Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core i7-14700F + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a striking split personality in Downfall, a horror title from 2016. The processor is a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake-R part with a 2.10 GHz base clock and 5.40 GHz boost clock, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs tested. The GPU, however, is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a 300 MHz base and 2500 MHz boost clock, landing in just the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This combination ranks 2589th out of 2928 tested combos in this game, which tells a story of a CPU that is wildly overqualified for the task while the GPU struggles to keep pace. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal exactly where the bottleneck lives and what players can expect from this unusual pairing.

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

The Intel Core i7-14700F brings substantial compute resources to Downfall, with 20 cores and 28 threads operating at a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This is a desktop-class processor built on Intel's 10 nm process with a 65 W TDP, featuring 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor's benchmark scores reinforce its high-end positioning: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958, while Geekbench results show 19620 multi-core and 2429 single-core. Passmark multithread performance reaches 41317, with single-thread at 4257.

In the context of Downfall, a horror game from 2016, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls, handle game logic, and manage the AI and physics systems typical of the genre. The 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs means this processor is in the top tier of what the benchmark database has measured. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Xeon 6505P at 53701 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 at 53469 (0.3% behind), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X at 53288 (0.6% behind), and the AMD EPYC 7313P at 53206 (0.8% behind). The i7-14700F's average benchmark score of 53620 places it in close competition with server and workstation parts, indicating that its multi-threaded capabilities are exceptional.

However, the measured FPS data in Downfall suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution or setting. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 106 FPS average, which is the highest measured result across the entire dataset. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 20 FPS, a collapse that cannot be attributed to CPU performance given the processor's massive headroom. The game is from 2016, and modern horror titles of that era typically do not scale well beyond a handful of threads. The 20-core, 28-thread configuration is far more than Downfall can utilize, meaning the CPU sits largely idle while the GPU determines frame rates. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures that even single-threaded game logic runs with minimal latency, but this advantage is moot when the integrated GPU cannot render frames quickly enough to benefit.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Downfall, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS measured is 106 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only result exceeding 100 FPS in the entire dataset.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 53620. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6505P, scores 53701, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is 0.6% behind at 53288, and the AMD EPYC 7313P is 0.8% behind at 53206.

Q: Does the GPU's benchmark percentile suggest it can handle modern gaming loads?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% higher delta), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% higher), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% higher). This indicates entry-level integrated graphics performance.

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

A: The combo ranks 2589th out of 2928 total tested combinations, placing it in the bottom portion of the database for this specific game.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded, and under what conditions?

A: The lowest average FPS is 20 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This represents a 81% drop from the highest measured average of 106 FPS.

Q: What memory types does the CPU support, and does the GPU use dedicated VRAM?

A: The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The GPU uses System Shared memory, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM; the memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as System Shared, with bandwidth described as System Dependent.

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

The resolution scaling pattern in Downfall reveals a GPU-bound scenario with stark clarity. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 produces consistent and predictable frame rate drops across all settings, which is the signature of a graphics-limited system. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 106 at 1080p to 76 at 1440p to 47 at 4K. That is a 28.3% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 38.2% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear — the pixel count increases by 77.8% from 1080p to 1440p, and the FPS drops by 28.3%, while the pixel count increases by 125% from 1440p to 4K, and the FPS drops by 38.2%. This suggests the GPU is hitting memory bandwidth or shading unit limits that become more pronounced at higher resolutions.

At High settings, the progression is 71 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 28.2% and 37.3% respectively, closely mirroring the Low setting pattern. Medium settings show 87 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K, with drops of 28.7% and 37.1%. Ultra settings show 44 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K, with drops of 27.3% and 37.5%. The consistency of these percentage drops across all four settings is remarkable — each resolution step produces nearly identical relative degradation regardless of quality preset. This uniformity indicates that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the sole bottleneck, and the CPU's performance is irrelevant to frame pacing at every tested configuration.

The fact that the CPU holds the 91st percentile ranking while the GPU sits at the 9th percentile makes the bottleneck attribution unambiguous. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between resolutions, since the CPU workload would be the same regardless of pixel count. Instead, the data shows a clear and consistent resolution-dependent scaling that points entirely to the Intel Arc B390's capabilities. The 4K Ultra result of 20 FPS average is essentially unplayable, while 1080p Low at 106 FPS is the only configuration that approaches smooth gameplay.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 106 FPS, which is the only triple-digit average in the dataset. Medium settings yield 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100. High settings drop to 71 FPS average. Ultra settings fall to 44 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 62 FPS, indicating that the settings slider has a substantial impact on this GPU.

