Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

The pairing of Intel's Core i5-12400F with NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4080 produces a striking split in Downfall's benchmark landscape. Across all resolutions and settings, the data reveals a system capable of triple-digit frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, yet one that shows clear signs of CPU limitation at lower resolutions and GPU stress at 4K Ultra. The measured FPS values are unusually consistent in their scaling, which makes the bottlenecks easier to isolate. This analysis examines what the numbers say about each component's contribution, how the combo ranks among 3,716 tested configurations, and which settings deliver the most sensible experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F brings 6 cores and 12 threads to the pairing, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This is a 10 nm Alder Lake-S part on the Intel Socket 1700 platform, carrying 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 per core. Its benchmark profile shows a single-thread score of 909 in 3dmark and 1680 in Cinebench R23 single-core, while multi-threaded performance reaches 5912 in 3dmark max threads and 12380 in Cinebench R23 multicore. These numbers place the CPU in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs tracked, with an average benchmark score of 19039.

The nearestRivals data shows the i5-12400F sitting almost exactly level with the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, which averages 19047 — a delta of 0%. The Intel Core 3 201E is 0.1% behind, while the Intel Core i5-1335U and AMD EPYC 7773X are each 0.3% ahead. This tight grouping suggests the i5-12400F's compute capability is well understood, but what matters for Downfall is how that capability translates into game FPS.

Looking at the measured FPS, the CPU's influence is most visible at 1080p Low, where the system hits 390 FPS. That number is extraordinarily high, but it also hints that the CPU can still feed the GPU even in light rendering conditions. However, the jump from 1080p Low (390 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (168 FPS) is a 57% drop — a massive swing that suggests the game's ultra settings introduce CPU-heavy effects that the 6-core/12-thread configuration struggles to process at the same rate. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 5895 versus the max-thread score of 5912 shows the chip has little headroom beyond its 12 threads, so any workload that scales poorly across cores will hit a wall.

At 1440p, the CPU's role shifts slightly. The gap between Low (285 FPS) and Ultra (120 FPS) is still 58%, nearly identical to the 1080p percentage drop. This consistency implies that the CPU bottleneck is not resolution-dependent — the same per-frame CPU work is being done regardless of pixel count. The 4K data tells a different story: Low (178 FPS) to Ultra (74 FPS) is a 58% drop again, which is remarkable because at 4K the GPU is typically the limiting factor. The fact that the percentage drop remains constant across all three resolutions suggests that Downfall's setting levels impose a fixed CPU cost per frame, and the i5-12400F's 12 threads are the ceiling.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a 5 nm Ada Lovelace part with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock runs at 2505 MHz with a base of 2205 MHz, and the memory operates at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). The GPU packs 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores. Its 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 and Passmark G3D score of 34457 place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247.

The nearestRivals for the GPU show it within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209 score), while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB trails by 2.6%. The RTX 4080's raw compute is evident in the 4K High result of 119 FPS — a demanding resolution and preset that still clears 100 FPS. That is a GPU-bound scenario, and the 4080 handles it decisively.

The GPU's memory configuration becomes relevant at 4K Ultra, where the system drops to 74 FPS. With 16 GB of VRAM, capacity is not the issue; the drop is more likely tied to the GPU's shading and ROP throughput under ultra-quality shaders. The 4K Medium result of 145 FPS (with a min of 123 and max of 167) shows the GPU can sustain high frame rates when the settings are moderated. The 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 761.5 GTexel/s texture rate give the 4080 ample fill-rate headroom, but the 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is the more telling number for a horror game that likely relies on complex lighting and particle effects.

At 1080p, the GPU is almost certainly idle much of the time. The 390 FPS Low result is beyond what most displays can show, and the 268 FPS High result is similarly excessive. This is not a GPU problem — it is a sign that the RTX 4080 is being underutilized because the CPU cannot push frames faster. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are never stressed at 1080p, but the GPU's clock behavior under load is not captured in the FPS data.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS values create a clear scaling pattern. At High settings, the progression is 268 FPS at 1080p, 191 FPS at 1440p, and 119 FPS at 4K. That is a 29% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 38% drop from 1440p to 4K. The 1440p to 4K drop is steeper, which aligns with the GPU becoming the primary limiter as pixel count quadruples the fill-rate demand.

