Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core i5-14600K + AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers a consistently playable experience in Downfall across most resolution and settings combinations, with average frame rates ranging from a demanding 44.8 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 231.5 FPS at 1080p Low. The combo ranks 931st out of 1,741 tested configurations, placing it near the middle of the benchmark database, though the measured results show that this pairing is capable of exceeding 60 FPS at every resolution when settings are managed appropriately. The CPU sits in the 93rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU lands in the 77th percentile among all graphics cards, indicating a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically outclasses the other for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Downfall?

A: The highest measured average is 231.5 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next fastest configuration is Medium at 1080p with 189.8 FPS, followed by High at 1080p with 153.9 FPS.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 the combo achieves 66.7 FPS on High settings and 84.6 FPS on Medium. However, at Ultra settings the average drops to 44.8 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49,166, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X at 49,062. It trails the Intel Core i5-14600KF by 0.4% (49,367) and the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.9% (49,595).

Q: What is the performance gap between the GPU and its closest competitor?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT scores 33,721 on average, which is 0.7% above the AMD Radeon RX 6800 at 33,493. It leads the AMD Radeon HD 7950 and AMD Radeon RX 480, both at 34,050, by 1%, while the NVIDIA RTX A5000 at 33,294 is 1.3% behind.

Q: Which settings preset provides the largest FPS jump from Ultra to Low?

A: At 1080p, moving from Ultra (97 FPS) to Low (231.5 FPS) yields a gain of 134.5 FPS. At 1440p the jump is 94.3 FPS (69.1 to 163.4), and at 4K the gain is 56.6 FPS (44.8 to 101.4).

Q: Does the combo rank in the top half of tested configurations for Downfall?

A: The combo ranks 931st out of 1,741 total combinations, which places it in the upper portion of the lower half. Specifically, 810 configurations rank above it, while 930 rank below it.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT brings 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2321 MHz and a boost clock of 2581 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2424 MHz. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 13.21 TFLOPS.

In Downfall, the GPU's role becomes increasingly evident as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the system produces 231.5 FPS, but this drops to 101.4 FPS at 4K Low — a reduction of 130.1 FPS that highlights the memory bandwidth and pixel throughput demands at higher resolutions. The 12 GB frame buffer proves adequate for all tested settings, as even 4K Ultra consumes enough resources to reach only 44.8 FPS, a performance-bound result rather than a capacity limitation.

The RDNA 2.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process with 17,200 million transistors, supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. These API capabilities allow Downfall to use modern rendering paths, and the 40 ray accelerators provide hardware support for any ray-traced effects the horror title may employ. The GPU's 64 ROPs and 160 TMUs work in concert to sustain the measured frame rates, with the 165.2 GPixel/s fill rate proving particularly important at 4K where pixel count quadruples from 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a clear pattern of frame rate degradation as resolution increases, but the rate of decline varies significantly by settings preset. At Low settings, the system delivers 231.5 FPS at 1080p, 163.4 FPS at 1440p, and 101.4 FPS at 4K. This represents a 29.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 37.9% drop from 1440p to 4K, totaling a 56.2% reduction from the baseline.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 189.8 FPS at 1080p falls to 133.6 FPS at 1440p (a 29.6% decrease) and then to 84.6 FPS at 4K (a 36.7% decrease from 1440p). The High preset shows 153.9 FPS at 1080p, 111 FPS at 1440p, and 66.7 FPS at 4K, with drops of 27.9% and 39.9% respectively. Notably, the Ultra preset exhibits the steepest degradation: 97 FPS at 1080p drops to 69.1 FPS at 1440p (28.8% lower) and then to 44.8 FPS at 4K (35.2% lower from 1440p).

These scaling patterns indicate that the GPU becomes the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. The consistent 28-30% reduction from 1080p to 1440p across all presets suggests a fill-rate bound scenario, while the larger 35-40% drop from 1440p to 4K reflects the doubling of pixel count that stresses memory bandwidth and ROP throughput. The CPU, with 14 cores and 20 threads running at up to 5.30 GHz boost, provides sufficient headroom that it does not bottleneck even at 1080p Low where the frame rate exceeds 230 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination ranks 931st out of 1,741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 53.5th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual component standings: the CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits in the 77th percentile among all graphics cards. The discrepancy suggests that Downfall's performance characteristics do not fully leverage the CPU's strengths, or that the game's engine favors other GPU architectures.

Looking at the CPU's synthetic performance, the i5-14600K scores 49,166 on average, nearly matching the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X at 49,062 (0.2% delta). The i5-14600KF is only 0.4% faster at 49,367, and the AMD EPYC 4345P leads by 0.9% at 49,595. These narrow margins indicate that the CPU is competitive with top-tier rivals, yet the combo's rank suggests that in Downfall specifically, the GPU pairing determines the outcome more than raw CPU power.

The GPU's nearest rivals show similar clustering: the RX 6800 is 0.7% behind, while the HD 7950 and RX 480 are both 1% faster in average score. The NVIDIA RTX A5000 trails by 1.3%. This tight grouping means that swapping to any of these near-identical performers would likely produce comparable in-game results, reinforcing that the 931st rank reflects the game's engine characteristics rather than a weakness in either component.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p displays, all four presets exceed 60 FPS, with even Ultra maintaining 97 FPS. Players seeking maximum smoothness can use Low for 231.5 FPS, but High at 153.9 FPS offers a balanced experience that likely preserves visual fidelity while remaining well above the 144 Hz refresh rate that many monitors support.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts more decisively. Ultra produces 69.1 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. High at 111 FPS and Medium at 133.6 FPS both provide comfortable margins, and Low at 163.4 FPS is available for competitive play. For a horror game where atmosphere matters more than reaction speed, Medium or High strikes the best balance, delivering 133.6 to 111 FPS respectively while maintaining higher visual quality than Low.

At 4K, the choices become more constrained. Ultra drops to 44.8 FPS, which is below ideal playability. Medium at 84.6 FPS and High at 66.7 FPS both remain above 60 FPS, making them viable options. Low at 101.4 FPS is the safest choice for consistent performance, but the 66.7 FPS from High settings represents the minimum recommended preset for an immersive experience without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. Given that this is a horror title where frame pacing can affect tension, Medium at 84.6 FPS is the recommended sweet spot for 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 231.5 FPS average, while Medium reaches 189.8 FPS. High settings achieve 153.9 FPS, and Ultra remains playable at 97 FPS. The spread of 134.5 FPS between Low and Ultra demonstrates the significant impact of settings on this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected reduction. Low hits 163.4 FPS, Medium reaches 133.6 FPS, and High sustains 111 FPS. Ultra drops to 69.1 FPS, which is the first preset at this resolution to approach the 60 FPS threshold. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 94.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve compresses further. Low delivers 101.4 FPS, Medium provides 84.6 FPS, and High achieves 66.7 FPS. Ultra falls to 44.8 FPS, the only measured configuration below the 60 FPS baseline. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 56.6 FPS, roughly a 55.8% reduction from the lowest to highest settings preset. This data confirms that 4K Ultra is not a viable configuration for this combo, while 4K High and Medium offer playable frame rates that should satisfy most users seeking a cinematic horror experience.