At 2560x1440, all averages decrease significantly. Low settings achieve 76 FPS, Medium reaches 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 71, High drops to 51 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread narrows to 44 FPS, suggesting that at higher resolution, the GPU's raw throughput becomes more dominant and settings have relatively less influence.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal for playability. Low settings produce 47 FPS average, Medium reaches 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 and maximum of 44, High drops to 32 FPS, and Ultra falls to 20 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 27 FPS, the narrowest of all resolutions. This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily constrained that even lowering settings from Ultra to Low cannot recover enough performance to reach smooth frame rates — the improvement from 20 to 47 FPS is meaningful, but the absolute numbers remain low.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones that include minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 74 to 100 FPS, a 26 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 53 to 71 FPS, an 18 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the range is 33 to 44 FPS, an 11 FPS variance. The shrinking variance at higher resolutions suggests that frame time consistency improves as the GPU becomes more uniformly saturated, with less headroom for burst rendering.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo rank in Downfall is 2589 out of 2928 tested combinations. This places the Intel Core i7-14700F + Intel Arc B390 in the bottom 11.6% of all tested combos for this game. The context for this ranking is crucial: the CPU is a top-tier desktop processor with a 91st percentile ranking globally, while the GPU is a 9th percentile integrated graphics solution. The combination rank reflects the GPU's severe limitation, not the CPU's capability.

Within the database's tested combos, this pairing is closer to the bottom than the top, which is expected given that the Arc B390 is an integrated GPU with System Shared memory. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is only slightly above the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% higher), the GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% higher), and the GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% higher). These are all legacy or entry-level parts, and the Arc B390's performance class in Downfall aligns with that tier.

The rank of 2589 suggests that the majority of other tested combos achieve better results in this game, whether through discrete GPUs with dedicated VRAM or through more balanced pairings. The gap between the CPU's potential and the GPU's delivery is the defining characteristic of this combo. If the same CPU were paired with even a mid-range discrete GPU, the combo rank would likely be dramatically higher, but as tested, the integrated graphics bottleneck caps the experience at a level that is far below what the processor could support.

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

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience in Downfall with this combo depends heavily on the target resolution and the player's tolerance for frame rate variation. At 1920x1080, Low settings provide the only average above 100 FPS at 106, which is the smoothest result available. Medium settings at 87 FPS average with a minimum of 74 FPS is a strong alternative that offers better visual quality while maintaining playable frame rates. High at 71 FPS is acceptable, but Ultra at 44 FPS falls below the threshold where most players would consider the experience fluid.

At 2560x1440, Low settings at 76 FPS is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS average. Medium at 62 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 53 FPS that could result in noticeable stutter during intense horror sequences. High at 51 FPS and Ultra at 32 FPS are both below the 60 FPS target and would likely feel sluggish in a game that relies on atmosphere and tension.

At 3840x2160, no setting provides a consistently playable experience. Low at 47 FPS is the best average, but it is still below 60 FPS. Medium at 39 FPS, High at 32 FPS, and Ultra at 20 FPS are all suboptimal. For 4K, the data suggests that this combo is not suitable for Downfall at any quality level.

The recommendation that emerges from the data is to run Downfall at 1080p with Medium settings if visual fidelity matters, or Low settings if maximum smoothness is the priority. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a 87 FPS average with a 74 FPS minimum, which balances the game's horror atmosphere with responsive frame pacing. At 1440p, Low is the only sensible choice for maintaining frame rates above 60 FPS. At 4K, the user should either reduce resolution or accept that the experience will be below 50 FPS on average.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W and no power connectors required. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 render output units, and 12 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS and FP16 of 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1).

The most critical aspect of this GPU is its memory configuration: the memory size, type, and bus width are all listed as System Shared, with bandwidth described as System Dependent. This means the Arc B390 has no dedicated VRAM and relies on the system's main memory, which introduces latency and bandwidth constraints that are particularly punishing at high resolutions. In Downfall, the 4K Ultra result of 20 FPS average is consistent with an integrated GPU struggling to access texture and geometry data from shared system memory. The 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, confirms that this is an entry-level graphics solution.

The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark score include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% higher delta), the GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% higher), and the GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% higher). These comparisons place the Arc B390 in the company of legacy mobile and OEM parts, not modern gaming GPUs. The 2500 MHz boost clock is respectable on paper, but the integrated design and System Shared memory negate any clock speed advantage when dealing with the memory-intensive demands of a horror game with dynamic lighting and shadow effects.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution and setting. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking and 20-core configuration provide more than enough headroom, but the Arc B390's integrated nature and lack of dedicated VRAM cap the experience. The 106 FPS result at 1080p Low is the ceiling for this combo, and the 20 FPS at 4K Ultra represents the floor. Between these extremes, the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution and settings, but never reaches a level that would be considered high-end for a game from 2016. The data indicates that players seeking a smooth Downfall experience should pair this CPU with a discrete GPU, as the Arc B390's capabilities are simply insufficient for consistent high-refresh-rate play.