Downfall

The data for Downfall with the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti shows a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combination produces an average of 189.7 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the average drops to 138.2 FPS, a reduction of 51.5 FPS. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 83.1 FPS. This progression indicates that the GPU becomes the primary constraint as pixel count increases, while the CPU’s high single-thread capability keeps frame rates high at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the system’s bottleneck shifts with resolution. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates across all settings range from 77.9 FPS (Ultra) to 189.7 FPS (Low). This wide spread suggests that at this resolution, the GPU is still the limiting factor, but the CPU is capable of feeding it enough data to reach high frame rates. The Intel Core i5-14600K, with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642, provides ample headroom for the RTX 3060 Ti at 1080p.

When resolution increases to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops noticeably. The Low preset yields 138.2 FPS, which is still high, but the Ultra preset falls to 55.8 FPS. This 82.4 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is larger than the corresponding 111.8 FPS gap at 1080p (189.7 minus 77.9). The data indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput, rated at 133.2 GPixel/s, becomes more strained as the number of pixels increases, while the CPU’s role diminishes.

At 3840x2160, the trend continues. The Low preset averages 83.1 FPS, while Ultra drops to 35 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 48.1 FPS, which is proportionally smaller than at lower resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is nearing its limits across all settings. The RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely the constraining factors here, as higher resolutions demand more memory bandwidth and capacity. Overall, the system is clearly GPU-limited at 4K, with the CPU providing sufficient performance to avoid becoming a bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 77.9. This is the lowest average among the 1080p presets, indicating that Ultra settings impose a significant load on the RTX 3060 Ti.

Q: How does the 2560x1440 High preset compare to 1920x1080 High?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 93.4, while at 1920x1080 High it is 128.5. This represents a 35.1 FPS drop, showing that the GPU’s rendering load increases substantially with resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 3840x2160?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting component at 4K. The average FPS drops from 83.1 at Low to 35 at Ultra, a range of 48.1 FPS. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4270, is unlikely to be the constraint.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The highest average is 189.7 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This indicates that the system can deliver very high frame rates when the GPU load is minimized.

Q: How much of a performance difference exists between Low and Medium settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, Low averages 138.2 FPS and Medium averages 112 FPS. The difference is 26.2 FPS, which is a notable reduction but still leaves frame rates above 100 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 3060 Ti’s VRAM capacity appear to affect results?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 35, which is the lowest measured value. This could indicate that the VRAM capacity or bandwidth is being stressed, though the data does not explicitly confirm a VRAM limitation.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, based on the GA104 chip with an Ampere architecture, plays a central role in Downfall’s performance. Its boost clock is 1665 MHz, and it features 4864 shading units. The GPU’s raw compute capability is rated at 16.20 TFLOPS for FP32, which provides a solid foundation for rendering the game’s horror environments. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is critical for high-resolution textures, and the data shows that frame rates drop significantly at 4K Ultra, suggesting the memory system is under stress.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in a specific performance tier. Its Passmark G3D score is 20349, and it ranks in the 69th percentile among all GPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, it is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700M and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600, based on average benchmark scores. This indicates that the RTX 3060 Ti is competitive with these cards, though slightly behind in raw synthetic tests. In Downfall, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences across settings, as changing from Low to Ultra at any resolution alters the average FPS substantially.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a notable factor. While the data does not provide direct VRAM usage metrics, the sharp drop to 35 FPS at 4K Ultra implies that the card is working at its limits. The GPU’s texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s are high enough to handle 1080p and 1440p efficiently, but at 4K, the workload becomes more demanding. The results show that for a horror game like Downfall, the RTX 3060 Ti delivers playable frame rates up to 1440p on High settings, but 4K Ultra is not a viable option for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS varies significantly by preset. Low settings produce 189.7 FPS, Medium produces 153.4 FPS, High produces 128.5 FPS, and Ultra produces 77.9 FPS. The step from High to Ultra is the largest drop, at 50.6 FPS, indicating that Ultra settings introduce a heavy load on the GPU. The gap between Low and Medium is 36.3 FPS, and between Medium and High is 24.9 FPS. This suggests that the RTX 3060 Ti has ample headroom at 1080p for most presets, but Ultra pushes it closer to its limits.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 138.2 FPS for Low, 112 FPS for Medium, 93.4 FPS for High, and 55.8 FPS for Ultra. The reduction from 1080p is consistent: Low drops by 51.5 FPS, Medium by 41.4 FPS, High by 35.1 FPS, and Ultra by 22.1 FPS. The smaller absolute drop at Ultra suggests that the GPU is already heavily loaded at 1080p Ultra, so the additional pixel count has a diminishing effect. At 1440p, High remains playable at 93.4 FPS, but Ultra falls below 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 83.1 FPS for Low, 73.1 FPS for Medium, 58.4 FPS for High, and 35 FPS for Ultra. The drop from 1440p to 4K is substantial for all presets. Low loses 55.1 FPS, Medium loses 38.9 FPS, High loses 35 FPS, and Ultra loses 20.8 FPS. Notably, even Low at 4K does not reach the frame rate of Ultra at 1080p (83.1 vs 77.9), but it is close. This data shows that 4K High at 58.4 FPS is just below the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra is clearly not suitable for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its architecture is Raptor Lake, built on a 10 nm process. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 32881 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4642 in single-core, placing it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 49166, which is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF.

In Downfall, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions where frame rates are high. At 1920x1080 Low, the system achieves 189.7 FPS, which is a demanding scenario for the CPU to maintain. The i5-14600K’s high boost clock and strong single-core performance, reflected in a Passmark single-thread score of 4270, allow it to keep up with the GPU’s output. At 1080p, the data shows a clear scaling from Low to Ultra, but the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the GPU’s load is the primary variable.

At higher resolutions, the CPU’s influence diminishes. The measured FPS drops are more consistent with GPU limitations, as the pixel count increases. For instance, at 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 48.1 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p (111.8 FPS). This indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at all tested resolutions, but the GPU’s rendering capacity becomes the limiting factor. The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide sufficient bandwidth for the game’s data requirements.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 128.5 FPS offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance. Ultra at 77.9 FPS is still playable, but the 50.6 FPS drop from High suggests that the extra visual fidelity may not be worth the significant performance cost. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, Low at 189.7 FPS is the best choice, providing the highest possible frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 93.4 FPS is recommended for a smooth experience, as it stays above 90 FPS. Medium at 112 FPS is also viable if higher frame rates are preferred, but the visual difference between Medium and High may be noticeable. Ultra at 55.8 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, so it is not recommended for most users. Low at 138.2 FPS is excellent for fast-paced action, but it sacrifices visual detail.

For 3840x2160, the options are more limited. Low at 83.1 FPS is the only preset that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. Medium at 73.1 FPS is also playable, but High at 58.4 FPS falls just short of the ideal 60 FPS mark. Ultra at 35 FPS is not recommended due to the low frame rate. The data suggests that for 4K, users should stick to Low or Medium settings to maintain playable performance. Overall, the best experience is achieved at 1440p High, which balances visual quality with a frame rate of 93.4 FPS, or at 1080p High for an even smoother 128.5 FPS.