Downfall

# Downfall — Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile

The benchmark data for Downfall with the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile shows a system that is firmly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet with enough CPU headroom to push very high frame rates at 1080p. The combo ranks in the 803rd position out of 3,716 tested configurations, placing it in the top 22% of all pairings in this game. Measured frame rates range from 61 FPS at 4K Ultra to 328 FPS at 1080p Low, which demonstrates a wide performance envelope that depends heavily on both resolution and quality preset. This analysis walks through the CPU and GPU contributions, scaling behavior, and practical settings guidance based exclusively on the measured data.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX is a 14-core, 14-thread processor from the Arrow Lake-HX family, built on a 3 nm TSMC process. Its base clock is 2.90 GHz with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, and it carries 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 34,731 and a single-core score of 4,903, which places it in the 91st percentile against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 52,073 puts it within 0.7% of the Intel Core i9-13900F (51,730) and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (51,947), while trailing the AMD EPYC 8124P by 0.1% (52,121) and the Intel Core i7-14700 by 0.4% (52,301). These deltas are negligible in practice, meaning the 235HX delivers desktop-class compute performance in a mobile form factor.

For Downfall, a horror title released in 2016, the CPU demands are modest compared to modern AAA games. The measured frame rates at 1080p Low reach 328 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the 235HX is not a bottleneck even at very high frame rates. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 138 FPS, but this decline coincides with increased GPU load rather than CPU limitation. The 14 threads handle the game's logic and physics without issue, and the 5.10 GHz boost clock provides strong single-thread responsiveness, which matters for horror games that often rely on scripted sequences and AI-driven events. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,683 reinforces this, showing solid per-core performance that keeps frame pacing stable.

The 235HX's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5 is adequate for a game of Downfall's era, and the 24 MB L3 cache helps with repetitive data access patterns common in level streaming. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking versus all CPUs suggests it outperforms the vast majority of processors in general compute, and in this specific game, the measured results confirm that it contributes positively to high refresh rate scenarios. At 4K Ultra, where the GPU is stressed most, the CPU still manages to feed the RTX 5090 Mobile enough data to sustain 61 FPS, which is a demanding workload for any processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 10,496 shading units, 328 tensor cores, and 82 RT cores. It features 24 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 990 MHz with a boost of 1515 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 30,034 places it in the 84th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 45,152. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (45,384, 0.5% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (44,795, 0.8% behind), Intel Arc A730M (45,592, 1% ahead), and NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation (45,972, 1.8% ahead). These comparisons show that the RTX 5090 Mobile sits in a performance tier near desktop RTX 4070 Ti-class parts, which is remarkable for a mobile GPU with a 95 W TDP.

In Downfall, the GPU's role scales dramatically with settings. At 1080p Low, the GPU delivers 328 FPS, but this is likely not the GPU's ceiling — the CPU may be limiting at that point. Moving to 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 61 FPS, which indicates the GPU is fully saturated. The 24 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Downfall, as the game's textures and geometry are from 2016 and would not approach even 8 GB of usage. The 896.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and memory-intensive effects do not cause hitches, especially at 4K where the render target is large. The 82 RT cores are irrelevant for this title since Downfall does not use ray tracing, but the raw rasterization throughput from 10,496 shading units drives the high frame rates observed.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,871 indicates strong modern API performance, and its Geekbench OpenCL score of 201,834 shows excellent compute capability. For Downfall, which likely relies on DirectX 11 or 12, the GPU's PassMark DirectX 11 score of 269 and DirectX 12 score of 138 suggest that the driver overhead is well-managed. The 1515 MHz boost clock is modest compared to desktop GPUs, but the architecture's efficiency compensates, allowing the mobile part to maintain high frame rates across all tested settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data reveals a clear scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 220 at 1080p to 157 at 1440p to 98 at 4K — a reduction of 28.6% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 37.6% from 1440p to 4K. This is a typical GPU-bound scaling curve, where each resolution increase roughly quadruples the pixel count, and the frame rate drops accordingly. At Low settings, the pattern shows 328 FPS at 1080p, 234 FPS at 1440p (a 28.7% drop), and 146 FPS at 4K (a 37.6% drop from 1440p). The percentage drops are nearly identical between High and Low, which suggests the GPU is the primary limiter at all resolutions.

Medium settings follow the same trend: 269 FPS at 1080p, 192 FPS at 1440p, and 119 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 28.6%, and the 1440p-to-4K drop is 38.0%. Ultra settings show the most severe scaling: 138 FPS at 1080p, 98 FPS at 1440p (a 29.0% drop), and 61 FPS at 4K (a 37.8% drop). The consistency of these percentages across all four settings is noteworthy — it indicates that the bottleneck is pixel-throughput related rather than settings-related. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see smaller percentage drops at lower resolutions where the CPU is more likely to be the constraint, but the data shows uniform scaling, meaning the GPU is the dominant factor even at 1080p Low.

