Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core i5-12600KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-12600KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER in Downfall produces a system that scales predictably across resolutions, with the GPU becoming the decisive factor as pixel count rises. Measured frame rates range from 369 FPS at 1080p Low to 69 FPS at 4K Ultra, placing this combo at rank 425 out of 3716 tested configurations in this horror title. The data indicates a well-balanced platform where neither component consistently bottlenecks the other across the full settings spectrum, though the nature of the limiting factor shifts clearly with resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals how quickly the GPU takes over as the primary constraint in Downfall. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 248 FPS, but moving to 1440p High drops this to 177 FPS, a reduction of approximately 29%. Stepping up to 4K High yields 110 FPS, which is 62% below the 1080p High result. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's rendering workload per frame increases substantially with pixel count.

The Low settings tier shows an even steeper relative drop when climbing resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system produces 369 FPS, while 1440p Low falls to 264 FPS (a 28% decrease), and 4K Low reaches 164 FPS (a 56% decrease from 1080p Low). The fact that 1080p Low exceeds 360 FPS suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at very high frame rates, but the gap between 1080p and 4K at Low settings (369 vs 164 FPS) indicates that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU's fill rate and shader throughput become limiting long before the CPU's thread scheduling is exhausted.

Medium settings provide the only complete data set with min and max FPS values across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average is 302 FPS with a range from 257 to 347 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 216 FPS with a range of 183 to 248 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 134 FPS with a range of 114 to 154 FPS. The frame time consistency, as reflected by the min-to-max spread, narrows proportionally at higher resolutions, suggesting that frame pacing remains stable even as the overall throughput declines.

Comparing the resolution scaling at Ultra settings, 1080p Ultra produces 155 FPS, 1440p Ultra falls to 111 FPS, and 4K Ultra bottoms out at 69 FPS. The 4K Ultra result represents the most demanding configuration tested, and the 55% drop from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra is the largest percentage decline across any settings tier, confirming that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are saturated at this extreme configuration. The overall pattern points to a system where 1080p is firmly CPU-limited at lower settings, while 4K is unequivocally GPU-limited across all settings.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER brings 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. In Downfall, a horror title that often features dark environments with volumetric effects and high-resolution textures, this memory capacity proves sufficient even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS remains playable at 69. The 16 GB frame buffer means texture streaming and geometry buffering are unlikely to cause stutter or asset pop-in, and the benchmark data shows no anomalous dips that would indicate memory pressure at any tested setting.

The GPU's clock behavior, with a base of 2340 MHz and a boost of 2610 MHz, is complemented by 8448 shading units, 264 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. The pixel rate of 250.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 689.0 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed to maintain the frame rates observed in the measured data. At 4K High, the 110 FPS average suggests the GPU is operating well within its envelope, while 4K Ultra at 69 FPS indicates that the most demanding preset pushes the Ada Lovelace architecture to its practical limits in this title.

The GPU's 66 ray tracing cores and 264 tensor cores are present but Downfall does not appear to leverage them heavily based on the frame rate behavior across settings tiers. The FP32 compute of 44.10 TFLOPS provides ample rasterization headroom, and the PassMark G3D score of 31811 places this GPU in the 76th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA TITAN RTX at a 1.9% delta and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell at a 1.4% delta in average benchmark scores. The GPU's percentile ranking suggests it outperforms roughly three-quarters of the GPU landscape, which aligns with the strong 1080p and 1440p results observed in Downfall.

The power delivery requirements, with a 285 W TDP and a suggested 600 W PSU, are consistent with the performance class, and the triple-slot cooler with a single 16-pin connector indicates a design built for sustained high-frequency operation. The GPU's production status is end-of-life, having been succeeded by the GeForce 50 series, but its benchmark performance in Downfall remains competitive for current gaming workloads.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF employs a hybrid Alder Lake architecture with 10 cores and 16 threads, combining performance and efficiency cores on a 10 nm process. The base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz provide the single-thread responsiveness that horror games with physics-driven interactions often require, while the 20 MB shared L3 cache helps maintain data locality for the game's streaming assets.

The CPU's benchmark results indicate strong multi-threaded capabilities, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302. The Geekbench multi-core score of 12137 and single-core score of 2157 reinforce this profile. In Downfall, the 1080p Low result of 369 FPS demonstrates that the CPU can sustain extremely high frame rates when the GPU is not the limiting factor, and the 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 suggests that individual core performance is sufficient for the game's main thread workload.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 79 among all CPUs places it near the top quartile, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i9-10900K at a 0.3% delta and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D at a 0.3% delta in average benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE sits 0.3% above, indicating that the 12600KF's overall compute performance is tightly clustered with several competing designs. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7956 and max-thread score of 7952 show scaling efficiency across the hybrid core layout, while the 2-thread score of 1995 and 4-thread score of 3806 indicate that lightly threaded workloads benefit from the high boost clocks.

