Downfall

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i9-14900K compare to its nearest rivals in overall CPU benchmark scores?

A: The i9-14900K averages a benchmark score of 79,824, placing it essentially level with the AMD EPYC 7413, which scores 80,041 (0.3% higher). It is marginally ahead of the Intel Core i9-14900KF and the Core Ultra 7 265KF, both of which trail by 0.7%, and it leads the Core Ultra 7 265K by 0.9%.

Q: What is the performance percentile of the RTX 2060 SUPER relative to all GPUs, and how does it rank against its closest competitors?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER sits in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19,774. Its nearest rival, the GTX TITAN, scores 19,706 (0.3% behind), while the RTX 2070 scores 19,680 (0.5% behind), and the Quadro K5200 trails by 0.8%.

Q: What are the measured FPS results for the combo at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 38.3. This is the lowest result across all tested resolutions for this preset, indicating a heavy load on the GPU at maximum fidelity.

Q: How much of a performance gap exists between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 134.1 FPS, while Ultra drops to 55.1 FPS. This represents a 79 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset nearly halves the frame rate compared to Low at this resolution.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor in this game based on the data?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiter. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 189.1 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 38.3 FPS. The steep decline with resolution and settings suggests the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are stretched, while the i9-14900K’s 24 cores and 6.00 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom.

Q: What is the combo’s rank within the game’s full benchmark list?

A: This specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 1238 out of 1741 total combos tested for Downfall, placing it in the lower-mid range of all possible configurations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.20 GHz, with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, and it carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 2 MB of L2 cache per core. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 49,872 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,040 in single-core, while Geekbench results show 20,370 multi-core and 3,064 single-core.

In the context of Downfall, a horror title from 2016, the CPU’s role is less pronounced than the GPU’s. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 189.1 FPS, which is the highest measured average across all configurations. This high frame rate at a low resolution suggests that the i9-14900K is capable of feeding frames quickly, but the game’s engine likely does not scale with the full 24-core count. The processor’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4,697, is strong, but the game’s results show diminishing returns as resolution increases, pointing to the GPU becoming the bottleneck.

The CPU’s benchmark percentile of 97 versus all CPUs indicates it is a top-tier part, yet the combo rank of 1238 out of 1741 reveals that pairing it with an RTX 2060 SUPER does not yield top-tier gaming results. The nearest CPU rivals—the EPYC 7413, i9-14900KF, and Core Ultra 7 265KF—all score within 0.9% of the i9-14900K, meaning any of these chips would likely produce nearly identical FPS in this game. The data shows that the CPU’s massive thread count and high clocks are not the deciding factor; rather, the GPU’s limits cap the experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process, featuring 2,176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, with base and boost clocks of 1470 MHz and 1650 MHz respectively. Its FP32 performance is rated at 7.181 TFLOPS, and it carries 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores.

In Downfall, the GPU’s memory and bandwidth are critical. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 38.3 FPS, which is the lowest result in the measured set. The 8 GB VRAM is likely saturated at this resolution and preset, leading to the steep performance hit. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 19,774 places it in the 63rd percentile, with the nearest rivals—GTX TITAN, RTX 2070, and Quadro K5200—all within 0.8% of its score. This indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a mid-range card, and the data reflects that: at 1080p High, it manages 128 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, the frame rate collapses.

The GPU’s texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s suggest it can handle moderate loads, but the measured FPS shows that Ultra settings at high resolutions overwhelm it. The combo’s performance at 1440p Medium (114.5 FPS) versus 1440p Ultra (55.1 FPS) highlights how quickly the GPU’s resources are exhausted as settings climb. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s end-of-life status and 175 W TDP further underscore that it is a last-generation part, now trailing in demanding scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 189.1 FPS, Medium hits 157.6 FPS, High reaches 128 FPS, and Ultra drops to 79.4 FPS. This progression shows a consistent decline as settings increase, with Ultra cutting the Low result by more than half. The 1080p numbers are all playable, even at Ultra, which is notable given the GPU’s mid-range standing.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 134.1 FPS at Low, 114.5 FPS at Medium, 89.5 FPS at High, and 55.1 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 79 FPS, and the Ultra result is just above the 50 FPS threshold, indicating a borderline experience at this resolution with maximum settings. The gap between Medium and High is 25 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 34.4 FPS, showing that Ultra exacts a heavy toll.

At 3840x2160, the results are 85.3 FPS at Low, 69.9 FPS at Medium, 59.9 FPS at High, and 38.3 FPS at Ultra. The 4K Low result is still respectable, but Ultra falls below 40 FPS, which is not smooth for a horror game requiring responsive navigation. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 47 FPS, and even High settings only manage 59.9 FPS, barely keeping the game fluid. Across all resolutions, the trend is clear: the RTX 2060 SUPER struggles as pixel count and settings rise, with the CPU maintaining consistent performance throughout.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At Low settings, the combo drops from 189.1 FPS at 1080p to 134.1 FPS at 1440p (a 29% reduction) and then to 85.3 FPS at 4K (a 55% reduction from 1080p). This scaling is steeper than what a purely CPU-bound scenario would produce, indicating that the GPU’s rendering capacity is being saturated.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more dramatic: 79.4 FPS at 1080p falls to 55.1 FPS at 1440p (a 30.6% drop) and then to 38.3 FPS at 4K (a 51.8% drop from 1080p). The 4K Ultra result is roughly half of the 1080p Ultra number, underscoring the GPU’s inability to handle high pixel counts with maximum fidelity. The 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely insufficient for 4K Ultra in this title, leading to the steep decline.

The data suggests that the i9-14900K is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect similar FPS across resolutions at the same settings, but the numbers show a clear downward trend as resolution increases. The CPU’s high boost clock and strong single-thread scores (7,040 in Cinebench R23) mean it can keep up with the GPU’s demands, but the GPU’s mid-range standing caps overall performance. The scaling pattern points to a GPU-bound system, especially at 1440p and 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience balances frame rate and visual quality. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 128 FPS, which is smooth and visually detailed, while Ultra at 79.4 FPS is still playable but sacrifices 48.6 FPS for marginal visual gains. For a horror game where immersion matters, High at 1080p offers the best compromise, keeping the frame rate well above 100 FPS.

At 1440p, the High preset yields 89.5 FPS, which is ideal for a responsive experience without dropping below 60 FPS. Medium at 114.5 FPS is also viable for those prioritizing smoothness, but High provides a better visual balance. Ultra at 55.1 FPS is borderline; it is playable but risks stutter during intense moments. The data supports High as the sweet spot at this resolution.

At 4K, the High preset manages 59.9 FPS, just above the 60 FPS target, making it the recommended choice for a near-fluid experience. Medium at 69.9 FPS is also acceptable, offering higher headroom, but Low at 85.3 FPS sacrifices too much visual fidelity. Ultra at 38.3 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate dips below 40 FPS, which can hinder gameplay in a horror setting. The best experience per the measured rows is High at 1080p or 1440p, with 4K High as a viable option for those with a 4K display.