Downfall

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread Coffee Lake processor with a 2.90 GHz base clock and a 4.10 GHz boost clock. It is paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, an Ampere-based GPU with 10,240 shading units and 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. In this horror title, the combination produces a wide range of frame rates, from a highly playable 94.1 FPS at 4K High to a blistering 270.1 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, with the i5-9400’s six threads proving sufficient to keep the GPU fed across most settings, though the gap between Low and Ultra presets reveals where the CPU begins to assert its influence.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 brings six physical cores without hyper-threading, meaning it processes six threads simultaneously. Its 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.10 GHz boost clock are modest by modern standards, but they are enough to drive the RTX 3080 Ti in Downfall. The CPU’s benchmark scores place it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-8809G, scores 2319, which is 0.6% higher, while the Intel Core i3-10305 matches it within 0.2%. This puts the i5-9400 in a solid mid-range position, not a bottleneck for most gaming workloads.

In Downfall, the CPU’s role becomes apparent when comparing frame rates across settings. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 270.1 FPS, which is a massive 108% higher than the 129.4 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. This gap is not purely a GPU load issue; it reflects the CPU’s ability to push frames at lower settings where the GPU is underutilized. The i5-9400’s six threads can handle the game’s logic and draw calls at high frame rates, but the Ultra preset introduces more complex scenes that tax the CPU’s single-thread performance. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125 and multi-core score of 7969 indicate that while the CPU is capable, it lacks the headroom of higher-tier processors.

At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 60.6 FPS, which is a 55% reduction from 4K Low’s 137.5 FPS. This shift is primarily GPU-bound, as the RTX 3080 Ti’s 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is stretched by the higher resolution and Ultra settings. However, the CPU still matters: the i5-9400’s 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 42.7 GB/s bandwidth provide enough data throughput to avoid stuttering, but the frame rate ceiling at 1080p Low suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at that extreme. For a game like Downfall, which is a horror title that likely favors higher frame rates for smoothness, the i5-9400 is adequate but not exceptional, as its 0.2% delta from the i3-10305 shows it is barely ahead of a lower-tier chip.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Downfall?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 270.1, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only setting where the combo exceeds 270 FPS.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its closest rival, the i7-8809G?

A: The i7-8809G has an average benchmark score of 2319, which is 0.6% higher than the i5-9400’s 2305. This places the i5-9400 slightly behind its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 129.4 FPS, while 4K Ultra averages 60.6 FPS. This is a 68.8 FPS drop, or roughly 53% lower performance at 4K.

Q: Does the RTX 3080 Ti’s benchmark score place it in the top tier?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has a percentile rank of 83 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41224. Its nearest rival, the RTX 3090, scores 41441, which is only 0.5% higher.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: In Downfall, this combo ranks 499 out of 1741 tested combos, placing it in the top 28.7% of all tested configurations.

Q: What is the performance delta between the RTX 3080 Ti and the RTX 5070?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average score of 41687, which is 1.1% higher than the RTX 3080 Ti’s 41224. The RTX 3080 Ti trails the newer card by a small margin.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 270.1 FPS, which drops to 222.6 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 137.5 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 49% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The drop is more pronounced at Ultra settings, where 1080p Ultra’s 129.4 FPS falls to 95 FPS at 1440p Ultra and 60.6 FPS at 4K Ultra, a 53% reduction overall.

The scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RTX 3080 Ti’s 912.4 GB/s memory bandwidth and 186.5 GPixel/s pixel rate are heavily taxed at 4K, especially with the Ultra preset’s increased shading and texture work. The i5-9400’s CPU performance, however, becomes more relevant at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the GPU is so underutilized that the CPU’s six threads are likely the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 270.1 FPS ceiling. This is a common pattern for mid-range CPUs paired with high-end GPUs: the CPU sets a frame rate cap at low resolutions, while the GPU takes over at higher resolutions.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (270.1 FPS) and Ultra (129.4 FPS) is 140.7 FPS, but at 4K, the difference is 76.9 FPS (137.5 vs 60.6). This narrowing suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that the settings preset has less relative impact, whereas at 1080p, the CPU’s ability to handle the Ultra preset’s additional draw calls becomes a factor. For practical purposes, this combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it maintains high frame rates across all settings.

