Downfall

Downfall is a demanding horror title that scales aggressively with both resolution and graphics preset, and the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a performance profile that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher settings. The data indicates that this combination is exceptionally strong, ranking in the top 6.2% of all tested configurations for this game, though the specific experience varies significantly based on whether the user prioritizes maximum fidelity or maximum frame rate. The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy where the RTX 4080’s capabilities are stretched thin at 4K Ultra, while at 1080p Low, the system’s frame rate ceiling is so high that it exposes the CPU’s limits.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and directly proportional to the increase in pixel count, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 268 FPS at 1920x1080 to 191 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 77 FPS (approximately 28.7%), and then further down to 119 FPS at 3840x2160, which is another 72 FPS drop (approximately 37.7%) from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4080’s rendering workload, rather than the CPU’s processing speed, is the limiting factor as resolution increases.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced at the Low preset, where the frame rate plummets from 400 FPS at 1080p to 285 FPS at 1440p and finally to 178 FPS at 4K. The 222 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K Low suggests that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still the dominant constraint, though the absolute numbers hint that the CPU is beginning to matter at 1080p. At the Ultra preset, the frame rates are significantly lower across all resolutions, with 168 FPS at 1080p, 120 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K, showing that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings creates a demand that the RTX 4080 cannot fully satisfy for high-refresh-rate gaming.

The Medium preset provides the only instance where the data includes minimum and maximum frame rate values, offering a glimpse into frame time consistency. At 4K Medium, the average is 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS, indicating a relatively stable experience with a 44 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the average rises to 233 FPS with a min of 198 FPS and max of 268 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, the average reaches 327 FPS with a min of 278 FPS and max of 376 FPS. The proportional scaling of these ranges suggests that the GPU is consistently managing the workload without severe stuttering, even as the frame rate climbs.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions, providing a substantial frame rate boost over High and Ultra while maintaining smoothness. At 4K, Medium delivers 145 FPS, which is 26 FPS higher than High’s 119 FPS and 71 FPS higher than Ultra’s 74 FPS, making it the only 4K setting that approaches high-refresh-rate territory. The presence of minimum frame rate data for Medium (123 FPS at 4K) confirms that the experience stays comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, whereas Ultra’s 74 FPS average leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1440p, the choice becomes more nuanced. Medium achieves 233 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, while High still delivers a very strong 191 FPS. The jump from Medium to Ultra at 1440p is drastic, dropping from 233 FPS to 120 FPS, which suggests that Ultra’s extra graphical features exact a heavy toll on performance. For users with 1440p high-refresh-rate monitors, the data supports using Medium or High, as both provide frame rates well above 144 Hz, with Medium offering the highest fidelity-to-performance ratio.

At 1080p, the system is capable of exceptional performance, with Medium hitting 327 FPS and High reaching 268 FPS. Low produces an extraordinary 400 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is likely not worth it for most users. The Ultra preset at 1080p, yielding 168 FPS, is the only setting that dips below the 200 FPS mark, but it still provides a smooth experience on standard 144 Hz displays. The recommendation is to favor High at 1080p for the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, as the 68 FPS difference between High and Medium is noticeable but the visual uplift from Medium to High is generally worthwhile.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the linchpin of this configuration’s performance in Downfall, and its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides ample bandwidth for the game’s textures and effects, with a total bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU’s boost clock of 2505 MHz and base clock of 2205 MHz are relatively high, and the Ada Lovelace architecture’s 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs are clearly capable of handling high pixel and texture rates, as evidenced by the 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 761.5 GTexel/s texture rate. The data shows that the GPU’s performance is the deciding factor in the frame rate drops observed from 1080p to 4K, as the CPU’s capabilities are not the primary constraint at these resolutions.

The RTX 4080’s average benchmark score of 54247 places it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209, a negligible 0.1% difference. This indicates that the RTX 4080 is nearly at the top of its class, and the performance in Downfall aligns with this high standing. The GPU’s 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores suggest that it is prepared for ray-traced workloads, though the measured data for Downfall does not specify whether ray tracing is enabled; the benchmark results likely reflect standard rasterization performance.

