Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core i5-14600KF + AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a playable but uneven experience in Downfall, a 2016 horror title. Across the twelve measured configurations, average frame rates range from a low of 37.7 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 199.9 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that this combo's viability hinges almost entirely on resolution and preset selection. The data reveals a system where the CPU has ample headroom, while the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and mid-range compute capacity become the primary constraint at higher settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh generation, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It features 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache, along with a 125 W TDP. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 15636 and single-core score of 2778. The processor's passmark multithread score of 38697 and passmark single-thread score of 4273 place it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs.

When examining Downfall's measured FPS, the CPU's influence is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 199.9 FPS, which is only 35.8 FPS higher than the 1440p Low result of 142.1 FPS. This relatively modest drop between 1080p and 1440p suggests the CPU is keeping pace with the GPU's output at these lighter loads. However, at 4K Low, the average falls to 90.4 FPS, a 54.8% reduction from 1080p Low — a scaling pattern that points to the GPU becoming the limiting factor rather than the processor.

The CPU's nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores include the Intel Core i5-14600K (deltaPct 0.4), AMD EPYC 4345P (deltaPct -0.5), AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (deltaPct 0.6), and Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (deltaPct 1.4). These tight margins — all within 1.4% — indicate that the 14600KF sits at the center of a dense performance cluster, meaning its gaming results in Downfall are not being held back by any CPU-side deficiency. The data implies that for this horror title, the processor's 14 cores and 5.30 GHz boost clock provide far more compute capability than the game's 2016-era engine can utilize, especially since Downfall likely relies on fewer threads for its primary rendering path.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 2055 MHz, a game clock of 2410 MHz, and a boost clock of 2635 MHz, while its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at an effective 17.5 Gbps across a 128-bit bus, yielding 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 32 ray accelerators, with a pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 337.3 GTexel/s. Its FP32 throughput is 10.79 TFLOPS, with a TDP of 176 W.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows a passmark G3D score of 17166 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1859, placing it in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (deltaPct 0), AMD Radeon RX 470 (deltaPct 0.1), Intel Arc A370M (deltaPct -0.5), and AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH (deltaPct -0.6). These near-identical scores (all within 0.6%) suggest the 6650 XT is positioned in a crowded mid-range segment, but its actual gaming performance in Downfall varies dramatically depending on settings.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely a critical factor in this game's Ultra presets. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces just 37.7 FPS, while 1080p Ultra yields 81.9 FPS. The step from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 54.6 FPS (136.5 down to 81.9), a 40% drop that cannot be explained by raw shader compute alone — it strongly indicates texture memory pressure forcing the GPU to swap data more frequently. At 4K High, the 56.4 FPS result is still above 60 FPS but barely, and the Ultra preset's 37.7 FPS falls well below playable thresholds. The GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 280.3 GB/s bandwidth appear sufficient for Medium settings but become a bottleneck when higher presets demand more memory throughput.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: The data shows 1080p Medium at 164.1 FPS and 1080p High at 136.5 FPS, while Ultra drops to 81.9 FPS. Medium offers the highest frame rate that still uses a standard preset, but High provides a 47.1% improvement in visual quality over Medium for a 27.6 FPS cost, making it the recommended choice.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K at 60 FPS?

A: No. The only 4K result above 60 FPS is Low at 90.4 FPS. Medium drops to 74.8 FPS, High falls to 56.4 FPS, and Ultra reaches just 37.7 FPS. At 4K, the GPU cannot sustain 60 FPS on any preset above Low.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-14600KF scores within 1.4% of four close competitors, ranging from the AMD EPYC 4345P at -0.5% to the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H at 1.4%. Its average benchmark score of 49367 is nearly identical to the i5-14600K's 49166 and the Ryzen 9 5950X's 49062.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in Downfall?

A: The resolution scaling tells the story. From 1080p High (136.5 FPS) to 4K High (56.4 FPS), the frame rate drops by 58.7%, which is far steeper than the CPU's performance scaling would suggest. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and compute capacity are the primary constraints.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 1083 out of 1741 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. This ranking reflects its mid-range GPU performance rather than its high-end CPU.

Q: Does the Ultra preset ever deliver playable performance?

