Downfall

The Intel Core i7-12700K pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 to form a top-tier configuration for Downfall, a 2016 horror title. The CPU brings 12 physical cores and 20 threads, split across the Alder Lake architecture’s performance and efficiency clusters. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz can boost up to 5.00 GHz, which is crucial for a genre that often relies on single-threaded physics and AI calculations. The processor’s 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and multi-thread score of 9979 indicate robust headroom for the game’s logic, though the benchmark results show that the GPU becomes the dominant factor at higher settings. The CPU’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain consistent frame pacing, but the data suggests the RTX 4090 is the primary driver of the extreme frame rates seen in this test.

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

The Core i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for Downfall, a title from 2016 that was not designed to scale across a dozen cores. The processor’s Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process, delivers a single-thread score of 1043 in 3DMark and a Cinebench R23 single-core result of 4128. These figures suggest that the CPU can handle the game’s primary thread without bottlenecking the GPU. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz is particularly relevant here, as horror games often feature tight corridors and scripted sequences where frame time consistency matters more than raw core count. The benchmark data shows the CPU’s performance is not the limiting factor in most scenarios; instead, it provides a stable foundation for the graphics card to exploit.

When comparing the i7-12700K to its nearest rivals, it sits in a narrow band. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 scores 35802 on average, just 0.3% higher than the i7-12700K’s 35684 average benchmark score. Similarly, the Intel Core i5-14500HX is 0.7% faster, while the Intel Core i7-13800H trails by 0.8%. These deltaPct values are negligible in gaming terms. For Downfall, the CPU’s multithreaded performance, as seen in the Cinebench R20 multicore score of 12281, ensures that background tasks and game engine threads do not cause stutters. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9276 reinforces that the processor can feed the RTX 4090 with enough draw calls, even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead becomes more apparent.

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

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of how settings affect performance. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 441.9 FPS, which is the highest recorded across all configurations. However, this extreme frame rate is unnecessary for a horror game, where atmosphere and stability matter more than raw speed. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 364.2 FPS, while High drops to 299.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p produces 184 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth but represents a 58% reduction from Low. The data shows that the jump from Medium to High costs about 18% performance, while High to Ultra costs another 38%. For the best experience, High settings at 1080p offer a balance between visual fidelity and the 299.4 FPS average, which is far beyond any display’s refresh rate.

Moving to 1440p, the High preset averages 213.9 FPS, while Medium hits 259.4 FPS. The Ultra preset still manages 132.3 FPS, which is playable but shows the GPU beginning to work harder. At 4K, the High preset drops to 133.1 FPS, while Medium stays at 161 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 85.2 FPS, which is the lowest recorded in the entire set. Given that Downfall is a horror game, the recommendation is to use High settings at 1440p or 4K, as the 133.1 FPS at 4K High remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth motion. The Low preset, while fast, sacrifices too much visual detail for a genre that relies on lighting and shadows. Medium is a viable alternative, but the data indicates High provides the best compromise between the 213.9 FPS at 1440p and the 133.1 FPS at 4K.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals the RTX 4090’s dominance. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 299.4 at 1080p to 213.9 at 1440p, a drop of 28.5%. Moving to 4K, the average falls to 133.1 FPS, which is a further 37.8% reduction from 1440p. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the CPU can maintain high frame rates at 1080p but the graphics card’s workload increases exponentially with pixel count. The Low preset shows a similar trend: 441.9 FPS at 1080p drops to 314.6 FPS at 1440p, then to 197.1 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 28.8% and 37.3%, respectively, which are almost identical to the High preset. This consistency suggests that the scaling is purely resolution-driven and not affected by settings.

At Ultra settings, the drop is more pronounced. The 1080p average of 184 FPS falls to 132.3 FPS at 1440p, a 28.1% decrease, and then to 85.2 FPS at 4K, a 35.6% decrease from 1440p. The fact that the 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result indicates that the GPU is pushed to its limits with the highest visual quality. The data does not show any CPU bottleneck signs, as the 1080p Low result of 441.9 FPS is still far below the CPU’s theoretical maximum, given its 3DMark max-thread score of 9979. The RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are more than adequate for Downfall’s textures, even at 4K. The scaling behavior confirms that this game is heavily GPU-bound at all tested resolutions, with the CPU providing ample headroom.

How This Combo Ranks, use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 25th out of 1741 tested combos for Downfall. This places it in the top 1.4% of all configurations, which is an exceptional result. The rank reflects the GPU’s high percentile of 91 among all GPUs and the CPU’s 89th percentile among all CPUs. The data shows that this pairing is not limited by either component, as the 25th position indicates that only 24 other combos achieve higher average frame rates. The nearest rival GPUs in the database, such as the NVIDIA Tesla T4 with a deltaPct of -0.4% and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 with -0.9%, are workstation cards that do not appear in typical gaming setups, further highlighting the RTX 4090’s consumer-grade dominance.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and Intel Core i7-13700T, show deltaPct values of -0.3% and 0.6%, respectively, meaning they are statistically tied with the i7-12700K. This suggests that the CPU choice has minimal impact on the combo’s rank, as the GPU is the deciding factor. The rank of 25 out of 1741 combos is particularly impressive given that Downfall is a 2016 title, which may not utilize the latest hardware features. The measured data indicates that this combo delivers frame rates that are 20% higher than the 4K High average of 133.1 FPS, which is already well above what most displays can show. The combination’s position in the database underscores that the RTX 4090, with its 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance, is the primary driver of this ranking.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the star of this configuration, and its specifications align perfectly with the measured FPS results. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for Downfall, even at 4K Ultra settings, where the 85.2 FPS average suggests the game is not memory-limited. The GPU’s base clock of 2235 MHz and boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16384 shading units, deliver 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 38194 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 317684, which are incredibly high and reflect the card’s raw processing power.

In Downfall, the RTX 4090’s performance is evident in the scaling from Low to Ultra settings. At 1080p Low, the card produces 441.9 FPS, but this is likely limited by the CPU or engine overhead rather than the GPU itself. At 4K Ultra, the 85.2 FPS average shows that the card is finally being taxed, but it still maintains a playable frame rate. The 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores, while not directly applicable to a 2016 horror game without ray tracing, contribute to the card’s overall efficiency. The GPU’s 450 W TDP and triple-slot design are justified by these results. The memory clock of 1313 MHz, effective 21 Gbps, ensures that texture streaming is never a bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across all settings. The RTX 4090’s role is clear: it provides an overwhelming amount of performance that allows Downfall to run at extreme frame rates, with the CPU merely keeping pace.