The 45,900 million transistors on a 5 nm process from TSMC, with a die size of 379 mm², contribute to the GPU’s efficiency and throughput. The 16 GB memory capacity is particularly relevant for 4K gaming, as it prevents potential stuttering from memory overflow, and the fact that the 4K Medium preset maintains a minimum of 123 FPS suggests that the memory subsystem is not a bottleneck. The GPU’s end-of-life production status does not diminish its performance in this title, as the data clearly shows it delivering playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 230 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 6.2% of all configurations. This ranking is a direct reflection of the hardware’s strength, with the CPU and GPU both performing near the top of their respective categories. The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 90, and its average benchmark score of 49394 puts it in close competition with rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 49228 (a 0.3% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which scores 49196 (a 0.4% difference). The GPU’s percentile is 86, with an average score of 54247, narrowly edging out the RTX 4080 SUPER.

This high rank indicates that Downfall is well-optimized for this hardware, and the measured FPS numbers support the notion that the combo is capable of delivering high frame rates across most settings. The rank of 230 out of 3716 means that only 229 other combinations outperform this one, which is a strong endorsement for users seeking a high-end gaming experience. The fact that the CPU and GPU are both near their respective performance ceilings suggests that this pairing is well-balanced, with neither component being a significant weak link in most scenarios.

However, the rank also implies that there are configurations with even higher performance, likely featuring more powerful CPUs or GPUs. The data does not specify what those combos are, but the 230th position out of 3716 is a clear indicator that this system is a top-tier performer for Downfall. The benchmark results show that the combination is particularly strong at lower resolutions, where the high CPU clock speeds can push frame rates to exceptionally high levels, and it remains competitive even at 4K, where the GPU’s power is the deciding factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF plays a crucial role in enabling the high frame rates observed at 1080p, particularly at the Low and Medium presets, where the CPU’s processing power becomes more relevant. With 14 cores and 20 threads, a base clock of 3.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, this processor is capable of feeding the RTX 4080 with enough data to achieve 400 FPS at 1080p Low. The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for a game like Downfall that relies on efficient data access.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594, indicating strong multithreaded and single-threaded performance. The Geekbench multi-core score of 17085 and single-core score of 2445 further confirm its capabilities. In comparison to its nearest rivals, the i5-14600KF’s average benchmark score of 49394 is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, placing it at the top of its competitive segment. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245, with a score of 48995, is 0.8% lower, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is 0.8% higher, showing that the i5-14600KF is in a tightly contested performance bracket.

The CPU’s role in Downfall is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rate difference between Low (400 FPS) and Ultra (168 FPS) is 232 FPS, a gap that is largely driven by the CPU’s ability to process game logic and issue draw calls. At 4K, the CPU’s influence diminishes, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck, but the i5-14600KF’s high boost clock ensures that it does not hold back the RTX 4080 even at lower resolutions. The 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory, with dual-channel architecture, provide flexibility for system builders, though the benchmark data does not specify which memory type was used in testing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low produces an average of 400 FPS, Medium achieves 327 FPS with a minimum of 278 FPS and a maximum of 376 FPS, High reaches 268 FPS, and Ultra drops to 168 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of exceeding the refresh rates of most monitors, and even the Ultra preset provides a smooth experience on standard 144 Hz displays. The 232 FPS difference between Low and Ultra highlights the significant impact of graphical settings on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear scaling trend. Low averages 285 FPS, Medium achieves 233 FPS with a minimum of 198 FPS and maximum of 268 FPS, High reaches 191 FPS, and Ultra drops to 120 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by approximately 28-29% across all settings, which is consistent with the increased pixel workload. The Medium preset’s minimum of 198 FPS ensures that even demanding scenes stay above 144 Hz, making it a viable option for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s workload becomes the dominant factor. Low averages 178 FPS, Medium achieves 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and maximum of 167 FPS, High reaches 119 FPS, and Ultra drops to 74 FPS. The 4K Ultra setting is the only configuration that falls below the 100 FPS mark, indicating that this preset is too demanding for the RTX 4080 to maintain high refresh rates. However, the 4K Medium setting, with its 145 FPS average and 123 FPS minimum, offers a playable and smooth experience for users who want to enjoy Downfall at 4K without sacrificing too much visual quality. The data shows a consistent pattern of frame rate reduction as resolution increases, with the GPU being the clear bottleneck at 4K.