Downfall

Downfall, a 2016 horror title, places very different demands on the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 depending on the resolution you choose. The measured FPS data shows a system that is capable of high refresh rate play at 1080p, but which becomes increasingly GPU-bound as you move to higher resolutions, with the Ultra preset proving particularly punishing at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reveals a classic GPU bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 174.7 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU is doing the heavy lifting to feed the GPU. Moving to 2560x1440 on the same Low preset drops the frame rate to 122.8 FPS, a 29.7% reduction. The leap to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields 77.4 FPS, representing a further 37% decline from the 1440p result. This steep, consistent drop is the signature of a graphics card that is running out of pixel-pushing capability.

The scaling pattern is similar across all settings, but the absolute numbers tell a more nuanced story. At High settings, the drop from 1080p (114.4 FPS) to 1440p (80.8 FPS) is a 29.4% loss, while the move from 1440p to 4K (50.9 FPS) is a 37% loss. The Medium preset shows the same relative behavior: 146 FPS at 1080p, 104 FPS at 1440p, and 62.4 FPS at 4K. The fact that the percentage drop between resolutions is nearly identical across Low, Medium, and High indicates that the RTX 2060’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor, not the game’s engine or the CPU’s single-thread performance.

The Ultra preset is where the system struggles most dramatically. At 1080p, it manages 71.2 FPS, which is playable but 38% slower than the High preset. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 49.4 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 33.1 FPS. This makes Ultra at 4K effectively unplayable for smooth action, and even 1440p Ultra is borderline. The data suggests that the RTX 2060’s 6 GB of VRAM and its raw compute power are simply not sufficient for the highest visual fidelity at higher resolutions in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Downfall with this combo for a high refresh rate monitor?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the system achieves 146 FPS, and at High settings it still delivers 114.4 FPS. Both are well above the 100 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 1440p Low preset at 122.8 FPS is also viable, but the 1440p High preset at 80.8 FPS is better suited to a 75Hz or 144Hz monitor.

Q: Is the Core i5-14600K holding back the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: The benchmark data indicates no. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 174.7 FPS, which is high and suggests the GPU is still the primary constraint. The CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, provide ample headroom; the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU limitations as resolution increases.

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

A: Only at lower settings. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, it averages 77.4 FPS, which is playable. The Medium preset at 4K yields 62.4 FPS, while High drops to 50.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the outlier at 33.1 FPS, which is not smooth enough for most players.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at the same resolution?

A: The Ultra preset is significantly more demanding. At 1080p, Ultra (71.2 FPS) is 37.8% slower than High (114.4 FPS). At 1440p, the gap narrows slightly, with Ultra (49.4 FPS) being 38.9% slower than High (80.8 FPS). At 4K, Ultra (33.1 FPS) is 35% slower than High (50.9 FPS).

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Medium settings?

A: The jump from Low to Medium is modest. At 1080p, the difference is 28.7 FPS (174.7 vs 146.0), which is a 16.4% reduction. At 1440p, it is 18.8 FPS (122.8 vs 104.0), a 15.3% reduction. At 4K, the difference is 15 FPS (77.4 vs 62.4), a 19.4% reduction.

Q: Is the RTX 2060’s VRAM a concern for Downfall?

A: The GPU has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. The data does not show a specific VRAM-related crash or stutter, but the severe frame rate drop on the Ultra preset at 4K (33.1 FPS) suggests that the combination of higher resolution and Ultra textures is likely exceeding the memory capacity or bandwidth, which is listed at 336.0 GB/s.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Downfall, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 holds the rank of 1438 out of 1741 total combos. This places it in the lower 17.4% of all systems tested, which is a surprisingly low position given the CPU’s strength. The rank is a composite measure that likely weighs performance across all resolutions and settings, and the RTX 2060’s weakness at 4K Ultra drags the overall score down significantly.

The CPU itself is a top-tier part, sitting in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested. Its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which has an average score of 49062 and is only 0.2% slower, and the Intel Core i5-14600KF, which is 0.4% faster. This shows the processor is not the limiting factor. Conversely, the RTX 2060 is in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, which is 0.5% faster. The GPU’s mid-pack standing is the primary reason this combo ranks so low; the data shows a powerful CPU shackled to a modest GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear matrix of performance. At 1920x1080, the system is highly capable. The Low preset delivers 174.7 FPS, Medium drops to 146.0 FPS, High is 114.4 FPS, and Ultra is 71.2 FPS. This is a spread of 103.5 FPS between the lowest and highest quality settings, showing that the game is very scalable at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still respectable but begin to show the GPU’s strain. Low settings produce 122.8 FPS, Medium yields 104.0 FPS, High is 80.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 49.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is now 73.4 FPS. The 1440p results are a good target for a 75Hz or 144Hz monitor, provided you stick to Medium or High settings.

At 3840x2160, the system’s limitations are exposed. Low settings average 77.4 FPS, Medium is 62.4 FPS, High is 50.9 FPS, and Ultra is 33.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 44.3 FPS. This resolution is only playable at Low or Medium settings, and even then, the frame rates are not particularly high. The data clearly shows a linear degradation in performance as resolution scales, with the Ultra preset being the most demanding at every step.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture and features a TU106 chip with 1920 shading units. It has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The GPU’s memory configuration consists of 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. These specifications are modest by modern standards, and the benchmark results reflect this.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 16074, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. In the context of Downfall, the GPU’s role is clearly the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows that while the CPU can push high frame rates at 1080p, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth limit performance when pixel count increases. The severe drop to 33.1 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests that the 6 GB VRAM is being saturated, forcing the card to swap data, which tanks the frame rate. The 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present, but the game’s release date from 2016 means it likely does not utilize ray tracing, so these features are irrelevant to the measured performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 24 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark scores are excellent, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642. It sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49166.

In Downfall, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU and handle game logic. The measured data indicates that the i5-14600K is never the limiting factor, even at 1080p Low where the frame rate is 174.7 FPS. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, as shown by its Geekbench single-core score of 2803, ensures that the game’s main thread is not a bottleneck. The multi-core performance, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 38682, is more than sufficient for any background tasks. The data shows that the CPU’s performance is effectively masked by the GPU’s limitations; the combo’s low rank of 1438 is entirely attributable to the RTX 2060’s inability to keep pace at higher resolutions and the Ultra preset.