Downfall

Resolution Scaling

The measured frames per second across the three resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling for this Intel Core i5-12600KF + Intel Arc B390 combination in Downfall. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 71 FPS at 1920x1080 to 51 FPS at 2560x1440, representing a 28% reduction in performance when moving to the higher resolution. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields only 32 FPS average, which is a 37% drop from the 1440p figure and a 55% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline as pixel count rises is typical of a system where the graphics processor is the limiting component.

The Low settings preset tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 106 FPS average, dropping to 76 FPS at 1440p and 47 FPS at 4K. The percentage losses are consistent with the High preset: 28% from 1080p to 1440p, and 38% from 1440p to 4K. The consistency of these scaling ratios across different presets reinforces the interpretation that resolution scaling behavior is driven primarily by the GPU's rendering throughput rather than by CPU-side constraints.

Medium settings show the same trend with the added benefit of measured minimum and maximum frame times. At 1080p Medium, the average sits at 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 71. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 and maximum of 44. The frame time spread remains proportionally similar across resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is consistently saturated rather than experiencing intermittent spikes or stalls.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across the board, with 44 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 27 FPS (from 71 to 44), which is a larger penalty than the resolution scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings (20 FPS loss). This indicates that Ultra settings introduce rendering features that are disproportionately expensive on this GPU architecture.

The data strongly suggests that the Intel Arc B390 with its 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs is the constraining factor in this pairing. The Core i5-12600KF, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, has ample compute headroom for a horror title from 2016. The GPU's modest 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate align with the observed frame rates, which are all below the CPU's demonstrated capacity in synthetic benchmarks.

Settings Recommendations

Considering the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and playable performance across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average of 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 ensures smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes. The 1440p Medium figure of 62 FPS average with a 53 FPS minimum remains playable for most users, though those sensitive to frame drops may prefer the 76 FPS average available at Low settings for 1440p.

High settings at 1080p produce 71 FPS average, which is still comfortably playable, but the 16 FPS penalty over Medium may not be justifiable given that Medium already provides a stable experience. At 1440p, High drops to 51 FPS average, which begins to approach the threshold where horror game pacing and quick camera movements could feel less responsive. For 4K, no preset achieves a fully smooth experience: Medium delivers 39 FPS average, High delivers 32, and Low delivers 47. The 47 FPS at 4K Low is the only 4K configuration that approaches playability, though it still falls short of the 60 FPS target.

Ultra settings are not recommended for any resolution based on the measured data. The 44 FPS at 1080p Ultra represents a 49% reduction from the Medium preset at the same resolution, while the 20 FPS at 4K Ultra is effectively unplayable. The performance cost of Ultra features on this GPU is severe enough that the visual improvements would likely be overshadowed by the degraded frame pacing and motion clarity.

For users prioritizing frame rate stability, the Medium preset's measured minimums provide useful guidance. The 1080p Medium minimum of 74 FPS indicates that the 1% lows stay well above common vsync thresholds, while the 1440p Medium minimum of 53 FPS suggests occasional dips below 60 but no sustained stuttering. The 4K Medium minimum of 33 FPS confirms that 4K gaming on this combo requires accepting sub-60 frame rates regardless of settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 achieves a combo rank of 3303 out of 3716 tested combinations in Downfall. This places the pairing in the bottom 11% of all tested combos, indicating that this is not a configuration optimized for this particular title. The rank reflects the GPU's severe limitation: the Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all legacy NVIDIA parts. The Arc B390 scores 1.3% higher than the GeForce GT 520MX (1463 score), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710 (1443). These delta percentages indicate that the Arc B390 is only marginally faster than a decade-old entry-level mobile GPU, which contextualizes its poor showing in Downfall.

The CPU, by contrast, is a strong performer. The Core i5-12600KF sits at the 79th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 27799. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872 score, 0.3% higher), the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896 score, 0.3% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (27887 score, 0.3% higher). The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23391 and single-core score of 3302 demonstrate substantial compute capability that is entirely underutilized in this gaming scenario.

The massive disparity between the CPU's 79th percentile ranking and the GPU's 9th percentile ranking explains the combo's low overall position. In Downfall, the measured frame rates are consistently GPU-bound, so the CPU's computing strength cannot compensate for the GPU's rendering limitations. The 3303rd rank out of 3716 combos accurately reflects this bottleneck dynamic.

FAQ

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

A: Based on measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates across all presets. At 1080p, even Ultra settings produce 44 FPS average, while Low reaches 106 FPS and Medium reaches 87 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (76 FPS) and Medium (62 FPS) remain above 60 FPS average, and at 4K, all presets fall below 50 FPS.

