Downfall

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

The measured FPS data for Downfall shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo of Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers 257 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 183 FPS, a reduction of approximately 29%. At 4K, the same Low preset yields 114 FPS, which is 44% lower than the 1440p result and 56% lower than the 1080p figure.

The Medium preset tells a similar story. At 1080p, the average is 210 FPS. At 1440p, it falls to 150 FPS, and at 4K it reaches 93 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs 60 FPS, while the step from 1440p to 4K costs another 57 FPS. This near-linear drop across resolutions indicates that the RTX 3070 is becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises, with the CPU having less influence at higher resolutions.

High settings follow the same trajectory: 172 FPS at 1080p, 123 FPS at 1440p, and 77 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 49 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 46 FPS. Again, the consistent reduction suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor, especially at 4K where the frame rate approaches the lower end of playable territory for a horror title.

Ultra settings present the most demanding scenario. At 1080p, the combo manages 108 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 77 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 48 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra figure, underscoring how heavily the RTX 3070 is taxed by the highest preset at maximum resolution. The data strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, while at 1080p the CPU may still be able to feed the graphics card adequately.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture, using the GA104 chip fabricated on Samsung's 8 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The memory operates at 1750 MHz, with an effective data rate of 14 Gbps. These memory specifications are directly relevant to Downfall's performance at higher resolutions and settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed as a base of 1500 MHz and a boost of 1725 MHz. With 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, the RTX 3070 delivers a pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute performance is rated at 20.31 TFLOPS, with FP16 matching that at 20.31 TFLOPS (1:1). These figures explain why the card can handle 1080p and 1440p with relative ease but struggles at 4K Ultra.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a notable factor in Downfall. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 48, and the data suggests that memory pressure may be contributing to the steep decline. The 1440p Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 127 and a maximum of 172, indicating that the GPU can maintain reasonable frame times when the memory bandwidth is not overwhelmed. In contrast, the 4K Medium preset shows a minimum of 79 FPS, which is a significantly wider spread from the 93 FPS average, hinting at occasional stutters likely tied to memory or bandwidth constraints.

The RTX 3070's benchmark scores place it in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT with an average score of 17083 (0.7% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 at 17037 (1% higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M at 17019 (1.1% higher). The NVIDIA Tesla K40c is slightly ahead at 17468, which is 1.5% higher. These margins are small, indicating that the RTX 3070 sits in a competitive performance band, but Downfall's results are more about the specific workload than the raw benchmark average.

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

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides substantial single-threaded and multi-threaded headroom for gaming workloads.

In terms of raw compute, the i7-12700KF scores 28838 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4071 in single-core. The Geekbench multi-core score is 14367, with a single-core score of 2255. The 3DMark results show a max-thread score of 9983 and a single-thread score of 1043. These numbers indicate that the CPU is far from being a bottleneck in Downfall, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is more likely to be the limiting factor.

The CPU's percentile ranking against all CPUs is 85, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-13700T with an average score of 35403 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core i5-13600T at 35305 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core 5 213PE at 35428 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i7-12700K at 35287 (0.2% higher). These deltas are negligible, meaning the i7-12700KF is effectively tied with those processors in synthetic benchmarks.

For Downfall specifically, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the combo achieves 257 FPS. At that setting, the GPU is not heavily taxed, and the CPU's strong single-thread performance helps maintain high frame rates. As resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the frame rates drop consistently, which implies that the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The CPU has 20 threads and a 5.00 GHz boost clock, which is more than sufficient for this horror title's demands.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1592 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the overall distribution, which may seem surprising given the individual component strengths. However, the ranking reflects the game's specific performance characteristics rather than the absolute power of the hardware.

The combo's rank of 1592 out of 3716 means it outperforms roughly 57% of all tested combinations. This is a solid result, but it is not near the top, likely because Downfall is a horror title that may not scale perfectly with high-end hardware. The fact that the RTX 3070 sits in the 61st percentile among GPUs and the i7-12700KF in the 85th percentile among CPUs suggests that the combo should be above average, which it is, but the game's engine may not fully utilize the CPU's multi-threading capabilities.

The measured FPS data supports this ranking. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 108 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. At 4K Ultra, the 48 FPS result is on the lower end of what many users would consider smooth. The rank of 1592 reflects these mid-tier outcomes, where the combo is capable but not dominant. The nearest rival CPUs in synthetic benchmarks (i7-13700T, i5-13600T, Core 5 213PE, i7-12700K) all have nearly identical average scores, so the ranking in Downfall is more influenced by the GPU and its memory configuration than by CPU differences.

FAQ

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

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 108 FPS.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 93, with a minimum of 79 and a maximum of 107.

Q: What is the highest FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The highest average FPS is 257, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest average FPS is 48, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest rival GPU in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, while the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 17083, which is 0.7% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 is 1% higher at 17037, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M is 1.1% higher at 17019.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in Downfall?

A: The combo ranks 1592 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

Starting with 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 257 FPS. The Medium preset averages 210 FPS, with a minimum of 179 and a maximum of 242. High settings average 172 FPS, and Ultra settings average 108 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the largest single drop occurring between High and Ultra, where the average falls by 64 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 183 FPS. Medium settings average 150 FPS, with a minimum of 127 and a maximum of 172. High settings average 123 FPS, and Ultra settings average 77 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 106 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 149 FPS drop seen at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 114 FPS. Medium settings average 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 and a maximum of 107. High settings average 77 FPS, and Ultra settings average 48 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 66 FPS, and the Ultra result of 48 FPS is the lowest in the entire dataset.

Comparing across resolutions for the same preset, the Medium setting is the only one with min and max values recorded for all three resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 179 FPS; at 1440p, it is 127 FPS; and at 4K, it is 79 FPS. The maximums follow the same descending pattern: 242 FPS at 1080p, 172 FPS at 1440p, and 107 FPS at 4K.

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

For users targeting a smooth experience at 1080p, the High preset at 172 FPS is a strong choice, as it provides a significant visual uplift over Medium (210 FPS) while still maintaining a frame rate far above the refresh rate of most monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 108 FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing returns for the performance cost.

At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 150 FPS with a minimum of 127, which is a reliable option for maintaining high frame rates without sacrificing too much visual quality. The High preset at 123 FPS is also viable, but the jump to Ultra at 77 FPS represents a substantial performance hit that may not be justified for the visual gains in a horror game where atmosphere matters more than fine detail.

At 4K, the Low preset at 114 FPS is the only setting that approaches a high-refresh experience. The Medium preset at 93 FPS is acceptable, with the minimum of 79 FPS indicating that occasional dips may occur. The High preset at 77 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 48 FPS is likely too low for smooth gameplay, especially in a genre where sudden movements and quick reactions are important.

The data suggests that the best balance of visual fidelity and performance is achieved at 1440p with Medium settings, given the 150 FPS average and the narrow spread between minimum (127) and maximum (172). For 4K users, Medium at 93 FPS is the recommended compromise, as it remains above 60 FPS while providing better visuals than Low. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K due to the 48 FPS average, and at 1440p it only offers 77 FPS, which is better served by High settings at 123 FPS.