Downfall

Downfall, the 2016 horror title, presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing. This combination, ranked 961 out of 1741 tested combos, shows a system that is capable of high frame rates but exhibits a clear performance hierarchy between its components. The benchmark data reveals a processor that holds its own in this older title, paired with a graphics card that scales dramatically with settings and resolution, creating a dynamic where the GPU is often the primary driver of performance.

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

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture. With a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, it provides a solid foundation for gaming. Its performance percentile of 50 places it exactly in the middle of all CPUs tested, indicating it is a mainstream part. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 803 in Cinebench R15 multicore and 3346 in Cinebench R20 multicore, with single-core scores of 113 and 472 respectively. These figures suggest a balanced processor that is not a bottleneck in most scenarios for a game released in 2016.

The data shows that this CPU is closely matched with several rivals. It is a mere 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305 and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-1125G4 in average benchmark scores. It also sits 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon E-2134 and is 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G. This tight grouping implies that in CPU-bound situations, the i5-9400 will perform nearly identically to these other processors. For a horror game like Downfall, which likely relies on physics and AI for tension, the six physical cores provide enough processing power to manage these tasks without being the limiting factor, especially when compared to the more significant swings in performance seen from the GPU.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a modern graphics card built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2460 MHz helps it achieve a pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s. With 3072 shading units, it is a capable performer, sitting in the 66th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's benchmark scores are substantial, with a Passmark G3D score of 19545 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 101030. Its average benchmark score of 23181 puts it in a close race with its rivals. It is 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, while leading the Intel Arc B580 by 0.7% and the AMD Radeon 760M by 0.8%. The RTX 4060's performance in Downfall is clearly the dominant factor in the system's overall output. The variance in frame rates across different settings is far more pronounced than what the CPU's modest performance delta over its rivals would suggest, pointing to the GPU as the main engine driving the game's visuals.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected trend: performance decreases as resolution increases. This scaling is a key indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with High settings, the system achieves 153.2 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 112.1 FPS, a decrease of 41.1 FPS. At 4K, the frame rate falls further to 69.3 FPS. This pattern of a roughly 27% drop from 1080p to 1440p and another 38% drop from 1440p to 4K is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU is able to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but as the pixel count increases, the RTX 4060's workload becomes more demanding, and its performance ceiling becomes the limiting factor.

This is further supported by the Low settings data. At 1080p Low, the system hits 226.6 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 164.1 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 102.3 FPS. Even at the lowest settings, the resolution scaling remains steep, confirming that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 4.10 GHz boost clock, appears to have enough headroom to handle the frame-to-frame logic even at these high frame rates, as the massive FPS drop is directly tied to the GPU's rendering load.

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

Analyzing the FPS across the four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—reveals a clear "sweet spot" for this combination. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium is significant (226.6 to 182.5 FPS), but the drop from Medium to High is more moderate (182.5 to 153.2 FPS). The Ultra preset, however, incurs a massive performance penalty, plummeting to 97.3 FPS. This pattern repeats at 1440p and 4K, where Ultra settings consistently cut the frame rate nearly in half compared to High settings.

The data suggests that the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1440p High, the system maintains a smooth 112.1 FPS, which is well above the threshold for a responsive experience. At 4K High, it still manages a playable 69.3 FPS. The Ultra preset, while offering the highest visual fidelity, demands a heavy toll. The 4K Ultra frame rate of 39.6 FPS is below the standard for smooth gameplay. Therefore, for the optimal experience, the High preset is the recommended choice. It provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while avoiding the severe frame rate collapse seen with Ultra, making it the most efficient use of the RTX 4060's capabilities across all tested resolutions.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its closest rivals in raw processing power?

A: The i5-9400 is statistically tied with its nearest competitors. It is 0.2% faster than the Intel Core i3-10305 and the Intel Core i3-1125G4, and 0.4% faster than the Intel Xeon E-2134. It is only 0.6% slower than the Intel Core i7-8809G.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's performance in Downfall considered above average?

A: Yes, the RTX 4060 sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it performs better than a majority of graphics cards. Its average benchmark score is 23181, placing it above the Intel Arc B580 and AMD Radeon 760M.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 4060 and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M?

A: The RTX 4060 is slightly behind the RX 6600M, with a 0.6% lower average benchmark score. In practical terms, this is a negligible difference that would not be noticeable in gameplay.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so significantly when switching from High to Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The data shows a drop from 153.2 FPS on High to 97.3 FPS on Ultra at 1080p. This substantial decrease indicates that the Ultra preset introduces a heavy load on the GPU, likely through advanced effects, which the RTX 4060 struggles to maintain at high frame rates.

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

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K with High settings, it achieves an average of 69.3 FPS, which is playable. However, 4K Ultra is not recommended, as the frame rate drops to 39.6 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor in this test?

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The steep frame rate drops as resolution increases, from 226.6 FPS at 1080p Low to 102.3 FPS at 4K Low, are characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's performance is adequate to sustain high frame rates, as it is not showing significant weaknesses relative to its rivals.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities in Downfall. At 1920x1080, the system performs exceptionally well. On Low settings, it averages 226.6 FPS. Medium settings yield 182.5 FPS, and High settings produce 153.2 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still manages an average of 97.3 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected drop. Low settings average 164.1 FPS, Medium settings average 132.6 FPS, and High settings average 112.1 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 69.1 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes significant. Low settings still achieve a smooth 102.3 FPS. Medium settings average 79.4 FPS, and High settings average 69.3 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of just 39.6 FPS. This breakdown highlights the RTX 4060's strength at 1080p and 1440p and its limitations at 4K, particularly with higher graphical presets.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination is ranked 961 out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested. The ranking reflects a balanced system where the GPU's strong performance is somewhat tempered by the CPU's mid-range standing. The CPU's 50th percentile ranking is a counterweight to the GPU's 66th percentile ranking, resulting in a combined score that is slightly above the median. This suggests that while the RTX 4060 is capable of high frame rates, the i5-9400 may prevent the system from reaching the absolute top tier of performance seen with more powerful processors. The data indicates that this combo is a competent performer, well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and smooth 1440p experiences, but it is not positioned among the elite configurations tested.