Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces the top-ranked measured performance in Downfall, securing the #1 position out of 2,928 tested combinations. This pairing delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all resolutions and settings, with the data showing a clear pattern of GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions and CPU-bound behavior at 1080p. The following analysis breaks down how each component contributes to the observed results, what settings provide the best experience, and how the combination scales across resolutions.

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boosts up to 5.40 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The processor features a substantial cache hierarchy: 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support includes both DDR4 and DDR5, operating on a dual-channel memory bus, with ECC support enabled.

In the context of Downfall, a horror title from 2016, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with enough draw calls and game logic updates to maintain high frame rates. The processor's single-thread performance is strong, as indicated by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,136 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,529. Multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a 3DMark max-threads score of 12,412 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30,745. These scores place the CPU at the 89th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46,881.

Looking at the nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46,971 (0.2% higher), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47,022 (0.3% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46,654 (0.5% lower), and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46,653 (0.5% lower). The i7-13700K essentially trades blows with these competitors, showing no meaningful advantage or disadvantage in aggregate benchmarks. However, in Downfall specifically, the CPU's high boost clock of 5.40 GHz proves beneficial, as the game's measured frame rates at 1080p Low reach 482 FPS, suggesting the CPU can process frames rapidly when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

The data reveals that at lower resolutions, the CPU becomes more relevant. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combination achieves 482 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all tested configurations. As resolution increases to 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, the frame rates drop, indicating that the GPU's workload grows faster than the CPU's ability to feed it. This pattern is typical for a game where the CPU has ample headroom, and the 16 cores and 24 threads provide more than enough processing power for a title released in 2016.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship graphics card from the GeForce 50-series, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The card houses 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units, along with 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores.

In Downfall, the GPU's massive memory capacity and bandwidth are not fully utilized, as the game is not graphically demanding by modern standards. However, the raw compute power of the RTX 5090 D ensures that even at 4K Ultra settings, the combination maintains an average of 90 FPS. The GPU's performance percentile stands at 92 among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, 1.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, 1.6% lower), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396, 2.1% lower) and 16 GB variants (79,605, 2.4% lower). The RTX 5090 D sits slightly below these rivals in average benchmark score, but in Downfall's measured FPS, it clearly excels.

The GPU's 32 GB VRAM is far more than Downfall requires, but the high memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s contributes to the card's ability to maintain high frame rates across all settings. At 4K Ultra, the combination still delivers 90 FPS, which is a playable rate for a horror game where atmosphere matters more than competitive frame rates. The boost clock of 2407 MHz ensures that the GPU can sustain high throughput, and the pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s provide ample fill rate for the game's rendering demands. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K, where frame rates drop significantly compared to 1080p, but the absolute numbers remain impressive.

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

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for this combination. At every resolution, the Medium preset delivers a strong balance between visual quality and performance, with the added benefit of recorded minimum and maximum FPS values that indicate frame time consistency. At 1920x1080, Medium achieves an average of 395 FPS with a minimum of 335 FPS and a maximum of 454 FPS. At 2560x1440, Medium yields 282 FPS average with a range of 240 to 324 FPS. At 3840x2160, Medium produces 175 FPS average with a range of 149 to 202 FPS.

The High preset at 1080p delivers 324 FPS average, which is 71 FPS lower than Medium but still exceptionally smooth. At 1440p, High drops to 231 FPS, a 51 FPS reduction from Medium. At 4K, High falls to 144 FPS, which is 31 FPS below Medium. The Ultra preset, while offering the highest visual fidelity, shows the most significant performance cost: 202 FPS at 1080p, 144 FPS at 1440p, and only 90 FPS at 4K. The Low preset provides the highest frame rates — 482 FPS at 1080p, 345 FPS at 1440p, and 214 FPS at 4K — but sacrifices visual quality.

For the best experience per the measured rows, Medium is the recommended preset. The data shows that Medium at 4K still achieves 175 FPS average, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, while providing better visual quality than Low. The minimum FPS values recorded for Medium (149 at 4K, 240 at 1440p, 335 at 1080p) indicate that the combination maintains consistency without significant frame drops. High is a viable alternative for those prioritizing visual fidelity, but the 31 FPS difference between High and Medium at 4K suggests that Medium offers a better performance-to-quality trade-off. Ultra, while playable, dips to 90 FPS at 4K, which may be less desirable for a smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination in Downfall?

A: The highest average FPS is 482, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The next highest is 395 FPS at 1080p with Medium settings, followed by 345 FPS at 1440p with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, scores 76,904 (1.1% higher), while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (1.6% lower). The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and 16 GB score 79,396 (2.1% lower) and 79,605 (2.4% lower), respectively.

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

A: This combination ranks #1 out of 2,928 tested combos in Downfall, making it the top-performing pairing in the database for this game.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU become the limiting factor at higher resolutions?

A: The data shows that frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the combination hits 482 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 214 FPS. This suggests the GPU's workload scales with resolution, while the CPU maintains sufficient performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for Medium settings at each resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, the minimum FPS is 335. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 240. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 149. These values indicate the frame rate consistency for the Medium preset across all resolutions.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop from 1080p to 4K for each settings preset?

A: For Low settings, the average drops from 482 FPS at 1080p to 214 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 268 FPS. For Medium, it drops from 395 FPS to 175 FPS, a reduction of 220 FPS. For High, it drops from 324 FPS to 144 FPS, a reduction of 180 FPS. For Ultra, it drops from 202 FPS to 90 FPS, a reduction of 112 FPS.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the combination achieves its highest frame rates across all settings: 482 FPS on Low, 395 FPS on Medium, 324 FPS on High, and 202 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop to 345 FPS on Low, 282 FPS on Medium, 231 FPS on High, and 144 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the frame rates fall further to 214 FPS on Low, 175 FPS on Medium, 144 FPS on High, and 90 FPS on Ultra.

The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial. For Low settings, the drop is from 482 to 214 FPS, a reduction of approximately 55.6%. For Medium, the drop is from 395 to 175 FPS, a reduction of approximately 55.7%. For High, the drop is from 324 to 144 FPS, a reduction of approximately 55.6%. For Ultra, the drop is from 202 to 90 FPS, a reduction of approximately 55.4%. This consistent reduction of roughly 55% across all settings indicates that the scaling is driven by the GPU's rendering workload, which increases with pixel count.

The data suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to push frame rates to 482 FPS on Low, but as resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities become the bottleneck. The RTX 5090 D's 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 4K, but the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160 (8.3 million) compared to 1920x1080 (2.1 million) imposes a heavier load. The consistent percentage drop across settings reinforces this interpretation — if the CPU were the limiting factor, the drop would be less uniform across different settings, as lower settings reduce GPU load but not CPU load.

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

The measured FPS data for this combination in Downfall is organized by resolution and settings preset. At 1920x1080, four settings presets were tested. Low settings produce an average FPS of 482. Medium settings produce an average FPS of 395, with a minimum of 335 and a maximum of 454. High settings produce an average FPS of 324. Ultra settings produce an average FPS of 202.

At 2560x1440, the same four presets were tested. Low settings produce an average FPS of 345. Medium settings produce an average FPS of 282, with a minimum of 240 and a maximum of 324. High settings produce an average FPS of 231. Ultra settings produce an average FPS of 144.

At 3840x2160, the presets were tested again. Low settings produce an average FPS of 214. Medium settings produce an average FPS of 175, with a minimum of 149 and a maximum of 202. High settings produce an average FPS of 144. Ultra settings produce an average FPS of 90.

The data shows that only the Medium preset includes minimum and maximum FPS values for each resolution, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range from 335 to 454 FPS indicates a spread of 119 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range from 240 to 324 FPS indicates a spread of 84 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range from 149 to 202 FPS indicates a spread of 53 FPS. This narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU's consistent workload reduces frame time variability, while at lower resolutions, the CPU can cause larger fluctuations in frame delivery.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This combination of Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks #1 out of 2,928 tested combos in Downfall. This top ranking is supported by the measured FPS data, which shows the combination achieving the highest frame rates at every resolution and settings preset. The ranking indicates that no other tested CPU-GPU pairing produces higher average FPS in this game.

The CPU's individual performance places it at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46,881. Its nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX, and Intel Xeon w3-2535 — all score within 0.5% of the i7-13700K, demonstrating that the CPU is not uniquely dominant in aggregate benchmarks. However, in Downfall, the CPU's high boost clock and strong single-thread performance contribute to the top ranking.

The GPU's individual performance places it at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals — the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, and NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants — score within 2.4% of the RTX 5090 D, showing that the GPU is competitive but not the absolute highest-scoring. Yet, in Downfall, the RTX 5090 D's combination of high memory bandwidth, large VRAM capacity, and high boost clock enables it to excel, contributing to the #1 combo ranking.

The #1 ranking out of 2,928 combos is a notable achievement, indicating that this pairing is the best-performing configuration tested for Downfall. The consistency of the ranking across all measured resolutions and settings reinforces the conclusion that both the CPU and GPU work well together in this game, with no single component bottlenecking the other to a degree that would drop the ranking.