Downfall

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz can boost up to 5.30 GHz, and it carries 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic testing, the chip scores 32,889 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,643 in single-core, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 49,367 sits within a tight cluster of rivals: it is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K, 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, 1.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, and 0.5% behind the AMD EPYC 4345P. For a horror title like Downfall, the processor’s high single-thread performance is the key asset; the game’s measured frame rates show that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 215.7 FPS, a figure that is unlikely to be constrained by the CPU’s 14 cores but rather reflects its strong per-core throughput.

The CPU’s 20 threads and 5.30 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom for game logic, AI, and physics in Downfall. The data indicates that even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is heavily loaded, the average FPS of 41.8 is still playable, suggesting the processor can feed the graphics card without becoming a bottleneck at higher settings. The 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs reinforces that this is a high-tier part, and the near-tie with the Core i5-14600K (deltaPct of 0.4%) means the unlocked KF variant offers essentially identical compute performance for gaming workloads. In a genre where sudden frame drops can ruin immersion, the CPU’s consistent delivery of high minimum frame rates is more critical than raw multi-threaded scores, and the Cinebench R15 single-core result of 468 supports its capability in latency-sensitive tasks.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is a Pascal-architecture card with 11 GB of GDDR5X memory on a 352-bit bus, providing 484.4 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 1481 MHz with a boost of 1582 MHz, and the memory operates at 11 Gbps effective. The GPU has 3,584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 88 raster operators, yielding a pixel rate of 139.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 354.4 GTexel/s. In synthetic benchmarks, the card scores 18,600 in Passmark G3D and 83,108 in Geekbench Vulkan, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 19,402 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 (deltaPct 0%), 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 560X, 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla K40m, and 1.1% behind the NVIDIA TITAN Xp.

For Downfall, the GTX 1080 Ti’s 11 GB VRAM is ample for the game’s textures, even at 4K resolution. The measured results show a clear GPU-bound trend as settings rise: at 1080p Ultra, the card produces 88.8 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 41.8 FPS. This 47 FPS decline between resolutions at the same Ultra preset is a direct consequence of the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth being saturated. The 61st percentile GPU ranking is modest compared to the CPU’s 93rd percentile, indicating that the graphics card is the limiting component in this pairing for most settings. The card’s DirectX 12 Passmark score of 66 is notably lower than its DirectX 11 score of 151, which may explain why the game’s Ultra preset, likely using more advanced features, sees a steeper performance hit than the Low preset.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Resolution scaling in Downfall reveals a predictable pattern of GPU dominance. At Low settings, the combo delivers 215.7 FPS at 1080p, 153 FPS at 1440p, and 98.5 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 62.7 FPS (about 29%), and from 1440p to 4K it is 54.5 FPS (about 36%). This consistent decline suggests that even at Low settings, the GTX 1080 Ti is the primary constraint, as the CPU has ample headroom to maintain high frame rates. At Medium settings, the figures are 174.5 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p, and 78.7 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are similar, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

The High preset shows a steeper curve: 142.4 FPS at 1080p, 103.3 FPS at 1440p, and 61.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is 56.5% lower than the 1080p result, which is a larger relative drop than at Low or Medium settings. This indicates that the High preset introduces more GPU-intensive effects that scale poorly with resolution. At Ultra, the pattern becomes extreme: 88.8 FPS at 1080p, 62.7 FPS at 1440p, and 41.8 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure is 52.9% lower than 1080p Ultra, confirming that the card’s raw throughput is exhausted. The data shows that the Intel Core i5-14600KF does not become a limiting factor at any resolution, as the frame rate drops are consistently proportional to the pixel count increase, a hallmark of GPU-bound performance.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations for Downfall, this pairing of Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti holds a rank of 1,026 out of 1,741 combos. That places it in the 41st percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 59% of combos deliver higher average frame rates in this game. The rank reflects the GPU’s age and mid-tier percentile (61st) dragging down a top-tier CPU (93rd percentile). The CPU’s performance is effectively wasted at higher resolutions, as the GTX 1080 Ti cannot fully utilize the processor’s capabilities. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 215.7 FPS, which is a strong result, but the rank is determined by the average across all settings, where the GPU’s 4K Ultra performance of 41.8 FPS pulls the overall standing down.

Compared to the nearest rival GPUs, the GTX 1080 Ti’s performance is nearly identical to the GTX 780 (deltaPct 0%) in synthetic tests, yet the 1080 Ti has double the VRAM and higher memory bandwidth. This suggests that in a game like Downfall, which may not be heavily VRAM-limited, the card’s raw compute is what matters. The combo rank of 1,026 indicates that users can expect a playable experience at 1080p and 1440p with most settings, but 4K Ultra is borderline. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck; upgrading the GPU would yield a significantly better rank, while swapping the CPU to a lower-tier part would have minimal impact on this game’s performance metrics.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For this combination, the measured rows provide a clear hierarchy of playable settings. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 215.7 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors, offering no practical advantage over Medium at 174.5 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is the sweet spot for high-refresh displays, as it provides 174.5 FPS while likely offering better visual fidelity than Low. The High preset at 1080p still achieves 142.4 FPS, which is smooth for most gamers, and Ultra at 88.8 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced horror gameplay where frame rates above 60 are sufficient. At 1440p, the Medium preset at 126 FPS is the recommended choice for a balance of visuals and responsiveness, as High at 103.3 FPS is also viable, but Ultra at 62.7 FPS starts to approach the threshold where motion smoothness degrades.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Low preset at 98.5 FPS is the only setting that provides a truly fluid experience, while Medium at 78.7 FPS is playable but may show minor stutters in demanding scenes. The High preset at 61.9 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 41.8 FPS is not recommended for a horror game where sudden movements and quick camera pans can cause discomfort. The data indicates that the best experience for this combo is to run at 1440p Medium or High, depending on the user’s preference for frame rate versus visual quality. At 4K, sticking to Low or Medium is advised, as the GTX 1080 Ti’s 11 GB VRAM is not the limiting factor; rather, its compute throughput is insufficient for Ultra settings at that resolution. The measured rows show no minimum FPS data, so the average figures are the only guide, but they consistently suggest that dropping from High to Medium at 4K yields a 27% FPS increase (from 61.9 to 78.7) with likely minimal visual impact in a horror title.