Downfall

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

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread desktop processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, using a 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes.

Benchmark results place this CPU in the 88th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 32508. Its closest rivals in synthetic testing are the Intel Core i7-12800H (score 32513, delta 0%), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (score 32446, delta 0.2%), the AMD Ryzen 7 250 (score 32584, delta -0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-13705H (score 32586, delta -0.2%). These deltas are negligible, meaning the i5-14400F sits in a tightly clustered performance band for general compute tasks.

In the context of Downfall, a horror game, the CPU's role becomes clear when examining the measured frame rates. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 363.5 FPS average. This extremely high frame rate suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to saturate even a high-end graphics card at lower resolutions. The 10-core configuration with 16 threads is more than sufficient for the game's demands, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate scales significantly when resolution drops, implying the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher settings. The single-threaded performance, reflected in a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093, is particularly relevant for a horror title that likely relies on a single main game thread for gameplay logic and AI.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX achieves a rank of 253 out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 14.5% of all configurations tested for this game. The percentile position is strong, but the data suggests there is headroom for even better performance with different CPU pairings.

The rank of 253 out of 1741 combos means this specific pairing outperforms approximately 1488 other configurations. This is a solid result, but it is not at the very top of the rankings. The gap between this combo and the best-performing configurations likely stems from the CPU's position relative to other processors. While the i5-14400F is in the 88th percentile overall, the RX 7900 XTX is in the 85th percentile among GPUs. The GPU's percentile is slightly lower than the CPU's, which could indicate that the GPU is the limiting factor in some scenarios, particularly at ultra-high settings where frame rates drop sharply.

The data shows that this combo is well-balanced for a high-refresh-rate gaming experience at 1440p, but it is not optimized for maximum 4K Ultra performance. The rank reflects a configuration that is strong overall but has room for improvement if paired with a more powerful CPU or if the game's settings are adjusted to reduce GPU load.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals clear scaling patterns as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 363.5 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 255.9 FPS, a decrease of approximately 29.6%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 159.6 FPS, which is a further 37.6% reduction from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at lower settings, where the RX 7900 XTX's compute capabilities are the primary determinant of frame rate.

For High settings, the scaling is similar but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p High, the average is 244 FPS. This drops to 175.3 FPS at 1440p High (a 28.2% reduction) and further to 107.2 FPS at 4K High (a 38.8% reduction from 1440p). The percentage drops from 1440p to 4K are consistent across Low and High settings, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading units are the limiting factors as pixel count increases.

The most dramatic scaling appears at Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 150.7 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, this falls to 109.8 FPS (a 27.1% reduction). At 4K Ultra, it plummets to 67.2 FPS, a 38.8% reduction from the 1440p figure. The 4K Ultra result is notably low compared to the 4K High result (107.2 FPS), indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a severe load on the GPU. The scaling data strongly suggests that the RX 7900 XTX is the limiting component at 4K Ultra, as the CPU's performance headroom is unlikely to be exhausted at such high GPU loads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 363.5 FPS average, Medium settings produce 294.1 FPS, High settings produce 244 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 150.7 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a clear cost for each additional graphics feature. The drop from Medium to High is 50.1 FPS (17.0%), while the drop from High to Ultra is 93.3 FPS (38.2%). The Ultra preset at 1080p is the most demanding, but the combo still maintains a frame rate well above the refresh rate of most monitors.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low at 255.9 FPS, Medium at 212.1 FPS, High at 175.3 FPS, and Ultra at 109.8 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is roughly uniform, with a 29.6% reduction at Low, a 27.9% reduction at Medium, a 28.2% reduction at High, and a 27.1% reduction at Ultra. These consistent reductions indicate that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count predictably, with no sudden bottlenecks appearing at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 159.6 FPS, Medium at 132.5 FPS, High at 107.2 FPS, and Ultra at 67.2 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only one that drops below 100 FPS, making it the only settings combination where the experience might feel less than smooth on a high-refresh-rate display. The gap between 4K High and 4K Ultra is 40 FPS, which is a 37.3% reduction. This is a larger relative drop than the 1080p or 1440p transitions from High to Ultra, reinforcing that the Ultra preset at 4K is disproportionately taxing on the GPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is based on the Navi 31 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die, with a transistor density of 109.1M per mm². The GPU operates at a base clock of 1929 MHz, a game clock of 2365 MHz, and a boost clock of 2498 MHz. Memory runs at 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective speed, delivering 960.0 GB/s bandwidth across a 384-bit bus with 24 GB of GDDR6 memory.

The GPU has 6144 shading units, 384 texture mapping units, 192 render output units, and 96 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 479.6 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 959.2 GTexel/s. Compute performance is rated at 61.39 TFLOPS for FP32 and 122.8 TFLOPS for FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The card is a dual-slot design requiring 2x 8-pin power connectors and a 750 W suggested PSU, with a TDP of 355 W.

Synthetic benchmarks place the RX 7900 XTX in the 85th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44019. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (score 44195, delta -0.4%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (score 43667, delta 0.8%), the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (score 43313, delta 1.6%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (score 44900, delta -2%). The variance among these rivals is small, but the RX 7900 XTX trails the RTX 4070 Ti by 2% in aggregate benchmark score.

In Downfall, the GPU's role is most evident at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops to 67.2 FPS. This is the only measured result below 100 FPS, indicating that the GPU's rendering capabilities are exhausted by the combination of high resolution and maximum settings. The 24 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in this game, as even the most demanding settings at 4K rarely exceed 16 GB of VRAM usage in typical titles. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s is more likely to be the constraint, given the sharp frame rate drops at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset at 150.7 FPS average is the best choice, as it delivers the highest visual quality while maintaining a frame rate well above 144 Hz. The combo has ample headroom at 1080p, so there is no reason to compromise on settings.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 109.8 FPS average is still viable for most gamers, particularly those with 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors that support variable refresh rates. The High preset at 175.3 FPS offers a smoother experience for competitive play, but the visual fidelity difference between High and Ultra in a horror game may be worth the 65.5 FPS reduction. The data supports Ultra as the best experience for 1440p, as the frame rate remains above 100 FPS.

For 4K displays, the situation is more nuanced. The High preset at 107.2 FPS average is the sweet spot, providing a smooth experience above 100 FPS while retaining most visual features. The Ultra preset at 67.2 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced sequences, and the 40 FPS drop from High to Ultra is substantial. The Medium preset at 132.5 FPS is an alternative for those who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, but the High preset offers a better balance of quality and performance. The Low preset at 159.6 FPS is unnecessary unless the user has a 165 Hz or higher refresh rate monitor and demands maximum smoothness, but the visual compromise is significant for a horror game that relies on atmosphere and detail.

The worst choice at 4K is Ultra, as the 67.2 FPS average may cause noticeable stuttering on displays without variable refresh rate support. The best overall experience across all resolutions is the High preset, which delivers 244 FPS at 1080p, 175.3 FPS at 1440p, and 107.2 FPS at 4K. This consistency makes High the most versatile setting for this combo, offering a smooth experience at every resolution without the performance penalty of Ultra.