Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a robust 1080p experience in Downfall, with the data showing a strong balance between CPU and GPU capabilities. The combo ranks 876th out of 1741 tested configurations, placing it in the upper-middle tier for this horror title. At 1440p, the system remains highly playable across most settings, while 4K performance varies dramatically depending on the quality preset selected. The RTX 5060's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and the i5-14400F's 10 cores provide a foundation that favors high-refresh 1080p gaming, with measurable trade-offs at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Downfall?

A: The data shows 1080p is the sweet spot. At Low settings, the system achieves 241.2 average FPS, and even at Ultra, it maintains 99.4 average FPS. At 1440p, performance ranges from 71.5 FPS (Ultra) to 170.6 FPS (Low), while 4K drops to 42.5 FPS at Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 30109, placing it within 0.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30097) and 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (29969). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (29928) by 0.6% in average score.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: No. The performance drop from 1440p to 4K at each settings tier is substantial (e.g., High drops from 112.8 to 73.5 FPS), indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The i5-14400F's 10 cores and 4.70 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is 141.8 FPS. Low settings produce 241.2 average FPS, while Ultra produces 99.4 average FPS. Medium sits between at 194.1 FPS, and High at 160.9 FPS.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance in Downfall?

A: The data suggests the 8 GB GDDR7 memory on the RTX 5060 is adequate for this title. Even at 4K Ultra, the system runs at 42.5 FPS, though this is more likely a compute limitation than a memory capacity issue given the game's 2016 release date.

Q: How does the CPU benchmark relative to its rivals?

A: The i5-14400F scores 32508 on average, essentially matching the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513) with a 0% delta. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446) and 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 250 (32584).

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the primary driver of frame rates in Downfall, with its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus. This configuration yields a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which proves sufficient for the texture loads in this horror title. The GPU's boost clock of 2497 MHz and base clock of 2280 MHz, combined with 3840 shading units, deliver the raw compute necessary for the observed frame rates.

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: at 1080p, the GPU is rarely the bottleneck, with even Ultra settings producing 99.4 FPS. However, as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU's workload scales significantly. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 42.5 FPS, a 57% reduction from 1080p Ultra. This indicates that the RTX 5060's 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while strong for 1080p, struggles with the pixel throughput demanded at 4K with maximum quality settings.

The GPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 20891, contextualizes its performance tier. It sits between the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30097) and the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (29969) in average benchmark scores, showing it is a mid-range part that excels at mainstream resolutions. The 48 ROPs and 120 TMUs handle the rasterization workload of Downfall efficiently, though the 128-bit memory bus limits fill-rate heavy scenarios at extreme resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At High settings, the system drops from 160.9 FPS at 1080p to 112.8 FPS at 1440p, then to 73.5 FPS at 4K. This represents a 30% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 35% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, suggesting that memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate become increasingly important at 4K.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but with higher absolute numbers: 241.2 FPS at 1080p, 170.6 FPS at 1440p, and 106.6 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result (106.6 FPS) is actually higher than the 1080p Ultra result (99.4 FPS), demonstrating that settings adjustments can overcome resolution penalties to a significant degree. This indicates the GPU has ample headroom when graphical effects are reduced, and the limiting factor at high resolutions is the combination of pixel count and shading complexity.

The scaling data suggests the CPU is not the primary constraint at any resolution. The i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, provide enough processing power to maintain frame rates well above 60 FPS in all tested scenarios except 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 42.5 FPS is the only configuration that falls below playable thresholds, and this is clearly a GPU limitation given the 73.5 FPS result at 4K High.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 241.2 average FPS, Medium achieves 194.1 FPS, High reaches 160.9 FPS, and Ultra maintains 99.4 FPS. These numbers indicate that the combo can drive high-refresh monitors even at maximum quality, with a 142.8 FPS spread between Low and Ultra.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limits. Low settings yield 170.6 FPS, Medium delivers 137.4 FPS, High achieves 112.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 71.5 FPS. The 1440p results show a 99.1 FPS spread between Low and Ultra, with Ultra still comfortably above 60 FPS for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings produce 106.6 FPS, Medium delivers 85.3 FPS, High achieves 73.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 42.5 FPS. The 4K results show a 64.1 FPS spread between Low and Ultra, with Ultra falling below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider minimum for acceptable performance. The 4K Low result is still playable, but the Ultra preset requires significant compromises.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 876th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 50th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking is primarily due to the GPU's position in the market: the RTX 5060's 73rd percentile among all GPUs is offset by the CPU's stronger 88th percentile among all CPUs. The combo outperforms lower-tier pairings but is beaten by configurations with higher-end GPUs that can sustain 4K Ultra frame rates.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446, 0.2% delta). The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30097, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (29928, 0.6% delta). These close margins in synthetic benchmarks translate to in-game performance that is competitive with systems using these similar components.

The 876th rank reflects a system that is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Downfall, but not optimized for 4K Ultra. Users seeking higher 4K performance would need to consider GPUs in a higher percentile bracket, while those focused on 1080p esports-style play would find this combo more than adequate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F provides a strong foundation for Downfall, with 10 cores and 16 threads operating at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This Raptor Lake architecture chip, built on a 10 nm process, delivers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and a single-core score of 3093, indicating robust multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency in game workloads.

The CPU's 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508, places it ahead of most processors in the market. Its PassMark multi-thread score of 25783 and single-thread score of 3723 show balanced capabilities. For a horror title like Downfall, which may involve physics calculations and AI-driven enemy behavior, the 10 cores provide ample headroom. The data shows no CPU bottleneck at any tested resolution, as frame rates scale consistently with GPU load rather than hitting a CPU-imposed ceiling.

The i5-14400F supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, allowing flexible system configurations. Its 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a practical choice for mainstream builds. The CPU's performance in this combo is sufficient to keep the RTX 5060 well-fed at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the high frame rates at those resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset delivers 99.4 FPS, which is ideal for players with 100Hz or higher refresh rate monitors. The High preset at 160.9 FPS offers a better balance for competitive play, while Medium at 194.1 FPS is optimal for maximum smoothness without significant visual degradation. Low at 241.2 FPS is only recommended for players with 240Hz monitors who prioritize frame rate above all else.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 71.5 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth on high-refresh displays. The High preset at 112.8 FPS provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, making it the recommended choice for most users. Medium at 137.4 FPS is suitable for those who want extra headroom, while Low at 170.6 FPS targets high-refresh 1440p gaming.

At 4K, only the Low preset at 106.6 FPS and Medium at 85.3 FPS deliver playable frame rates. High at 73.5 FPS is borderline, while Ultra at 42.5 FPS is not recommended for regular gameplay. Players with 4K displays should use Low or Medium settings to maintain smooth performance, accepting reduced visual fidelity for the higher resolution's clarity.

The data indicates that the combo performs best when the resolution and settings are matched to the GPU's capabilities: 1080p with any preset, 1440p with High or lower, and 4K with Medium or lower. This approach ensures frame rates above 60 FPS in all scenarios, maximizing the system's potential in Downfall.