Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 produces a compelling dataset for Downfall, a 2016 horror title that remains surprisingly demanding at higher presets. Measured FPS across three resolutions and four quality settings reveals a system that is clearly GPU-bound at 4K, but shifts toward a more balanced profile at 1080p where the CPU's 10 cores and 10 threads begin to matter. The combo ranks 1531st out of 2928 tested configurations, placing it in the 48th percentile overall — a mid-pack result that masks significant variance depending on how the game is configured.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, which is the hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 226 FPS at 1920x1080 to 162 FPS at 2560x1440 — a 28% reduction — and then to 101 FPS at 3840x2160, another 38% drop from 1440p. This progressive degradation indicates that the RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are being increasingly taxed as pixel count rises, with the 272.0 GB/s bandwidth becoming a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The pattern holds at High settings, where the averages go from 152 FPS at 1080p to 108 FPS at 1440p (a 29% decline) and then to 68 FPS at 4K (a 37% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops — roughly 28-29% from 1080p to 1440p and 37-38% from 1440p to 4K — suggests the scaling is driven by raw pixel throughput rather than any sudden memory or cache bottleneck. This is a smooth, predictable degradation curve.

Medium settings show the same trend with slightly different magnitudes: 185 FPS at 1080p, 132 FPS at 1440p, and 82 FPS at 4K. The 1440p-to-4K drop here is 38%, nearly identical to Low and High. Ultra settings compress the range further, with 95 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K — the 1440p-to-4K reduction is again 38%. This uniformity across all four presets strongly implies that resolution scaling in Downfall is almost purely a function of GPU fill rate and memory bandwidth, with no evidence of CPU-side limitations emerging at any resolution.

What the data does not show is any min FPS values at Low, High, or Ultra settings — only Medium provides min and max figures (70-95 FPS at 4K, 112-152 at 1440p, 157-213 at 1080p). The absence of these metrics for other presets makes it impossible to assess frame-time consistency, but the Medium data shows a 25 FPS spread at 4K, which is a 36% deviation from the average. At 1080p Medium, the 56 FPS spread represents a 30% deviation, suggesting that even at lower resolutions, frame pacing is not perfectly stable.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, housing 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. Its boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz drive 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, running at 2125 MHz with 17 Gbps effective speed, yielding 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications place the GPU in the 61st percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639.

The GPU's nearest rivals in raw benchmark scores are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, -0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon 780M (17588, +0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, +0.5%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509, +0.7%). These deltas are all within 1%, meaning the RTX 4060's synthetic benchmark performance is statistically indistinguishable from these older or integrated parts. Yet in Downfall, the RTX 4060 delivers playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra (42 FPS), which suggests the game is not particularly demanding on raw compute but rather on memory bandwidth and fill rate.

The 128-bit memory bus is the most likely culprit for the resolution scaling observed. At 4K, the GPU must address 8.3 million pixels, and with only 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the texture fetch and pixel write operations can saturate the bus. This explains why the 1440p-to-4K drop is consistently 37-38% across all settings — the bandwidth ceiling is hit regardless of how much shading work is being performed. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Downfall at these settings, as no out-of-memory stutters are indicated in the measured FPS data.

The RTX 4060's 115 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest a power-efficient part, but the data does not include power draw measurements. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is narrower than the x16 typically used for higher-tier GPUs, which could theoretically limit data transfer from the CPU, but the measured FPS at 1080p Low (226 FPS) indicates no such bottleneck is manifesting at lower resolutions. The GPU's 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present but likely underutilized in Downfall, a 2016 title that predates widespread ray tracing adoption.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four available presets. At 1920x1080, Low yields 226 FPS, Medium 185 FPS, High 152 FPS, and Ultra 95 FPS. At 2560x1440, the values are 162 FPS (Low), 132 FPS (Medium), 108 FPS (High), and 68 FPS (Ultra). At 3840x2160, they fall to 101 FPS (Low), 82 FPS (Medium), 68 FPS (High), and 42 FPS (Ultra).

For a horror game like Downfall, the atmospheric quality of High or Ultra settings may be preferred, but the data shows that Ultra comes at a steep cost. At 1080p, the jump from High to Ultra reduces average FPS from 152 to 95 — a 37.5% penalty. At 1440p, the same jump costs 40 FPS (108 to 68), and at 4K, it drops from 68 to 42, which is a 38% reduction. The Medium preset offers a better balance, with 185 FPS at 1080p and 132 FPS at 1440p, both well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The most surprising result is that High at 1440p (108 FPS) performs identically to Low at 4K (101 FPS), highlighting how resolution affects performance more than quality settings. For players targeting 60 FPS, Medium at 4K (82 FPS) is the highest quality preset that comfortably clears this bar. High at 4K (68 FPS) also works but leaves less headroom. Ultra at 4K (42 FPS) falls below 60 FPS and is not recommended unless frame rate is secondary to visual fidelity.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded min and max FPS values, which allows for a more complete assessment. At 1080p Medium, the range is 157-213 FPS, giving a 15% margin below the average. At 1440p Medium, the range is 112-152 FPS, a 15% margin below average. At 4K Medium, the range is 70-95 FPS, a 15% margin below average. This consistent 15% min-to-average ratio suggests Medium provides predictable frame delivery without severe dips, making it the safest choice across all resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Downfall at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at Medium settings the average FPS is 82, and at High it is 68. Ultra drops to 42 FPS, which is below the typical 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution-to-settings ratio for this combo?

