Downfall

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is a profoundly mismatched combination for Downfall, ranking 1712th out of 1741 tested combos. The benchmark data shows that this pairing is entirely GPU-bound at every resolution, with the 12-core processor never coming close to being the limiting factor. Across all measured settings, the average frame rates remain surprisingly low for a CPU of this caliber, highlighting a severe bottleneck that no amount of processor headroom can overcome. The data indicates that users of this combo will face a stark choice between playable frame rates at low settings or visual fidelity at the cost of performance.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 71, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that comes close to providing a smooth experience, though it falls short of high-refresh-rate territory.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1712th out of 1741 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 2% of all pairings. This extremely low ranking reflects the fundamental imbalance between the high-end CPU and the entry-level GPU.

Q: Is the Core i7-12700K a fast processor?

A: Yes, the processor's benchmark scores are strong. It scores 29241 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4128 in single-core, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 35684 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which scores 35802 (a delta of -0.3%).

Q: What is the GTX 1050 Ti's performance class?

A: The GPU is in the 30th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 5316. This places it in direct competition with the NVIDIA GeForce 940M (5297, a 0.4% delta) and the AMD Radeon R7 240 (5280, a 0.7% delta), indicating it is a low-end part.

Q: What is the most demanding measured setting?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 is the most demanding, producing an average FPS of just 11.6. This is nearly unplayable and represents a massive performance drop from the Low preset at the same resolution, which achieves 32.2 FPS.

Q: Does lowering the resolution always help?

A: Yes, but the gains are not linear. Moving from 3840x2160 to 1920x1080 at Low settings increases the average FPS from 32.2 to 71, a substantial improvement. However, at Ultra settings, the same resolution drop only improves the average from 11.6 to 30.7 FPS, showing the GPU still struggles under heavy load.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a desktop processor with 12 cores (20 threads) based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, backed by 25 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark results are formidable, with a Passmark multithread score of 34404 and a single-thread score of 4013. In the context of Downfall, this CPU has far more processing power than the game can utilize, especially when paired with the GTX 1050 Ti.

The data shows that the CPU's capabilities are effectively wasted in this configuration. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 71 FPS, but this is entirely due to the GPU's limits. The processor is likely idling, waiting for the GPU to render frames. The 89th percentile ranking and the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29241 suggest that the i7-12700K could handle far more demanding scenarios, but the GPU cannot keep up. The bottleneck is so severe that the CPU's role is reduced to simply feeding the GPU, and the frame rate is dictated entirely by the graphics card's rendering speed.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured frame rates, the only viable preset for a playable experience is Low. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo averages 71 FPS, which is the only configuration that approaches a smooth 60+ FPS experience. Choosing Medium at the same resolution drops the average to 62.6 FPS, which is still playable but noticeably less fluid. High settings at 1920x1080 yield 51.3 FPS, which is borderline for a horror game where responsiveness matters.

For users who prioritize visual quality over smoothness, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is an option, averaging 45.4 FPS. However, the data suggests that the best experience is at 1080p with Low settings. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as even at 1920x1080 it only produces an average of 30.7 FPS. At higher resolutions, Ultra becomes unplayable, dropping to 23.6 FPS at 2560x1440 and a dismal 11.6 FPS at 3840x2160. The measured data clearly indicates that Low settings at 1080p is the sweet spot for this combination.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 1712 out of 1741 places this pairing in the bottom 2% of all tested configurations. This rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather the massive disparity between the two components. The i7-12700K is a top-tier processor, but the GTX 1050 Ti is a low-end GPU that severely restricts overall performance.

The ranking suggests that this combo performs worse than nearly all other pairings, even those with much weaker CPUs. The data implies that the GTX 1050 Ti is the sole determinant of performance in Downfall, and its low standing (30th percentile) drags the entire combo down. While the CPU could theoretically support much higher frame rates, the GPU's limits cap the average FPS at 71 in the best case. This rank serves as a warning that pairing a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU yields poor results in GPU-bound scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti is built on the Pascal architecture with a 14 nm process. It features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s. Its base clock is 1291 MHz with a boost clock of 1392 MHz. The GPU's benchmark scores are modest, with a Passmark G3D score of 6340 and an OpenCL score of 20638. Its average benchmark score of 5316 places it in the 30th percentile, directly comparable to the NVIDIA GeForce 940M (5297, a 0.4% delta).

In Downfall, the GPU is the clear limiting factor. The measured FPS drops significantly with increased visual settings, indicating that the GPU is struggling to render the horror game's scenes. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is likely a constraint at higher resolutions and settings, contributing to the poor performance. The GPU's low pixel rate of 44.54 GPixel/s and texture rate of 66.82 GTexel/s are insufficient for demanding presets. The data shows that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached quickly, and it cannot maintain playable frame rates beyond Low settings at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 71 at Low to 30.7 at Ultra. The Medium preset achieves 62.6 FPS, while High yields 51.3 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to 54.1 at Low, 45.4 at Medium, 35.8 at High, and 23.6 at Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal. The Low preset averages 32.2 FPS, Medium drops to 27.9, High to 22.2, and Ultra to a nearly unplayable 11.6 FPS. The differences between settings are substantial. For example, at 1080p, the jump from Low to Ultra costs 40.3 FPS (from 71 to 30.7). At 4K, the same jump costs 20.6 FPS (from 32.2 to 11.6). The data shows that the Low preset is the only option that consistently delivers over 30 FPS across all resolutions, with 1080p Low being the only configuration to exceed 60 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data shows that Downfall is heavily GPU-bound. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Low settings reduces the average FPS from 71 to 54.1, a drop of 23.8%. Further scaling to 3840x2160 reduces it to 32.2, a 40.5% drop from 1440p and a 54.6% drop from 1080p.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more dramatic. The average FPS drops from 30.7 at 1080p to 23.6 at 1440p (a 23.1% decrease) and then to 11.6 at 4K (a 50.8% decrease from 1440p). This pattern indicates that the GPU's rendering capabilities are quickly overwhelmed as pixel count increases. The CPU shows no signs of being a bottleneck, as the frame rate drops are directly proportional to the increase in resolution. The data suggests that the GTX 1050 Ti's memory bandwidth of 112.1 GB/s and 4 GB VRAM are insufficient for higher resolutions, making 1080p the only sensible target for this combo.