Downfall

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Downfall, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling at 4K. Benchmark results show the combination ranks 2157th out of 3716 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The measured frame rates illustrate a system that is well-balanced for mainstream resolutions but struggles to maintain high refresh rates at Ultra settings, where the GPU’s architectural limits become apparent.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a dramatic drop in average frame rates across all settings, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 210 at 1080p to 150 at 1440p, then down to 94 at 4K—a total reduction of approximately 55% from 1080p to 4K. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where pixel throughput demands outpace the Turing architecture’s raw compute capabilities.

Looking at High settings, the drop is equally steep: 141 FPS at 1080p, 101 at 1440p, and 63 at 4K. The 4K figure represents less than half of the 1080p performance, confirming that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for fully saturating a 4K display in this horror title. Medium settings show the same trajectory, with 172 FPS at 1080p, 123 at 1440p, and 77 at 4K. The smallest absolute drop occurs between 1440p and 4K at Low settings (150 to 94 FPS), suggesting that even at the lowest visual fidelity, the pixel count alone overwhelms the GPU.

The most telling data point is Ultra settings, where the 4K average plummets to 39 FPS—a figure that would be borderline unplayable for a smooth horror experience. At 1080p Ultra, the combo still manages 88 FPS, but the 1440p Ultra result of 63 FPS shows that even QHD resolution pushes the system to its limits. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra costs 25 FPS, while the jump to 4K costs another 24 FPS, indicating a nearly linear degradation as resolution increases. This pattern strongly suggests that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, is not the bottleneck until the GPU is fully saturated; the i5-9400’s boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides adequate headroom for the RTX 2070 SUPER at lower resolutions, but the GPU cannot keep pace with 4K workloads.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080 displays, the data shows that High settings offer the best balance between visual quality and performance, with an average of 141 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and leaves ample room for frame rate fluctuations in tense scenes. Low settings at 1080p push the average to 210 FPS, but the visual sacrifice is likely unnecessary given that High already delivers smooth gameplay. Medium settings at 172 FPS are also viable, but the 31 FPS gain over High does not justify the reduction in graphical fidelity for most users. Ultra at 1080p drops to 88 FPS, which is still playable, but the 53 FPS penalty compared to High makes it a poor trade-off unless the user prioritizes maximum detail over frame rate consistency.

At 2560x1440, High settings remain the recommended choice, with an average of 101 FPS. This provides a smooth experience on 144Hz monitors, though users with 60Hz displays could comfortably step up to Ultra at 63 FPS. Medium at 123 FPS is a strong alternative for those seeking higher refresh rates, but the gap to High is only 22 FPS, making High the more sensible default. Low at 150 FPS is overkill for most displays and should be reserved for competitive play. Ultra at 1440p, with its 63 FPS average, sits right at the edge of playability—acceptable for slower-paced horror segments but risky during action sequences.

For 3840x2160, the data paints a clear picture: High settings at 63 FPS is the only viable option for a decent experience, and even that hovers near the 60 FPS minimum. Medium at 77 FPS is slightly better, but the visual difference between Medium and High in Downfall is often subtle, making High the better choice for immersion. Low at 94 FPS is surprisingly playable and might be preferred by users who prioritize smoothness over atmosphere. Ultra at 39 FPS is not recommended under any circumstances, as the frame rate would likely cause noticeable stutter in a game that relies on tension and timing. The measured minimum FPS values, available only for Medium settings (65 at 4K, 105 at 1440p, 146 at 1080p), suggest that even the average figures mask occasional dips, reinforcing the need to stay at High or below.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process node, is the dominant component in this combo’s gaming performance. Its 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output pipelines deliver a peak FP32 throughput of 9.062 TFLOPS, which directly translates to the frame rates observed in Downfall. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, operating across a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, proves sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a constraint at 4K, where texture data and geometry demands exceed the available memory bandwidth.

Clock speeds play a significant role in the results. The base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz are modest by modern standards, and the data shows that the GPU’s thermal and power headroom—215 W TDP with a 550 W suggested PSU—allows for sustained boost operation under load. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed is a generation-old specification, and it shows in the 4K scaling: the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is roughly 40% lower than what newer GPUs offer, yet the RTX 2070 SUPER still manages 63 FPS at 4K High, indicating efficient memory management by the game engine.

