Downfall

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

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, specifically the Raptor Lake-R refresh. It operates at a base clock of 2.10 GHz and can boost up to 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, and it connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes. Its integrated graphics are listed as N/A, meaning the system relies entirely on the discrete GPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-14700F posts strong numbers: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958. Its Geekbench multi-core score is 19620, with a single-core score of 2429. The PassMark multithread score reaches 41317, and single-thread performance is 4257. The processor's average benchmark score is 53620, placing it in the 91st percentile among all CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, it sits within a tight band: the Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53701 (a -0.2% delta), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469 (+0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X scores 53288 (+0.6%), and the AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53206 (+0.8%). This indicates the i7-14700F is effectively in a dead heat with those high-end parts, with less than 1% separating them.

For Downfall, a horror title from 2016, the CPU's role is largely about feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates. The game is not particularly modern, so the i7-14700F's 20 cores and 28 threads are more than ample for its threading model. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 364 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work per frame. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz is critical here, as it ensures single-threaded game logic runs quickly. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 68 FPS, but that is driven by the GPU's workload, not the CPU. The data reveals a classic scaling pattern: as resolution increases, the CPU's headroom becomes less relevant, and the GPU takes over as the limiting component. The processor's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs reinforces that it is a top-tier part, fully capable of supporting the Radeon RX 7900 XTX in this title.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-14700F compare to its closest rivals in overall CPU performance?

A: The i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 53620, which is nearly identical to its nearest competitors. It trails the Intel Xeon 6505P by 0.2%, but beats the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 0.3%, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X by 0.6%, and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 0.8%. All four parts are within a 1% performance band.

*Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance, and why does it matter for Downfall?*

A: The i7-14700F scores 4958 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 4257 in PassMark single-thread. This strong single-thread performance is crucial for Downfall because the game's core logic often depends on a few fast threads. The 5.40 GHz boost clock ensures the CPU can process game instructions quickly, which is reflected in the high FPS at 1080p Low (364 FPS).

Q: Does the CPU's multi-core performance influence the game's frame rates?

A: The i7-14700F's multi-core scores are impressive (35122 in Cinebench R23, 41317 in PassMark multithread), but Downfall does not appear to be heavily multi-threaded. The data shows that frame rates scale with resolution and settings, not with core count. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 68 FPS, which is a GPU limitation, not a CPU one.

Q: How does the CPU's memory support affect performance in this benchmark?

A: The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, but the FACT PACK does not specify which memory type was used in the measured FPS tests. Therefore, no direct inference can be made about memory's impact on the results. The CPU's architecture and clocks are the primary factors in the scores shown.

Q: Is the i7-14700F a good match for the Radeon RX 7900 XTX based on the data?

A: Yes, the data indicates a balanced pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 364 FPS, showing the CPU can push the GPU to high frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the combo still manages 68 FPS, which is a playable level. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking suggests it is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU in most scenarios.

Q: What is the CPU's launch MSRP, and how does it affect its position?

A: The CPU has a launch MSRP of $359. This places it in a competitive segment, but the benchmark data does not include price-to-performance metrics. The focus here is solely on measured performance, which shows the i7-14700F performing on par with much more expensive server and high-end desktop parts.

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

The measured FPS data for Downfall with this combo shows a clear pattern of resolution scaling that shifts the bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU as pixel count increases. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 364 FPS, which is extremely high and suggests the CPU is doing most of the heavy lifting to feed the GPU. When resolution jumps to 1440p Low, the FPS drops to 260, a decrease of 104 FPS (about 28.6%). Moving to 4K Low, the FPS falls further to 162, another significant drop of 98 FPS (about 37.7% from 1440p). This scaling indicates that at lower settings, the GPU's rendering workload grows substantially with each resolution step, but the CPU is still able to keep up.

At Medium settings, the same trend holds. The 1080p Medium result is 298 FPS, which drops to 213 FPS at 1440p Medium (a 28.5% decrease) and then to 132 FPS at 4K Medium (a 38.0% decrease from 1440p). The High settings show a similar pattern: 244 FPS at 1080p, 175 FPS at 1440p (a 28.3% drop), and 109 FPS at 4K (a 37.7% drop). The Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 153 FPS at 1080p, 109 FPS at 1440p (a 28.8% drop), and 68 FPS at 4K (a 37.6% drop from 1440p). Across all settings, the percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistently around 28-29%, and from 1440p to 4K it is around 37-38%.

