Downfall

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread Raptor Lake-S desktop processor with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Built on Intel's 10 nm process with a 125 W TDP, this CPU sits in the 93rd percentile against all tested processors, indicating that its raw computational capacity is well above the median. In synthetic multi-threaded workloads, the chip posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505, while PassMark's multithread test yields 45887 and single-thread 4333. Those figures place it in the upper tier of desktop CPUs, with its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scoring 47334 on average — a delta of only -0.1%, effectively a statistical tie. The AMD EPYC 4364P trails by 0.3%, and the Intel Core i9-12900F is 0.4% behind, while the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 leads by 0.5%.

For a horror title like Downfall, which launched in 2016, the CPU's role in the measured frame rates is largely one of ensuring the GPU is never the bottleneck at lower resolutions. The 13700K's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) provide ample bandwidth for feeding the graphics card. At 1080p, where the GTX 1070 is more likely to be the limiting factor, the CPU's high single-thread performance — evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2850 — keeps draw-call processing and game logic well ahead of the GPU's rendering pace. The data shows that the CPU's 3DMark scores scale nearly linearly with thread count: 2262 at 2 threads, 4469 at 4 threads, 8193 at 8 threads, 10717 at 16 threads, and 12412 at max threads. This scaling pattern indicates that the processor's hybrid architecture delivers consistent throughput gains as more cores are engaged, which is relevant for newer titles that leverage many threads, though Downfall's age means it likely relies more on single-core strength.

The 13700K's boost clock of 5.40 GHz is particularly relevant for frame pacing in a horror game, where sudden scene changes and lighting effects can create transient CPU load spikes. With a PassMark find prime numbers score of 191 and integer math score of 154446, the CPU's arithmetic throughput is substantial, yet these figures do not directly translate to FPS in a GPU-bound scenario. Instead, the measured FPS data across resolutions reveals that the combo's performance is dictated by the GeForce GTX 1070's capabilities, not the CPU's. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking versus all CPUs, combined with the GPU's 51st percentile ranking versus all GPUs, suggests a significant imbalance in this pairing — the processor is far more capable than the graphics card, which means the GPU will saturate before the CPU does in most scenarios. This is confirmed by the FPS data, where the frame rates drop consistently with resolution increases, a hallmark of GPU limitation.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-13700K compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The 13700K's average benchmark score is 47282, placing it 0.1% behind the Intel Core i7-13700KF (47334), 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4364P (47131), and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900F (47081). The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 leads by 0.5% with a score of 47527. These deltas are within noise for most workloads.

Q: What is the GTX 1070's standing among all GPUs, and who are its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1070 ranks in the 51st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, which scores 12241 (0.7% behind), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (12490), GTX 1650 SUPER (12504), and Tesla K20Xm (12547) are 1.3%, 1.4%, and 1.7% ahead, respectively.

Q: Does the CPU's 16-core configuration benefit Downfall specifically?

A: The benchmark data does not indicate that Downfall utilizes many cores; the FPS results are more consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The CPU's single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core 5505, Geekbench single-core 2850) is strong, but the game's frame rates scale with resolution and settings in a pattern typical of a graphics-limited title, not a CPU-limited one.

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

A: The combo ranks 1449 out of 1741 tested combinations in Downfall, placing it in the lower portion of the field. This ranking reflects the GTX 1070's mid-tier standing rather than the CPU's high-end capability, as the GPU is the performance limiter in this pairing.

Q: What is the GTX 1070's memory configuration, and how does it affect performance?

A: The GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). This bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K Ultra settings, the 27.9 FPS average suggests the memory subsystem and GPU compute are overwhelmed.

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 consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is the definitive signature of a GPU-bound configuration. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 107.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 75.7 FPS, a reduction of 29.5% — this substantial fall indicates that the GTX 1070's pixel throughput is being taxed heavily. At 4K High, the average is 50.1 FPS, which is 53.3% lower than the 1080p High result. This scaling is far steeper than what would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor, because the 13700K's compute resources do not degrade with resolution.

The Low settings data reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 154.9 FPS, which drops to 114.2 FPS at 1440p Low (a 26.3% decline) and 70.5 FPS at 4K Low (a 54.5% decline from 1080p Low). The fact that even at the lowest settings, 4K cannot maintain 72 FPS strongly suggests that the GPU's 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 107.7 GPixel/s pixel rate are the binding constraints. The GTX 1070's 1920 shading units and 64 ROPs are simply not enough to fill 4K frames at high rates, regardless of the CPU's headroom.

