Downfall

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers a robust performance profile in Downfall, a horror title from 2016 that remains demanding at higher presets. The data shows a clear scaling pattern across resolutions, with the GPU emerging as the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU’s strong multi-threaded capabilities keep frame rates high at 1080p and 1440p. The combination ranks in the 52nd percentile of all tested combos, placing it in the upper half of the database, though it faces stiff competition from newer hardware. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS figures, the role of the GPU’s specifications, and provides actionable settings recommendations based strictly on the benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a system where the graphics card becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 154 FPS, but at 1440p with the same preset, it falls to 110 FPS—a 28.6% reduction. Moving to 4K High, the average drops further to 68 FPS, which is a 55.8% decline from the 1080p figure. This trend indicates that the RX 6700 XT’s rendering pipeline is being saturated at higher pixel counts, with the CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads providing ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, the jump from Low (229 FPS) to Ultra (96 FPS) represents a 58.1% performance hit, while at 4K, the same preset change from Low (102 FPS) to Ultra (43 FPS) results in a 57.8% drop. The consistency of this percentage across resolutions suggests that the GPU’s compute units and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, rather than any CPU limitation. Notably, the 4K Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 71 and a maximum of 96, with an average of 83, indicating that the system can maintain playable frame rates even at high pixel densities when settings are moderated.

The 1440p results are particularly telling for the balance of this combo. At Medium settings, the average hits 134 FPS with a minimum of 114 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. However, at Ultra, the average plummets to 69 FPS, suggesting that the 12 GB of VRAM and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for textures but the shading units and ray tracing cores become overwhelmed by the most demanding effects. The data shows that the system is not CPU-bound at any resolution tested, as the Core i7-12700K’s 3dmark_max_threads score of 9979 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784 indicate substantial processing power that remains underutilized in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 154 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is the second-highest preset tested at this resolution, with only Low (229 FPS) and Medium (187 FPS) exceeding it, while Ultra drops to 96 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 43. This is the lowest measured result across all resolutions and settings, indicating that the RX 6700 XT is heavily taxed by the combination of high resolution and maximum graphical fidelity.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 229 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it falls to 43 FPS, a 81.2% reduction. The CPU’s 3dmark_16_threads score of 9276 and Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 12229 suggest it can handle the game’s logic, while the GPU’s 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 performance is strained at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining 60+ FPS with High settings?

A: Both 1440p and 1080p with High settings exceed 60 FPS, with averages of 110 FPS and 154 FPS respectively. At 4K High, the average drops to 68 FPS, which is still above 60 but with less headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and is it sufficient?

A: The RX 6700 XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 192-bit bus width. The 4K Medium preset shows an average of 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS, suggesting that the VRAM capacity is adequate for this game’s textures, though the Ultra preset’s 43 FPS average indicates other GPU resources are limiting.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures recorded?

A: Minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings across all resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 159 FPS; at 1440p, it is 114 FPS; and at 4K, it is 71 FPS. These figures show that the system maintains consistent performance without severe frame drops at this preset.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT’s specifications directly correlate with its performance in Downfall. The GPU features a base clock of 2321 MHz and a boost clock of 2581 MHz, with a game clock of 2424 MHz that represents the typical operating frequency during gaming workloads. These clocks, combined with 2560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units, drive the pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s. The 64 ROPs are responsible for final pixel output, and the 40 ray tracing cores handle any RT effects, though the game’s 2016 release predates widespread RT implementation.

The memory subsystem is a critical factor for higher resolutions. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth across a 192-bit bus. This configuration is sufficient for the Medium preset at 4K, where the average FPS of 83 suggests the GPU can feed textures and geometry without stalling. However, the Ultra preset’s drop to 43 FPS indicates that the shading units are overwhelmed by the combination of high-resolution rendering and maximum effects, as the bandwidth alone cannot compensate for compute limitations.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 27425. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile, has an identical average score of 27435 with a deltaPct of 0%, meaning they perform nearly identically in synthetic tests. The RTX 3090 scores 27565, just 0.5% higher, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 scores 27839, 1.5% higher. These comparisons show that the RX 6700 XT is a mid-to-high-range part that can hold its own against some flagship cards in raw compute, yet the measured FPS in Downfall demonstrates that real-world performance is influenced by architecture-specific optimizations and driver maturity.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 13.21 TFLOPS is a key indicator of its rasterization capability. In Downfall, this translates to playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across all settings, but the 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS shows the limits of this compute throughput. The 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, built on TSMC’s 7 nm process, allow for high clock speeds without excessive power draw, though the 230 W TDP requires a robust cooling solution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT ranks 1949th out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 52nd percentile. This means that 52% of all tested system configurations perform better, while 48% perform worse. The rank reflects the balance between a strong CPU and a mid-range GPU, where the CPU’s capabilities are not fully utilized due to the GPU being the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Relative to other combos, this pairing is competitive but not top-tier. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 84, meaning it outperforms 84% of processors, while the GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 72. The gap between these percentiles suggests that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing, and a more powerful graphics card would yield better overall performance in this title. The combo’s rank of 1949 is consistent with this analysis, as it sits in the middle of the distribution where many systems pair high-end CPUs with similarly mid-range GPUs.

