Downfall

# Downfall — Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070

The measured data for this combination reveals a compelling story about how a mid-range 2024 CPU paired with an end-of-life 2020 GPU handles a 2016 horror title. The RTX 3070, with its 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, drives frame rates that range from a highly playable 47.5 FPS at 4K Ultra to a blistering 256.8 FPS at 1080p Low. The Intel Core i5-14400F, featuring 10 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, appears to rarely bottleneck this title, though the data suggests some interesting scaling behavior at lower resolutions that hints at CPU involvement.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling across resolutions shows a classic GPU-bound pattern, but with a few notable nuances. At High settings, the transition from 1920x1080 (176 FPS) to 2560x1440 (123.2 FPS) represents a 30% drop, while moving from 1440p to 3840x2160 (75.1 FPS) is another 39% reduction. This steepening decline as resolution increases is the signature of a system transitioning from a partially CPU-limited state at 1080p to a firmly GPU-limited one at 4K.

The Low settings row amplifies this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the combination produces 256.8 FPS — an enormous number that likely approaches the practical ceiling for this CPU in this game. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 186.5 FPS (a 27% reduction), and 4K Low delivers 116.6 FPS (another 37% drop). The fact that 4K Low still exceeds 100 FPS indicates that even at the highest resolution, the GPU has ample headroom when visual effects are minimized.

What is particularly telling is the Ultra settings scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 108.5 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it falls to 76 FPS (a 30% drop); and at 4K Ultra, it bottoms out at 47.5 FPS (a 37% further reduction). This consistent ~30-40% penalty per resolution step across all settings suggests the RTX 3070 is the dominant limiting factor once Ultra effects are enabled, regardless of resolution. The 8 GB VRAM capacity and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely being taxed heavily by the Ultra preset's demands.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The RTX 3070's specifications provide context for the measured performance. With a boost clock of 1725 MHz, 5888 shading units, and 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, this GPU is architecturally capable of handling a 2016 horror title with ease. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth — sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the data suggests it may be strained at 4K Ultra.

The 47.5 FPS result at 4K Ultra is the weakest measured outcome and likely reflects both compute and memory pressure. The 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die (using an 8 nm Samsung process) give this GPU substantial raw throughput, yet the Ultra preset at 4K requires more than the 8 GB frame buffer can comfortably accommodate, especially with a texture-heavy horror atmosphere. The pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s are more than adequate for 1080p but become limiting factors at 4K with maximum effects.

The GPU's nearest rival data shows it sits at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28238. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT trails by just 0.9%, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti is 1% behind — indicating this GPU is competitive with more recent mid-range options despite being end-of-life. In Downfall specifically, the RTX 3070's performance at 1440p High (123.2 FPS) suggests it is well-matched to this game's requirements at mainstream resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 123.2 at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is comfortably above 60 FPS and indicates smooth gameplay for a horror title where atmospheric tension benefits from consistent frame delivery.

Q: Is this combination capable of 4K gaming in Downfall?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High, the average FPS is 75.1, which is playable. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 47.5 FPS, which may feel less fluid. For 4K play, Medium settings (95.4 FPS) or Low settings (116.6 FPS) are more sensible choices.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At High settings, the drop is from 176 FPS at 1920x1080 to 123.2 FPS at 2560x1440 — a 30% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 108.5 FPS to 76 FPS, also a 30% reduction. This consistency suggests the GPU is the primary scaling factor.

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 108.5 FPS, which is excellent. If you prefer maximum visual fidelity, this is viable. However, the High preset at 176 FPS offers a significant frame rate advantage with presumably minor visual differences.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at any resolution?

A: The data suggests potential CPU involvement at 1080p Low, where 256.8 FPS is achieved. This is an extremely high frame rate that may approach the CPU's practical limit in this game. At higher resolutions and settings, the GPU is the clear bottleneck.