A: At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 185 FPS with a min of 157 FPS, providing excellent performance. At 1440p High, it maintains 108 FPS, which is a strong balance.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4060 scores 17639 on average, with the closest rival being the AMD Radeon HD 7790 at 17666 (-0.2% delta). The AMD Radeon 780M is +0.3% slower, and the Radeon Pro 560 is +0.5% slower.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The data shows no CPU bottleneck, as FPS scales consistently with resolution. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 226 FPS, which is near the practical limit for most displays.

Q: Which preset should I avoid?

A: Ultra at 4K, as it produces only 42 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and represents a 38% penalty over High at the same resolution.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K?

A: No out-of-memory symptoms are visible in the measured data, as the frame rates at 4K are consistent across settings and do not show sudden drops.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. It runs at a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, though it lacks ECC support.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks place it in the 85th percentile among all processors, with an average score of 36938. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.5%). These deltas are all within 0.5%, indicating that the Ultra 5 225 performs nearly identically to these alternatives in aggregate benchmarks. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 demonstrate strong multi-threaded capabilities, while the Passmark single-thread score of 4412 (reported twice as both "single_thread" and "singlethread") confirms solid per-core performance.

In Downfall, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the consistent resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the 226 FPS average indicates the CPU can feed the GPU without bottlenecking, but this is also the only resolution where CPU limits might emerge. The 10 cores and 10 threads are more than sufficient for a 2016 horror title, which likely uses only a few threads. The 20 MB of L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth are adequate for the game's data access patterns, as no stuttering or frame drops are indicated in the Medium preset's min FPS values.

The CPU's release date of January 6, 2025, and its launch MSRP of $246 position it as a modern mid-range part, but its performance in Downfall is constrained by the GPU. The data suggests that upgrading the CPU would yield negligible FPS gains at 1440p or 4K, as the RTX 4060 is the limiting component. Only at 1080p Low, where the GPU is lightly loaded, might a faster CPU produce higher frame rates, but the current 226 FPS already exceeds display refresh rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system averages 101 FPS on Low, 82 FPS on Medium (min 70, max 95), 68 FPS on High, and 42 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset's min-to-max spread of 25 FPS indicates variability, but the average remains stable. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 59 FPS total drop, with the largest single-step penalty being 26 FPS between High and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 162 FPS (Low), 132 FPS (Medium, min 112, max 152), 108 FPS (High), and 68 FPS (Ultra). The Medium range spans 40 FPS, which is a 30% deviation from the average. The step from Medium to High costs 24 FPS, while High to Ultra costs another 40 FPS, making Ultra a particularly expensive choice at this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the averages are 226 FPS (Low), 185 FPS (Medium, min 157, max 213), 152 FPS (High), and 95 FPS (Ultra). The Medium range of 56 FPS is the largest absolute spread in the dataset, but as a percentage of the 185 FPS average, it is the same 30% as at 1440p. The drop from High to Ultra is 57 FPS, the largest single-step penalty at any resolution.

Comparing across resolutions at the same setting, the 1080p-to-4K penalty is 125 FPS at Low (226 to 101), 103 FPS at Medium (185 to 82), 84 FPS at High (152 to 68), and 53 FPS at Ultra (95 to 42). The absolute penalty shrinks as settings increase, but the percentage penalty remains consistent at around 55-58% for Low and Medium, and 55-56% for High and Ultra. This consistency reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 1531st out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it just above the midpoint. This rank of 1531 corresponds to the 48th percentile, meaning 47.7% of tested configurations perform worse and 52.3% perform better. Given the GPU's 61st percentile ranking in synthetic benchmarks, the combo's lower in-game rank suggests that Downfall is more demanding on the GPU than typical benchmarks, or that the CPU's 85th percentile performance is not fully utilized.

The rank reflects the system's average performance across all measured settings and resolutions. The RTX 4060's nearest GPU rivals — the Radeon HD 7790, Radeon 780M, Radeon Pro 560, and Radeon Pro 460 — are all older or integrated parts that would likely rank lower in this game, but the data does not include their in-game scores. The CPU's nearest rivals (Ryzen 5 5600F, Ryzen 5 5500X3D, Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450, Core i9-12900T) have nearly identical synthetic scores, so any difference in Downfall rankings would stem from architecture-specific behaviors not captured in the provided data.

The 2928 total combos represent a broad range of hardware, and ranking 1531st means this system falls in the middle of the pack. For a 2016 horror game, this is a respectable position, as the game's age suggests many older systems are still capable of running it. The combo's strength lies in its ability to maintain 60+ FPS at 4K Medium and High, which is more than adequate for the genre. The ranking could improve with a faster GPU, but the CPU would likely remain sufficient, as it already exceeds the game's requirements at all tested resolutions.