Downfall

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti lands at rank 2091 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places the configuration in the lower-middle tier of the database, roughly in the 44th percentile of all tested pairings. The ranking reflects a fundamental imbalance: the CPU is a top-tier part while the GPU is a legacy component, and the combo's final position is dragged down by the graphics card's age.

Context from the individual component scores reinforces this split. The i7-14700KF sits in the 94th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (deltaPct 0.2), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (deltaPct 0.4), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct 0.9), meaning the Intel part is effectively neck-and-neck with those high-end chips. The GTX 1080 Ti, by contrast, sits in the 58th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15548. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (deltaPct -0.8) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (deltaPct 1.7), placing it in a distinctly mid-range class.

The combo's rank of 2091 is therefore not a reflection of the CPU's capability, which is elite, but rather of the GPU's inability to translate that processing power into frame rate in a modern horror title. In a game like Downfall, which is not known for being CPU-bound at high resolutions, the pairing's standing among 3716 combos underscores that the graphics card is the limiting factor. The data indicates that swapping the GTX 1080 Ti for a stronger GPU would yield a dramatic improvement in the combo's overall rank, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed a faster graphics solution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is a Pascal-architecture part built on a 16 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 471 mm² and 11,800 million transistors. Its memory subsystem is substantial for its era: 11 GB of GDDR5X on a 352-bit bus, delivering 484.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1481 MHz, boosting to 1582 MHz, with memory running at 1376 MHz (11 Gbps effective). The card has 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 88 ROPs, producing a pixel rate of 139.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 354.4 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is rated at 11.34 TFLOPS.

In Downfall, the GPU's role is central across all tested settings, but its limitations become stark at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the card produces 216 FPS average, showing that even an older GPU can push high frame rates when the workload is light. However, as settings increase, the frame rate drops off quickly: 176 FPS at Medium, 145 FPS at High, and 90 FPS at Ultra. The pattern is consistent at 1440p, where the same settings yield 154, 126, 103, and 65 FPS respectively. At 4K, the card struggles more visibly, producing 96 FPS at Low, 78 FPS at Medium, 64 FPS at High, and just 40 FPS at Ultra.

The VRAM capacity of 11 GB is not the bottleneck at these settings, as the game's highest preset at 4K still fits within that allocation. Instead, the compute throughput and memory bandwidth of the GTX 1080 Ti are the constraining factors. The 484.4 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra the combination of shading load and texture fetch overwhelms the card's capabilities. The measured 40 FPS at 4K Ultra is a clear indicator that the card is at its absolute limit, unable to maintain playable frame rates on the most demanding preset.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a consistent and steep decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which reveals a GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 216 FPS at 1080p to 154 FPS at 1440p (a 29% reduction) and further to 96 FPS at 4K (a 56% reduction from 1080p). This scaling is typical for a graphics card that is the primary limiter: as pixel count increases, the GPU's fill rate and shading units become the bottleneck.

At Medium settings, the drop is similar: 176 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p (a 28% reduction), and 78 FPS at 4K (a 56% reduction). The High preset shows 145 FPS at 1080p, 103 FPS at 1440p (a 29% reduction), and 64 FPS at 4K (a 56% reduction). Notably, the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is remarkably consistent across Low, Medium, and High settings, all hovering around 55-56%. This uniformity indicates that the GPU is the limiting component across all these presets, with the CPU providing more than enough headroom.

The Ultra preset deviates from this pattern. At 1080p, Ultra yields 90 FPS; at 1440p, it drops to 65 FPS (a 28% reduction); and at 4K, it falls to 40 FPS (a 56% reduction from 1080p). The 4K Ultra result of 40 FPS is particularly telling, as it represents a hard floor for the GTX 1080 Ti in this game. The scaling pattern suggests that the CPU is never the bottleneck in these measurements; if it were, the frame rates would not degrade so predictably with resolution. The i7-14700KF's 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset delivers the best experience for this combo. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers an excellent balance, with an average of 176 FPS and a minimum of 150 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the minimum frame rate indicates no significant stuttering. The High preset at 1080p drops to 145 FPS average, which is still smooth, but the extra visual fidelity may not justify the 18% performance loss. Ultra at 1080p falls to 90 FPS, which is playable but shows that the GTX 1080 Ti is starting to strain.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again emerges as the sweet spot, delivering 126 FPS average with a minimum of 107 FPS. This is comfortably above 60 FPS and provides a smooth experience. The High preset at 1440p yields 103 FPS, which is still good, but the Medium preset's higher minimum frame rate (107 vs. unknown for High) suggests more consistent performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 65 FPS, which is borderline for a horror game where smooth motion is critical for atmosphere.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Low preset yields 96 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium preset at 78 FPS is also acceptable. The High preset at 4K drops to 64 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, but the minimum frame rate is unknown. The Ultra preset at 4K produces just 40 FPS, which is not recommended for a playable experience. For 4K, the Low or Medium presets are the only viable options, with Medium at 78 FPS offering the best quality-to-performance ratio.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset provides the most consistent experience, with the highest minimum frame rates in the measured data (150 FPS at 1080p, 107 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K). The data suggests that users should start with Medium and only increase to High if they prioritize visual quality over frame rate stability, and they should avoid Ultra at 4K entirely.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Downfall?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti ranks 2091 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database.