Ultra settings tell an even more telling story. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 68.9, which is 35.8% lower than High at the same resolution. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 46.1 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 27.9 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 4K Ultra is 59.5%, which is proportionally similar to the drops seen at other settings, confirming that the GPU's workload scales with pixel count in a linear fashion. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is not exhibiting any resolution-dependent behavior — its 3DMark scores remain constant regardless of display output.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the combo is still primarily GPU-limited, albeit with more headroom. The jump from 154.9 FPS at Low to 68.9 FPS at Ultra (a 55.5% drop) at 1080p shows that the GPU's shading and texture units are the bottleneck, not the CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock. The 13700K's PassMark physics score of 2716 and floating point math score of 114867 are more than adequate for a 2016 horror title, so the frame rate ceiling is firmly set by the GTX 1070's Pascal architecture. The 4K results, where even Low settings produce only 70.5 FPS, make it clear that this pairing is not suited for 4K gaming above 60 FPS in most scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the benchmark database for Downfall, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1449 out of 1741 tested combos. This placement, in the 16.8th percentile of all configurations, is a direct consequence of the GPU's mid-range standing. The CPU's 93rd percentile rank among all processors is not reflected in this game's results because the frame rates are governed by the GTX 1070, which sits at the 51st percentile of all GPUs. The pairing creates a situation where a top-tier CPU is shackled to a mid-tier GPU, and the measured FPS data reflects the GPU's limitations rather than the CPU's potential.

The rank of 1449 means that 292 tested combos performed worse, while 1448 performed better in Downfall. This is a below-median result, but it is important to contextualize that the CPU is not the reason for the mediocre standing. The GTX 1070's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the Quadro K4200, GTX 880M, GTX 1650 SUPER, and Tesla K20Xm — all score within 1.7% of the 1070's average, which shows that the GPU is clustered with other mid-tier cards. The combo's rank in Downfall is therefore indicative of the GPU's class, not the CPU's.

When compared to other combos that might use the same CPU with a more powerful GPU, the 13700K's headroom is evident. The CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 12412 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 suggest that it could support much higher frame rates if paired with a faster graphics card. However, in this specific configuration, the data shows that the combo's rank is bounded by the GPU's 107.7 GPixel/s pixel rate and 6.463 TFLOPS FP32 throughput. The 1741 total combos include a wide range of hardware pairings, and this one's 1449th position places it firmly in the lower half, which is consistent with a GPU that was released in 2016 and is now end-of-life.

The practical implication of this rank is that users seeking higher frame rates in Downfall would need to upgrade the GPU, not the CPU. The 13700K is already in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals — the 13700KF, EPYC 4364P, i9-12900F, and Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 — all produce nearly identical average scores (within 0.5% of each other). This tells us that the CPU has no meaningful headroom to gain in this game, and the measured FPS is entirely a function of the GTX 1070's capabilities.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance, with the lowest settings producing the highest frame rates. At Low settings, the average FPS is 154.9, which is a playable and smooth experience for a horror title. Medium settings yield 127.8 FPS, representing a 17.5% drop from Low. High settings bring the average down to 107.4 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 68.9 FPS — a 55.5% reduction from Low. The spread from 154.9 to 68.9 FPS across settings at 1080p demonstrates that the GTX 1070's 1920 shading units are heavily taxed by the Ultra preset's additional graphical features, but even the lowest result remains above 60 FPS, making 1080p the most viable resolution for this combo.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are more pronounced. Low settings average 114.2 FPS, which is 26.3% lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium settings produce 88.8 FPS, a 30.5% drop from Low at the same resolution. High settings average 75.7 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 46.1 FPS. The 1440p results show that the GTX 1070's 256.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 202.0 GTexel/s texture rate are sufficient for Low and Medium settings, but the Ultra preset's demands push the GPU below the 60 FPS threshold. The 114.2 FPS at Low is still competitive, but the 46.1 FPS at Ultra indicates that 1440p Ultra is not a playable configuration for this combo.

At 3840x2160, the combo's limitations become stark. Low settings average 70.5 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS mark but represents a 54.5% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings produce 58.5 FPS, High settings average 50.1 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 27.9 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is a 81.9% reduction from 1080p Low, and even the best 4K result (Low at 70.5 FPS) is marginal for smooth gameplay. The data shows that 4K is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the frame rate is close to the edge of playability. The 27.9 FPS at Ultra is effectively unplayable for a horror game that relies on smooth motion for atmosphere.

The overall pattern across all resolutions and settings is consistent: the GTX 1070 is the limiting component, and the 13700K's processing power is never the constraint. The highest measured FPS in the entire dataset is 154.9 at 1080p Low, and the lowest is 27.9 at 4K Ultra. The CPU's benchmark scores, which are in the 93rd percentile, do not translate into proportional FPS gains because the GPU's 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the ceiling. For users of this combo, the data suggests that 1080p with High or Medium settings provides the best balance, while 4K should be avoided except at Low settings. The 1440p results offer a middle ground, with Medium settings delivering 88.8 FPS, which is a playable experience for most users.