yields 108 FPS. At 4K, Medium settings are recommended, as they produce 82 FPS, which is still smooth for a horror title.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings in Downfall?*

A: It can run it, but the average FPS of 42 is likely too low for a comfortable experience. The data suggests that 4K Medium (82 FPS) or 4K High (68 FPS) are much better choices for maintaining fluid gameplay.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K for this combo?

A: At Low settings, 1080p is 125 FPS faster than 4K (226 FPS vs 101 FPS). At High settings, 1080p is 84 FPS faster (152 FPS vs 68 FPS). The gap narrows at higher settings as the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4060 in this game?

A: At 1080p with Low and Medium settings, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU has the headroom to render more frames than the CPU can feed. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, and the CPU is not a significant bottleneck.

*Q: What are the minimum FPS values for this combo in Downfall?*

A: The measured data includes minimum FPS values only for Medium settings. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 157 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 112 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 70 FPS. These minimums indicate stable performance without major stutters.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems in this game?

A: This combo ranks 2009 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the 54th percentile. This means it performs better than about 54% of all tested systems, but it is not near the top tier, largely due to the GPU's mid-range performance at 4K Ultra settings.