This consistent scaling pattern is telling. The fact that the FPS drops by roughly the same percentage regardless of settings suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance is sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity become the bottleneck. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX, with its 24 GB of GDDR6 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth, is a high-end card, but Downfall's rendering demands at 4K are enough to bring it down to 68 FPS at Ultra. The data shows that the i7-14700F is not holding back the GPU in this title; the frame rates are dictated by the resolution and settings, not by CPU core count or clock speed.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how the combo performs across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo delivers the highest frame rates. On Low settings, it averages 364 FPS. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 298 FPS, with a minimum of 253 FPS and a maximum of 343 FPS. High settings produce an average of 244 FPS, and Ultra settings reduce the average to 153 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 211 FPS, with Ultra delivering less than half of the Low preset's performance.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. Low settings average 260 FPS, a 104 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 213 FPS, with a minimum of 181 FPS and a maximum of 245 FPS. High settings average 175 FPS, and Ultra settings average 109 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 151 FPS, with Ultra delivering about 41.9% of the Low preset's frame rate. This indicates that Ultra settings at 1440p are still playable, but the GPU is working much harder.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the frame rates become more modest. Low settings average 162 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. Medium settings average 132 FPS, with a minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 152 FPS. High settings average 109 FPS, and Ultra settings average 68 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 94 FPS, with Ultra delivering just 42.0% of the Low preset's performance. The minimum FPS recorded in the entire dataset is 113 FPS at 4K Medium, which indicates the combo maintains a playable frame rate even under load.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset shows the tightest FPS ranges where data is available. At 1080p Medium, the range is 253 to 343 FPS (a 90 FPS spread). At 1440p Medium, the range is 181 to 245 FPS (a 64 FPS spread). At 4K Medium, the range is 113 to 152 FPS (a 39 FPS spread). This narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU's consistent workload reduces frame time variance, making the experience more stable at 4K Medium compared to 1080p Medium.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 524th out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places the combo in the top 14.1% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing given the large pool of hardware combinations. The rank of 524 means there are 523 other combos that achieve higher average FPS across the measured scenarios, likely including setups with more powerful GPUs or CPUs that are better optimized for this specific title.

Given that the GPU is end-of-life and the CPU was released in early 2024, this ranking reflects a balanced but not top-tier system. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX has an average benchmark score of 19410, placing it in the 64th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB (score 19334, deltaPct 0.4%), the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 (score 19602, deltaPct -1%), the AMD FirePro D300 (score 19637, deltaPct -1.2%), and the NVIDIA TITAN Xp (score 19177, deltaPct 1.2%). These rivals are all within 1.2% of the RX 7900 XTX's average score, which is unusual for a GPU with such a high-end specification. This suggests that the RX 7900 XTX's synthetic benchmark performance is not directly translating to dominance in Downfall, possibly due to driver maturity or game-specific optimizations.

The combo's rank of 524 out of 3716 is respectable, but it indicates that several other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher FPS in this game. The data does not specify which combos rank higher, but the implication is that the RX 7900 XTX, despite its 64th percentile GPU ranking, is not the top performer in Downfall. The i7-14700F's 91st percentile CPU ranking is stronger, but the overall combo rank suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. For context, the combo's rank is in the 85.9th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of systems but falls short of the elite tier. This is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows strong performance at 1080p and 1440p but more modest results at 4K Ultra.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and the desired balance between visual quality and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the data shows that even Ultra settings deliver an average of 153 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. However, the Medium preset offers 298 FPS, which is nearly double the Ultra frame rate, with a minimum of 253 FPS ensuring no drops below 60 FPS. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play at 1080p, Medium is the best choice because it provides a massive FPS boost while maintaining a reasonable visual compromise. Low settings at 364 FPS are unnecessary unless the user has a 360 Hz monitor, but Medium offers a better visual experience without sacrificing fluidity.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 175 FPS, which is excellent for most gaming monitors. The Ultra preset drops to 109 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant 37.7% reduction in frame rate compared to High. The Medium preset at 213 FPS is the standout option here, as it delivers a minimum of 181 FPS and a maximum of 245 FPS, ensuring both high average and consistent frame times. For users with a 144 Hz monitor, Medium is the recommended preset because it provides a comfortable margin above the refresh rate, while High is also viable if visual fidelity is prioritized. Ultra at 1440p is not recommended due to the steep FPS penalty relative to High.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Ultra preset averages just 68 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS minimum for smooth play but may suffer from occasional dips. The High preset at 109 FPS is the best balance at 4K, providing a substantial improvement over Ultra while still looking good. The Medium preset at 132 FPS is the highest average at 4K that maintains visual quality, with a minimum of 113 FPS ensuring no stutter. For 4K gaming, the High preset is recommended as the sweet spot, as it offers a 60.3% FPS increase over Ultra (109 vs 68 FPS) while sacrificing only the highest-quality shadows and effects. The Low preset at 162 FPS is technically the fastest at 4K, but it undermines the point of playing at 4K, which is visual detail.

Overall, the data suggests that Medium is the best all-around preset for this combo at 1080p and 1440p, while High is the optimal choice at 4K. The Ultra preset is only recommended for users who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over frame rate, and even then, the 4K Ultra result of 68 FPS is the only scenario where the combo falls below the 100 FPS mark. For the best experience, the data points to Medium at 1080p (298 FPS), Medium at 1440p (213 FPS), and High at 4K (109 FPS) as the presets that deliver the highest frame rates without excessively compromising quality.