Downfall

Downfall, the 2016 horror title, shows remarkably scalable performance with the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is rarely the bottleneck, offering a wide range of playable configurations for a smooth experience.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and predictable performance curve as resolution increases, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary scaling factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 345.3 FPS, which drops to 246.2 FPS at 1440p and further to 152.5 FPS at 4K. This represents a 56% decrease in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a significant but expected drop given the increased pixel count.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 235.7 FPS at 1080p to 166.2 FPS at 1440p (a 30% reduction) and then to 103.7 FPS at 4K (a 56% reduction from 1080p). The Ultra preset shows the same trend, with 146.2 FPS at 1080p dropping to 103 FPS at 1440p and finally 65.8 FPS at 4K. The consistent percentage drops between resolutions suggest that the CPU is not becoming a limiting factor even at 1080p, as the performance scaling is smooth and largely determined by the GPU's rendering load.

Notably, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is narrower than the gap between 1440p and 4K at every preset. For instance, at Medium settings, the drop from 1080p (282.6 FPS) to 1440p (200.7 FPS) is 29%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K (127.5 FPS) is 36%. This indicates that the 4K resolution places a disproportionately heavier load on the GPU, which is typical for a modern graphics card with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory. The overall picture is that this system is exceptionally capable at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K remains playable but demands lower settings for high refresh rates.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks at position 309 out of 1741 tested combinations for Downfall. This places it in the top 18% of all systems tested, a strong showing that underscores its high-performance nature.

The ranking confirms the balance between the CPU and GPU. The i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is a capable gaming processor that sits in the 88th percentile when compared to all CPUs in our database. Its average benchmark score of 32508 places it in close competition with other processors like the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446), with deltas of 0% and 0.2% respectively. This indicates the CPU is a solid, mid-to-high-end performer that provides ample headroom for the GPU.

The RTX 4070 SUPER is similarly well-positioned, holding the 84th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 42576 is nearly identical to that of the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (42653, a -0.2% delta) and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (42723, a -0.3% delta). This means the GPU is not just a fast card, but one that is positioned at the higher end of the performance spectrum. The combination of a top-tier CPU percentile and a high-tier GPU percentile results in a system that ranks well overall, confirming that neither component is a weak link for Downfall.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured FPS data, the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 4K, High settings yield 103.7 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on most displays. This is a significant advantage over the Ultra preset, which drops to 65.8 FPS at 4K, a reduction that might be noticeable in a fast-paced horror game where smooth motion is crucial for immersion.

For users with 1440p monitors, the High preset provides an excellent 166.2 FPS, which is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset at 1440p pushes this to 200.7 FPS, but the visual fidelity loss may not be worth the extra frames for most players. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot, delivering a substantial frame rate buffer without sacrificing the visual quality that the game's horror atmosphere relies on.

At 1080p, the system is so powerful that even the Ultra preset achieves 146.2 FPS. However, the High preset at 235.7 FPS is a better choice for competitive or high-refresh-rate gaming, as the difference between High and Ultra is likely more subtle than the jump from 146.2 to 235.7 FPS. For the majority of users, the High preset is recommended as it provides a high frame rate at all resolutions while maintaining a strong visual presentation. If you have a 4K display and prioritize visual fidelity over maximum frame rate, Ultra is playable, but High is the more practical choice for a consistently smooth experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this system provides a detailed look at its performance. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 345.3 FPS on Low, 282.6 FPS on Medium, 235.7 FPS on High, and 146.2 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a linear progression where each step up in settings costs a substantial number of frames, with the largest single drop occurring between High and Ultra (a 38% reduction).

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates are still very high. The Low preset achieves 246.2 FPS, Medium reaches 200.7 FPS, High runs at 166.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 103 FPS. The pattern remains, with the gap between High and Ultra (63.2 FPS) being the most significant, highlighting the heavy cost of the Ultra preset's additional effects.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance is more constrained. The Low preset delivers 152.5 FPS, which is still very smooth. Medium follows at 127.5 FPS, and High is just behind at 103.7 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that falls below the 100 FPS mark, bringing the average down to 65.8 FPS. This breakdown confirms that the system is capable of high refresh rates even at 4K when settings are managed, but the Ultra preset is best reserved for 1080p or 1440p gaming where the higher pixel count isn't as demanding.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the clear performance driver in this configuration. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, which is sufficient to handle the textures and data required by Downfall at 4K resolution. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective, and the GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz ensures high throughput.

The architecture is Ada Lovelace, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 35,800 million transistors. This allows for a high transistor density of 121.8M / mm². The GPU features 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, which work together to produce the pixel and texture rates of 198.0 GPixel/s and 554.4 GTexel/s, respectively. The FP32 performance is rated at 35.48 TFLOPS, providing the raw compute power needed for the game's effects.

The GPU's role in the measured results is evident in how frame rates scale with resolution. The substantial drop in FPS from 1440p to 4K, especially at higher settings, indicates that the GPU's rendering capabilities are being fully utilized. The 220 W TDP and the need for a 550 W suggested PSU reflect its performance class. The card's 84th percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average score of 42576, places it in the same league as the NVIDIA RTX A6000 and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE, confirming its high-end positioning. This is a GPU that is designed for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and capable 4K, which the data supports.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting but crucial role, ensuring the GPU is never starved of data. With 10 cores and 16 threads, it offers strong multi-threaded performance for a desktop processor. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide the single-thread speed necessary for game logic and physics, which are often the limiting factors at lower resolutions.

The CPU's architecture is Raptor Lake, built on a 10 nm process. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache. This cache configuration is effective for gaming, reducing the need to access slower system memory (DDR4 or DDR5). The 65 W TDP is efficient, making it a practical choice for a gaming build.

The benchmark results show the i5-14400F's capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 21914, and its single-core score is 3093. In Geekbench, it scores 11209 multi-core and 2333 single-core. These scores place it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508. Its closest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12800H and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, with performance deltas of 0% and 0.2%, respectively. In the context of Downfall, the CPU is not the bottleneck, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from 1080p to 4K. If the CPU were limiting performance, the frame rate at 1080p would be similar to that at 1440p, but the data shows a clear drop, indicating the GPU is the primary constraint. This CPU provides more than enough headroom for the RTX 4070 SUPER to operate at its full potential.