Q: How does this combo rank among tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 767th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the upper-middle range. The 88th percentile CPU and 72nd percentile GPU rankings suggest the system is balanced, with the GPU being the more modest component relative to its peers.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all presets. Low settings produce 256.8 FPS, Medium delivers 214 FPS, High achieves 176 FPS, and Ultra still manages 108.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 148.3 FPS, indicating that visual effects have a substantial impact on performance at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers remain strong but show the expected decline. Low settings yield 186.5 FPS, Medium drops to 150.6 FPS, High reaches 123.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 76 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 110.5 FPS, suggesting the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still playable but noticeably more constrained. Low settings produce 116.6 FPS, Medium delivers 95.4 FPS, High achieves 75.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 47.5 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread here is 69.1 FPS, further confirming that the GPU is the dominant constraint at 4K. Notably, 4K Ultra (47.5 FPS) is the only measured configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the sole setting where smooth gameplay might be compromised.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 767th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the 56th percentile among all tested systems — a respectable position given that the GPU is from an earlier generation and is now end-of-life. The CPU, however, is a more recent release (January 2024) with an 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, suggesting it has more headroom than the GPU in this pairing.

The gap between the CPU's high percentile (88) and the GPU's more modest percentile (72) implies that the RTX 3070 is the component most likely to limit performance in this game. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12800H (0% delta) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (0.2% ahead), indicating the i5-14400F is well-positioned among its peers. The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD FirePro S7150, is 0.6% faster on average, while the RX 6600 XT is 0.9% slower — showing that the RTX 3070 remains competitive in synthetic benchmarks, even if its memory capacity may be a limitation in modern titles.

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

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings 10 cores and 16 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data locality for a horror game that likely benefits from single-threaded responsiveness. The 65 W TDP and 10 nm process (Raptor Lake architecture) make this an efficient processor, though it does not have an unlocked multiplier for overclocking.

In Downfall, the CPU's role appears most critical at 1080p Low, where 256.8 FPS likely approaches the engine's or CPU's practical ceiling. The fact that 1080p Low and 1080p Medium differ by 42.8 FPS (256.8 vs 214) while 1080p High and Ultra differ by 67.5 FPS (176 vs 108.5) suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU at high frame rates but becomes less relevant as GPU load increases. The passmark single-thread score of 3723 and multithread score of 25783 indicate strong per-core performance, which is beneficial for a horror title that may rely on physics, AI, or scripted sequences that are not easily parallelized.

The Cinebench R23 scores (21914 multicore, 3093 singlecore) further confirm this CPU's capability. The data does not show any evidence of CPU-induced frame pacing issues at 1440p or 4K, where frame rates are lower and the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. At 1080p Ultra (108.5 FPS), the CPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the 148.3 FPS gap to 1080p Low.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For 1920x1080 displays, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. At 108.5 FPS, it provides smooth gameplay with maximum visual fidelity. The High preset at 176 FPS is an alternative for those who prioritize frame rate above all else, but the 67.5 FPS difference may not justify the visual trade-off in a horror game where atmosphere matters.

At 2560x1440, the High preset (123.2 FPS) strikes the best balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 76 FPS is still playable and may be preferred by those with high-refresh-rate monitors who can tolerate the lower frame rate. The Medium preset (150.6 FPS) is a strong middle ground, while Low (186.5 FPS) is only necessary for competitive play — unlikely in a single-player horror title.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset (95.4 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it delivers a fluid experience while preserving some visual effects. The High preset (75.1 FPS) is also viable for those who want better image quality and can accept a lower frame rate. The Ultra preset (47.5 FPS) falls below the 60 FPS threshold and is not recommended for a genre where sudden movements and quick camera turns are common. The Low preset (116.6 FPS) offers the highest frame rate but likely sacrifices too much atmosphere for a horror game's intended experience.

In summary, the data suggests that this combination is best utilized at 1080p Ultra or 1440p High, where the RTX 3070's strengths are fully realized and the i5-14400F provides ample CPU support. At 4K, the GPU's 8 GB memory and compute capabilities become the limiting factor, and users should select Medium or High presets accordingly.