Downfall

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Downfall shows a clear and expected progression as resolution increases. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo delivers 102.1 FPS, which drops to 69.1 FPS at 1440p and further to 47.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a 32% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 32% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is nearly linear, which suggests the game is heavily GPU-bound at these settings.

Looking at Low settings tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the system produces 234.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low gives 165.5 FPS, a 29% drop. At 4K Low, the result is 102.9 FPS, another 38% reduction. The larger percentage drop between 1440p and 4K at Low settings indicates that even at the lowest quality preset, the GPU is still the primary limiter when pixel count increases dramatically.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 192.9 FPS at 1080p, 136.8 FPS at 1440p, and 87.1 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 29%, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 36%. High settings produce 158.1 FPS at 1080p, 113.5 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K.

What the data reveals is that Downfall does not exhibit the typical "resolution cliff" where performance collapses at 4K. Instead, the scaling is gradual and consistent across all presets. The difference between 1080p and 1440p is consistently around 29-32%, and the difference between 1440p and 4K is consistently around 32-38%. This indicates a well-optimized rendering pipeline that scales predictably with pixel count.

For a horror game where atmosphere and immersion matter, the ability to maintain playable frame rates at 4K across Medium and High settings is notable. The 47.1 FPS at 4K Ultra is the only result that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, and it does so by a significant margin. This suggests that 4K Ultra is not a realistic target for this combination, but 4K High at 68 FPS is perfectly serviceable.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture using an 8 nm process from Samsung. It features 4,864 shading units, 152 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, along with 38 RT cores and 152 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz or 14 Gbps effective.

The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In Downfall, this memory configuration appears sufficient for all tested settings at 1080p and 1440p, as the frame rates remain high across the board. At 4K, the 8 GB capacity may become a limiting factor at Ultra settings, where the frame rate drops to 47.1 FPS. However, the fact that 4K High still achieves 68 FPS suggests the memory pressure is manageable at slightly reduced quality levels.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 16.20 TFLOPS of FP16 performance. The pixel rate is 133.2 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 253.1 GTexel/s. These specifications translate into strong rasterization performance, which is the primary workload in Downfall given its 2016 release date and horror genre focus.

In the broader benchmark landscape, the RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25,120. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M at 25,180 (within 0.2%), the AMD Radeon RX 6600 at 25,235 (0.5% behind), and the AMD Radeon 890M at 25,246 (0.5% behind). These close margins indicate that the RTX 3060 Ti is positioned in a highly competitive segment, and its performance in Downfall is consistent with its overall standing.

The GPU's 200 W TDP and dual-slot design make it a practical choice for most systems, though the 1x 12-pin power connector requires adapter consideration. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensures adequate bandwidth for the card's capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, every preset delivers playable frame rates, with Low at 234.4 FPS, Medium at 192.9 FPS, High at 158.1 FPS, and Ultra at 102.1 FPS. Given that even Ultra exceeds 100 FPS, there is no reason to compromise on visual quality at this resolution. The Ultra preset is the clear recommendation for 1080p.

At 1440p, the situation remains favorable. Low produces 165.5 FPS, Medium 136.8 FPS, High 113.5 FPS, and Ultra 69.1 FPS. All four presets stay above 60 FPS, which means users can choose based on their refresh rate and visual preferences. For those with 144 Hz displays, High at 113.5 FPS is the best balance of quality and speed. For 60 Hz displays, Ultra at 69.1 FPS provides the best visuals without dropping below the refresh threshold.

At 4K, the recommendations become more selective. Ultra drops to 47.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may feel less smooth in a horror game where quick reactions matter. High at 68 FPS is the sweet spot, providing good visual quality while maintaining a playable frame rate. Medium at 87.1 FPS is even safer for those who prioritize smoothness, and Low at 102.9 FPS is available for maximum performance.

The data suggests that the High preset is the most versatile choice across all resolutions. It delivers 158.1 FPS at 1080p, 113.5 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. This consistency makes High the recommended default, with adjustments up or down based on specific display capabilities and personal preferences.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 889th out of 1,741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the 49th percentile of all combinations, meaning roughly half of the tested systems perform better and half perform worse. For a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU, this ranking reflects the GPU's position as the performance limiter in most scenarios.

The CPU in this combo is the Intel Core i7-14700KF, which ranks in the 96th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 70,104. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K with a score of 70,074 (essentially identical, within 0%), the AMD EPYC 9115 at 69,887 (0.3% behind), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at 70,420 (0.4% ahead). The Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 scores 71,056, which is 1.3% ahead.

The GPU, by contrast, sits at the 69th percentile of all GPUs. The delta between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's lower percentile explains why the combo ranks near the middle of the pack. In Downfall, the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, which caps the overall performance despite the CPU's substantial headroom.

This ranking suggests that users with this combo could improve their Downfall performance by upgrading the GPU while keeping the CPU. The i7-14700KF has enough processing power to support a faster graphics card, as evidenced by its strong CPU benchmark scores including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,557 and a single-core score of 6,290.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU's, as the game is primarily graphics-bound. However, the CPU's strong single-thread performance helps maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,290 and Geekbench single-core score of 2,972 indicate excellent per-thread performance, which is beneficial for game logic and physics calculations.

The multi-threaded capabilities are equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,557 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 19,287. The PassMark multi-thread score of 52,425 and PassMark single-thread score of 4,480 further confirm the CPU's strength. These scores place the i7-14700KF at the 96th percentile of all CPUs, making it one of the top performers available.

The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with PCIe Gen 5 providing 16 lanes for the GPU. The unlocked multiplier allows overclocking, and the processor is built on a 257 mm² die with a transistor count not specified. For Downfall, the CPU's 5.60 GHz boost clock is more than sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 3060 Ti at any resolution.

The nearest rivals to the i7-14700KF include the i7-14700K with virtually identical performance, the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X which is 0.4% faster on average, and the EPYC 9115 which is 0.3% slower. These small margins indicate that the CPU choice makes little difference in gaming scenarios like Downfall, where the GPU dominates the performance equation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 234.4, Medium 192.9, High 158.1, and Ultra 102.1. The scaling from Low to Medium is 18% reduction, from Medium to High is 18% reduction, and from High to Ultra is 35% reduction. The Ultra preset imposes a disproportionately large performance penalty compared to the other settings.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 165.5, Medium 136.8, High 113.5, and Ultra 69.1. The reduction from Low to Medium is 17%, from Medium to High is 17%, and from High to Ultra is 39%. The Ultra penalty is even more pronounced at this resolution, suggesting that the extra visual effects at Ultra have a significant cost.

At 3840x2160, the measured values are: Low 102.9, Medium 87.1, High 68, and Ultra 47.1. The scaling from Low to Medium is 15%, from Medium to High is 22%, and from High to Ultra is 31%. At 4K, the Ultra preset drops below 50 FPS, making it the only configuration in the entire dataset that falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Across all resolutions, the RTX 3060 Ti demonstrates consistent behavior. The Low preset is always the fastest, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra in that order. The relative gaps between presets vary slightly by resolution but follow the same general pattern. The data shows that the GPU can handle 1080p Ultra and 1440p High without issue, while 4K requires dropping to High or Medium for optimal performance.

The 68 FPS at 4K High is particularly noteworthy, as it shows the combo can deliver a solid 4K experience in Downfall with modest settings adjustments. The 47.1 FPS at 4K Ultra is the only result that would be considered marginal, and even that is playable for a slower-paced horror game.