Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core i5-12400 + AMD Radeon RX 7700

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Downfall, with the measured data showing this combo landing at rank 1308 out of 2928 tested combinations. That places it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested, with the CPU holding a 72nd percentile ranking against all processors and the GPU sitting at the 58th percentile against all graphics cards. The pairing produces playable frame rates across nearly every resolution and settings combination, but the data reveals some clear boundaries where performance falls off sharply, particularly at 4K Ultra where the average drops to 45 FPS. The 1080p results are outstanding, with Low settings hitting 240 FPS average and Medium still delivering 196 FPS, making this a strong choice for high-refresh-rate displays at standard resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear sweet spot for this combo: Medium settings at 1440p delivers 140 FPS average with a minimum of 119 FPS and a maximum of 161 FPS. That combination offers the best balance of visual fidelity and smooth gameplay, staying well above the 60 FPS threshold even during demanding scenes. At 1080p, Medium pushes to 196 FPS average with a 167 FPS minimum, which is ideal for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, but the visual upgrade to 1440p Medium is substantial and the frame rate remains excellent.

For users prioritizing maximum visual quality, High settings at 1440p produces 115 FPS average, which is still very smooth and represents the best quality-to-performance ratio in the dataset. The jump from High to Ultra at 1440p costs a massive 43 FPS (from 115 down to 72), which is difficult to justify unless the visual improvements are considered essential. At 4K, High settings deliver 72 FPS average, which is playable, but the 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS average falls below the comfortable threshold for a horror game where reaction time matters.

Low settings are only recommended for maximum frame rate chasing, with 240 FPS at 1080p and 171 FPS at 1440p, but the visual sacrifice is unnecessary given how well Medium performs. The data shows that Low to Medium at 1080p only costs 44 FPS (240 down to 196), while providing substantially better visuals. The recommended preset for most users is Medium at 1440p, with High at 1440p as the upgrade path for those with capable displays, and High at 4K for users who prioritize resolution over settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz, with memory running at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective). This memory configuration is generous for Downfall, a game from 2016, and the data suggests the GPU is rarely limited by VRAM capacity across the tested settings.

The GPU's 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 393.4 GTexel/s texture rate provide ample raw throughput for this title. In the benchmark data, the RX 7700 scores 20974 in Passmark G3D and 2865 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in aggregate score include the AMD Radeon R9 370X (delta -0.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (delta -1%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (delta -1.7%), showing the RX 7700 sits in a competitive mid-range tier.

The measured FPS data indicates the GPU scales well with settings reductions. At 4K, dropping from Ultra to High improves the average from 45 to 72 FPS, a 60% gain. Dropping further to Medium yields 87 FPS, and Low reaches 107 FPS. This scaling pattern suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU has more headroom at lower resolutions. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Downfall at any settings, so the frame rate differences come from compute and bandwidth limits rather than memory constraints.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 1308 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 55th percentile of all system configurations tested. That ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically outperforms the other, but together they deliver consistent results. The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking against all processors is stronger than the GPU's 58th percentile, suggesting the processor has more headroom relative to its peers than the graphics card does.

The CPU benchmarks support this interpretation. The Core i5-12400 scores 15989 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2257 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 18747. Its nearest rivals in aggregate CPU score include the AMD EPYC 7643 (delta -0.1%), Intel Core i7-1355U (delta -0.3%), and AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (delta -0.7%), indicating the i5-12400 is tightly clustered with these processors in general compute. The GPU's nearest rivals in aggregate score show a similar clustering, with the Radeon R9 370X at -0.1% delta and the RTX 3060 Ti at -1.7% delta.

In Downfall specifically, the combo's rank of 1308 out of 2928 means it outperforms roughly 55% of tested configurations. For a mid-range pairing, this is a solid result, and the measured FPS data shows the system handles the game well at most settings. The ranking also reflects the game's age — Downfall from 2016 is not particularly demanding by modern standards, so even mid-range hardware can achieve high frame rates at reasonable settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. Low settings produce a 240 FPS average, which is the highest measured in the dataset. Medium settings drop to 196 FPS average with a minimum of 167 FPS and maximum of 226 FPS. High settings yield 161 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 101 FPS average. All of these results are well above the 60 FPS threshold, and even the Ultra setting maintains a playable frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the results remain strong. Low settings produce 171 FPS average, Medium delivers 140 FPS average with a 119 FPS minimum and 161 FPS maximum, High settings achieve 115 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 72 FPS average. The 1440p Medium results are particularly notable because the minimum of 119 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The Ultra setting at 1440p matches the 4K High result at 72 FPS, showing that the settings level has a larger impact than resolution in this range.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes more variable. Low settings still produce a respectable 107 FPS average, Medium delivers 87 FPS average with a 74 FPS minimum and 100 FPS maximum, and High settings achieve 72 FPS average. The Ultra setting drops to 45 FPS average, which is the only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS. The 4K Medium result of 87 FPS is the best balance at this resolution, offering smooth gameplay without the steep cost of Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 240 at 1080p to 171 at 1440p (a 29% reduction) and then to 107 at 4K (a 55% reduction from 1440p). At Medium settings, the progression is 196 to 140 to 87, with similar percentage drops. At High settings, the pattern continues: 161 to 115 to 72. The Ultra settings show the steepest decline: 101 to 72 to 45.

This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The consistent percentage reductions across settings levels suggest that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck even at 1080p, where the GPU still has to render the scene. The 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS is particularly telling — it represents a 55% drop from the 1080p Ultra result of 101 FPS, which is consistent with the pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K (roughly 4x the pixels, though the actual scaling is less than linear due to other bottlenecks).

The fact that 1080p Low hits 240 FPS while 4K Low drops to 107 FPS shows the GPU is stretched at higher resolutions. The 16 GB VRAM is not the issue — the bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s and the compute throughput are what limit performance as resolution climbs. For users with 1080p or 1440p displays, this combo has ample headroom. For 4K users, sticking to High or Medium settings is necessary to maintain smooth frame rates, as the Ultra preset at 4K falls below the playable threshold.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 delivers 140 FPS average with a 119 FPS minimum and 161 FPS maximum, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance. High settings at 1440p still achieves 115 FPS average if you prefer higher visual fidelity.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. High settings at 3840x2160 produces 72 FPS average, which is playable. Medium settings at 4K yields 87 FPS average with a 74 FPS minimum. Ultra settings at 4K drops to 45 FPS average, which is below the smooth gameplay threshold.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 7700's average benchmark score of 15852 is 0.1% below the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862), 1% below the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014), and 1.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129). It sits 1.1% above the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679).

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for this GPU in Downfall?

A: The data suggests not. The CPU ranks at the 72nd percentile of all processors, and the resolution scaling pattern shows consistent FPS drops as resolution increases, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions rather than the CPU.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 240 FPS average, Medium delivers 196 FPS average (167 minimum, 226 maximum), High delivers 161 FPS average, and Ultra delivers 101 FPS average. All settings are well above 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested configurations in Downfall?

A: This combo ranks 1308 out of 2928 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier. The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking is stronger than the GPU's 58th percentile, showing a balanced but slightly CPU-favored pairing.