Downfall

Downfall is a horror title that scales heavily with resolution and settings, and the data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile shows a clear picture of where the bottlenecks lie. At 1080p Low, this combo produces 223 FPS, which is a massive figure, but it drops to 93 FPS at 1080p Ultra. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p and 4K is consistent, but the percentage drops reveal that the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor as pixel count rises, while the CPU holds its own at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a steep curve as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 223 FPS, which indicates that the CPU and GPU are both capable of feeding frames extremely quickly in less demanding scenes. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 159 FPS, which is a reduction of about 29% from the 1080p figure. At 4K Low, the average falls to 99 FPS, which is a 56% drop from 1080p Low. This pattern suggests that the GPU is starting to run out of headroom, but the CPU is still keeping up with the demand.

When you look at the High preset, the scaling is even more pronounced. At 1080p High, the average is 149 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 107 FPS, which is a 28% reduction. At 4K High, the average is 66 FPS, which is a 56% reduction from 1080p High. The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and High presets indicates that the resolution scaling is primarily GPU-bound; the CPU is not the limiting factor until you push to 4K Ultra, where the average plummets to 42 FPS.

The Medium preset provides the only data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 182 FPS, with a min of 155 FPS and a max of 210 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 130 FPS, with a min of 111 FPS and a max of 150 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 81 FPS, with a min of 69 FPS and a max of 93 FPS. The spread between min and max FPS widens at lower resolutions, which suggests that the game's frame pacing is more variable when the GPU has less work to do.

The drop from 1080p to 4K at the Ultra preset is severe. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 93 FPS, which is already below the 1080p High figure. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 67 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 42 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 55%, which is similar to the other presets. However, the absolute numbers show that Ultra settings are too demanding for this combo at 4K, as the 42 FPS average is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a horror title where responsiveness matters.

The data indicates that the transition from 1080p to 1440p is manageable, with average FPS staying above 100 FPS in Low and Medium presets. However, the transition from 1440p to 4K is where the GPU starts to struggle, as the average FPS drops below 100 FPS in all presets except Low. This suggests that if you are targeting 4K, you will need to use Low settings to maintain playable frame rates, and even then, the 99 FPS average is not ideal for a game that may have fast-paced sequences.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus. The memory bandwidth is 384.0 GB/s, and the GPU has a base clock of 907 MHz with a boost clock of 1425 MHz. The memory clock is listed as 1500 MHz, which translates to 24 Gbps effective. The GPU has 4608 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, which gives it a pixel rate of 68.40 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 205.2 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 13.13 TFLOPS.

The GPU's benchmark scores are as follows: Passmark G3D score is 20355, and Passmark GPU Compute score is 8279. The Geekbench OpenCL score is 122238, and the Geekbench Vulkan score is 116960. The GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 75, which means it outperforms 75% of all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 29928, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti with an average score of 29945, which is 0.1% higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti with an average score of 29783, which is 0.5% lower.

In Downfall, the GPU's role is critical at 4K resolution. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's textures at the measured settings, but the 128-bit memory bus might be a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 42, which is well below the 60 FPS target. This is likely due to the combination of the GPU's raw compute power and memory bandwidth being insufficient for the game's Ultra preset at that resolution.

The boost clock of 1425 MHz is relatively low for a modern GPU, but the architecture's efficiency helps it deliver competitive performance. The FPS numbers at 1080p and 1440p suggest that the GPU is not the bottleneck at those resolutions, as the average FPS is high enough to saturate most displays. However, at 4K, the GPU's limitations become apparent, with the FPS dropping below 100 FPS even at Low settings. This indicates that the RTX 5070 Mobile is a capable 1440p GPU, but it is not designed for 4K gaming at high frame rates.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is telling. It is 0.1% slower than the RTX 3070 Ti and 0.5% faster than the RTX 2080 Ti. This means that in Downfall, the RTX 5070 Mobile should perform similarly to those older desktop GPUs, but the mobile form factor and power constraints may affect sustained performance. The 50 W TDP for the GPU is low, which suggests that it is designed for thin and light laptops, but this may also limit its ability to maintain boost clocks under prolonged load.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a Meteor Lake architecture CPU with 14 cores and 18 threads. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU has a TDP of 28 W and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel memory bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The L3 cache is 18 MB shared, and the L2 cache is 2 MB per core. The CPU's integrated graphics are Arc Xe-LPG with 96 EU.

