Downfall

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Downfall, but the data reveals a clear hierarchy: this is a GPU-bound system at every resolution and setting tested. The frame rate deltas between 1080p and 4K are substantial, indicating that the graphics card is the primary driver of performance, while the processor’s 6 cores and 12 threads provide ample headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck. This combination ranks in the top 11.3% of all tested combos in this game, a position earned by the GPU’s raw throughput rather than any CPU-specific advantage.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS values show a predictable and sharp decline as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited configuration. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 369.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 260.6 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 164.8 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 55.4% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at the lowest graphical preset. The scaling is even more pronounced at Ultra settings, where the average falls from 153.9 FPS at 1080p to 108.1 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 71.3 FPS at 4K — a 53.7% drop from the starting point. These steep declines indicate that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s rendering pipeline is being saturated by the increased pixel count, and the CPU is not stepping in to mitigate the loss.

The pattern holds across all intermediate settings. At Medium, the 1080p result of 300.9 FPS falls to 214.9 FPS at 1440p and 136.1 FPS at 4K. At High, the numbers are 244.5 FPS, 175.3 FPS, and 108.9 FPS respectively. The consistency of these drops — roughly 30-40% per step up in resolution — suggests that the limiting component is the GPU’s fill-rate and shading capacity. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see much smaller deltas between 1080p and 4K, as the processor’s workload would remain relatively constant while the GPU’s load increases. Instead, the data shows the opposite: the system scales almost linearly with pixel count, confirming that the i5-12400 is not the limiting factor in this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the undisputed workhorse in this pairing, and its specifications align perfectly with the measured outcomes. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for Downfall at 4K Ultra, where the average frame rate remains playable at 71.3 FPS. The GPU’s boost clock of 2610 MHz and 8448 shading units provide the computational muscle required to push those high pixel counts, and the results bear this out: even at the most demanding preset, the system never dips below 71 FPS on average.

The GPU’s 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on an average benchmark score of 48704, places it well above the median. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the NVIDIA CMP 50HX, which scores 49071 (a 0.7% difference), and the NVIDIA RTX A2000, which scores 47915 (1.6% lower). While these synthetic scores are close, the real-world Downfall data shows the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivering frame rates that are consistently high enough to suggest that its 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is being fully utilized. The 96 ROPs and 264 TMUs also contribute to the texture-heavy horror environments, ensuring that the GPU remains the dominant contributor to performance across all measured rows.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scope of Downfall testing, this combination of Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER achieves a combo rank of 196 out of 1741 tested combinations. That places it in the 88.7th percentile of all combos, meaning it outperforms roughly 88.7% of the systems tested in this game. This is a strong showing, driven almost entirely by the GPU’s high-end capabilities. The CPU’s own benchmark percentile is 77th among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 19850, which is notably lower than the GPU’s standing. However, the combo rank demonstrates that the i5-12400 does not drag down the system’s overall performance in Downfall, as the game appears to favor GPU throughput over multi-core CPU grunt.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the Intel Core i7-9700 (avg score 19831, delta 0.1%), Intel Core i7-8700 (avg score 19894, delta -0.2%), and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX (avg score 19928, delta -0.4%). These deltas are negligible, indicating that the i5-12400 is squarely in the middle of its performance class. Yet, when paired with the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, the combo’s rank in Downfall is far higher than the CPU’s individual percentile would suggest, reinforcing the conclusion that the GPU is the star of this show.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces extremely high frame rates that would satisfy even the most demanding esports or horror enthusiast. With Low settings, the average FPS is 369.2, which drops to 300.9 at Medium and 244.5 at High. The Ultra preset still manages 153.9 FPS, which is far above the threshold for smooth gameplay on a high-refresh-rate monitor. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to maintain triple-digit frame rates, but the GPU is still doing the heavy lifting.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain excellent but show the expected decline. Low settings yield 260.6 FPS, Medium produces 214.9 FPS, and High delivers 175.3 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 108.1 FPS, which is still comfortably above 60 FPS. At 4K (3840x2160), the system becomes more demanding on the GPU. Low settings average 164.8 FPS, Medium drops to 136.1 FPS, and High produces 108.9 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, results in 71.3 FPS. This is the only configuration where the frame rate dips below 100 FPS, but it remains playable for a single-player horror title. The data shows a clear progression: the system never fails to deliver a minimum of 71 FPS, even at the highest resolution and settings, which confirms the GPU’s capability.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its synthetic benchmarks show a single-thread score of 910 in 3DMark and a multi-thread score of 5890 in the max-threads test. In Cinebench R23, it scores 2249 in single-core and 15935 in multi-core. These figures place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, which is respectable but not top-tier. However, in Downfall, the CPU’s role appears to be secondary. The fact that the 1080p Low settings produce 369.2 FPS suggests that the processor can handle the game’s draw calls and physics calculations without breaking a sweat. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) are sufficient for this workload.

The processor’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within 0.4% of its average score, meaning that swapping to a different CPU of similar class would likely have a minimal impact on Downfall performance. The data indicates that the game is not CPU-bound, as the frame rates scale so heavily with resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see much smaller differences between 1080p and 4K, but the measured deltas are consistently large. Therefore, the i5-12400 provides a solid foundation, but it is not the reason this combo ranks in the top 11.3% of all tested systems.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of running Downfall at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 71.3, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K on Low settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 369.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 164.8 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 204.4 FPS, or approximately 55.4%.

Q: Which component is the primary bottleneck in this system?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor, as frame rates scale dramatically with resolution, indicating the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is saturated while the CPU has headroom.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 196th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 11.3% of all systems.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 369.2, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Does the CPU’s performance class limit the GPU in this game?

A: No, the i5-12400’s benchmark scores are within 0.4% of its nearest rivals, and the frame rate scaling suggests the CPU is not a constraint, even at 1080p where frame rates exceed 360 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance is achieved at 2560x1440 with High settings, yielding an average of 175.3 FPS. This provides a high-quality horror experience with fast-paced responsiveness, and the frame rate is high enough to take advantage of a 144 Hz monitor. For users with a 4K display, the High preset at 3840x2160 offers 108.9 FPS, which is excellent, while the Ultra preset at 4K drops to 71.3 FPS — still playable but with a significant performance cost. At 1080p, the Medium preset at 300.9 FPS is a strong choice for competitive play, but the Ultra preset at 153.9 FPS is also viable for those seeking maximum visual detail without sacrificing smoothness. The Low preset is only recommended for extreme frame rate chasing, as it produces over 369 FPS at 1080p but sacrifices the atmospheric lighting that defines the horror genre. Overall, the data suggests that High settings at 1440p or 4K provide the best combination of quality and performance, while Ultra should be reserved for players who prioritize visuals over frame rate and are willing to accept the lower 71.3 FPS at 4K.