Downfall

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 based on the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy comprises 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, and its PCIe implementation provides Gen 5 with 16 lanes from the CPU.

In the context of Downfall, a horror title from 2016, the processor's role is substantial. The benchmark data reveals that the combination of this CPU with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers remarkably high frame rates across all tested settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 345.2 FPS average, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions, where the GPU has more headroom to render frames quickly.

The processor's 14-core configuration with 20 threads suggests strong multi-threaded capability, which is reflected in its synthetic benchmarks. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 32,889 points in multi-core and 4,643 points in single-core tests. The Geekbench results show 15,636 multi-core and 2,778 single-core scores. These numbers place the CPU in the 93rd percentile among all processors, indicating it sits comfortably in the upper tier of desktop CPUs.

The nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks provide context for its overall compute performance. The Intel Core i5-14600K achieves an average score of 49,166, which is 0.4% lower than the 14600KF's 49,367 average. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 49,595, putting it 0.5% ahead. The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X trails by 0.6% with a score of 49,062, while the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H lags 1.4% behind at 48,698. These small deltas suggest the 14600KF performs nearly identically to its direct sibling and remains competitive with server-class parts in aggregate benchmarks.

For Downfall specifically, the CPU's high single-thread performance appears sufficient to feed the RTX 4070 SUPER effectively. At 1080p Ultra, the combo still produces 149 FPS average, which is well above typical display refresh rates. The fact that frame rates scale so dramatically with settings — from 345.2 FPS at Low to 149 FPS at Ultra — suggests that the workload shifts from CPU-bound at low settings to more GPU-bound at higher settings, but the CPU never becomes a bottleneck that caps performance below playable thresholds.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600KF compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49,367, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K's score of 49,166. The AMD EPYC 4345P is 0.5% faster, while the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X is 0.6% slower and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H is 1.4% slower.

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this CPU-GPU combo in Downfall?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 345.2, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the peak performance point in the entire measured dataset.

Q: Does the combo maintain high frame rates at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo delivers 151.4 FPS average at Low settings, 124.9 FPS at Medium, 106.1 FPS at High, and 63 FPS at Ultra. All of these except Ultra remain above 60 FPS, indicating strong 4K capability.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its single-core performance?

A: The Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 32,889, while the single-core score is 4,643, representing a ratio of roughly 7:1. The PassMark multithread score is 38,697, and the single-thread score is 4,273.

Q: What percentile does the CPU and GPU each rank in relative to all parts?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF ranks in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks in the 84th percentile among all GPUs. These are both above-average positions.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 304th out of 1,741 tested combinations in Downfall, placing it in the top 17.5% of all tested configurations.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that helps identify the primary bottleneck at each setting level. Starting at 1080p, the combo achieves 345.2 FPS at Low, 285.4 FPS at Medium, 234.2 FPS at High, and 149 FPS at Ultra. Moving to 1440p, these figures drop to 246.6 FPS at Low, 202 FPS at Medium, 165.5 FPS at High, and 106.7 FPS at Ultra. At 4K, the numbers fall further to 151.4 FPS at Low, 124.9 FPS at Medium, 106.1 FPS at High, and 63 FPS at Ultra.

The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial across all settings. At Low settings, the FPS declines from 345.2 to 151.4, a reduction of approximately 56%. At Medium, it drops from 285.4 to 124.9, a 56% decrease. High settings fall from 234.2 to 106.1, a 55% reduction. Ultra settings decline from 149 to 63, a 58% drop. The consistency of these percentage reductions — all hovering around 55-58% — indicates that the scaling behavior is uniform regardless of the quality preset.

This uniform scaling pattern suggests that the GPU is the dominant limiting factor as resolution increases. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth provides the memory throughput needed for higher resolutions, but the raw compute demands of 4K rendering push the GPU's 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance to its limits. The CPU's role remains consistent; it feeds frames at all resolutions without introducing additional bottlenecks.

The fact that even at 4K Ultra the combo still delivers 63 FPS average — just above the 60 FPS threshold — indicates a balanced configuration. At lower settings, the frame rates at 4K are extremely high for a horror title, with 151.4 FPS at Low. This suggests that players seeking maximum visual fidelity at 4K can use Ultra settings and remain playable, while those prioritizing frame rate can drop to High for 106.1 FPS or Medium for 124.9 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 304th out of 1,741 tested combinations in Downfall. This places the combo in the 82.5th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms roughly 82.5% of all other CPU-GPU pairings tested in this game.