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

The measured FPS rows offer four presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. At 1080p, Low delivers 270.1 FPS, Medium 253.9 FPS, High 210.7 FPS, and Ultra 129.4 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra is steep, with a 81.3 FPS drop, which is likely not worth the visual improvement in a horror game where smoothness matters. At 1440p, Low hits 222.6 FPS, Medium 179.5 FPS, High 149.8 FPS, and Ultra 95 FPS. The Ultra preset here drops below 100 FPS, which may be acceptable for a single-player horror title but is not ideal for a high-refresh-rate display.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. Low averages 137.5 FPS, Medium 112.2 FPS, High 94.1 FPS, and Ultra 60.6 FPS. Given that the RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end GPU, the data suggests that High settings at 1440p provide the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 149.8 FPS. This is 50% higher than the 95 FPS at 1440p Ultra, without a massive visual downgrade. For 4K users, Medium is the recommended preset, as it delivers 112.2 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while High’s 94.1 FPS is still playable but leaves less headroom.

The Ultra preset at any resolution is a performance trap in this combo. At 1080p Ultra, the 129.4 FPS is still high, but the 140.7 FPS difference from Low indicates that the CPU is struggling to maintain frame pacing. At 4K Ultra, the 60.6 FPS result is just above the 60 FPS minimum, making it risky for scenes with heavy effects. The data points to High as the sweet spot for this pairing, offering 210.7 FPS at 1080p, 149.8 FPS at 1440p, and 94.1 FPS at 4K, which are all playable and consistent.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 499 out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 28.7% of all configurations, which is a strong showing given the CPU’s mid-range status. The rank reflects the GPU’s dominance, as the RTX 3080 Ti’s 83rd percentile among GPUs compensates for the i5-9400’s 50th percentile among CPUs. The combo outperforms many pairings with newer or higher-core-count CPUs but with weaker GPUs, highlighting the importance of the graphics card in this title.

The combo’s rank is notable because it sits above the median, meaning it is better than 1242 of the 1741 tested combos. This reflects the RTX 3080 Ti’s raw power, especially in a horror game that likely relies on lighting and shadow effects, which the GPU handles efficiently. The nearest GPU rival, the RTX 3090, scores 0.5% higher in synthetic benchmarks, but in this game, the i5-9400 pairing still achieves respectable results. The rank also suggests that the i5-9400 is not a severe bottleneck, as the combo’s FPS numbers are consistently high across all resolutions. If the CPU were severely limiting, the rank would be lower, closer to the 1000s. Instead, the data shows a balanced pairing where the GPU does the heavy lifting.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 270.1 FPS, Medium 253.9 FPS, High 210.7 FPS, and Ultra 129.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 16.2 FPS, which is modest, but the gap between High and Ultra is 81.3 FPS, indicating a significant performance hit for the highest preset. All settings exceed 120 FPS, making 1080p ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong. Low averages 222.6 FPS, Medium 179.5 FPS, High 149.8 FPS, and Ultra 95 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that drops below 100 FPS, but it is still playable. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 17.6% reduction at Low (270.1 to 222.6) and a 26.6% reduction at Ultra (129.4 to 95), indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are the lowest but still respectable. Low averages 137.5 FPS, Medium 112.2 FPS, High 94.1 FPS, and Ultra 60.6 FPS. The Ultra preset barely maintains 60 FPS, which is a minimum for smooth gameplay in a horror title. The drop from 1440p to 4K is substantial: Low falls from 222.6 to 137.5 FPS (38.2% reduction), and Ultra falls from 95 to 60.6 FPS (36.2% reduction). This confirms that 4K pushes the RTX 3080 Ti to its limits, but the combo still delivers playable frame rates at High and below. The data shows that this pairing is best used at 1440p or 1080p for maximum performance, with 4K reserved for less demanding presets.