Downfall

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 pairing delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Downfall, with the data showing a clear performance ceiling at 4K Ultra. The combo ranks in the 1308th position out of 2928 tested configurations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. This build is best suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p, where the measured frame rates comfortably exceed 100 FPS on High settings.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Downfall with this CPU/GPU combo?*

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At High settings, the combo achieves 115 FPS average, which is a strong balance between visual fidelity and smooth gameplay. While 1920x1080 delivers higher frame rates (161 FPS on High), the visual upgrade at 1440p is substantial and still maintains a high refresh rate.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Downfall?*

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160 on High settings, the average FPS is 72, which is playable. However, the step up to Ultra at 4K drops the average to 45 FPS, which may not be smooth enough for a horror title where responsiveness matters. The Medium preset at 4K (87 FPS) is the recommended ceiling for this resolution.

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

A: The Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. Its closest competitor, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, which is only 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, making the i5-9400 0.4% faster. In practical terms, the performance difference between these CPUs is negligible for gaming.

Q: Is the Radeon RX 7700 a significant upgrade over older GPUs?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 15852. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 370X, scores 15862, which is just 0.1% higher. The data shows the RX 7700 is also 1% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 9060 and 1.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, indicating it sits in a competitive mid-range tier.

Q: What is the CPU's single-core performance like for this game?

A: The Core i5-9400 has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1389. For Downfall, a horror game that likely relies on consistent frame pacing, these single-core results are adequate but not exceptional, placing the CPU in the 47th percentile of all CPUs tested.

*Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for high-resolution textures in Downfall?*

A: The Radeon RX 7700 comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This capacity is more than sufficient for the game's demands, even at 4K with High settings, as evidenced by the 72 FPS average at that configuration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU has a 9 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. These specifications are modest by modern standards, and the benchmark percentile (47th) reflects a mid-pack standing in the database.

In the context of Downfall, the CPU's role is to maintain stable frame delivery. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 240 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower settings. However, the synthetic benchmarks indicate that the i5-9400 is closely matched with the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (0.2% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% difference). This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, such as scenes with many interactive objects or AI-driven events common in horror games, the i5-9400 will perform on par with these alternatives without any notable advantage.

The 6-core/6-thread configuration is a critical detail. Modern games often utilize more threads, but Downfall's 2016 release date suggests it was designed for hardware of that era. The data shows that the CPU's multithreaded performance (Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629) is sufficient to feed the RX 7700 at high frame rates, but it may limit the maximum FPS in less GPU-bound scenarios. The 4.10 GHz boost clock provides adequate single-thread responsiveness, which is crucial for the game's physics and scripting. Benchmark results indicate that the CPU is well-matched with the GPU, as the combo does not show severe performance collapses at any tested resolution, only gradual scaling down as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is a RDNA 3.0 architecture GPU based on the Navi 32 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 raster operation pipelines, along with 40 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a substantial asset for high-resolution textures.

The GPU's benchmark performance places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 15852. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R9 370X (0.1% faster), AMD Radeon RX 9060 (1% faster), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (1.7% faster). This indicates that the RX 7700 is a competitive mid-range card that trades blows with previous-generation and entry-level current-generation options. For Downfall, the GPU is the primary driver of performance. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU scales well with resolution, but the impact of settings is pronounced. At 1440p, the GPU delivers 171 FPS on Low, 140 FPS on Medium, 115 FPS on High, and 72 FPS on Ultra. This scaling suggests that the GPU has ample compute power for the game's engine, and the primary bottleneck at Ultra settings is the GPU's fill rate and shader complexity.

The 16 GB VRAM buffer is a notable feature. Even at 4K with High settings, the GPU maintains 72 FPS, indicating that memory capacity is not limiting performance. The 40 ray tracing cores are present, but Downfall is a 2016 title that likely does not utilize this feature. The GPU's FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS provides substantial headroom for the game's particle effects and lighting calculations, which are common in horror atmospherics.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset (161 FPS) is the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, as it provides a significant visual improvement over Medium (196 FPS) while still maintaining a frame rate above 144 Hz. The Ultra preset at 1080p (101 FPS) is playable but sacrifices too much performance for the marginal visual gain.

For 2560x1440, the High preset (115 FPS) is the recommended balance. It offers a smooth experience on 120 Hz displays and is a substantial upgrade over Medium (140 FPS) in terms of draw distance and texture detail. The Ultra preset at 1440p (72 FPS) is viable for 60 Hz displays, but the difference between High and Ultra at this resolution is not worth the 37% drop in average FPS.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset (87 FPS) is the highest playable option. The High preset (72 FPS) is acceptable for consoles-style 60 FPS targets, but the Medium preset provides a more stable experience with a minimum FPS of 74, as recorded. The Ultra preset at 4K (45 FPS) is not recommended for a horror game where quick reactions are necessary. In summary, the data supports using High settings at 1080p and 1440p, and Medium settings at 4K for the best experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1308th out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 55th percentile of all configurations in the database. This rank reflects a balanced pairing where neither component severely bottlenecks the other. The CPU's 47th percentile performance is complemented by the GPU's 58th percentile performance, resulting in a system that is stronger in graphics-bound scenarios than in CPU-bound ones.

This rank indicates that the combo is ahead of the median configuration but not a top-tier performer. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p, the combo achieves frame rates that are competitive with higher-end systems, but at 4K Ultra, it falls behind due to the GPU's mid-range positioning. The ranking also suggests that users with this combo will experience smooth gameplay at mainstream resolutions but may need to lower settings at 4K. The deltaPct values for the CPU's rivals (ranging from -0.4% to 0.4%) and the GPU's rivals (ranging from -1.7% to 1.1%) indicate that the combo's performance is tightly clustered with other mid-range pairings, meaning there is no significant competitive advantage or disadvantage over similar hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

1920x1080: The Low preset achieves an average of 240 FPS, which is the maximum recorded for this combo and indicates a CPU/GPU balance that can push very high frame rates. The Medium preset averages 196 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS, showing consistent performance. The High preset averages 161 FPS, which is a 17.9% reduction from Medium, reflecting the increased graphical load. The Ultra preset averages 101 FPS, a 37.3% drop from High, which is a significant penalty for the highest visual quality.

2560x1440: The Low preset averages 171 FPS, which is a 28.8% decrease from the 1080p Low result, showing the resolution scaling impact. The Medium preset averages 140 FPS with a minimum of 119 FPS and a maximum of 161 FPS, maintaining playability. The High preset averages 115 FPS, a 17.9% reduction from Medium, consistent with the 1080p scaling pattern. The Ultra preset averages 72 FPS, a 37.4% drop from High, mirroring the 1080p behavior.

3840x2160: The Low preset averages 107 FPS, which is still playable but shows a 37.4% reduction from the 1440p Low result. The Medium preset averages 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS, providing a stable experience for 4K. The High preset averages 72 FPS, a 17.2% reduction from Medium. The Ultra preset averages 45 FPS, a 37.5% drop from High, which is the lowest recorded result and confirms that 4K Ultra is not viable for this combo.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the step from Medium to High reduces average FPS by approximately 17-18%, and the step from High to Ultra reduces it by approximately 37%. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces a disproportionately heavy graphical effect, likely related to shadow quality or post-processing, that the RX 7700 struggles to handle at higher resolutions.