This ranking is notable given the hardware specifications. The RTX 4070 SUPER sits in the 84th percentile among all GPUs, and the CPU is in the 93rd percentile. The combo's overall rank of 304 out of 1,741 is slightly lower than what the individual percentiles alone might suggest, which reflects the game's specific optimization characteristics. Downfall, being a horror title from 2016, may not fully utilize the latest hardware capabilities, and the 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS indicates that the GPU's absolute limits are reached at the highest settings.

The rank also accounts for the fact that many tested combos may include higher-tier GPUs such as the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX, which would naturally outperform the RTX 4070 SUPER in raw rasterization. The RTX 4070 SUPER's nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the NVIDIA RTX A6000 at 42,653 average score (0.2% ahead), AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE at 42,723 (0.3% ahead), AMD Radeon Pro 580X at 41,991 (1.4% behind), and NVIDIA Tesla M40 at 41,897 (1.6% behind) — illustrate that the GPU's overall compute performance is competitive with professional and older workstation parts, but not at the top of the consumer gaming stack.

For users looking at this data, the 304th rank out of 1,741 combinations means this setup is well above average for Downfall specifically. It comfortably outperforms the majority of tested systems while falling short of top-tier enthusiast configurations that pair flagship CPUs with flagship GPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. Each data point represents the average FPS recorded for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 345.2 FPS average at Low settings, 285.4 FPS at Medium, 234.2 FPS at High, and 149 FPS at Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a clear step-down pattern, with each higher setting tier costing a significant portion of performance. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 196.2 FPS, representing a 56.8% reduction in frame rate when moving to the highest quality preset.

At 2560x1440, the measured averages are 246.6 FPS at Low, 202 FPS at Medium, 165.5 FPS at High, and 106.7 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 139.9 FPS, a 56.7% reduction. This consistency with the 1080p scaling pattern reinforces that the GPU is handling the resolution increase predictably.

At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 151.4 FPS at Low, 124.9 FPS at Medium, 106.1 FPS at High, and 63 FPS at Ultra. The Ultra setting at 4K represents the most demanding configuration tested, yielding exactly 63 FPS average, which is precisely at the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 88.4 FPS, a 58.4% reduction, slightly larger than at lower resolutions.

Across all resolutions, the Medium setting consistently provides a substantial improvement over High while maintaining a smaller gap to Low. For instance, at 1440p, Medium delivers 202 FPS compared to 246.6 FPS at Low and 165.5 FPS at High. This makes Medium an interesting middle ground for players who want better visuals without sacrificing too much frame rate.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target display resolution and refresh rate. For players with 1080p displays, every setting tier delivers well above 144 FPS, making even Ultra at 149 FPS average a viable choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p provides the best visual quality while remaining comfortably above 144 Hz, which is the sweet spot for competitive and immersive gameplay.

At 1440p, the High preset at 165.5 FPS average is the recommended choice for most users. It maintains a frame rate above 165 Hz, which matches many high-end 1440p monitors. The Ultra preset at 106.7 FPS is still playable and offers the best visual fidelity, but the drop below 144 FPS may be noticeable to sensitive users. Medium at 202 FPS is ideal for esports-style play where maximum frame rates are preferred over graphical detail.

For 4K displays, the situation is more nuanced. The Ultra preset at 63 FPS average is exactly at the 60 FPS threshold, making it suitable for slow-paced horror gameplay where precise frame timing is less critical. The High preset at 106.1 FPS provides a much larger safety margin above 60 FPS and is the best balance for 4K gaming. Medium at 124.9 FPS offers even more headroom, and Low at 151.4 FPS approaches the refresh rates of high-end 4K monitors.

The data suggests that the High preset is the most versatile recommendation across all resolutions. At 1080p it delivers 234.2 FPS, at 1440p it provides 165.5 FPS, and at 4K it maintains 106.1 FPS. These figures all exceed 100 FPS, which is the minimum threshold for smooth, responsive gameplay in most titles. The Ultra preset is only recommended for players with 1080p displays or those with 4K displays who prioritize visual quality over frame rate consistency. Low and Medium settings are best reserved for competitive play at lower resolutions where maximum frame rates are the primary objective.