Downfall

Downfall, a horror title from 2016, is surprisingly demanding at its upper settings, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER produces a wide spectrum of frame rates depending on your resolution and graphics preset. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly capable at 1080p and 1440p, but which starts to show its limitations at 4K Ultra, where the GPU's raw power is pushed to its absolute limit. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to help you understand where the bottlenecks are and how to configure the game for the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 235 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 with the same settings drops the average to 177 FPS, a 24.7% decrease. Pushing further to 3840x2160 brings the average down to 110 FPS, a 53.2% reduction from the 1080p figure. This scaling curve indicates that while the GPU is the primary driver of performance, it has plenty of headroom at lower resolutions.

The gap between resolutions becomes more pronounced at higher settings. At Ultra preset, the frame rate drops from 155 FPS at 1080p to 111 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 69 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only measurement that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that this is the point where the combination of resolution and settings finally overwhelms the hardware. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra is a 37.8% drop, which is steeper than the 28.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p, showing that the GPU's compute resources are being saturated.

At Low settings, the CPU begins to play a larger role. The 1080p Low average of 271 FPS is exceptionally high, indicating that the i5-9400's six cores are sufficient to feed the GPU at this level. However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low is only an 10.7% drop to 242 FPS, and further to 4K Low it lands at 164 FPS, a 32.2% drop from 1440p. This suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU remains the limiting factor, as the frame rates are still extremely high. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck until well past 200 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can refresh.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations for Downfall, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER holds a combo rank of 673 out of 3716 tested combos. This places it in the top 18.1% of all configurations tested for this game, which is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The rank indicates that while this isn't the absolute fastest combination possible, it outperforms the vast majority of systems that have been benchmarked.

The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's performance, as the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER sits in the 76th percentile when compared to all GPUs. The CPU, however, only ranks in the 47th percentile when compared to all CPUs. This discrepancy highlights that the system's overall standing in Downfall is driven by the graphics card, and the processor is not holding it back in most scenarios. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA TITAN RTX and the RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell, with the 4070 Ti SUPER scoring about 1.9% lower than the TITAN RTX in average benchmark score, but still performing admirably.

The CPU's position, while lower, is not detrimental. The i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2254 is within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 and within 0.3% of the Intel Core i7-10710U. This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, it performs on par with these alternatives. In the context of Downfall, the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p show that this CPU is more than adequate for the game's demands, allowing the GPU to stretch its legs without being starved of data.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the undisputed powerhouse in this pairing, and its specifications align perfectly with the measured results. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s. This is a substantial amount of memory and bandwidth, which is particularly relevant for a game like Downfall at 4K resolution, where high-resolution textures and geometric details can consume significant video memory. The measured 4K High average of 110 FPS demonstrates that the memory subsystem is not a limiting factor at this resolution.

The GPU's clock speeds are equally impressive, with a base clock of 2340 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz. These high frequencies contribute directly to the raw compute throughput, which is rated at 44.10 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. This immense compute power is what allows the system to achieve the high frame rates seen in the data. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER also features 8448 shading units and 66 RT cores, which, while not directly tested in this game's data, are part of the architecture that enables modern rendering features.

The GPU's memory capacity becomes a critical factor at the Ultra preset. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 69, which is a significant 37.3% reduction from the 4K High result. This steep drop suggests that the Ultra preset may be introducing effects or texture qualities that are more demanding on the GPU's compute and memory resources. The 16 GB frame buffer is likely sufficient, but the sheer amount of work required at this setting slows the card down considerably. The data indicates that for the most demanding settings, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck, and its performance characteristics are what determine the final frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combination depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 155 FPS. This is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on many gaming monitors, and it provides the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. The High preset at 1080p offers 235 FPS, which is overkill for most displays and provides diminishing returns in visual fidelity compared to the jump from High to Ultra.

At 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot, with an average of 177 FPS. This is an excellent result that will satisfy users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. The Ultra preset at 1440p still delivers a very playable 111 FPS, so users who prioritize visual quality over maximum frame rates can comfortably select it. The Medium preset at 1440p offers 216 FPS, but the visual quality reduction from High to Medium is generally more noticeable than the frame rate gain, making High the better overall value.

At 4K, the recommendation is more nuanced. The High preset delivers 110 FPS, which is excellent for 4K gaming and will be smooth on most displays. The Medium preset offers 134 FPS, which is marginally faster but comes with a visible reduction in visual quality. The Ultra preset, at 69 FPS, is playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action, and the significant performance drop from High suggests that it is not worth the visual trade-off. For a consistent and high-quality 4K experience, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it maintains a high frame rate while preserving most of the game's visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 271 FPS, Medium yields 252 FPS with a minimum of 214 FPS and a maximum of 290 FPS, High yields 235 FPS, and Ultra yields 155 FPS. The progression shows a clear trade-off between visual quality and performance, with the Ultra preset costing a significant 43.5% of the frame rate compared to Low.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 242 FPS for Low, 216 FPS for Medium (min 183, max 248), 177 FPS for High, and 111 FPS for Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with each preset seeing a roughly 25-30% reduction in frame rate. The Medium preset's minimum of 183 FPS is still well above the 144 FPS threshold, indicating that even in the most demanding scenes, the system maintains high performance.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 164 FPS for Low, 134 FPS for Medium (min 114, max 154), 110 FPS for High, and 69 FPS for Ultra. The 4K results show a more pronounced difference between presets, with the Ultra setting being the only one that falls below the 100 FPS mark. The Medium preset's minimum of 114 FPS is still smooth, but the Ultra preset's 69 FPS average suggests that it is best reserved for slower-paced, visually focused gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. In the context of Downfall, this CPU proves to be a capable partner for the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, although it is clearly the weaker link in the pairing. The CPU's 47th percentile ranking among all processors is a reflection of its age and core count, but the measured frame rates show that it does not bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios.

The game's performance at 1080p Low, where the average FPS reaches 271, demonstrates that the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls at very high frame rates. The six cores and six threads are sufficient for the game's threading model, and the 4.10 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded performance is adequate. The CPU's 9 MB of shared L3 cache is also beneficial for keeping frequently accessed data close to the cores.

However, the CPU's limitations become apparent when comparing its performance to the GPU's potential. The GPU's average benchmark score is 31087, placing it in the 76th percentile, while the CPU's score is only 2254, in the 47th percentile. This disparity suggests that in a game like Downfall, which is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings, the CPU is not the primary determinant of frame rate. The combination's rank of 673 out of 3716 reflects the GPU's ability to carry the system, even with a mid-range CPU like the i5-9400. For users with this CPU, the data suggests that they can expect excellent performance in Downfall, provided they are not chasing the absolute highest frame rates at 4K Ultra, where the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor.