Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

The benchmark data for Downfall pairs a 20-core Intel Core i7-14700KF with a 16 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, producing a combo that sits at rank 230 out of 3,716 tested configurations. This places the pairing in the top 6.2% of all measured combos, with frame rates that range from a low of 74 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 400 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured results across four settings tiers and three resolutions reveal a system capable of high-refresh 1440p play and solid 4K performance, though the most demanding preset pushes the GPU to its limits.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows show a clear progression from Low to Ultra at every resolution, with the gap between presets widening as resolution increases. At 1080p, the jump from Low to High costs 132 FPS (400 to 268), while the step from High to Ultra costs another 100 FPS (268 to 168). This suggests diminishing returns beyond the High preset, as the visual uplift from High to Ultra is accompanied by a 37% performance drop. For players seeking the best balance of smoothness and fidelity, the High preset at 1440p delivers 191 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors while maintaining substantial visual quality over Medium.

At 4K, the Medium preset stands out as the only row with complete min/max data, showing an average of 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and maximum of 167 FPS. This consistency makes Medium the most predictable choice for 4K play, as the 119 FPS average at High drops below the 120 FPS threshold many displays target, and the Ultra preset falls to 74 FPS. The 4K Low preset reaches 178 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant for a horror title where atmospheric detail matters. The data indicates that 1440p High is the optimal experience, offering 191 FPS average with no recorded minimums below playable thresholds, whereas 4K users should select Medium to maintain frame pacing above 120 FPS.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which becomes relevant when moving from 1080p to 4K. The card's 2205 MHz base clock and 2505 MHz boost clock, combined with 9,728 shading units, drive the measured results. At 1080p, the GPU is not the primary constraint — the Low preset reaches 400 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed frames faster than most displays can show them. The 16 GB capacity handles Downfall's resource demands without evident memory-related stutters, as even the 4K Ultra row maintains a 74 FPS average.

The GPU's transistor count of 45,900 million on a 5 nm TSMC process yields strong raw compute, evidenced by the 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 throughput. This compute headroom explains why the card maintains playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra, where the data shows a 74 FPS average. The card's performance relative to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — sitting 0.1% above the RTX 4080 SUPER and 1.1% below the Radeon Pro W5700X — indicates this is a mature, well-balanced implementation. The 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the upper tier, though not at the absolute top, which aligns with the measured FPS deltas between settings.

How This Combo Ranks

Combined with the i7-14700KF, this configuration ranks 230th out of 3,716 tested combos in Downfall. This top 6.2% placement reflects a pairing where neither component bottlenecks the other significantly at standard resolutions. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 70,163, pairs with the GPU's 86th percentile to create a balanced system. The data shows the CPU sits 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and 0.4% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, while trailing the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1% — all within a narrow performance band.

The combo's rank of 230 suggests that while many systems outperform it, the vast majority of the 3,716 tested configurations deliver lower frame rates. The i7-14700KF's 20 cores and 28 threads, boosting to 5.60 GHz, provide ample headroom for Downfall's horror gameplay, which typically involves moderate CPU load. The 125 W TDP and 33 MB shared L3 cache support sustained performance without thermal throttling in most chassis. This ranking indicates the combo is well-suited for high-refresh gaming, as the 1440p High result of 191 FPS places it ahead of the vast majority of tested systems.

FAQ

Q: What is the best 4K preset for this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 delivers 145 FPS average with a minimum of 123 FPS and maximum of 167 FPS, providing the most consistent experience above 120 FPS. The High preset drops to 119 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 74 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70,163 on average, sitting 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, while trailing the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K by 1%.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p High?

A: The measured average is 191 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is 24 FPS below the Low preset's 285 FPS and 71 FPS above the Ultra preset's 120 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset reaches 400 FPS, which is likely beyond display refresh rates. The CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads with a 5.60 GHz boost clock appear sufficient to feed the GPU, as the bottleneck shifts to the GPU only at higher resolutions.

Q: How much performance drops from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS falls from 268 at 1080p to 191 at 1440p (a 77 FPS drop) and then to 119 at 4K (a further 72 FPS drop). The 4K High result is 44% of the 1080p High result.

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

A: The combination ranks 230th out of 3,716 tested combos, placing it in the top 6.2% of all configurations tested for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 268 at 1080p to 191 at 1440p, a 29% reduction, and then to 119 at 4K, a 38% further reduction from 1440p. This non-linear decline indicates the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the drop is steeper proportionally: 400 FPS at 1080p falls to 285 at 1440p (29% less) and then to 178 at 4K (38% less again). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest the scaling is resolution-bound rather than settings-bound.

The Medium preset shows the most complete data with min/max values at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the average is 327 FPS with a minimum of 278 FPS; at 1440p, this falls to 233 FPS with a minimum of 198 FPS; at 4K, it drops to 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS. The minimum values track closely with the averages, indicating stable frame pacing without severe dips. The 4K Ultra result of 74 FPS represents a 56% drop from the 1080p Ultra's 168 FPS, which is the largest relative decline in the dataset. This pattern suggests that at 4K, the RTX 4080's 16 GB memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factors, as the pixel throughput demands exceed what the card can sustain at Ultra settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF brings 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This Raptor Lake-R architecture on a 10 nm process provides strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,235 and multi-core score of 44,167. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 70,163, places it just above the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and slightly below the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. The 33 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache support the game's data access patterns.

In Downfall, the CPU's role becomes apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully taxed. At 1080p Low, the 400 FPS average suggests the CPU can deliver frames faster than the GPU can render them, though the 5.60 GHz boost clock and 28 threads provide ample headroom. The CPU's single-thread performance, measured at 4,480 in Passmark single-thread tests, is critical for a horror title that likely relies on physics and AI calculations. The 125 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support keep the system responsive, though the data does not indicate that the CPU becomes a bottleneck even at 4K Ultra, where the 74 FPS result is more attributable to GPU limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 400 FPS, the highest measured in the dataset. Medium averages 327 FPS with a minimum of 278 FPS and maximum of 376 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. High averages 268 FPS, while Ultra drops to 168 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 232 FPS, with each settings tier costing roughly 60-70 FPS on average.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 285 FPS, Medium averages 233 FPS with a minimum of 198 FPS and maximum of 268 FPS, High averages 191 FPS, and Ultra averages 120 FPS. The 1440p results maintain a consistent ratio to 1080p, with Ultra falling to exactly 120 FPS, which is the threshold for high-refresh 120 Hz displays. The Medium preset's minimum of 198 FPS ensures no drops below 144 Hz, making it suitable for high-refresh monitors.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 178 FPS, Medium averages 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and maximum of 167 FPS, High averages 119 FPS, and Ultra averages 74 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measurement below 100 FPS, indicating that the most demanding configuration pushes the RTX 4080 to its limits. The Medium preset's minimum of 123 FPS stays above 120 FPS, which is notable for consistency. The 4K High result of 119 FPS is just below the 120 FPS mark, suggesting players should either drop to Medium or accept a slight compromise to maintain smoothness. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data, providing the most confidence in its frame pacing characteristics.