At Low settings, the numbers are 390 FPS (1080p), 285 FPS (1440p), and 178 FPS (4K). The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 27%, while the 1440p-to-4K drop is 38%. Low settings reduce GPU work substantially, so the 1080p result is CPU-bound — the 390 FPS likely represents the maximum frame rate the i5-12400F can produce for this game's engine. The 4K Low result of 178 FPS is still high, but it is less than half of the 1080p Low figure, indicating the GPU is now doing more work even at low quality.

Medium settings show 327 FPS (1080p), 233 FPS (1440p), and 145 FPS (4K), with min/max values only recorded for Medium (278-376 at 1080p, 198-268 at 1440p, 123-167 at 4K). The percentage drops are 29% and 38%, matching the High pattern almost exactly. Ultra settings produce 168 FPS (1080p), 120 FPS (1440p), and 74 FPS (4K), with a 29% drop to 1440p and a 38% drop to 4K.

The uniformity of these scaling ratios — 29% and 38% regardless of quality preset — is revealing. It suggests that resolution scaling in Downfall is governed by a consistent GPU workload increase per pixel, independent of the CPU-side effects of each preset. The CPU bottleneck at 1080p Low (390 FPS) does not distort the scaling curve, because the GPU still has enough headroom to render more pixels at 1440p (285 FPS) and 4K (178 FPS). The limiting component shifts from CPU at 1080p Low to GPU at 4K Ultra, but the transition is smooth and predictable.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 272 out of 3,716 tested combos in Downfall. That places it in the top 7.3% of all configurations. To put that in perspective, the CPU sits in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU sits in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. The combo rank of 272 is better than either component's individual percentile would suggest, which indicates that Downfall benefits from the GPU's strength more than it is hindered by the CPU's mid-range standing.

The rank implies that roughly 3,444 other combos perform worse in this game, while 271 perform better. Given that the GPU is in the 86th percentile, the systems ranking above this combo likely pair the RTX 4080 (or better GPUs) with faster CPUs. The i5-12400F's 73rd percentile CPU score is the weaker link in the chain, but the game's engine appears to be GPU-heavy enough that the CPU does not drag the combo down as much as it could.

The nearestRivals data for the CPU shows it trading blows with laptop and low-power desktop parts (Ryzen 5 7535HS, Core 3 201E, Core i5-1335U), which are not typical gaming CPUs. Yet the combo still reaches rank 272, which suggests the RTX 4080 is doing the heavy lifting. The GPU's nearestRivals are all close in raw score (RTX 4080 SUPER at 0.1% ahead, Radeon Pro W5700X at 1.1% behind), so the GPU is not an outlier in performance. The ranking is a product of the GPU's high absolute performance combined with a CPU that is adequate but not exceptional for this workload.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Downfall at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Yes, comfortably. The 4K High setting produces 119 FPS average, and 4K Medium reaches 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS. Even 4K Ultra maintains 74 FPS, which stays above 60 FPS but with less headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the limiter at 1080p. The 1080p Low result of 390 FPS is exceptionally high, but the 1080p Ultra result of 168 FPS is less than half of that, showing that CPU-intensive settings cap the frame rate. The GPU is likely underutilized at this resolution.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 4080 SUPER pairing?

A: The RTX 4080's average benchmark score is 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209 — a 0.1% difference in favor of the non-SUPER card. In game FPS, the delta is negligible, meaning the combo ranking would be nearly identical with either GPU.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The 1440p High setting at 191 FPS offers the best balance. It is above 144 FPS for high-refresh monitors, uses the GPU more fully than 1080p, and stays well clear of the 4K Ultra territory where the frame rate drops below 100 FPS.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM on the RTX 4080 matter for Downfall?

