Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a distinct performance profile in Downfall, a 2016 horror title. The dataset reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p. The measured results show a clear hierarchy across settings, with the combo ranking in the 56th percentile of all tested configurations for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary limiting component in this configuration. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 210 FPS at 1920x1080 to 150 FPS at 2560x1440, a 28.6% reduction, and then further to 94 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 55.2% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern indicates that the rendering load at 4K overwhelms the RTX 2070 SUPER's capabilities.

The scaling behavior at Medium settings reinforces this conclusion. The average FPS at 1080p is 172, dropping to 123 at 1440p (a 28.5% decrease) and then to 77 at 4K (a 55.2% decrease from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and Medium presets—both showing roughly a 28% hit from 1080p to 1440p and a 55% hit from 1080p to 4K—suggests a uniform pixel-throughput limitation rather than any settings-specific bottleneck.

At High settings, the scaling is slightly less aggressive in absolute terms but similar in proportion. The average FPS goes from 141 at 1080p to 101 at 1440p (a 28.4% drop) and then to 63 at 4K (a 55.3% drop). Ultra settings follow the same trajectory: 88 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p (a 28.4% drop), and 39 FPS at 4K (a 55.7% drop). The uniformity of these scaling factors—hovering around 28% and 55%—strongly implies that the limiting factor is the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, not the CPU or any driver-level quirk.

The 4K results are telling. At Ultra settings, the system only manages 39 FPS average, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a horror title where responsiveness matters. Even at Medium settings, 4K yields 77 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo is only viable at Low settings, where 94 FPS is achieved, though this sacrifices visual fidelity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with base and boost clocks of 1605 MHz and 1770 MHz respectively. These specifications place the card in the 65th percentile of all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 20282.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (scoring 20480, which is 1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (scoring 20534, 1.2% higher), the Intel Arc B570 (scoring 20556, 1.3% higher), and the Intel Arc A750 (scoring 20582, 1.5% higher). This places the RTX 2070 SUPER within a tight performance cluster, though its 8 GB VRAM capacity is a notable consideration for modern titles.

In Downfall, the GPU's role is dominant. The 4K Ultra result of 39 FPS compared to the 1080p Low result of 210 FPS illustrates a 5.4x performance spread purely from resolution and settings changes. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gameplay, but at 4K, the data shows the card struggling to maintain high frame rates. The boost clock of 1770 MHz is modest by modern standards, and the data indicates that this clock speed, combined with the 8 GB frame buffer, limits the card's ability to handle the increased pixel count at higher resolutions.

The measured frame times at Medium settings provide additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 146 and the max is 198, showing a 52 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the min drops to 105 and the max to 141, a 36 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the min is 65 and the max is 88, a 23 FPS variance. This narrowing variance at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is consistently saturated, leaving less headroom for frame time spikes, which can be detrimental in a horror game where sudden frame drops affect immersion.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1653 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 56th percentile. This is a mid-pack ranking, indicating that while the system is capable, it is not among the top performers for this specific title. The rank reflects the GPU's age and the CPU's relative newness, with the pairing producing a balanced but not exceptional result.

The CPU alone is a strong performer. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 scores 46062 on average across all benchmark tests, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (scoring 46030, 0.1% lower), the Intel Core i9-13900HX (scoring 46098, 0.1% higher), the AMD EPYC 4364P (scoring 45970, 0.2% lower), and the AMD EPYC 7303 (scoring 45960, 0.2% lower). This means the CPU is essentially tied with these processors in synthetic tests, showing that it is not a bottleneck in this configuration.

The GPU, however, is less impressive relative to its peers. With an average benchmark score of 20282, the RTX 2070 SUPER sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. The gap between the CPU's 89th percentile and the GPU's 65th percentile suggests that the graphics card is the constraining factor in this combo's overall ranking. The 1653rd rank out of 2928 combos reflects this imbalance, as the system's performance in Downfall is largely dictated by the GPU's capabilities rather than the CPU's processing power.

The combo's ranking also implies that many other tested configurations, likely those with newer GPUs, achieve better frame rates in this game. However, the data shows that this pairing is still capable of delivering playable performance at most settings, with the exception of 4K Ultra where the frame rate drops below 40 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all settings presets are playable, with even Ultra achieving 88 FPS average. However, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a compelling balance: 172 FPS average with a min of 146 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. High settings at 1080p yield 141 FPS, which is also smooth, but the jump from Medium to High only provides marginal visual improvements while costing 31 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers 123 FPS average with a min of 105 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play. High settings at 1440p drop to 101 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge. Ultra at 1440p produces 63 FPS, which is borderline, and the data shows that the visual gains from Ultra over High may not justify the 38 FPS loss.

