Downfall

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 shows a predictable but steep scaling curve in Downfall. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops significantly across all settings, but the most dramatic collapse occurs when jumping to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 312.3 FPS; at 1440p Low, it falls to 225.9 FPS, and at 4K Low, it drops to 137.9 FPS. This represents a 56% reduction in frame rate from 1080p Low to 4K Low, indicating that the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor as pixel count rises. The CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads, with a 5.60 GHz boost clock, are ample for feeding frames at lower resolutions, but the RTX 4070’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 192-bit bus width start to show strain at higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern from Medium to Ultra settings further clarifies the bottleneck. At 1440p, the gap between Medium (181.6 FPS) and High (147.6 FPS) is 34 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra (91.6 FPS) is a massive 56 FPS. This nonlinear drop suggests that Ultra settings introduce effects that disproportionately tax the GPU’s 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs. At 4K, the pattern repeats but with lower absolute numbers: Medium hits 111.6 FPS, High drops to 94.7 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 59.3 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is barely above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the first setting where the combo fails to deliver a consistently smooth experience. The data strongly indicates that while the CPU handles 1080p and 1440p with headroom, the GPU’s 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth becomes a choke point at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling curve reveals a system that is CPU-bound at 1080p and progressively GPU-bound as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the 312.3 FPS result is extraordinarily high, suggesting the RTX 4070 is nowhere near its limits and the i7-14700K’s single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287) is driving frame generation efficiently. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 225.9 FPS, a 27.7% reduction, which is typical for a 77% increase in pixel count. However, at 4K Low, the drop to 137.9 FPS represents a 39% reduction from 1440p, which is steeper than the pixel count increase alone would suggest.

This non-linear scaling at 4K points to the GPU’s memory subsystem becoming a limiting factor. The RTX 4070’s 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for Low settings, but the 192-bit bus width and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are modest for a 4K workload. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at High settings (211.2 FPS vs 147.6 FPS) is a 30% drop, while the gap between 1440p High and 4K High (147.6 FPS vs 94.7 FPS) is a 35.8% drop. This widening delta confirms that the GPU’s fill rate and texture units (184 TMUs) are struggling to keep pace with the pixel count. For players targeting 4K, the data shows that even High settings will not maintain a locked 100 FPS, with the 94.7 FPS average leaving little headroom for demanding scenes in this horror title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 436th out of 1741 tested combos for Downfall, placing it in the top 25% of all configurations. This ranking reflects a strong pairing, but it is not exceptional. The i7-14700K itself sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70074, while the RTX 4070 is in the 81st percentile of GPUs, with an average score of 37283. The disparity between the CPU’s high percentile and the GPU’s lower percentile suggests that the processor is capable of driving a more powerful graphics card in this title.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the i7-14700K’s average score of 70074 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-14700KF at 70104 (a 0% delta), indicating that the integrated UHD Graphics 770 has no impact on gaming performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420, which is only 0.5% higher, while the AMD EPYC 9115 trails by 0.3% at 69887. These tiny deltas mean that the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo’s rank. For the GPU, the RTX 4070’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37507, just 0.6% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A is 1.9% higher at 38008, and the RTX 4080 Mobile is 2.2% higher at 38135. These marginal differences in synthetic benchmarks translate to the RTX 4070 being a mid-pack performer, which is consistent with its 81st percentile ranking.

The combo’s rank of 436 suggests that many configurations with higher-end GPUs (like the RTX 4080 or 4090) or more balanced pairings outperform it. However, the i7-14700K’s 20-core, 28-thread configuration, which scores 44534 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, ensures that the system does not become CPU-limited even at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 300 FPS. The rank is respectable but indicates that for Downfall, the GPU is the constraining factor, and users could see better results with a more powerful graphics card.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, but the sweet spot is High, which delivers 211.2 FPS. This is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor, and the jump from High to Ultra (130.7 FPS) costs 80.5 FPS, a 38% performance hit that is unlikely to be worth the visual gains in a horror game where atmosphere matters more than pixel-perfect detail. Low (312.3 FPS) and Medium (255.2 FPS) are excessive for most displays, though competitive players might prefer them for maximum responsiveness.

