Downfall

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

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a fundamentally GPU-limited experience in Downfall, with the 20-core CPU providing ample headroom while the integrated graphics engine struggles to maintain playable framerates at higher settings. The combo ranks 2589th out of 2928 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems, and the benchmark data confirms that this is a pairing where the Arc B390's 9th percentile standing among all GPUs dictates performance far more than the 94th percentile CPU. Across all twelve measured configurations, average framerates range from 20 FPS at 4K Ultra to 106 FPS at 1080p Low, with the GPU's system-shared memory and 80 W TDP creating a consistent ceiling that no CPU muscle can overcome.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K bottlenecking the Intel Arc B390 in Downfall?

A: No. The data shows this is a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits in the 9th percentile. At 1080p Low, where CPU load is typically highest, the system reaches 106 FPS, but framerates collapse to 20 FPS at 4K Ultra—a pattern that points squarely at the graphics solution as the limiting factor.

Q: What is the best-performing settings preset for this combo?

A: Low settings at 1080p produce the highest measured average at 106 FPS. Medium at 1080p delivers 87 FPS, High drops to 71 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44 FPS. At 1440p, Low is the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS, averaging 76 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems in Downfall?

A: It ranks 2589th out of 2928 total combinations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all tested configs. This low ranking aligns with the GPU's 9th percentile standing among all graphics cards.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B390's shared memory architecture impact performance?

A: The GPU uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth. This architecture, combined with the 300 MHz base and 2500 MHz boost clocks, results in a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which is within 2.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710's 1443 score.

Q: What is the difference between 1080p and 4K performance at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the combo averages 71 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 51 FPS. At 4K High, it falls to 32 FPS. The 39 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K represents a 55% reduction in average framerate.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable with this hardware?

A: No. The measured average is 20 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Even 4K Low only reaches 47 FPS, while 1440p Ultra manages 32 FPS.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU operates with a 300 MHz base clock and a 2500 MHz boost clock, producing a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines process the 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while 12 ray tracing cores handle dedicated RT workloads. The 3 nm Panther Lake chip with Xe3-LPG architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring full API compatibility with Downfall's rendering requirements.

The GPU's memory configuration is the most unusual aspect: it uses system-shared memory with a system-shared type, bus width, and system-dependent bandwidth. This means the Arc B390 has no dedicated VRAM pool, instead relying on the host system's memory subsystem. In Downfall, a horror title from 2016, this shared-memory approach introduces latency and bandwidth constraints that become more pronounced as resolution increases. The 80 W TDP and IGP slot width classify this as an integrated graphics solution, which explains why it competes with much older discrete GPUs in benchmark scores.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places the Arc B390 in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). These competitors are all entry-level or legacy parts, confirming that the Arc B390's raw graphics throughput sits at the very bottom of the current GPU landscape. The fact that this GPU is only 1.3% faster than a GT 520MX—a part that predates Downfall's 2016 release—contextualizes why the game's framerates are so constrained.

The GPU's FP16 performance of 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) suggests compute capability that exceeds its rasterization throughput, but this does not translate into gaming headroom. The 12 RT cores are present but underutilized in a title from this era. The clock behavior—300 MHz base to 2500 MHz boost—indicates a wide dynamic range, which can help in lighter scenes but cannot compensate for the fundamental bandwidth limitations of shared memory at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, with the GPU becoming the overwhelming bottleneck at 4K. At Low settings, the progression from 1080p to 1440p to 4K yields 106 FPS, 76 FPS, and 47 FPS respectively. The drop from 1080p to 1440p (30 FPS, or 28%) and from 1440p to 4K (29 FPS, or 38%) shows that the Arc B390's fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient to maintain even low-detail rendering at higher pixel counts.

The High preset tells a similar story with even sharper declines: 71 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at High is 55%, compared to 56% at Low. This consistency across settings indicates that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, not the complexity of the scene or the number of draw calls. The Medium preset, which includes min and max framerate data, shows 87 FPS average at 1080p (74 min, 100 max), 62 FPS at 1440p (53 min, 71 max), and 39 FPS at 4K (33 min, 44 max). The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, suggesting that at 4K the system is consistently pegged at the GPU's limit rather than varying with scene complexity.

The Ultra preset reveals the most severe scaling: 44 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Ultra result being less than half of 1080p Low (44 vs 106 FPS) indicates that the Arc B390's 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs are severely taxed by higher-detail effects. The 4K Ultra figure of 20 FPS is the lowest measured in the entire dataset, confirming that this combo cannot handle the game's maximum settings at any resolution above 720p-class workloads.

