Downfall

The Intel Core i5-14600K pairs a 14-core, 20-thread configuration with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. In the context of Downfall, a horror title from 2016, this processor’s multi-threaded capacity is largely secondary to its strong single-core performance, which the game’s engine favors. The CPU’s benchmark data supports this: its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642 and multi-core score of 32881 show a balance, but the single-thread result is what typically governs frame pacing in this genre. The processor’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample headroom for the game’s data streams, though the title’s age means it rarely stresses all 20 threads simultaneously. The CPU’s percentile ranking against all processors sits at 93, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of installed hardware, and its average benchmark score of 49166 places it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062) and 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49367). For Downfall, the data shows the i5-14600K is never the bottleneck; even at lower resolutions where frame rates climb past 200 fps, the CPU’s single-core headroom keeps feeding the GPU without introducing stutter. The 125 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility are irrelevant to the game’s rendering, but the processor’s 10 nm process node and Raptor Lake architecture ensure efficient instruction handling for the horror title’s occasional physics and AI spikes. In practice, the i5-14600K’s role here is to deliver consistent, high-frequency frames, and its boost clock of 5.30 GHz is the key spec that allows it to do so.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip, provides the visual muscle for Downfall. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for the game’s textures and shadow maps at all tested resolutions. The GPU’s base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz, combined with 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, produce a pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s. These specifications translate directly into the measured frame rates, where the 2070 SUPER shows clear scaling with resolution and settings. The GPU’s 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is sufficient for the horror title’s lighting effects, but the data reveals that ultra settings at 4K push the card to its limits, dropping to 40.4 fps. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s percentile ranking of 65 places it in the upper two-thirds of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 22206 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307, a 0.5% deficit) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (21670, a 2.5% advantage). In Downfall, the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is never a limiting factor, as even the highest settings at 3840x2160 do not exceed this capacity. The card’s 215 W TDP and dual-slot design are physical characteristics that do not influence game performance, but its support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 ensures compatibility with the game’s modern rendering paths. The data indicates the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary determinant of frame rate at higher resolutions, while the CPU takes over at lower settings where the GPU has more headroom.

FAQ

Q: At which resolution and settings does the Intel Core i5-14600K and RTX 2070 SUPER combo exceed 200 fps?

A: The combo achieves 210.5 fps at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only tested configuration that breaks the 200 fps barrier, highlighting the GPU’s capacity when the CPU is fully unleashed.

Q: How does the combo’s performance at 2560x1440 High compare to 3840x2160 High?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the average frame rate is 103.7 fps, while at 3840x2160 High it drops to 65.7 fps. This represents a 36.6% reduction in performance when moving from 1440p to 4K, demonstrating the GPU’s resolution scaling.

Q: What is the most demanding settings preset for this CPU-GPU pair?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields the lowest average frame rate of 40.4 fps. This is the only tested configuration that falls below 60 fps, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER struggles with the game’s highest visual fidelity at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER rank against its closest GPU rivals based on average benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 22206 is 0.5% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307) and 0.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22006). It also trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (22729) by 2.3% and leads the AMD Radeon RX 5700 (21670) by 2.5%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1920x1080 Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Low, the combo reaches 210.5 fps, suggesting the GPU is not fully taxed. The i5-14600K’s single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642, is what allows such high frame rates, meaning the CPU is the primary enabler at this low-load setting.

*Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking among all tested CPU-GPU combinations for Downfall?*

A: The combo ranks 1045 out of 1741 tested combinations in the game. This places it in the lower 40% of all pairings, indicating that while it performs adequately, many other hardware combinations produce higher average frame rates in Downfall.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for Downfall shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 142.1 fps, while Medium offers 170.9 fps and Low jumps to 210.5 fps. The Ultra preset at this resolution falls to 85.7 fps, which is still playable but represents a significant drop. For the best experience, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 provides a strong balance, with the 170.9 fps average ensuring smooth motion without the visual compromises of Low. Moving to 2560x1440, the High preset yields 103.7 fps, which is ideal for users with 144 Hz monitors, while Medium at 122.8 fps offers even more headroom. The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 drops to 62.3 fps, which is still above the 60 fps threshold but may cause noticeable stutter in a horror game’s tense sequences. At 3840x2160, the High preset produces 65.7 fps, which is borderline, while Medium at 77.5 fps is the best option for 4K users who prioritize smoothness. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 40.4 fps, is not recommended for playable frame rates. Based on the data, the optimal configuration is the Medium preset at 2560x1440, offering 122.8 fps with good visual quality, or the High preset at 1920x1080 for those who prefer higher detail. The Low presets, while delivering the highest frame rates (210.5 fps at 1080p, 149 fps at 1440p, 93.3 fps at 4K), sacrifice too much visual atmosphere for a horror title where lighting and shadows are critical to the experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 1045 out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places the pair in the bottom 40% of all hardware configurations, which is notable given the CPU’s high percentile ranking of 93 and the GPU’s 65th percentile. The discrepancy between the components’ individual rankings and the combo’s overall rank suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER holds the system back in this game. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 49166 puts it on par with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062, a 0.2% advantage) and the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49367, a 0.4% deficit), demonstrating its high-end status. In contrast, the GPU’s average score of 22206 is competitive with mid-range cards like the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307) and AMD Radeon RX 5700 (21670), but it falls short of high-end options. The combo’s ranking indicates that while the i5-14600K provides ample CPU power, the RTX 2070 SUPER’s performance ceiling limits the overall frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows that this pairing is best suited for 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 gaming, where the GPU can maintain high frame rates, rather than 4K, where its limitations become apparent. Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing sits in a mid-to-lower tier, suggesting that users would need to upgrade the GPU to fully leverage the CPU’s capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 210.5 fps, which is the highest recorded frame rate for any resolution or settings combination. Medium follows at 170.9 fps, High at 142.1 fps, and Ultra at 85.7 fps. These figures show a steady decline as settings increase, with Ultra representing a 59.3% drop from Low. The data indicates that at 1080p, the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU’s single-core performance is sufficient to support even the highest frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings yield 149 fps, Medium produces 122.8 fps, High drops to 103.7 fps, and Ultra falls to 62.3 fps. The gap between Low and Ultra is 58.2%, similar to the 1080p results, but the absolute numbers are lower across the board. The High preset at 1440p still exceeds 100 fps, making it a viable option for high-refresh-rate monitors, while Ultra barely maintains 60 fps.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations become pronounced. Low settings deliver 93.3 fps, which is still smooth, but Medium drops to 77.5 fps, High to 65.7 fps, and Ultra to 40.4 fps. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 60 fps, and its 40.4 fps average would be noticeable in a horror game’s fast-paced sequences. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 56.7% reduction, consistent with the other resolutions, but the starting point is lower, pushing the Ultra preset into unplayable territory. Across all resolutions, the pattern is clear: the RTX 2070 SUPER can handle Low and Medium settings at any resolution, but High and Ultra require lower resolutions to maintain acceptable frame rates.