Downfall

The benchmark data for Downfall with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER shows a system that is highly capable at mainstream resolutions but begins to struggle under maximum settings and 4K loads. The measured FPS across the twelve tested configurations reveals a clear hierarchy in both resolution and graphical preset, pointing to the GPU as the primary performance driver in this title.

Settings Recommendations

The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 158 FPS, which is a 22.6% improvement over High’s 127.9 FPS while remaining visually superior to Low’s 192.9 FPS. The frame rate jump from Low to Medium is substantial, but the visual quality gain is worth the 34.9 FPS difference. At 2560x1440, Medium produces 114.5 FPS, comfortably above High’s 89.9 FPS, making it the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors. Even at 3840x2160, Medium maintains 70.4 FPS, which is playable and significantly smoother than High’s 56.3 FPS.

High settings are viable for users prioritizing image quality over raw frame rates, particularly at 1080p where 127.9 FPS remains competitive. However, the drop from Medium to High at 4K is steep, falling from 70.4 to 56.3 FPS. Ultra settings are not recommended for this combination. At 1080p, Ultra yields 79.4 FPS, which is a 49.7% reduction from Medium; at 1440p it falls to 58.3 FPS; and at 4K it becomes nearly unplayable at 35.9 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra is disproportionate to its visual benefits, suggesting that Medium or High provides the best experience per the measured rows.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the dominant component in this configuration. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Downfall’s texture and geometry demands. The GPU’s boost clock of 1650 MHz and base clock of 1470 MHz are modest by modern standards, but the Turing architecture’s 2176 shading units and 136 TMUs deliver consistent throughput. The 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present but irrelevant for this horror title, which does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS in the benchmark data.

The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 63 against all GPUs places it in the upper-midrange segment. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, scores 19680 in average benchmarks, a mere 0.5% delta. This proximity explains why the RTX 2060 SUPER performs so well in Downfall: it sits just below the RTX 2070 in raw compute but offers similar memory bandwidth. The GTX TITAN, with a 0.3% delta, also shows that the 2060 SUPER is punching above its weight class. The 175 W TDP and dual-slot design are reasonable for the performance delivered, and the 1x 8-pin power connector suffices for the card’s needs.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS degradation from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a GPU-bound workload. At Low settings, the RTX 2060 SUPER produces 192.9 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 138.9 FPS at 1440p (a 28% reduction) and then to 84 FPS at 4K (a 56.4% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU’s workload does not increase proportionally with resolution. At Medium settings, the same trend holds: 158 FPS at 1080p, 114.5 FPS at 1440p (27.5% lower), and 70.4 FPS at 4K (55.4% lower). The consistent percentage drops across settings confirm that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s fill rate and bandwidth are the bottlenecks.

At High settings, the scaling is slightly less steep: 127.9 FPS at 1080p falls to 89.9 FPS at 1440p (29.7% lower) and then 56.3 FPS at 4K (56% lower from 1080p). Ultra settings show the most severe degradation: 79.4 FPS at 1080p drops to 58.3 FPS at 1440p (26.6% lower) and then 35.9 FPS at 4K (54.8% lower from 1080p). The fact that Ultra’s 1440p-to-4K drop is only 22.4 FPS, compared to Low’s 54.9 FPS drop, suggests that Ultra is already so demanding that the GPU is hitting a performance floor rather than scaling linearly. This behavior indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for lower presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1203 out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 69th percentile. This is a solid mid-pack ranking, indicating that while the system is capable, it is outclassed by many higher-end combinations. The rank reflects the CPU’s modest single-thread performance and the GPU’s midrange position. The i5-9400’s benchmark percentile of 50 against all CPUs is average, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2300 with a 0.2% delta, showing that the CPU is not a weak link but also not a strength.

The GPU’s 63rd percentile ranking is higher than the CPU’s 50th, suggesting the GPU is the more capable component. However, the combo rank of 1203 is below the median, implying that many testers use stronger CPUs to pair with the RTX 2060 SUPER. The data shows that this combo is adequate for smooth 1080p gameplay at Medium or High settings, but it will not push high refresh rates at 1440p or maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra. The ranking underscores that this is a balanced but not exceptional pairing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz are adequate for gaming, but the lack of Hyper-Threading limits its multi-threaded throughput. The 9 MB of shared L3 cache is sufficient for most titles, and the dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth is standard for its generation. The CPU’s TDP of 65 W is modest, and its integrated UHD 630 graphics are irrelevant when paired with a discrete GPU.

In Downfall, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU. The benchmark results show that the i5-9400 does not bottleneck the RTX 2060 SUPER at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the high FPS at 1080p Low (192.9 FPS). However, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 2305 and its 50th percentile ranking suggest it is not a high-performance part. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon E-2134, scores 2295 with a 0.4% delta, indicating that the i5-9400 is on par with older server chips. The Core i7-8809G, with a score of 2319 and a -0.6% delta, is slightly faster, but the difference is negligible in gaming scenarios. The CPU’s six physical cores handle Downfall’s horror-game logic without issue, but the 4.10 GHz boost clock is not exceptional, and the data suggests that the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 2060 SUPER delivers its best results. Low settings produce 192.9 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium follows at 158 FPS, High at 127.9 FPS, and Ultra at 79.4 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 113.5 FPS, indicating that settings have a massive impact on performance at this resolution. The 1080p Medium result of 158 FPS is particularly notable, as it exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors, making this the recommended configuration for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains playable. Low settings yield 138.9 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate gaming. Medium produces 114.5 FPS, High 89.9 FPS, and Ultra 58.3 FPS. The 1440p Medium result is 27.5% lower than its 1080p counterpart, showing a predictable penalty for the higher pixel count. The Ultra setting at 58.3 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, and users should avoid it unless they have a 60 Hz monitor with V-Sync.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 SUPER struggles. Low settings produce 84 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 70.4 FPS, High to 56.3 FPS, and Ultra to 35.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the worst in the dataset, falling below 40 FPS, which is generally considered unplayable for a horror game that requires responsive controls. The 4K Medium result of 70.4 FPS is the only 4K configuration that offers a smooth experience, and even that is marginal. The data shows that 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings, and users with 4K displays should accept these compromises or lower the resolution.