Downfall

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a playable but heavily settings-dependent experience in Downfall. At 1080p, the combo ranges from 173.7 FPS on Low to 73.5 FPS on Ultra, while 4K Ultra dips to 34.5 FPS. The data indicates that this pairing is firmly balanced towards CPU capability at lower resolutions, with the GPU becoming the definitive bottleneck as resolution and settings increase.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combination achieves in Downfall?*

A: The highest recorded average is 173.7 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 143.2 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 123.9 FPS at 2560x1440 Low.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, scores 15996, which is 0.5% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 both score 16351, placing them 1.7% higher than the RTX 2060.

Q: Is the Core i7-12700KF a strong performer in CPU benchmarks?

A: Yes, the data shows it is in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 35355, with its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14400, scoring 35336 (0.1% lower), and the Intel Core i9-12900HX scoring 35289 (0.2% lower).

Q: What is the performance drop from 1080p High to 4K High?

A: The average frame rate drops from 117.3 FPS at 1080p High to 52.7 FPS at 4K High. This represents a reduction of 64.6 FPS, or approximately 55% of the 1080p performance.

Q: Which settings preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 yields 105.1 FPS, which is significantly higher than the 82.7 FPS seen on High. It is also more than double the 50.8 FPS recorded on Ultra, making it the most balanced option.

Q: How much faster is the CPU than the GPU in their respective benchmark pools?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 35355, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The GPU's average score is 16074, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. This disparity suggests the CPU has more headroom for performance than the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture and the TU106 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process. It features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units. The card operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. Its memory subsystem is a 6 GB GDDR6 configuration on a 192-bit bus, which provides a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s.

In Downfall, the GPU's role is defined by the settings and resolution selected. The benchmark data shows a clear pattern: as settings increase, the frame rate drops sharply. At 1080p, the RTX 2060 produces 173.7 FPS on Low, but this falls to 143.2 FPS on Medium and 117.3 FPS on High. The most demanding preset, Ultra, brings the average down to 73.5 FPS. This spread of over 100 FPS between Low and Ultra at 1080p indicates that the GPU is highly sensitive to the graphical workload.

The GPU's impact becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 4K, the average frame rate on Low is 74.6 FPS, which is less than half of the 173.7 FPS seen at 1080p Low. This suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 3840x2160. The card's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for lower presets, but the Ultra preset at 4K drops to just 34.5 FPS, showing that the card is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and maximum settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake-S architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The chip features a 25 MB shared L3 cache and uses a 10 nm process. Its synthetic benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28979 and a single-core score of 4091. The processor also achieves a Passmark multithread score of 34092 and a single-thread score of 3984.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is evident in the lower resolution results. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 173.7 FPS, which is a high frame rate that suggests the CPU is feeding the GPU adequately. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 2526, is likely a key factor in maintaining these high frame rates. The 12 cores and 20 threads also provide ample multi-threaded headroom for the game's engine, as indicated by the 3DMark max threads score of 9983.

However, the CPU is not the primary limiter in this configuration. The data shows that the frame rate scales more significantly with resolution and settings than with CPU-bound tasks. For instance, moving from 1080p High to 1440p High drops the average from 117.3 FPS to 82.7 FPS, a 34.6 FPS reduction. This is a GPU-driven change, as the CPU's workload remains relatively constant. The CPU's percentile rank of 89 versus the GPU's 58 further confirms that the processor is the stronger component in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 173.7 FPS on Low, 143.2 FPS on Medium, 117.3 FPS on High, and 73.5 FPS on Ultra. The transition from Low to Ultra represents a 100.2 FPS drop, which is a 57.7% reduction in performance.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 123.9 FPS on Low, 105.1 FPS on Medium, 82.7 FPS on High, and 50.8 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra here is 73.1 FPS, or 59%. This shows that the relative performance penalty for using Ultra settings is similar to 1080p, but the absolute frame rates are lower across the board.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 74.6 FPS on Low, 63.5 FPS on Medium, 52.7 FPS on High, and 34.5 FPS on Ultra. The Low to Ultra drop is 40.1 FPS, which is 53.8% of the Low value. Notably, even the 4K Low preset (74.6 FPS) is slower than the 1080p Ultra preset (73.5 FPS), indicating that resolution has a more significant impact on performance than settings in this game.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a steep penalty for increasing resolution. From 1080p to 1440p, the average frame rate on High drops from 117.3 FPS to 82.7 FPS, a 29.5% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, the High preset falls from 82.7 FPS to 52.7 FPS, a further 36.3% reduction. On Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic: 173.7 FPS at 1080p drops to 123.9 FPS at 1440p (a 28.7% decrease) and then to 74.6 FPS at 4K (a 39.8% decrease from 1440p).

This scaling pattern indicates that the limiting component changes with resolution. At 1080p, the high frame rates suggest the CPU is keeping pace, and the GPU is the primary constraint. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows exponentially due to the increased pixel count, and the frame rate drops accordingly. The 4K results, particularly the 34.5 FPS on Ultra, show that the RTX 2060 cannot sustain playable frame rates at this resolution with maximum settings. The GPU's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely insufficient for the data demands of 4K rendering in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset offers 143.2 FPS, which is a significant improvement over the 117.3 FPS on High while still providing better visuals than Low. The Ultra preset at 73.5 FPS is playable but represents a substantial performance cost for what is likely a marginal visual improvement.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, delivering 105.1 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience. The High preset at 82.7 FPS is also viable for users prioritizing visual fidelity, but the 22.4 FPS difference between Medium and High makes Medium the more balanced choice. The Ultra preset at 50.8 FPS is borderline, and users may notice stuttering.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset at 74.6 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset at 63.5 FPS is acceptable, but the High preset at 52.7 FPS and Ultra at 34.5 FPS are not recommended for a stable frame rate. Users with 4K displays should prioritize the Low or Medium presets to maintain playability. The data shows that the RTX 2060 is not well-suited for 4K Ultra in Downfall, and users should adjust their expectations accordingly.