Downfall

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers an exceptional experience in Downfall, with the data showing that the High preset at 1440p offers the best balance of fluidity and visual fidelity. At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo produces an average of 218.2 FPS, which is well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate displays. While the Ultra preset at this resolution still achieves a very playable 138.1 FPS, the jump to High yields an 80.1 FPS improvement, a 58% increase in performance. Moving down to 1080p, the High preset pushes the average to 308.9 FPS, but this comes with diminishing returns for most users. For those seeking the absolute maximum frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p reaches 455.9 FPS, but this comes at the cost of visual quality that is generally unnecessary for a horror title where atmosphere matters. Given the data, the High preset at 1440p emerges as the recommended configuration, as it leverages the hardware’s capability to maintain high frame rates while preserving enough graphical detail for the game’s intended experience.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in Downfall?*

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 455.9 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the Ultra preset at 4K compare to the High preset at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 88 FPS, while the High preset at 1920x1080 yields an average of 308.9 FPS. This represents a significant 220.9 FPS difference, highlighting the massive performance cost of running the game at maximum settings on a 4K display.

*Q: Is the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM necessary for Downfall?*

A: The data does not indicate any VRAM limitations or specific usage figures for Downfall. The GPU’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory is exceptionally large, but the benchmark results show performance is more influenced by resolution and settings rather than any apparent memory capacity bottleneck.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Medium and High presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset produces an average of 268.5 FPS, while the High preset produces 218.2 FPS. This shows a 50.3 FPS difference, with Medium being faster but High providing better visual quality at a still very high frame rate.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 4th out of 1741 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 0.2% of all configurations.

Q: Does the game show a preference for the CPU or GPU in the benchmark results?

A: The data shows that frame rates scale significantly with both resolution and settings. The large FPS drops at 4K compared to 1080p, combined with the CPU’s high single-thread performance scores, indicate that the game is primarily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strength ensures it does not become a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this configuration for Downfall, as evidenced by the dramatic scaling of frame rates with graphical settings. The GPU’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides a 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for this 2016 horror title. The benchmark results show that at 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial: the average frame rate drops from 204.1 FPS on Low to 88 FPS on Ultra, a 116.1 FPS reduction. This indicates that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is the primary factor in these performance swings. The RTX 5090’s boost clock of 2407 MHz and its 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power are the key drivers behind the high base frame rates observed. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 455.9 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU has immense headroom when not constrained by pixel count and complex shading. The data suggests that Downfall does not stress the RTX 5090’s memory capacity, as even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate remains playable, indicating the 32 GB pool is not a limiting factor here. The GPU’s performance percentile of 94 compared to all other GPUs underscores its elite position, and the benchmark results confirm this standing in real-world gaming scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested configurations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a combo rank of 4 out of 1741 combinations in Downfall. This places the system in the top percentile of all tested hardware pairings. The rank is a cumulative measure of the CPU and GPU’s combined capability, and the data shows that this combination excels in delivering high average frame rates across all tested resolutions. The CPU itself holds a 97th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, and the GPU holds a 94th percentile ranking versus all GPUs. When combined, these two high-performing components work together to produce results that are only surpassed by three other configurations in the entire database. The proximity of the CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14900KF which is 0.7% faster in average benchmark score, suggests that the choice of the specific 14900K chip has a minimal impact on the overall gaming performance, with the GPU likely being the primary differentiator for high frame rates in Downfall.

Resolution Scaling

The benchmark data reveals a clear and predictable pattern of performance scaling as resolution decreases. At the highest resolution tested, 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo produces 134.9 FPS. Dropping to 2560x1440 at the same High preset increases the average to 218.2 FPS, a significant 83.3 FPS improvement. Further dropping to 1920x1080 pushes the average to 308.9 FPS, another 90.7 FPS increase from the 1440p result. This pattern indicates that Downfall is heavily resolution-dependent, which is typical for a GPU-bound workload. The scaling from 4K to 1080p results in a 174 FPS difference, which is a 129% increase in performance. This substantial scaling factor strongly suggests that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the limiting component at higher resolutions, as the workload becomes more demanding on the pixel rendering pipeline. However, even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains an average of 88 FPS, showing that the GPU has enough power to handle the most demanding settings. At 1080p, the frame rates become so high (over 300 FPS on High) that it is likely the game’s engine or the CPU begins to play a more significant role in limiting performance, although the data does not show a specific CPU bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s capabilities across all settings and resolutions. At 3840x2160, the frame rate averages are as follows: Low settings yield 204.1 FPS, Medium settings yield 165.2 FPS, High settings yield 134.9 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 88 FPS. The progression shows a consistent decline in performance as visual fidelity increases, with a 116.1 FPS difference between the lowest and highest settings. At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 325 FPS, Medium 268.5 FPS, High 218.2 FPS, and Ultra 138.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 186.9 FPS. At 1920x1080, the averages are: Low 455.9 FPS, Medium 377.6 FPS, High 308.9 FPS, and Ultra 192.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 263 FPS. These numbers show that the RTX 5090’s performance scales almost linearly with the resolution’s pixel count, as the 4K results are consistently lower than the 1440p results, which are in turn lower than the 1080p results for each corresponding settings preset. The data confirms that the GPU has the raw power to drive very high refresh rates even at 4K, but the Ultra preset’s demanding shaders and effects have a notable impact on the final frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K serves as a robust foundation for the RTX 5090 in Downfall, providing ample processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The CPU features 24 cores and 32 threads with a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, and its benchmark scores reflect its high performance. In single-threaded workloads, which are often critical for game logic, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7040 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3064. These strong single-thread results are crucial for maintaining high frame rates, as the game’s main thread must be processed quickly. The data from the measured FPS shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 455.9 FPS, which is a frame rate so high that it is likely approaching the limits of what the game engine can process, indicating the CPU is keeping up with the GPU’s output. The CPU’s multi-threaded performance is also exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a Passmark multithread score of 58674, but this is less relevant for gaming in Downfall, which typically does not scale perfectly across all 24 cores. The CPU’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast access to frequently used data, further reducing potential latency. The data suggests that while the GPU is the primary driver of frame rates, the i9-14900K’s high single-thread performance and substantial cache ensure that it can support the GPU’s capabilities without introducing stutter or frame pacing issues, even at the highest frame rates recorded.