Downfall

The Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT pairing delivers a playable experience in Downfall, but the data clearly indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates show a steep performance cliff when moving from 1440p to 4K, particularly at the Ultra preset, where the average frame rate falls below the 60 FPS threshold. This combination ranks in the 36th percentile of all tested combos, indicating that while it is not a top-tier configuration, it offers a solid foundation for this horror title.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the GPU's limitations. At the Ultra preset, the system delivers 86.1 FPS at 1920x1080, but this plummets to 59.1 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 38.4 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 55.4% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings. The scaling pattern indicates that the RX 6650 XT's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are being saturated at higher resolutions, as the pixel count increase directly impacts the GPU's workload.

At the Low preset, the scaling is more forgiving. The system hits 197.8 FPS at 1080p, drops to 141.2 FPS at 1440p, and still maintains 86.9 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is substantial, with the Ultra preset delivering less than half the frame rate of Low. This suggests that the GPU's compute units and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, as reducing graphical fidelity alleviates the pressure. The 1080p to 1440p transition at Medium settings shows a 28.1% performance loss (from 160.3 to 115.0 FPS), while the 1440p to 4K transition at the same preset shows a 35.7% loss (from 115.0 to 74.0 FPS), confirming that higher resolutions disproportionately tax this GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides a capable foundation with 6 cores and 12 threads, operating at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores indicate strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 and a single-core score of 2249. The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core help feed the GPU with data, though the game's demands at lower resolutions appear to be adequately met.

The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 197.8 FPS, which is close to the CPU's practical limit for this title. The 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and multi-thread score of 5890 suggest that the i5-12400 is well-balanced for gaming workloads. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19850 is virtually identical to the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831, deltaPct 0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894, deltaPct -0.2%). This indicates that the CPU is not a weak link in this configuration, as its performance is on par with older higher-tier processors.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node contribute to efficient operation, but the benchmark results at 4K Ultra (38.4 FPS) show that the GPU is clearly the limiting component. The CPU's percentage ranking of 77 means it outperforms 77% of all tested CPUs, confirming that it is more than adequate for this game. However, the measured FPS at 1080p High (136.5 FPS) versus 1080p Low (197.8 FPS) shows a 31% difference, indicating that the GPU is still the primary driver of performance even at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the decisive factor in this system's Downfall performance. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth, the GPU shows its strengths at 1080p but struggles at 4K. The boost clock of 2635 MHz and game clock of 2410 MHz provide substantial compute power, with 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs. The GPU's FP32 performance of 10.79 TFLOPS is respectable, but the memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck at higher resolutions.

At 1080p, the GPU delivers excellent results across all settings, from 86.1 FPS at Ultra to 197.8 FPS at Low. The 1440p results are still playable, with 93.1 FPS at High and 59.1 FPS at Ultra. However, the 4K results show a clear limitation: 60.1 FPS at High is borderline, but 38.4 FPS at Ultra is not a smooth experience for a horror game that may rely on atmospheric tension. The GPU's percentile ranking of 72 indicates it outperforms 72% of all tested GPUs, but its nearest rivals show it is closely matched with the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (avgScore 29011, deltaPct 0%) and the AMD Radeon RX 470 (avgScore 28996, deltaPct 0.1%).

The 11,060 million transistors on a 7 nm process node give the GPU a transistor density of 46.7M per mm², which supports its DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 API capabilities. The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the frame rate drops to 38.4 FPS. The GPU's memory clock of 2190 MHz (17.5 Gbps effective) provides adequate bandwidth for most scenarios, but the 128-bit bus width limits the overall throughput compared to wider-bus alternatives.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combination. At 1080p, High delivers 136.5 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, High still achieves 93.1 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS target. Even at 4K, High manages 60.1 FPS, making it the only preset that hits the 60 FPS threshold at that resolution.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this configuration, as it drops below 60 FPS at 1440p (59.1 FPS) and falls to 38.4 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset provides a viable alternative, with 160.3 FPS at 1080p and 115.0 FPS at 1440p, but it drops to 74.0 FPS at 4K. For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset is the safest choice, delivering 197.8 FPS at 1080p and 141.2 FPS at 1440p, though it sacrifices graphical details that may impact the horror atmosphere.

Given that the game was released in 2016, the High preset likely represents a good compromise between modern visual expectations and the hardware's capabilities. The data shows a consistent pattern: High maintains playable frame rates across all resolutions, while Ultra is only viable at 1080p. The 4K Ultra result of 38.4 FPS is the weakest point in this dataset, indicating that users should avoid this setting combination unless they have frame rate insensitivity.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 1111 out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all systems tested. This ranking reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, as the CPU's performance is strong relative to its peers. The combo's position suggests that while it can handle the game at lower resolutions, it is not competitive with higher-end configurations at 4K.

The CPU's benchmark scores, such as the PassMark multi-thread score of 18747 and the 3DMark max threads score of 5890, show that the i5-12400 is a solid performer. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 17166 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 93769 indicate that it is a mid-range graphics card. The combination of these components results in a system that is well-suited for 1080p gaming but struggles with 4K Ultra settings. The ranking of 1111 out of 1741 means that 630 other tested combos perform worse, but 1110 perform better, putting this system in the 36th percentile of all tested configurations.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the most consistent resolution, with all settings achieving above 86 FPS. At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 93.1 FPS, while 4K High only reaches 60.1 FPS.

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

A: Yes, but only at the High preset, which achieves 60.1 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 74.0 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 38.4 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831) and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894).

Q: What is the GPU's performance relative to other cards?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 29024, with a percentile ranking of 72. It is closely matched with the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (deltaPct 0%) and the AMD Radeon RX 470 (deltaPct 0.1%).

Q: Which settings preset should I use for the best experience?

A: The High preset is recommended, as it provides 136.5 FPS at 1080p, 93.1 FPS at 1440p, and 60.1 FPS at 4K, offering the best balance across all resolutions.

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

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong relative to its peers, but the GPU's performance drops significantly at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset achieves 197.8 FPS, while Medium reaches 160.3 FPS, High hits 136.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 86.1 FPS. These results indicate that the GPU has sufficient headroom at this resolution to handle even the most demanding settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down noticeably. Low delivers 141.2 FPS, Medium reaches 115.0 FPS, High achieves 93.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 59.1 FPS. The transition from High to Ultra at this resolution represents a 36.5% performance loss, highlighting the GPU's struggle with the Ultra preset.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become apparent. Low still manages 86.9 FPS, Medium drops to 74.0 FPS, High achieves 60.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 38.4 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest in the entire dataset, and even the High preset barely reaches the 60 FPS target. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the gap between Low and Ultra widens, confirming that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are the limiting factors for this configuration in Downfall.