Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti delivers a performance profile in Downfall that is heavily dictated by resolution. At 1920x1080, the combination produces exceptionally high frame rates, while 4K Ultra settings push the GPU to its limits. The measured data reveals a clear scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions and four preset levels, providing a comprehensive view of where this hardware stands for this specific horror title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K shows a classic GPU-bound curve, though the steepness varies significantly by settings preset. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 235 at 1920x1080 to 168 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 67 frames per second (a 28.5% decrease). Moving from 1440p to 4K at Low, the average falls further to 105 FPS, representing another 63-frame drop (37.5% lower). This steady decline indicates that even at the lowest graphical load, the GPU is the primary limiter, but the CPU still has ample headroom.

For Medium settings, the scaling pattern is similar but with slightly compressed numbers. The average FPS at 1080p is 192, dropping to 137 at 1440p (a 55-frame, 28.6% decrease) and then to 86 at 4K (a 51-frame, 37.2% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across resolutions suggests that the workload scales predictably with pixel count, which is typical for a game where the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become increasingly important at higher resolutions.

High settings show a more pronounced drop when moving from 1440p to 4K. At 1080p, the average is 158 FPS; at 1440p, it remains strong at 113 FPS (a 45-frame, 28.5% drop). However, the jump to 4K brings the average down to 70 FPS, a 43-frame decrease (38.1%). This steeper decline at 4K High suggests that the RTX 3060 Ti's 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are starting to feel constrained as texture detail and shading complexity increase.

Ultra settings exhibit the most dramatic scaling curve. The average FPS at 1080p is 99, which is already the lowest 1080p result across all presets. At 1440p, it falls to 70 FPS (a 29.3% drop), and at 4K, it plummets to 44 FPS (a 37.1% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS is the lowest figure in the entire dataset, indicating that this preset at maximum resolution is simply too demanding for the RTX 3060 Ti to maintain a smooth experience. The data shows that the limiting component transitions from a balanced CPU/GPU load at 1080p to a clear GPU bottleneck as resolution increases, with the Ultra preset amplifying this effect.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the dominant factor in Downfall's performance, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which directly influences how well it handles the game's texture streaming and shadow rendering. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 44 suggests that the memory capacity and bandwidth are being taxed heavily, as the game likely requires more than 8 GB for maximum detail at that resolution. This is supported by the fact that the drop from High to Ultra at 4K is substantial: 70 FPS down to 44 FPS, a 26-frame difference (37.1% lower).

The GPU's clock speeds also play a role in the scaling behavior. With a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, the RTX 3060 Ti operates within a moderate frequency range. The measured results show that at 1080p Low, the average FPS of 235 is likely near the CPU's limit, but the GPU still manages to keep up. At 4K Low, the 105 FPS average indicates that the GPU's raw compute power (16.20 TFLOPS FP32) is sufficient for lighter loads, but the pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s becomes a bottleneck when resolution increases.

Comparing the GPU to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16129. This puts it 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (score 16014) and 1.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 370X (score 15862). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M by 1.4% (score 16351) and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT by 1.4% (score 16361). In Downfall, this translates to a GPU that can handle 1080p and 1440p comfortably but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra, where the 44 FPS average falls below the typically acceptable threshold for a smooth horror experience. The GPU's 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs underscores its mid-range positioning.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired smoothness. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, but the data shows that High settings at 158 FPS average offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance headroom. Medium settings at 192 FPS provide a higher frame rate but sacrifice some graphical detail, while Ultra at 99 FPS is still smooth but leaves little margin for demanding scenes. Low at 235 FPS is excessive for most displays and wastes visual quality.

For 2560x1440, High settings at 113 FPS is the recommended choice. This preset delivers a smooth experience with good detail, and the 113 FPS average is well above the threshold for responsive gameplay. Medium at 137 FPS is also viable for those prioritizing frame rate, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often noticeable in horror games where atmospheric lighting matters. Ultra at 70 FPS is playable but may exhibit occasional dips in complex scenes, making High the safer pick.