At 2560x1440, Medium is the recommended preset, delivering 181.6 FPS. High is also viable at 147.6 FPS, but Ultra drops to 91.6 FPS, which is below the 100 FPS threshold that many players consider the floor for smooth gameplay. The data shows that the gap between High and Ultra at 1440p is 56 FPS, making Ultra a poor trade-off. For 4K, the situation is more constrained. High settings at 94.7 FPS are the best balance, as Ultra at 59.3 FPS risks dipping below 60 FPS during intense scenes. Medium at 111.6 FPS is also acceptable, but High provides a better visual experience while staying above 90 FPS. Low at 137.9 FPS is playable but sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a horror title that relies on lighting and shadows.

The recommendation is to use High settings for 1080p and 1440p, and High for 4K as well, unless the player has a G-Sync display that can handle the 59.3 FPS Ultra result. The 4K Ultra figure of 59.3 FPS is the only measured result below 60 FPS, making it the sole setting where the combo fails to deliver a consistently smooth experience. Players prioritizing frame rate over visuals should choose Medium at 4K, which offers a 17.8% improvement over High.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete FPS breakdown shows a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 312.3 FPS, Medium 255.2 FPS, High 211.2 FPS, and Ultra 130.7 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 57.1 FPS (18.3%), from Medium to High is 44 FPS (17.2%), and from High to Ultra is 80.5 FPS (38.1%). This last drop is the largest single-step penalty, indicating that Ultra settings introduce effects that heavily tax the GPU’s pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 225.9 FPS, Medium 181.6 FPS, High 147.6 FPS, and Ultra 91.6 FPS. The relative drops are more pronounced than at 1080p. Low to Medium is a 44.3 FPS reduction (19.6%), Medium to High is 34 FPS (18.7%), and High to Ultra is 56 FPS (37.9%). The High to Ultra penalty remains consistent at around 38%, suggesting that the same visual feature is causing the bottleneck regardless of resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 137.9 FPS, Medium 111.6 FPS, High 94.7 FPS, and Ultra 59.3 FPS. The absolute gaps are smaller, but the percentage drops are similar: Low to Medium is 26.3 FPS (19.1%), Medium to High is 16.9 FPS (15.1%), and High to Ultra is 35.4 FPS (37.4%). The 4K Ultra result of 59.3 FPS is notable because it is the only sub-60 FPS figure in the entire dataset. The data shows that the RTX 4070 can handle 4K High with a 94.7 FPS average, but Ultra settings push it over the edge.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 plays a central role in determining the performance ceiling for this combo, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node from TSMC, featuring 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. Its boost clock runs at 2475 MHz, which is relatively high for a mid-range card, and this helps explain the strong 1080p performance where the card can stretch its legs. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory operates at 21 Gbps effective, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth across a 192-bit bus.

This memory configuration is the key limitation at 4K. The 192-bit bus width is narrow compared to higher-end cards, and the 12 GB VRAM capacity, while adequate for Downfall, does not provide the headroom needed for Ultra settings at 4K. The 59.3 FPS result at 4K Ultra suggests that the GPU is running out of memory bandwidth, as the texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s are not sufficient to maintain higher frame rates with full detail settings. The card’s FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS is respectable, but the 64 ROPs are a bottleneck for fill-rate-heavy workloads like 4K Ultra.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmarks reinforce this picture. Its Passmark G3D score of 26927 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3854 place it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, but its nearest rivals include older cards like the RX Vega 56 and mobile parts like the RTX 4080 Mobile. The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score of 37283 is within 2.5% of these rivals, indicating that it is not a standout performer. In Downfall, the GPU’s role is clear: it delivers excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the combination of limited VRAM bandwidth and a 192-bit bus causes frame rates to drop sharply, especially when Ultra settings are enabled. The 200 W TDP and dual-slot design are standard for this class, but the 1x 16-pin power connector and 550 W suggested PSU indicate that the card has modest power requirements relative to its performance.