Downfall

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, fabricated on a 10 nm process node. It carries a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, with a 125 W TDP and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic workloads, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49,872 and a single-core score of 7,040, placing it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs tested in the database. Its average benchmark score of 79,824 sits within 0.7% of the Intel Core i9-14900KF and within 0.9% of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, indicating that the 14900K is statistically indistinguishable from its closest rivals in raw compute potential.

For Downfall, a horror title from 2016, the CPU's role is largely about maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the primary constraint. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 289.1 FPS average, which is the highest measured result across all settings and resolutions in the dataset. This figure suggests that the processor's high clock speeds and substantial core count are more than sufficient to feed the GPU in this older title. The gap between 1080p Low (289.1 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (118.4 FPS) is 170.7 FPS, a drop of approximately 59%, which indicates that as settings increase, the workload shifts toward the graphics card. The CPU's 6.00 GHz boost clock likely helps in maintaining consistent frame pacing, as Downfall's horror gameplay may involve sudden scene complexity changes that benefit from high single-thread performance.

The 24-core configuration is interesting for a game released in 2016, as most titles from that era were optimized for far fewer threads. However, the data does not show any adverse effects from the high core count; instead, the 14900K's strong single-core performance (7,040 in Cinebench R23 single-core) appears to be the dominant factor. The processor's Passmark single-thread score of 4,697 reinforces this, placing it well above the 97th percentile threshold. In the context of this benchmark database, the CPU is clearly not the bottleneck at any resolution tested, as evidenced by the fact that even at 4K Ultra (55.8 FPS), the frame rate is still playable, and the scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a predictable GPU-bound pattern.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a 7 nm process node, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1825 MHz, with a game clock of 2015 MHz and a boost clock of 2250 MHz. The GPU has 4,608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 128 ROPs, with 72 ray accelerators. Its FP32 performance is 20.74 TFLOPS, and the card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6. In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 6800 XT scores 24,980 in Passmark G3D and 13,245 in Passmark GPU Compute, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 49,982 is within 2.6% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER and within 1.7% of the NVIDIA RTX A1000, showing that it competes closely with those cards.

In Downfall, the GPU's influence becomes apparent when examining the frame rate scaling across settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 55.8 FPS, which is the lowest measured result. At 4K High, the frame rate rises to 85.8 FPS, a 53.8% improvement over Ultra. This steep drop from High to Ultra (30 FPS difference) indicates that the Ultra preset introduces a significant rendering load that stresses the GPU's capabilities. The 16 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in this title, as Downfall is from 2016 and would not require large texture pools. However, the 512.0 GB/s memory bandwidth could be relevant for the high-resolution textures that Ultra settings might enable.

The RX 6800 XT's boost clock of 2250 MHz helps maintain performance under sustained load, and the 7 nm process node contributes to efficient power delivery. The GPU's TDP is 300 W, which is substantial, but the card's dual-slot design and dual 8-pin power connectors suggest it is engineered for high sustained performance. The measured data shows that the GPU is the primary scaling factor as resolution increases: at 1080p High, the combo hits 197.2 FPS, but at 4K High, it drops to 85.8 FPS, a reduction of 56.5%. This pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RX 6800 XT's raw compute power becomes the determining factor.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured data reveals a clear resolution scaling trend. Starting at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 289.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 205.1 FPS, a reduction of 84 FPS or approximately 29%. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 126.4 FPS, which is another 38.4% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU becomes progressively more burdened as pixel count increases.

For High settings, the trend is similar but with lower absolute values: 197.2 FPS at 1080p, 138 FPS at 1440p, and 85.8 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 56.5%, which is less severe than the Low settings drop of 56.3% from 1080p to 4K (289.1 to 126.4). This suggests that the GPU is the limiting component across all resolutions, but the CPU's headroom at lower resolutions allows the GPU to stretch its legs. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 118.4 FPS at 1080p, 89.4 FPS at 1440p, and 55.8 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 62.6 FPS or approximately 53%, which is the smallest relative drop among all presets, indicating that at Ultra settings, the GPU is heavily saturated even at 1080p.

The delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution is instructive. At 1080p, the difference is 170.7 FPS (289.1 vs 118.4). At 1440p, the difference is 115.7 FPS (205.1 vs 89.4). At 4K, the difference is 70.6 FPS (126.4 vs 55.8). This narrowing gap as resolution increases confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck: at 4K, even dropping settings to Low only recovers 70.6 FPS, whereas at 1080p, the same settings change recovers 170.7 FPS. The CPU's 24 cores and high clock speeds are sufficient to avoid becoming a limiting factor even at 1080p Low, where the frame rate exceeds 289 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 599th out of 1,741 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 34.4% of all combinations tested, which is a solid position but not extraordinary. The rank of 599 suggests that there are 598 combos that perform better in this game, likely featuring newer or higher-end GPUs such as the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX, though those are not listed in the provided data.

The CPU's percentile rank of 97 means it outperforms 97% of all CPUs in the database, while the GPU's percentile rank of 87 means it outperforms 87% of all GPUs. The combo rank of 599 out of 1,741 is lower than what these individual percentiles might suggest, which indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing. If the CPU were the bottleneck, one would expect a combo rank closer to the CPU's percentile. Instead, the GPU's 87th percentile aligns more closely with the combo's top 34.4% positioning, suggesting that the RX 6800 XT is the component that determines the overall performance tier.

In the context of nearest rivals, the CPU's average benchmark score is within 0.7% of the i9-14900KF, and the GPU's average score is within 2.6% of the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. However, these synthetic benchmarks do not directly translate to Downfall performance, as the game's engine and optimization play a significant role. The measured FPS data shows that this combo can achieve 85.8 FPS at 4K High, which is above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered playable, but the 55.8 FPS at 4K Ultra falls below it. This nuance is important for understanding the combo's rank: it is a capable pairing for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, but at 4K, users must choose between High settings for smoothness or Ultra for fidelity.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all four presets deliver playable frame rates, with Low at 289.1 FPS, Medium at 238.9 FPS, High at 197.2 FPS, and Ultra at 118.4 FPS. For a 144Hz monitor, High settings provide the best balance, offering 197.2 FPS with room to spare. For a 240Hz display, Medium at 238.9 FPS is the better choice, as it stays above 240 FPS while providing higher visual quality than Low.

At 1440p, the choices become more nuanced. Low offers 205.1 FPS, Medium 170.2 FPS, High 138 FPS, and Ultra 89.4 FPS. For 144Hz displays, High at 138 FPS is just below the refresh rate, making Medium at 170.2 FPS the safer option for maintaining a consistent 144 FPS. For 60Hz displays, Ultra at 89.4 FPS is viable, but High at 138 FPS provides a smoother experience with minimal visual compromise.

At 4K, the data shows a clear trade-off. Ultra produces 55.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. High produces 85.8 FPS, Medium 103.6 FPS, and Low 126.4 FPS. For 60Hz displays, High at 85.8 FPS is the recommended preset, as it stays above 60 FPS while offering better visuals than Medium. Ultra should be avoided at 4K unless the user prioritizes image quality over frame rate and can tolerate sub-60 FPS. The 16 GB VRAM on the RX 6800 XT is sufficient for High settings at 4K, as the memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s can handle the texture loads without issue.

FAQ

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

A: For 1440p, Medium settings deliver 170.2 FPS, which comfortably exceeds 144Hz refresh rates. High settings at 138 FPS are slightly below 144Hz, so Medium offers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings in Downfall?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 55.8 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS target. The data shows that 4K High at 85.8 FPS is the highest preset that maintains playable frame rates at that resolution.

Q: How does the i9-14900K compare to its closest CPU rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79,824, which is 0.7% higher than the i9-14900KF (79,245) and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (79,102). These differences are within measurement noise.

Q: Is the RX 6800 XT's 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Downfall at 4K?

A: The measured data shows that 4K High settings produce 85.8 FPS, indicating that the 16 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor. The memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s is sufficient for the game's requirements.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 197.2 FPS average. This is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors up to 165Hz, with headroom for occasional frame dips.

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

A: This combo ranks 599th out of 1,741 tested combos, placing it in the top 34.4% of all tested combinations. The CPU is in the 97th percentile and the GPU in the 87th percentile, indicating the GPU is the limiting component.