Downfall

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 in Downfall produces a predictable pattern: the CPU is strong enough to push high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the decisive factor as pixel count climbs. The measured data shows a system that is extremely capable at 1080p, solid at 1440p, and playable but strained at 4K. This analysis breaks down the specific measured performance, ranks the combo against other tested configurations, and provides practical settings guidance based strictly on the numbers.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and clearly indicates where the performance ceiling lies. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 117 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 84 FPS, a 28% reduction. Jumping to 4K High further reduces the average to 52 FPS, which is a 38% drop from 1440p and a 56% drop from 1080p. This scaling curve is typical of a system where the GPU is the limiting factor; the RX 6600 simply runs out of pixel throughput as resolution increases.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the system goes from 175 FPS at 1080p to 125 FPS at 1440p, then down to 78 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is lower than the 1080p Ultra result of 73 FPS, which is telling. Even when the game is set to its lowest visual quality, the GPU cannot overcome the sheer number of pixels at 4K. The CPU, a 10-core Raptor Lake part with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, is not the bottleneck here; if it were, we would see less separation between resolutions.

The Medium settings row provides the only complete data set with min and max FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 143 FPS with a minimum of 122 and a maximum of 164. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 102 FPS, with min/max of 87/117. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 64 FPS, with min/max of 54/73. The minimum frame rates at each resolution stay reasonably close to the averages, suggesting consistent frame pacing rather than sudden spikes. The 4K Medium minimum of 54 FPS is above the 4K Ultra average of 33 FPS, which shows that even a single step down in settings provides a substantial stability buffer.

How This Combo Ranks

Out of 3,716 tested combos for Downfall, this specific pairing of the i5-14400F and RX 6600 ranks 2,889th. That places it in the lower half of all tested systems, which is a sobering statistic when considering the high frame rates it achieves at 1080p. The discrepancy exists because the combo ranking likely includes systems with much more powerful GPUs that dominate the top positions, even if the CPU in this pairing is relatively strong.

The CPU itself is not the weak link. The i5-14400F holds the 83rd percentile against all CPUs in synthetic benchmarks, with an average benchmark score of 32,279. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (score 32,233, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (score 32,226, delta 0.2%). Performance is essentially neck-and-neck with these parts, all within 0.5% of each other. This is a mid-pack performer that does its job without holding the GPU back in most scenarios.

The GPU, however, sits at the 63rd percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19,036. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (score 19,030, delta 0%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (score 19,049, delta -0.1%). The RX 6600 is effectively tied with these parts, but none of them are high-end desktop cards. The 2,889th rank out of 3,716 reflects that this combo is built for mainstream 1080p gaming, not for high-refresh 4K or extreme preset domination.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), while the base GPU clock is 1626 MHz and the boost clock reaches 2491 MHz. The game clock is rated at 2044 MHz, which is the expected sustained frequency during gaming loads. These specs explain the resolution scaling pattern: the 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB capacity are adequate for 1080p and even 1440p, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor.

The GPU's shading units total 1,792, with 112 TMUs and 64 ROPs. The pixel rate is 159.4 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 279.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 8.928 TFLOPS. For Downfall, a horror title from 2016, these figures are more than sufficient for high frame rates at lower resolutions. However, the 4K Ultra average of 33 FPS shows that the card is simply overwhelmed when every pixel is pushed through the full graphics pipeline. The 28 ray accelerator cores are present but irrelevant for this game, as Downfall likely does not use ray tracing to any meaningful degree.

The card's power draw is rated at 132 W TDP, requiring a single 8-pin connector and a 300 W suggested PSU. In the context of this benchmark, the GPU's role is clear: it delivers excellent 1080p performance, good 1440p performance, and marginal 4K performance. The data suggests that users should treat 4K as a bonus or a showcase mode, not a primary gaming target.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo performs exceptionally well across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 175 FPS, which is above the refresh rate of most standard monitors. Medium settings drop the average to 143 FPS, with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS. High settings yield 117 FPS average, and Ultra settings still maintain a respectable 73 FPS average. Even the lowest average at this resolution, 73 FPS on Ultra, is comfortably playable on a standard 60 Hz or 144 Hz display.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limits. Low settings average 125 FPS, Medium averages 102 FPS (min 87, max 117), and High averages 84 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 52 FPS average. The step from High to Ultra at 1440p is a 38% performance loss (84 to 52 FPS), which is significant. The Medium preset offers a good balance, staying above 100 FPS average with a minimum of 87 FPS, which is still smooth.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 78 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Medium settings average 64 FPS (min 54, max 73), which is the safest playable option at this resolution. High settings drop to 52 FPS, and Ultra falls to 33 FPS, which is likely too choppy for most users. The data shows a clear cliff between Medium and High at 4K, where the frame rate drops by 19% (64 to 52 FPS).

FAQ

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Downfall?*

A: At Medium settings, the average is 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS, which is playable. High settings drop to 52 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 33 FPS. So yes, but only with reduced settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: 1080p offers the highest frame rates, with averages ranging from 175 FPS on Low to 73 FPS on Ultra. 1440p is also viable, with the Medium preset averaging 102 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. Frame rates drop significantly from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU ranks in the 83rd percentile, indicating it has headroom.

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

A: It ranks 2,889th out of 3,716 combos for Downfall. This places it in the lower half, likely due to the GPU's mid-range standing at the 63rd percentile.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates like?

A: Only the Medium settings provide min FPS data. At 1080p, the minimum is 122 FPS; at 1440p, it is 87 FPS; and at 4K, it is 54 FPS. These are stable numbers without major drops.

Q: Should I use Ultra settings?

A: Only at 1080p, where the average is 73 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, the average drops to 52 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 33 FPS. Lower presets provide much better performance.

Settings Recommendations

The best experience per the measured rows depends on your target resolution. For 1080p, the High preset at 117 FPS average is the sweet spot. It delivers high visual quality while maintaining a frame rate that exceeds most monitor refresh rates. Ultra at 73 FPS is acceptable for slower, atmospheric horror gameplay, but the 44 FPS drop from High to Ultra (117 to 73) is not worth the visual upgrade for most users. Medium at 143 FPS is the choice for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. It averages 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS, providing smooth gameplay with good visuals. High settings at 84 FPS are also viable if you prefer visual fidelity over a higher frame rate margin. Ultra at 52 FPS is marginal; it is playable but may feel less responsive. Low settings at 125 FPS are unnecessary unless you are chasing maximum frame rates.

For 4K, the Medium preset is the only sensible choice. It averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS, which is just above the 50 FPS threshold for smoothness. Low settings at 78 FPS are also an option if you want more headroom, but the visual hit is noticeable. High at 52 FPS and Ultra at 33 FPS are not recommended for consistent gameplay. The data suggests that this combo is best used at 1080p or 1440p, with 4K reserved for Medium settings or lower.