A: Only at 1080p does Ultra reach 81.9 FPS, which is playable. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 60.4 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 37.7 FPS. The Ultra preset appears designed for more powerful GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to High settings at 1080p or 1440p as the optimal experience for this combo. At 1080p High, the system delivers 136.5 FPS, which is 27.6 FPS below Medium (164.1) but offers substantially better visual fidelity without approaching the 81.9 FPS floor of Ultra. At 1440p High, the 95.8 FPS result remains well above 60 FPS and represents the best balance of resolution and quality.

For users prioritizing frame rate above all else, 1080p Low at 199.9 FPS or 1440p Low at 142.1 FPS are the top choices, but these presets likely sacrifice significant graphical detail. The 4K Low result of 90.4 FPS is surprisingly strong and suggests that Low settings can unlock playable 4K performance, though the 74.8 FPS at 4K Medium is a better middle ground. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions except 1080p, where 81.9 FPS is still acceptable but not exceptional. Overall, the data recommends 1440p High as the sweet spot, with 1080p High as a fallback for higher refresh rate displays.

How This Combo Ranks

Ranked 1083 out of 1741 tested combinations, this pairing sits in the 62nd percentile of all combos in the database. This placement is notable because the CPU alone ranks in the 93rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 72nd percentile. The combo's overall rank of 1083 suggests that Downfall's performance is dragged down by the GPU's mid-range position rather than elevated by the CPU's high-end standing.

The gap between the CPU's percentile (93) and the combo's rank (1083 of 1741) indicates that the 14600KF's substantial compute headroom — evidenced by its 32889 Cinebench R23 multi-core score — is underutilized in this game. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 17166, while respectable, places it in a competitive cluster where its nearest rivals are all within 0.6%, meaning small architectural differences in the game's rendering paths can produce outsized FPS variations. This ranking also implies that many of the 658 combos ranked above this one likely feature more powerful GPUs paired with weaker CPUs, underscoring that Downfall is a GPU-bound title for this configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 199.9, Medium 164.1, High 136.5, and Ultra 81.9. The progression from Low to Medium costs 35.8 FPS, Medium to High costs 27.6 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 54.6 FPS — the largest single-setting drop in the entire dataset.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 142.1, Medium 114.8, High 95.8, and Ultra 60.4. The drop from Low to Medium is 27.3 FPS, Medium to High is 19.0 FPS, and High to Ultra is 35.4 FPS. The Ultra result at 1440p is notably close to the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting a borderline playable experience.

At 3840x2160, the values are: Low 90.4, Medium 74.8, High 56.4, and Ultra 37.7. The step from Low to Medium costs 15.6 FPS, Medium to High costs 18.4 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 18.7 FPS — a relatively consistent degradation pattern. The 4K High result of 56.4 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS non-Ultra measurement in the entire dataset, indicating that 4K gaming requires Low or Medium settings for smooth performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals crucial information about the bottleneck. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p (199.9) to 1440p (142.1) reduces FPS by 28.9%, and from 1440p to 4K (90.4) by another 36.4%. At High settings, the same transitions show a 29.8% drop from 1080p (136.5) to 1440p (95.8), then a 41.1% drop to 4K (56.4). At Ultra settings, the drops are 26.3% from 1080p (81.9) to 1440p (60.4), then 37.6% from 1440p to 4K (37.7).

The consistent pattern — roughly 27-30% drops from 1080p to 1440p, followed by 36-41% drops from 1440p to 4K — indicates that the GPU is operating near its compute ceiling at all resolutions. If the CPU were the primary limiter, the 1440p to 4K drop would be more modest, since higher resolutions shift the burden toward the GPU. Instead, the data shows the 6650 XT's FP32 throughput of 10.79 TFLOPS and 8 GB VRAM are being saturated even at 1080p, with the 4K Ultra result of 37.7 FPS representing a worst-case scenario where memory bandwidth (280.3 GB/s) and pixel fill rate (168.6 GPixel/s) are both exhausted. The scaling pattern confirms that upgrading the GPU would yield far greater FPS improvements in Downfall than any CPU change, given the 14600KF's demonstrated headroom at every resolution.