For 4K gaming, the options are limited. Low settings at 3840x2160 produce 94 FPS, which is the only preset that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium settings at 4K offer 77 FPS, which is acceptable for a horror game where the atmosphere matters more than competitive frame rates, but the min FPS of 65 suggests occasional dips. High settings at 4K drop to 63 FPS, which is exactly at the threshold, and Ultra at 4K is not recommended given the 39 FPS average.

The recommendation is to use Medium settings for 1080p and 1440p, and Low settings for 4K. This approach maximizes frame rate stability while maintaining acceptable visual quality. The Medium preset's measured min FPS values at 1080p (146) and 1440p (105) indicate that the system can handle frame time spikes without dropping below playable levels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in Downfall is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the system achieves 210 FPS average on Low settings, 172 FPS average on Medium (with a min of 146 and max of 198), 141 FPS average on High, and 88 FPS average on Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 122 FPS drop, representing a 58.1% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

At 2560x1440, the results are 150 FPS average on Low, 123 FPS average on Medium (with a min of 105 and max of 141), 101 FPS average on High, and 63 FPS average on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 87 FPS, or 58.0% reduction, which is nearly identical to the percentage drop at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the system produces 94 FPS average on Low, 77 FPS average on Medium (with a min of 65 and max of 88), 63 FPS average on High, and 39 FPS average on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 55 FPS, or 58.5% reduction, again showing remarkable consistency in the scaling pattern across all three resolutions.

The data also reveals the impact of resolution on the same settings preset. For Low settings, the FPS goes from 210 at 1080p to 150 at 1440p to 94 at 4K. For Medium, it goes from 172 to 123 to 77. For High, it goes from 141 to 101 to 63. For Ultra, it goes from 88 to 63 to 39. In every case, the frame rate at 4K is less than half of the 1080p value, underscoring the GPU's limitations at higher pixel counts.

The min FPS data points at Medium settings are particularly useful for understanding worst-case performance. At 1080p, the min of 146 FPS is 84.9% of the average, indicating good consistency. At 1440p, the min of 105 FPS is 85.4% of the average, showing similar stability. At 4K, the min of 65 FPS is 84.4% of the average, meaning the frame pacing remains relatively even even when the GPU is heavily loaded.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong single-thread and multi-thread performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 2085 in single-core and 14769 in multi-core. In PassMark, it achieves 4516 in single-thread and 37816 in multithread tests. These scores place the CPU in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The frame rate scaling data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the FPS drops proportionally with resolution increases. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would be similar across resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the data shows a clear GPU-bound scenario.

The CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for this 2016 horror title, which likely does not utilize more than a few cores. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures high single-thread performance, which is often more important for game logic and draw call processing. The 24 MB of L3 cache provides ample space for game assets and instructions.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database—the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, Intel Core i9-13900HX, and AMD EPYC 4364P—all score within 0.2% of the Ultra 5 235, indicating that any of these processors would produce similar results in this game. The CPU's performance is not a differentiator in this combo's ranking; the GPU is the dominant factor.

The data shows that the CPU maintains high frame rates even at low resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 210 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. This suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough frames to keep it saturated, even in less demanding scenes. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking confirms that it is a high-performance part that will not hold back most GPU configurations.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Downfall?*

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 is the best resolution for this combo, as it achieves playable frame rates at all settings, with even Ultra settings producing 88 FPS average. At 1440p, the system is still capable, but Ultra settings drop to 63 FPS, and at 4K, only Low settings provide a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, 1% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, 1.2% higher), the Intel Arc B570 (20556, 1.3% higher), and the Intel Arc A750 (20582, 1.5% higher). This places the card in a tight performance cluster.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No, the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, indicating a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 46062, and its nearest rivals score within 0.2%, showing that it is a high-performance part.

*Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Downfall?*

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1653 out of 2928 tested combos, placing it in the 56th percentile. This mid-pack ranking reflects the GPU's age and its 65th percentile standing among all GPUs, despite the CPU's strong 89th percentile performance.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Downfall?*

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured data shows 94 FPS average at Low settings, 77 FPS at Medium, 63 FPS at High, and 39 FPS at Ultra at 3840x2160. For a playable experience, Low or Medium settings are recommended, with Medium providing a min FPS of 65.

Q: What is the frame rate variance at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 146 and max is 198, a 52 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the min is 105 and max is 141, a 36 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the min is 65 and max is 88, a 23 FPS variance. This narrowing variance at higher resolutions indicates consistent GPU saturation.