The nearest rival comparisons for the CPU show that the Core i7-12700K’s average benchmark score of 35287 is nearly identical to its peers. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, a deltaPct of -0.1%, while the Core i7-12700KF scores 35365, a deltaPct of -0.2%. The Core i7-13700T scores 35403, a deltaPct of -0.3%, and the Intel Core 5 213PE scores 35428, a deltaPct of -0.4%. These tiny differences mean that swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would have negligible impact on Downfall performance, further confirming that the GPU is the deciding factor.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a similar clustering. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile has an average score of 27435, with a deltaPct of 0% relative to the RX 6700 XT’s 27425. The RTX 3090 scores 27565, a deltaPct of -0.5%, while the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell scores 27135, a deltaPct of 1.1%, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 scores 27839, a deltaPct of -1.5%. These results indicate that the RX 6700 XT performs within a narrow band of comparable GPUs, meaning that the combo’s rank is not significantly influenced by GPU choice among these rivals.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system’s performance across 12 different configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 229 FPS, which is the highest recorded result. Medium settings yield 187 FPS with a minimum of 159 FPS and a maximum of 215 FPS, showing smooth performance with minimal variance. High settings drop to 154 FPS, while Ultra settings fall to 96 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold for most monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern emerges but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings produce 164 FPS, Medium settings average 134 FPS with a minimum of 114 FPS and a maximum of 154 FPS, High settings achieve 110 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 69 FPS. The 1440p Medium result is notable for its tight frame pacing, as the 40 FPS spread between minimum and maximum is the smallest among all Medium presets, indicating stable performance.

At 3840x2160, the system’s limitations become apparent. Low settings average 102 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium settings drop to 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS. High settings average 68 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The 4K results show that the RX 6700 XT can handle the game at medium quality without sacrificing playability, but the highest preset is only suitable for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.

The data also reveals the scaling efficiency between settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 133 FPS, while at 1440p it is 95 FPS, and at 4K it is 59 FPS. This diminishing difference at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck, as the absolute FPS ceiling decreases. The percentage difference between Low and Ultra is remarkably consistent across resolutions—58.1% at 1080p, 57.9% at 1440p, and 57.8% at 4K—which suggests that the GPU’s rendering overhead scales linearly with resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s resolution and performance target. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 154 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it provides a significant improvement over Medium (187 FPS) in terms of image fidelity while maintaining a frame rate well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of many gaming monitors. Users with 240 Hz displays may prefer Medium at 187 FPS, but the difference between High and Medium is not substantial enough to justify the visual downgrade for most players.

For 1440p, the High preset at 110 FPS is the recommended choice for competitive or fast-paced gameplay, as it offers a smooth experience on 120 Hz and 144 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 134 FPS is even smoother, but the visual quality reduction is noticeable. Ultra at 69 FPS is playable on 60 Hz displays, but the 41 FPS drop from High makes it a poor trade-off for the marginal visual improvements. The data shows that 1440p High is the sweet spot for this combo, providing a 60% improvement over 4K High while maintaining high detail settings.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 83 FPS is the only configuration that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, with a minimum of 71 FPS ensuring no major frame drops. The High preset at 68 FPS is close to the 60 FPS threshold but may dip below in demanding scenes, as the minimum FPS is not recorded for this preset. The Ultra preset at 43 FPS is not recommended for gameplay, as it falls below the playable threshold for most users. The Low preset at 102 FPS is viable for users who prioritize frame rate over visuals, but the Medium preset offers a better balance of image quality and performance.

For users with variable refresh rate monitors, the 1440p High preset is the most versatile recommendation, as the 110 FPS average provides ample headroom for VRR technology to smooth out any fluctuations. The 1080p High preset is also excellent, with 154 FPS giving a 40 FPS buffer above the 114 FPS minimum recorded at Medium settings. The data suggests that users should avoid the Ultra preset at all resolutions unless they have a 60 Hz display and prioritize maximum graphical fidelity, as the performance cost is steep relative to the High preset.