A: The game does not appear to stress VRAM capacity. The 4K Ultra setting at 74 FPS is the most demanding scenario, and 16 GB is far beyond what a 2016 horror title would require. The bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s is more relevant to the measured FPS scaling.

Q: How does the i5-12400F's multi-threading affect performance?

A: The CPU has 12 threads and scores 5912 in 3dmark max threads. The 1080p Low result of 390 FPS suggests the engine can use most of that throughput, but the 1080p Ultra result of 168 FPS indicates that ultra settings introduce work that does not scale across the 12 threads effectively.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The complete measured FPS dataset for this combo in Downfall is as follows, organized by resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 390 FPS average. The Medium preset produces 327 FPS average, with a minimum of 278 FPS and a maximum of 376 FPS. The High preset yields 268 FPS average, and the Ultra preset drops to 168 FPS average. The min and max values are only recorded for Medium at this resolution, so the frame-time consistency for other presets is not captured in the data.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 285 FPS average. The Medium preset reaches 233 FPS average, with a minimum of 198 FPS and a maximum of 268 FPS. The High preset produces 191 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 120 FPS average. Again, only Medium has min/max data, showing a 70 FPS spread between the 1% low and peak.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 178 FPS average. The Medium preset provides 145 FPS average, with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS. The High preset reaches 119 FPS average, and the Ultra preset bottoms out at 74 FPS average. The Medium min/max spread at 4K is 44 FPS, narrower than at 1440p, which is consistent with the GPU becoming the dominant limiter.

The setting-to-setting deltas within each resolution are consistent. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Medium is 16%, from Medium to High is 18%, and from High to Ultra is 37%. At 1440p, the same steps are 18%, 18%, and 37%. At 4K, the steps are 19%, 18%, and 38%. The Low-to-Medium and Medium-to-High gaps are nearly identical across all resolutions, while the High-to-Ultra gap is consistently around 37-38%, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a disproportionate performance cost.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The data shows a clear inflection point at the High preset. At every resolution, High delivers a frame rate that is roughly 60-70% of the Low preset's performance while offering substantially better visual quality. The Ultra preset, by contrast, costs 37-38% of the High preset's frame rate for what is typically a marginal visual improvement. The Medium preset sits between Low and High, but its min/max data reveals a wider frame-time variance at lower resolutions (278-376 at 1080p, a 98 FPS spread), which can feel less stable than the High preset's consistent averages.

For 1080p, the High preset at 268 FPS is the sensible choice. The Ultra preset at 168 FPS is still above 144 Hz, but the 37% performance drop is not justified when High already exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all monitors. The Low preset at 390 FPS is pointless beyond esports-style play, and Medium's 327 FPS with a 278 FPS minimum introduces more variation without a proportional visual gain.

At 1440p, the High preset at 191 FPS is the best option for high-refresh displays. It sits above 165 Hz in most scenarios and comfortably above 144 Hz. The Ultra preset at 120 FPS is still playable on 120 Hz panels, but the drop from High is steep. The Medium preset at 233 FPS offers more headroom, but its 198 FPS minimum means the average can dip below 200 FPS during intense scenes, which is less predictable than High's stable 191 FPS.

At 4K, the recommendation depends on the display. The High preset at 119 FPS is excellent for 120 Hz displays, clearing the refresh threshold with a small margin. The Medium preset at 145 FPS provides more cushion but sacrifices quality. The Ultra preset at 74 FPS is the only setting that falls below 100 FPS, and it is only suitable for 60 Hz panels where the 74 FPS average provides a modest buffer above the refresh rate. For most 4K users, High is the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, with Medium as the fallback if 120 Hz sustained performance is required.

The data ultimately suggests that High is the "sweet spot" preset for this combo in Downfall across all resolutions. It avoids the frame-time instability visible in Medium's min/max spread, sidesteps the disproportionate cost of Ultra, and delivers frame rates that align with modern display capabilities. The RTX 4080's strength is best showcased at 1440p High and 4K High, where the GPU is meaningfully engaged without being pushed to the point of diminishing returns.