Q: Does the Intel Core i5-12600KF bottleneck the Intel Arc B390 in this game?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU has 10 cores, 16 threads, and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs. The GPU sits at the 9th percentile and produces consistently low frame rates even at 1080p Low (106 FPS), which is well within the CPU's capacity to feed. The resolution scaling pattern shows frame rates dropping by roughly 28-38% at each step up, which is characteristic of GPU-bound rendering.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. It is 1.3% faster than the GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% faster than the GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are all within a narrow performance band, suggesting the Arc B390 performs at the level of legacy entry-level GPUs.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows 62 FPS average at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. This means the experience will generally stay above 60 FPS but will occasionally dip below, which may be noticeable in fast-moving horror sequences.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using at any resolution?

A: No, the measured data does not support using Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 44 FPS, which is a 49% reduction from Medium at the same resolution. At 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 32 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 20 FPS. These frame rates are below what most users would consider acceptable for a horror game that requires responsive camera control.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a Panther Lake chip, manufactured on Intel's 3 nm process. It contains 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, producing a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 reaching 15.36 TFLOPS at a 2:1 ratio.

The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, with the GPU relying on the host system's RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The bus width and bandwidth are listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent" respectively, meaning the GPU's memory performance varies based on the system's memory configuration. The Core i5-12600KF supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, so the actual bandwidth available to the GPU depends on which memory type is installed.

The GPU's benchmark performance is minimal, with only a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 recorded. This places the Arc B390 at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, which is exceptionally low. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all NVIDIA parts from the early 2010s, with the GT 520MX being the closest at 1463 (1.3% lower). The GPU's 80 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate it is designed for portable or low-power devices rather than desktop gaming.

In Downfall, the GPU's limitations are immediately apparent. The highest measured frame rate across all configurations is 106 FPS at 1080p Low, which drops to 47 FPS at 4K Low. The transition from Low to Medium at any resolution costs roughly 18-20% performance, while the jump from High to Ultra costs even more. The GPU's 24 ROPs and 60 GPixel/s pixel rate are clearly insufficient for high-resolution rendering with advanced settings in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 12th Gen desktop processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It features 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU has a 125 W TDP and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark results are consistently strong. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23391 and single-core score of 3302 demonstrate robust multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The Geekbench multicore score of 12137 and single-core score of 2157 further confirm this. The 3DMark results show scaling from 1995 at 2 threads to 7956 at 16 threads, indicating good thread scaling efficiency. The PassMark multithread score of 27575 and single-thread score of 3925 round out a comprehensive performance profile.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 79 among all CPUs places it in the upper quintile of processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K (0.3% higher), AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (0.3% higher), and AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (0.3% higher). The average benchmark score of 27799 is nearly identical to these competitors, suggesting the i5-12600KF delivers performance comparable to higher-tier parts from previous generations.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is largely passive because the GPU is the bottleneck. The measured frame rates are consistently below what the CPU could theoretically support, and the resolution scaling pattern confirms that frame rates are determined by GPU rendering throughput rather than CPU processing. The CPU's 4.90 GHz boost clock and 10 cores provide ample headroom for the game's AI, physics, and scene management tasks, none of which appear to be limiting factors in the measured results.

The launch MSRP of the Core i5-12600KF is $264, and it was released on 2021-11-03. Its production status is Active, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700 with 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes. The multiplier is unlocked, allowing for overclocking, though the measured data does not include overclocked results. The CPU's 16 threads are more than sufficient for a 2016 horror title, and the benchmark results suggest that even a significantly weaker CPU would not meaningfully change the frame rates observed in Downfall.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates across presets are: Low 106 FPS, Medium 87 FPS (minimum 74, maximum 100), High 71 FPS, and Ultra 44 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 62 FPS, with each preset step costing roughly 16-19 FPS except for the High-to-Ultra jump, which costs 27 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the measured averages are: Low 76 FPS, Medium 62 FPS (minimum 53, maximum 71), High 51 FPS, and Ultra 32 FPS. The Low-to-Medium step costs 14 FPS, Medium-to-High costs 11 FPS, and High-to-Ultra costs 19 FPS. The 1440p Medium minimum of 53 FPS indicates that the frame rate occasionally drops below 60, which may be noticeable in scenes with heavy particle effects or dynamic lighting.

At 3840x2160, the measured averages are: Low 47 FPS, Medium 39 FPS (minimum 33, maximum 44), High 32 FPS, and Ultra 20 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 44 FPS show a relatively tight frame time distribution, but the overall performance level is too low for smooth gameplay. The 4K Ultra average of 20 FPS is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset.

Comparing across resolutions at the same preset: Low settings show 106 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. Medium settings show 87 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K. High settings show 71 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings show 44 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at each preset is approximately 2.25x reduction in frame rate, which aligns with the 4x increase in pixel count if the GPU is partially pixel-bound rather than fully shader-bound.

The measured data includes minimum and maximum frame rates only for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 74 FPS and maximum of 100 FPS indicate a 26 FPS range. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS show an 18 FPS range. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 44 FPS reveal an 11 FPS range. The narrowing frame time range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently saturated as resolution increases, reducing variance but also reducing average performance.