At 1080p, the CPU's role is more pronounced. The difference between 1080p Low at 369 FPS and 1080p Ultra at 155 FPS suggests that while the CPU can push very high frame rates at low graphical loads, the GPU becomes the bottleneck as settings increase. However, even at 1080p Ultra, the 155 FPS result shows the CPU is not holding back performance to a significant degree. The 125 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support provide a balanced platform foundation, and the unlocked multiplier allows for additional overclocking headroom that the benchmark data does not explore.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates span from 369 FPS at Low settings to 155 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 302 FPS with a minimum of 257 and maximum of 347 FPS, providing the tightest frame time distribution of any 1080p configuration. High settings produce 248 FPS, representing a mid-point between the Low and Medium results. The 1080p tier is characterized by frame rates that exceed the refresh rate of most displays, making this resolution ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the data shows a proportional decrease across all settings. Low delivers 264 FPS, Medium averages 216 FPS with a range of 183 to 248 FPS, High produces 177 FPS, and Ultra achieves 111 FPS. The 1440p Medium configuration maintains a 183 FPS minimum, which remains above the threshold for smooth gameplay on 144 Hz displays. The 1440p Ultra result of 111 FPS indicates that high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution is feasible but with reduced headroom compared to lower settings.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly. Low produces 164 FPS, Medium averages 134 FPS with a range of 114 to 154 FPS, High achieves 110 FPS, and Ultra falls to 69 FPS. The 4K Medium configuration's minimum of 114 FPS ensures consistent performance for most gaming scenarios, while 4K Ultra at 69 FPS remains playable but approaches the lower boundary for 60 FPS-class displays. The 4K Low result of 164 FPS demonstrates that even at this resolution, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has substantial headroom when graphical settings are reduced.

The progression from 1080p Ultra at 155 FPS to 4K Ultra at 69 FPS represents a 55% reduction in frame rate, while the same comparison at Low settings (369 to 164 FPS) shows a 56% reduction. This consistency across settings tiers indicates that resolution scaling in Downfall is uniform, with each doubling of pixel count exacting a similar toll on frame rate regardless of graphical complexity.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 425th out of 3716 tested configurations in Downfall, placing it in approximately the top 11.4% of all combos. The ranking reflects the system's ability to maintain high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings, with even the most demanding 4K Ultra configuration producing a playable 69 FPS.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 79 and the GPU's percentile ranking of 76 both contribute to this strong overall position. The combo rank is notably higher than either component's individual percentile would suggest, indicating that the pairing works synergistically in Downfall's workload. The GPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the NVIDIA TITAN RTX at a 1.9% delta, the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell at a 1.4% delta, and the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 at a 0.4% delta, all of which would likely produce lower frame rates in this game due to architectural differences.

Compared to other potential pairings, this combo's 425th position out of 3716 suggests it outperforms the vast majority of tested systems. The combination of a top-quartile CPU with a top-quartile GPU creates a platform that handles Downfall's requirements with substantial margin, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where frame rates exceed 100 FPS even at Ultra settings. The 4K Ultra result of 69 FPS is the only configuration that approaches the limits of comfortable gaming performance, but it remains above the 60 FPS threshold.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 1080p, the Ultra preset at 155 FPS provides the best visual experience without sacrificing responsiveness, as the frame rate remains well above the 144 Hz refresh threshold. The High preset at 248 FPS offers additional headroom for competitive play, while the Medium preset at 302 FPS is the best choice for maximum frame rates with minimal graphical compromises. The Low preset at 369 FPS is unnecessary for most scenarios given the high performance at higher settings.

At 1440p, the High preset at 177 FPS balances visual quality with performance, making it the recommended configuration for most users. The Ultra preset at 111 FPS is viable for those prioritizing image quality, as it remains above the 100 FPS mark, while the Medium preset at 216 FPS provides a smooth experience for high-refresh-rate displays. The Low preset at 264 FPS is best reserved for esports-style play where every frame matters.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 134 FPS offers the best combination of visual fidelity and performance, with a minimum of 114 FPS ensuring consistent gameplay. The High preset at 110 FPS is also viable and provides better visual quality, while the Ultra preset at 69 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Low preset at 164 FPS is recommended for players who prioritize frame rate above all else at this resolution. For most users, the Medium preset at 4K represents the sweet spot, delivering smooth performance with acceptable visual quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest frame rate this combo achieves in Downfall?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 369 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest is 69 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in Downfall?

A: This combination ranks 425th out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in approximately the top 11.4% of all systems tested in this game.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K, the GPU is the primary constraint. The frame rate drops from 164 FPS at Low to 69 FPS at Ultra, showing that graphical settings have a much larger impact than CPU capabilities at this resolution.

Q: What are the frame time ranges at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the range is 257 to 347 FPS with an average of 302. At 1440p Medium, the range is 183 to 248 FPS with an average of 216. At 4K Medium, the range is 114 to 154 FPS with an average of 134.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 31087 places it 0.4% below the NVIDIA Quadro M5000, 1.4% below the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell, and 1.9% below the NVIDIA TITAN RTX. It sits in the 76th percentile among all GPUs.

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

A: The High preset at 1440p delivers 177 FPS, providing a strong balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 111 FPS is also viable for those prioritizing image quality.