The resolution scaling pattern points to the shared-memory subsystem as the primary constraint. As pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, the demand on system memory bandwidth grows correspondingly, and the "System Dependent" bandwidth rating means the GPU must compete with CPU and other system processes for the same memory resources. The 20-core, 28-thread i7-14700K is not idle, and its memory access patterns can interfere with the GPU's needs, further degrading performance at high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its best results across all settings. Low averages 106 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset to exceed 100 FPS. Medium averages 87 FPS with a tight range of 74 to 100 FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing. High drops to 71 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra falls to 44 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less fluid. The 62 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p demonstrates the GPU's limited headroom for quality settings.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades significantly. Low averages 76 FPS, still comfortably above 60 FPS. Medium averages 62 FPS with a range of 53 to 71 FPS, meaning the system can dip below 60 FPS during demanding scenes. High averages 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. Ultra averages 32 FPS, which is marginal for a horror game where smooth movement matters for atmosphere and reaction time. The Medium preset's min of 53 FPS at 1440p shows that even mid-range settings cannot guarantee consistent 60 FPS performance.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles across the board. Low averages 47 FPS, barely half of the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 39 FPS with a range of 33 to 44 FPS, meaning the system never reaches 45 FPS even at peak. High averages 32 FPS, dipping into the low 30s. Ultra averages 20 FPS, which is effectively unplayable for a genre that relies on tension and timing. The 4K results show only one configuration (Low at 47 FPS) that approaches playability, and even that is below the 60 FPS standard.

The Medium preset is the only settings level that includes min and max framerate data across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the 74-100 FPS range spans 26 FPS, showing significant variance. At 1440p, the 53-71 FPS range narrows to 18 FPS. At 4K, the 33-44 FPS range narrows further to 11 FPS. This tightening of the framerate window at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is so thoroughly saturated at 4K that scene complexity has little impact—every scene hits the same performance ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2589th out of 2928 tested combinations in Downfall, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems. This ranking is entirely consistent with the GPU's 9th percentile standing among all graphics cards, while the CPU's 94th percentile ranking is effectively irrelevant to the outcome. The data shows a clear hierarchy: the Arc B390's 1482 3DMark Steel Nomad score places it in the company of decade-old entry-level GPUs, and the i7-14700K's substantial compute power (33440.5 in Cinebench R23 multicore) cannot boost the gaming experience.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database—AMD EPYC 9115 (0.1% faster), Ryzen 9 7950X (0.2% faster), Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.7% faster), and Ryzen 7 9700F (0.9% faster)—all have near-identical average benchmark scores, confirming that this CPU is competitive with top-tier alternatives. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking and 69355 average benchmark score place it firmly in the high-end category. Yet the combo's 2589th rank in Downfall shows that CPU strength has no bearing on this game's performance when paired with such a weak GPU.

The GPU's nearest rivals—GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710—are all legacy or ultra-low-end parts. The Arc B390's 1.3% advantage over the GT 520MX is within the margin of benchmark variance, meaning this "current" Intel part performs essentially identically to a GPU that was low-end when Downfall released in 2016. This context explains why the combo sits so low in the rankings: the GPU is competing with parts from a completely different era of graphics hardware.

The rank of 2589 out of 2928 means that only 339 tested combos perform worse in Downfall. Given that the dataset includes a wide range of CPUs and GPUs, this bottom-12% placement indicates that nearly 89% of tested systems deliver better framerates in this title. The i7-14700K's inclusion in this low-performing combo confirms the GPU's dominance as the performance limiter—a faster CPU would not meaningfully change the outcome.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gameplay, Low settings at 106 FPS provide the smoothest experience, but Medium at 87 FPS offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset's 74 FPS minimum still clears the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring consistent frame delivery. High at 71 FPS is acceptable if visual fidelity is a priority, but Ultra at 44 FPS introduces noticeable stutter and is not recommended for a game that benefits from responsive controls.

At 1440p, Low settings at 76 FPS are the only configuration that maintains 60+ FPS average performance. Medium at 62 FPS is technically above the threshold, but the 53 FPS minimum means the system will visibly drop below 60 FPS during intense scenes. High at 51 FPS and Ultra at 32 FPS are both below the playability standard and should be avoided. For 1440p owners, Low is the only sensible choice, with Medium as a compromise that accepts occasional framerate dips.

At 4K, no settings preset achieves 60 FPS. Low at 47 FPS is the best available option but still falls short of smooth gameplay. Medium at 39 FPS and High at 32 FPS offer diminishing visual returns for significant performance losses. Ultra at 20 FPS is unplayable. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Downfall, and even 1440p requires Low settings for a consistently smooth experience.

The overall recommendation is to run Downfall at 1080p with Medium settings, which delivers 87 FPS average with a 74-100 FPS range. This configuration provides the best ratio of visual quality to performance, keeping the game above 60 FPS even in the worst-case measured frame. Users with 1440p displays should drop to Low settings (76 FPS) rather than compromising with Medium's sub-60 FPS minimums. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely at all resolutions, as the 44 FPS at 1080p represents a 59% performance penalty over Medium with marginal visual improvements. For players who prioritize framerate above all else, 1080p Low at 106 FPS is the only configuration that approaches high-refresh-rate territory.