The RTX 2070 SUPER’s benchmark scores corroborate its mid-range standing. Its Passmark G3D score of 18169 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 place it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Arc B570 (avg score 20556) and NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (avg score 20480). The GPU’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present but likely underutilized in Downfall, a 2016 horror title that predates widespread ray tracing adoption. The 13,600 million transistors packed into a 545 mm² die generate significant heat, but the dual-slot cooler manages the 215 W TDP without issue, as evidenced by the stable frame rates across repeated benchmark runs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce a 210 FPS average, which is 38 FPS higher than Medium (172 FPS) and 69 FPS higher than High (141 FPS). The gap between High and Ultra is 53 FPS, with Ultra dropping to 88 FPS. Medium shows a minimum FPS of 146 and a maximum of 198, indicating a tight frame time distribution that should feel smooth. Low and High lack minimum/maximum data, but the averages suggest consistent performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down proportionally. Low averages 150 FPS, Medium 123 FPS (with min/max of 105/141), High 101 FPS, and Ultra 63 FPS. The 1440p Medium minimum of 105 FPS is particularly noteworthy—it suggests that even in the most demanding scenes, the combo stays above 100 FPS, making Medium a reliable choice for high-refresh-rate QHD monitors. High at 101 FPS is also above the 100 FPS mark, but its lack of minimum data means users should expect occasional dips below that threshold.

At 3840x2160, performance degrades markedly. Low averages 94 FPS, which is surprisingly playable, while Medium drops to 77 FPS with a minimum of 65 and maximum of 88. High averages 63 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 65 FPS is concerning for users with 60Hz displays, as it suggests frame times could occasionally exceed the refresh interval, causing judder. The 4K High average of 63 FPS is right at the edge of typical 60Hz monitors, but the lack of minimum data means users may experience drops into the 50s during intense scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 2157th out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all systems in the database. This ranking reflects a balanced mid-range setup that excels at 1080p and handles 1440p well but trails higher-tier configurations significantly at 4K. The CPU’s own benchmark performance—Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 and single-core score of 935—places it in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (avg score 2259, delta -0.2%) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (avg score 2246, delta 0.4%). These deltas are minuscule, indicating that the i5-9400 is essentially performance-equivalent to its closest competitors in synthetic tests.

The GPU’s ranking is slightly better, at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rivals—the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (delta -1%), RTX 3070 Mobile (delta -1.2%), and Intel Arc B570 (delta -1.3%)—are all within 1.5% of the RTX 2070 SUPER’s score, suggesting that the GPU is not a standout performer but rather a solid mid-pack option. The combo’s overall rank of 2157 is dragged down by the CPU’s lower percentile, but in Downfall, the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates, so gamers should focus on the GPU’s capabilities when evaluating this system.

The 3716 total combos tested means this setup sits comfortably in the middle of the pack, outperforming budget systems with older GPUs but falling short of high-end configurations featuring RTX 3080-class hardware. For a horror game like Downfall, which prioritizes atmosphere over competitive frame rates, this ranking is entirely adequate—the 63 FPS at 4K High is more than sufficient for the genre’s slower pacing.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Downfall?*

A: The data shows 2560x1440 at High settings provides a 101 FPS average, making it the sweet spot. At 4K, the best option is High at 63 FPS, which is playable but leaves no headroom.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER bottlenecked by the i5-9400?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not the limiting factor at most settings. The 1080p Low average of 210 FPS is close to the GPU’s theoretical maximum, and the uniform FPS drops as resolution increases point to GPU saturation rather than CPU starvation.

*Q: Can this system run Downfall at 4K 60 FPS?*

A: Only at Low settings, where the average is 94 FPS. At High settings, the average drops to 63 FPS, which is technically above 60 but lacks consistent minimum frame data to guarantee smoothness.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 20282 is within 1.5% of the Intel Arc B570 (20556), Intel Arc A750 (20582), and NVIDIA RTX 3070 Mobile (20534), indicating near-identical synthetic performance. In Downfall, this translates to comparable gaming frame rates.

Q: What is the impact of Ultra settings on performance?

A: Ultra settings are prohibitively expensive. At 4K, Ultra drops to 39 FPS, and at 1440p it falls to 63 FPS. Even at 1080p, Ultra costs 53 FPS compared to High, making it a poor trade-off for the visual gain.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance at higher resolutions?

A: The data strongly suggests yes. The 4K Ultra average of 39 FPS, combined with the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, indicates that the memory subsystem cannot keep up with the pixel and texture demands of 4K, even though 8 GB is nominally sufficient for most titles.