Downfall

# Downfall Performance Analysis: Intel Core i5-14600K + AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT

This combination of Intel's Core i5-14600K and AMD's Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Downfall, a 2016 horror title that clearly responds well to both strong CPU throughput and substantial GPU memory bandwidth. The measured frame rates show a system that can push well beyond 200 FPS at lower settings, while the Ultra preset at 4K reveals the expected stress on the rendering pipeline. The combo ranks 621st out of 1,741 tested combinations, placing it in the upper third of all systems evaluated for this game, which suggests a balanced pairing that handles the game's demands without obvious bottlenecks at most resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's position at 621 out of 1,741 tested combos places it firmly in the upper echelon of systems for Downfall, though not at the very top. This ranking reflects a pairing where the CPU sits at the 93rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU lands at the 76th percentile among all graphics cards. The gap between these two percentiles hints that the graphics card may be the limiting factor in more demanding scenarios, but the overall rank shows the system still delivers strong performance for this horror title.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the Core i5-14600K posts an average benchmark score of 49,166, which is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and 1% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H. It trails the Core i5-14600KF by 0.4% and the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.9%. These tight margins suggest the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class, with no anomalous behavior that would skew the game's results. For the GPU, the RX 7800 XT's average score of 32,619 puts it 0.2% ahead of the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, 0.7% ahead of the AMD FirePro S10000, and 0.4% behind the NVIDIA P104-100, with a 0.7% deficit to the NVIDIA T600 Mobile. The GPU's benchmark standing aligns with its rank within the combo, indicating consistent behavior across synthetic and real-world workloads.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7800 XT brings 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. In a horror game like Downfall, which likely relies on detailed textures and atmospheric lighting, this memory capacity and bandwidth prove advantageous. The GPU's boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz, with a base of 1295 MHz, provide the compute headroom needed for high frame rates. The card's 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output pipelines handle the game's visual effects, while 60 ray accelerators support any ray-traced elements.

The GPU's 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 74.65 TFLOPS of FP16 performance (at 2:1 ratio) indicate strong raw compute capability for a game from 2016, which was designed for hardware of that era. The card's 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate and 583.2 GTexel/s texture rate suggest it can fill frames quickly, which becomes evident in the measured results. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly working hard, delivering only 50.6 FPS, while at 1080p Low it reaches 281.9 FPS, showing the card's ability to scale with workload. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility ensure modern API pathways are available, though Downfall's 2016 release date may limit how much these features are utilized.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This hybrid architecture from Raptor Lake-R provides substantial multi-threaded capability, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,881 and single-core score of 4,642. For a horror game, single-thread performance often matters more for game logic and AI, and the CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4,270 indicates strong per-core performance. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 cache per core help keep frequently accessed data close to the execution units.

The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks shows a balanced profile: Geekbench multi-core score of 15,846 and single-core of 2,803, with PassMark multi-thread at 38,682 and integer math at 125,737. The floating point math score of 92,794 and extended instructions score of 28,546 reveal strong compute capabilities that may assist in physics calculations within the game. The 125 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility mean this processor fits into mainstream motherboards, and its unlocked multiplier allows overclocking headroom. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates it is among the top processors available, which helps explain why the combo can reach 281.9 FPS at 1080p Low — the CPU is not holding back the GPU at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 281.9 FPS, Medium reaches 227.1 FPS, High hits 189.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 118 FPS. These numbers show a smooth progression where each settings tier costs roughly 50-70 FPS, with Ultra representing a significant 63 FPS drop from High. The 1080p results suggest the GPU is the primary driver, as even at Ultra the frame rate remains well above typical display refresh rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected scaling. Low settings average 202.6 FPS, Medium delivers 166.4 FPS, High reaches 136.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 86.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 115.7 FPS, compared to 163.9 FPS at 1080p, indicating that resolution scaling compresses the settings range. At 4K (3840x2160), the results show the GPU's limits more clearly. Low settings average 125.1 FPS, Medium drops to 100 FPS, High comes in at 84 FPS, and Ultra falls to 50.6 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measurement that dips below 60 FPS, suggesting that this setting may be too demanding for consistent smoothness on this hardware.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (281.9 FPS) to 1440p (202.6 FPS) represents a 28.1% reduction, and further to 4K (125.1 FPS) is another 38.3% drop from 1440p. This pattern indicates the GPU is increasingly stressed as resolution rises. At Ultra settings, the scaling is even steeper: 1080p (118 FPS) to 1440p (86.9 FPS) is a 26.4% drop, while 1440p to 4K (50.6 FPS) is a 41.8% reduction. The steeper percentage drops at higher resolutions confirm the GPU becomes the limiting component, as the CPU's workload does not scale with resolution.

The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to keep the GPU fed, evidenced by the 281.9 FPS Low result. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's rendering workload grows, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The fact that 4K Ultra produces only 50.6 FPS — less than half of 1080p Ultra's 118 FPS — suggests the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are stretched thin at this setting. The 16 GB VRAM capacity likely prevents memory-related stutters, but the 624.1 GB/s bandwidth may be insufficient for the most demanding 4K Ultra scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Downfall with this combo?

A: The data shows 1440p High delivers 136.9 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS and close to the 1080p High result of 189.4 FPS. This resolution offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Downfall?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low, the combo averages 125.1 FPS, and at 4K High it reaches 84 FPS. However, 4K Ultra drops to 50.6 FPS, which may be below the smoothness threshold for some players.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: At 1080p, Ultra (118 FPS) is 37.7% slower than High (189.4 FPS). At 1440p, the gap widens to 36.5% (86.9 vs 136.9 FPS), and at 4K, Ultra (50.6 FPS) is 39.8% slower than High (84 FPS).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The resolution scaling data indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (PassMark single-thread score of 4,270) helps achieve 281.9 FPS, but as resolution increases, GPU workload dominates.

Q: What frame rate can players expect at 1080p with medium settings?

A: The measured average is 227.1 FPS at 1080p Medium, which provides a smooth experience on high refresh rate monitors. This setting offers a good middle ground between the 281.9 FPS Low and 189.4 FPS High results.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 621st out of 1,741 tested combinations for Downfall, placing it in the top 35.7% of all systems tested. The CPU's 93rd percentile and GPU's 76th percentile rankings contribute to this position.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the highest frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 281.9 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play or very high refresh rate displays. However, for a horror game where atmosphere matters, the Medium preset at 1080p (227.1 FPS) or 1440p (166.4 FPS) offers a better visual experience while still maintaining frame rates well above 60 FPS. The High preset at 1440p (136.9 FPS) appears to be the sweet spot for most players, providing strong visual fidelity with performance that exceeds typical 120 Hz displays.

At 4K, the High preset (84 FPS) is the recommended choice, as it stays above 60 FPS while offering better visuals than Medium (100 FPS) or Low (125.1 FPS). The Ultra preset at 4K (50.6 FPS) should be avoided unless players accept sub-60 FPS performance, as the visual uplift may not justify the significant frame rate cost. For 1080p users with high refresh rate monitors, the High preset (189.4 FPS) provides an excellent balance, while those with 1440p 144 Hz displays should consider Medium (166.4 FPS) or High (136.9 FPS) depending on their preference for visual quality over raw frame rate. The data suggests this combo is best utilized at 1440p, where the GPU's 16 GB memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth can be fully leveraged without hitting the CPU's limits.