The CPU's benchmark scores are as follows: Cinebench R23 multicore score is 11875.5, and single-core score is 1700. Cinebench R20 multicore is 7834, and single-core is 1105. Passmark multithread score is 22422, and Passmark single-thread score is 3521. The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 81, and its average benchmark score is 29093. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X with an average score of 29123, which is 0.1% higher, and the Intel Core i5-13500HX with an average score of 29270, which is 0.6% higher.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 223 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that indicates the CPU is not the bottleneck at that setting. Even at 1080p Ultra, the CPU manages to deliver 93 FPS, which is still playable. The CPU's core count and clock speeds are sufficient for this game, as the frame rates are primarily limited by the GPU at higher resolutions.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals shows that it is competitive with the Ryzen 7 5800X, which is a desktop CPU. The 0.1% difference in average benchmark score is negligible, and in Downfall, the CPU should not be the limiting factor unless you are playing at very low resolutions with a more powerful GPU. The 14 cores and 18 threads provide enough parallel processing power for the game's multithreaded tasks, and the 4.60 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded performance is adequate.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s is sufficient for the game's data transfer requirements, and the 18 MB L3 cache helps reduce latency. The CPU does not have any issues with the game's engine, as the FPS numbers are consistent with what you would expect from a combo where the GPU is the primary bottleneck. If you were to pair this CPU with a more powerful GPU, you might see higher FPS at 1080p, but at 1440p and 4K, the GPU will still be the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile ranks 2058 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the 55th percentile of all tested combos, which means that it outperforms more than half of the other combinations in the database. The rank is based on the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, so it reflects the overall performance of the combo in this specific game.

The rank of 2058 indicates that this combo is not at the top of the charts, but it is also not at the bottom. The GPU's 75th percentile ranking and the CPU's 81st percentile ranking suggest that both components are above average, but the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's limitations at 4K resolution. If the game were only tested at 1080p and 1440p, the combo would likely rank higher, as the FPS numbers are much more competitive at those resolutions.

The combo's rank is also affected by the fact that Downfall is a horror game, which may have specific performance characteristics that favor certain hardware. The data shows that the combo performs best at 1080p and 1440p with Medium and High settings, where it achieves FPS in the 130-182 range. At 4K, the combo's performance drops significantly, which contributes to its mid-pack rank.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is a solid mid-range option. The GPU's performance is comparable to the RTX 3070 Ti and RTX 2080 Ti, which are both older desktop GPUs that would likely be paired with more powerful CPUs. The CPU's performance is comparable to the Ryzen 7 5800X, which is a strong desktop CPU. The combination of these two components results in a system that is well-suited for 1440p gaming, but it may struggle with 4K gaming at higher settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo in Downfall depends on your target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average FPS of 182 and a min FPS of 155. The High preset at 1080p offers 149 FPS, which is also smooth, but the Medium preset provides a higher frame rate with only a slight visual compromise. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 93 FPS, which is still playable, but the Medium preset is the better choice for maintaining high frame rates.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is again the best option, with an average FPS of 130 and a min FPS of 111. The High preset at 1440p offers 107 FPS, which is acceptable, but the Medium preset provides a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p offers 159 FPS, but the visual quality may be too low for a horror game where atmosphere is important. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 67 FPS, which is borderline, but the Medium preset is the recommended choice.

At 4K, the options are limited. The Low preset offers 99 FPS, which is the only setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K offers 81 FPS, which is playable, but the min FPS of 69 suggests that there may be occasional dips. The High preset at 4K drops to 66 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS target, but the Low preset is the safest choice for a consistent experience. The Ultra preset at 4K offers 42 FPS, which is not recommended for a horror game that may require quick reactions.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo. It provides a high average FPS of 130, with a min FPS of 111 that ensures smooth gameplay. If you have a 1080p display, the Medium preset at 1080p is the best choice, as it offers 182 FPS with a min of 155. For 4K displays, the Low preset is the only viable option for maintaining playable frame rates, but you should be prepared for a significant visual downgrade.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Downfall?

A: The highest average FPS is 223, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only setting that breaks the 200 FPS barrier, and it indicates that the combo is very capable at lower resolutions.

Q: Is this combo suitable for 4K gaming in Downfall?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 99 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K offers 81 FPS, but the High preset drops to 66 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 42 FPS, which is not recommended.

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

A: The RTX 5070 Mobile is 0.1% slower than the RTX 3070 Ti and 0.5% faster than the RTX 2080 Ti based on average benchmark scores. This means it should perform similarly to those older desktop GPUs in Downfall.

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

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the best option, with an average FPS of 130 and a min FPS of 111. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining good visual quality.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: No, the data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 223 FPS, which indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU fast enough, and the FPS drops are primarily due to the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2058 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 55th percentile. This means it outperforms more than half of all other combinations tested in the database.