Downfall

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti lands at rank 1496 out of 1741 tested combinations in Downfall. This places the combo in the lower portion of the database, roughly in the 14th percentile of all tested systems. The ranking reflects a pairing where the processor is substantially more capable than the graphics card, a dynamic that becomes evident when examining the frame rate data.

The CPU itself sits at the 88th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 32508. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12800H at 32513 (a 0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 at 32446 (0.2% ahead of the i5), and the AMD Ryzen 7 250 at 32584 (0.2% behind). The i5-14400F essentially trades blows with these parts, showing that its raw compute potential is not the limiting factor in this configuration.

The GPU, by contrast, sits at the 55th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 13925. Its closest competitors are the AMD Radeon RX 570X at 13871 (0.4% ahead of the GTX 1660 Ti), the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile at 13821 (0.8% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 at 13812 (0.8% ahead). The GTX 1660 Ti is a mid-range part from the Turing generation, and its performance class is what drags the overall combo ranking down despite the strong CPU.

The data indicates a significant imbalance: the CPU is well above average while the GPU is merely average. In a horror title like Downfall, which relies on atmospheric rendering and lighting effects, this imbalance manifests as the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck across most settings and resolutions. The combo's low rank is therefore not a reflection of CPU inadequacy but rather a consequence of the GPU's mid-tier standing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is built on the TU116 chip using a 12 nm process at TSMC, with 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die. It operates with a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, while its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at an effective speed of 12 Gbps across a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The card's 1536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units deliver a pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 169.9 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 5.437 TFLOPS.

In Downfall, the GPU's role is decisive. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern where the GTX 1660 Ti's memory capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the card delivers playable performance across all settings, but at 4K, even the Low preset drops to 64.4 FPS average, and the Ultra preset falls to 28.4 FPS. This suggests that the 6 GB VRAM buffer and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the game's higher-resolution textures and effects.

The GPU's DirectX 12 support (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility matter for Downfall's rendering pipeline. Benchmark results show the card scoring 1061 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 60863 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 58014 in Geekbench Vulkan. These figures, combined with PassMark scores of 12871 for G3D and 5226 for GPU compute, indicate a card that handles compute workloads adequately but lacks the headroom for demanding 4K scenarios. The data clearly shows the GPU as the binding constraint in this combo, with the CPU's substantial headroom never fully utilized at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti compare to its nearest GPU rivals in raw performance?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti's average benchmark score of 13925 places it marginally ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570X (13871, 0.4% behind), the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (13821, 0.8% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 (13812, 0.8% behind). It sits slightly behind the NVIDIA Tesla K10 (14029, 0.7% ahead of the 1660 Ti).

Q: What is the best 4K performance this combo can achieve in Downfall?

A: At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 64.4 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 52.7 FPS, High to 43.9 FPS, and Ultra to 28.4 FPS. Only the Low preset approaches a consistently smooth experience at 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The i5-14400F ranks at the 88th percentile among CPUs with an average score of 32508, while the GTX 1660 Ti ranks at the 55th percentile with an average score of 13925. The frame rate scaling across resolutions confirms this, as performance drops significantly when resolution increases, a hallmark of GPU limitation.

Q: How does the i5-14400F perform in synthetic benchmarks relative to its rivals?

A: The i5-14400F scores 21914 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3093 in single-core. Its average benchmark score of 32508 is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446), AMD Ryzen 7 250 (32584), and Intel Core i7-13705H (32586).

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 71.4 FPS. This is a comfortable level for most displays, though the Ultra preset at this resolution drops to 46.4 FPS, which may feel less smooth.

Q: Does the GTX 1660 Ti support modern graphics APIs needed for Downfall?

A: Yes, the card supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its PassMark DirectX 12 score of 51 and DirectX 11 score of 103 indicate functional but modest API-level performance, consistent with its mid-range positioning.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for Downfall span three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a complete picture of the combo's capabilities.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 150.2 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo. The Medium preset reaches 119.8 FPS, High achieves 102.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 61.5 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear progression: each step up in settings costs roughly 20-30 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring between High and Ultra, a loss of 41 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 105.2 FPS, Medium reaches 90.2 FPS, High delivers 71.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 46.4 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings represents a 45 FPS decrease, while at Ultra settings the drop is 15.1 FPS. This pattern suggests the GPU is working harder at higher resolutions, with the gap between settings narrowing as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 64.4 FPS, Medium reaches 52.7 FPS, High delivers 43.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 28.4 FPS. The 4K results highlight the GPU's limitations: even at Low settings, the frame rate is barely above the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra is essentially unplayable for smooth gameplay. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 36 FPS, compared to 88.7 FPS at 1080p, indicating that resolution constraints compress the settings range.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals how the combo responds to increasing resolution demands. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 150.2 at 1080p to 105.2 at 1440p (a 30% reduction) and then to 64.4 at 4K (a 39% reduction from 1440p). At High settings, the progression is 102.5 at 1080p, 71.4 at 1440p (a 30% drop), and 43.9 at 4K (a 39% drop). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests a uniform resolution scaling behavior.

The Ultra preset shows a similar pattern: 61.5 at 1080p, 46.4 at 1440p (a 25% drop), and 28.4 at 4K (a 39% drop from 1440p). The slightly smaller drop between 1080p and 1440p at Ultra settings may indicate that the GPU is already heavily loaded at 1080p Ultra, so the incremental resolution increase has a proportionally smaller effect.

This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's performance headroom, evidenced by its high percentile ranking, is not the limiting factor. Instead, the GTX 1660 Ti's 6 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth struggle to feed the rendering pipeline as pixel count increases. The 4K results, particularly the 28.4 FPS at Ultra, demonstrate that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in Downfall beyond the Low preset.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the Downfall experience with this combo. At 1080p, the High preset at 102.5 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, comfortably exceeding the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining detailed graphics. The Ultra preset at 61.5 FPS is also viable for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate stability, though the margin above 60 FPS is thin.

For 1440p displays, the Medium preset at 90.2 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides smooth performance with reasonable visual quality. The High preset at 71.4 FPS is also acceptable for most players, but the Ultra preset at 46.4 FPS falls below the 60 FPS target and may introduce noticeable stutter in a horror game where smooth motion is critical for atmosphere.

At 4K, the options are severely constrained. The Low preset at 64.4 FPS is the only setting that approaches playable performance, and even this requires accepting significant visual compromises. The Medium preset at 52.7 FPS and High at 43.9 FPS are both below the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra at 28.4 FPS is not recommended for any scenario. Players with 4K displays should either use the Low preset or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p, where the Medium preset at 90.2 FPS provides a far superior experience.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize the Medium preset at 1440p or the High preset at 1080p, depending on display resolution. These configurations extract the best performance from the GTX 1660 Ti while keeping the i5-14400F's capabilities in reserve. The Ultra preset is only advisable at 1080p, and even then, the 61.5 FPS average leaves little room for demanding scenes.