At 3840x2160, the choices narrow considerably. Medium settings at 86 FPS is the only preset that provides a smooth experience without severe compromises. Low at 105 FPS is also playable but sacrifices too much visual detail for a horror title where immersion is key. High at 70 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 44 FPS is not recommended for consistent gameplay. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo requires Medium settings to maintain a stable frame rate, and even then, the minimum FPS of 73 (measured at 4K Medium) suggests some scenes will push the hardware harder.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested hardware combinations for Downfall, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1408 out of 2928 combos. This places it in the 48th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it performs better than roughly half of the configurations tested for this game. The ranking reflects the balanced nature of the CPU and GPU pairing, where neither component is severely over- or under-powered relative to the other.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 puts it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rivals being the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (score 46030, 0.1% slower), the Intel Core i9-13900HX (score 46098, 0.1% faster), the AMD EPYC 4364P (score 45970, 0.2% slower), and the AMD EPYC 7303 (score 45960, 0.2% slower). This indicates that the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU in Downfall, and the combo's mid-pack ranking is primarily due to the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. The GPU's 59th percentile ranking among all GPUs, combined with the CPU's 89th percentile, suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, which is consistent with the resolution scaling data showing a GPU bottleneck at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings (113 FPS average) provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, but 4K Ultra (44 FPS) is not recommended.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16129. It is 0.7% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014) and 1.7% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862). It is 1.4% slower than both the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351) and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (16361).

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this setup?

A: At 4K, only Medium settings (86 FPS average) and Low settings (105 FPS average) provide smooth gameplay. High settings (70 FPS) are borderline, and Ultra (44 FPS) is too demanding. The 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth of the RTX 3060 Ti are the primary constraints.

*Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems in Downfall?*

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1408 out of 2928 tested combos, placing it in the 48th percentile of all configurations in the database.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062. It is 0.1% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030) and 0.2% faster than the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970). It is 0.1% slower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098) and 0.2% slower than the AMD EPYC 7303 (45960).

Q: What settings should be used for a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 1440p?

A: The data shows that High settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 113 FPS, while Medium produces 137 FPS. Both are well above 60 FPS. Ultra at 1440p averages 70 FPS, which is also above 60 but with less headroom for demanding scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 235 FPS, Medium settings produce 192 FPS (with a minimum of 164 FPS and maximum of 221 FPS), High settings produce 158 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 99 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each increase in preset level reduces the average by roughly 30-40 frames, with the gap between High and Ultra being the largest at 59 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 168 FPS, Medium at 137 FPS (minimum 117, maximum 158), High at 113 FPS, and Ultra at 70 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium is 31 FPS, Medium to High is 24 FPS, and High to Ultra is 43 FPS. The larger drop from High to Ultra indicates that the Ultra preset introduces significant additional GPU load.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 105 FPS, Medium at 86 FPS (minimum 73, maximum 98), High at 70 FPS, and Ultra at 44 FPS. The progression shows a narrowing gap between presets at lower tiers (19 FPS between Low and Medium) but a significant drop at Ultra (26 FPS below High). The minimum FPS of 73 at 4K Medium is the only min/max data point provided for 4K, suggesting that this preset is the most stable at that resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 plays a supporting role in Downfall, providing enough processing power to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 3060 Ti at most settings. With 14 cores and 14 threads running at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, this Arrow Lake-S architecture CPU (3 nm process, TSMC foundry) offers substantial multi-threaded capability. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth (DDR5 dual-channel) ensure that game logic and physics calculations are handled without stalling the GPU.

Benchmark data shows the CPU's strengths: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and single-core score of 2085, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 37816 and single-thread score of 4516. These results place the CPU in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performing part. In Downfall, this translates to the CPU being able to feed the GPU at 1080p Low (235 FPS average) without becoming the limiting factor. The fact that the frame rate drops consistently across resolutions, even at Low settings, confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck in most scenarios.

The CPU's TDP of 65 W and the fact that it is not multiplier-unlocked (locked multiplier) suggest it runs efficiently without requiring exotic cooling. The 14 threads (equal to the core count, indicating no hyperthreading) are sufficient for Downfall, which is a 2016 horror title that likely does not scale beyond a few threads. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is heavily constrained (44 FPS average), the CPU is not holding back performance, as the frame rate is clearly dictated by the GPU's rendering capabilities. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-13900HX, is only 0.1% faster in average benchmark score, showing that the Ultra 5 235 is competitively positioned for gaming workloads like this one.