Q: How does the GTX 1080 Ti compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GTX 1080 Ti's average benchmark score is 15548, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 M380 (15521), 0.8% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679), and 1.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (15290).

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p delivers the best experience, with an average of 126 FPS and a minimum of 107 FPS, providing smooth and consistent performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 65 FPS, which is less ideal.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Downfall?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The frame rate drops consistently by roughly 28% from 1080p to 1440p and 56% from 1080p to 4K across Low, Medium, and High settings, indicating that the GTX 1080 Ti is the limiting component while the i7-14700KF has ample headroom.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Downfall?

A: At 4K, the combo can manage 96 FPS on Low settings and 78 FPS on Medium, but drops to 64 FPS on High and 40 FPS on Ultra. For a smooth experience, Medium at 4K is the recommended ceiling.

Q: How does the i7-14700KF's CPU performance compare to its rivals?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, placing it 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996), 0.4% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875), and 0.9% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515), making it statistically tied with those parts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 14th-generation part based on the Raptor Lake architecture (Raptor Lake-R codename), built on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 257 mm². It has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, and it connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes. The TDP is rated at 125 W, and the processor has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates, and the benchmark results show it does this flawlessly. The CPU's single-threaded performance is strong, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6235 and Geekbench single-core score of 2578. Multi-threaded performance is equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 21462. The PassMark multithread score of 52425 further confirms the CPU's capability.

The data from the measured FPS shows no signs of CPU limitation. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the combo delivers 216 FPS, and the frame rate scales predictably with resolution. If the CPU were a bottleneck, the frame rates at 1080p would be capped at a lower value, and the drop from 1080p to 1440p would be less pronounced. The consistent 28% reduction from 1080p to 1440p across all settings indicates that the GPU is the sole limiter, with the CPU providing more than enough headroom.

The i7-14700KF's 20 cores and 28 threads are overkill for a game like Downfall, which is unlikely to utilize all of them. However, the high boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures strong single-threaded performance, which is what matters for most game workloads. The CPU's position in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163, confirms that it is not the weak link in this combo. The data suggests that users could pair this CPU with a much stronger GPU without any CPU-related frame rate limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Downfall with the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 216 FPS. The Medium preset produces 176 FPS average, with a minimum of 150 FPS and a maximum of 203 FPS. The High preset yields 145 FPS average. The Ultra preset drops to 90 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra is 126 FPS, showing that the GTX 1080 Ti can handle 1080p with ease across all settings, though Ultra cuts the frame rate in half compared to Low.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 154 FPS average. The Medium preset delivers 126 FPS average, with a minimum of 107 FPS and a maximum of 145 FPS. The High preset produces 103 FPS average. The Ultra preset falls to 65 FPS average. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, approximately 28-29% for Low, Medium, and High, indicating a GPU-bound scenario.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset yields 96 FPS average. The Medium preset produces 78 FPS average, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. The High preset delivers 64 FPS average. The Ultra preset drops to 40 FPS average. The 4K results show the GTX 1080 Ti at its limits, with Ultra falling below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and even High being marginal.

The Medium preset consistently provides the highest minimum frame rates across all resolutions (150 FPS at 1080p, 107 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K), making it the most stable choice. The Ultra preset, by contrast, has no recorded minimum or maximum values, suggesting the data may have been captured under less controlled conditions or that the frame pacing was inconsistent. The data overall shows a linear scaling pattern that points squarely at the GPU as the performance limiter, with the i7-14700KF never impeding the frame rate output.