The 4K Ultra result of 61 FPS is the most demanding scenario, and it represents a 81.4% reduction from the 1080p Low result of 328 FPS. This wide range demonstrates that the system can adapt to both high-refresh-rate competitive play and high-fidelity 4K gaming, but not simultaneously. The 1080p Medium result of 269 FPS with a minimum of 228 FPS and maximum of 309 FPS shows good frame consistency, while the 1440p Medium result of 192 FPS (min 163, max 221) and 4K Medium result of 119 FPS (min 101, max 137) maintain solid pacing. Only the Medium settings have min/max data available, but the spread of roughly 35-40 FPS between min and max at each resolution suggests no major stuttering issues.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 803rd out of 3,716 tested combinations in Downfall, which places it in the top 21.6% of all configurations. This is a strong showing, considering the database likely includes desktop systems with higher-end CPUs and GPUs. The ranking reflects the balance between the 235HX's 91st percentile CPU performance and the RTX 5090 Mobile's 84th percentile GPU performance. While neither component is at the absolute top of its respective category, their combination yields competitive results in this game.

The rank of 803 suggests that there are 802 configurations that outperform this combo in Downfall, and 2,913 that underperform it. Given that the RTX 5090 Mobile is a flagship mobile GPU, the fact that it does not crack the top 500 indicates that some desktop GPUs and CPUs can achieve higher frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU speed matters more. However, the 803rd position is still strong, and the measured frame rates at 1080p (220 FPS High, 328 FPS Low) are well above the 60 FPS threshold that most players target. At 4K, the 98 FPS High result is excellent for a laptop, and even the 61 FPS Ultra result is playable.

The delta comparisons for the CPU and GPU individually show that this combo is well-matched: the CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.7% of its average score, and the GPU's rivals are within 1.8%. This means neither component is dramatically over- or under-powered relative to its peers, which contributes to the balanced performance seen in the measured FPS. The 803rd rank also benefits from the game's age — Downfall is from 2016, so modern hardware can brute-force it with high frame rates, but the GPU-bound scaling at 4K means that even top-tier desktop parts will see similar relative drops at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1440p High, the average FPS is 157, which is well above 60 FPS, while 1440p Ultra still achieves 98 FPS. At 4K, the frame rates drop to 98 FPS High and 61 FPS Ultra, which is playable but not as smooth as 1440p.

Q: How does this combo compare to the nearest rival GPUs?

A: The RTX 5090 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 45,152, which is 0.5% below the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (45,384), 0.8% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti (44,795), 1% below the Intel Arc A730M (45,592), and 1.8% below the NVIDIA RTX 5880 Ada Generation (45,972). These differences are minor in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at any setting?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution or settings. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, which indicates a GPU-bound workload. The 235HX's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,903 and multi-core score of 34,731 provide ample headroom for this 2016 game.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average at 1080p Ultra is 138 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS target and provides a smooth experience, though it is significantly lower than the 328 FPS at 1080p Low, which shows the impact of Ultra settings on GPU load.

Q: Does the 24 GB VRAM matter for Downfall?

A: No, Downfall is from 2016 and does not require large amounts of VRAM. The 24 GB GDDR7 memory is overkill for this title, but it ensures that memory capacity is never a limiting factor, even at 4K with Ultra settings. The 896.0 GB/s bandwidth also prevents texture streaming bottlenecks.

Q: How does this combo rank overall in the database?

A: It ranks 803rd out of 3,716 tested combos for Downfall, placing it in the top 22% of all configurations. This is a strong result, especially considering that the database likely includes many desktop systems with higher-spec components.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 220 FPS average, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. The Ultra preset at 138 FPS is still very smooth and offers better visual fidelity, so for players with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, Ultra is the recommended choice. The Medium preset at 269 FPS is unnecessary unless the player has a 240Hz display, and Low at 328 FPS offers no practical benefit over Medium for most users.

At 1440p, the High preset at 157 FPS is the sweet spot. It provides a 36.7% improvement over Ultra (98 FPS) while maintaining visual quality that is nearly indistinguishable from Ultra in most scenes. For players with 144Hz monitors, High is the clear recommendation. The Medium preset at 192 FPS is viable for 165Hz or 180Hz displays, but the visual trade-off may not be worth it. Ultra at 98 FPS is playable but misses the 100 FPS mark, so it is not recommended for competitive play.

At 4K, the High preset at 98 FPS is the best balance of quality and performance. It is 60.7% faster than Ultra (61 FPS) and just slightly below the 100 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 119 FPS is also a strong option for players who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, as it maintains a 19 FPS advantage over High. Ultra at 61 FPS is only recommended for players with 60Hz displays who want maximum visual quality and can tolerate the lower frame rate. Low at 146 FPS is overkill for 60Hz displays and sacrifices too much visual quality.

Overall, the recommended settings are: 1080p Ultra (138 FPS), 1440p High (157 FPS), and 4K High (98 FPS). These configurations offer the best frame rate-to-quality ratio based on the measured data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data comes directly from the measured rows and covers all 12 combinations of resolution and settings.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 328 FPS (no min/max data)
• Medium: Average 269 FPS, min 228, max 309
• High: Average 220 FPS (no min/max data)
• Ultra: Average 138 FPS (no min/max data)

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 234 FPS (no min/max data)
• Medium: Average 192 FPS, min 163, max 221
• High: Average 157 FPS (no min/max data)
• Ultra: Average 98 FPS (no min/max data)

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 146 FPS (no min/max data)
• Medium: Average 119 FPS, min 101, max 137
• High: Average 98 FPS (no min/max data)
• Ultra: Average 61 FPS (no min/max data)

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions, which shows a consistent pattern: at 1080p, the spread is 81 FPS (228 to 309); at 1440p, the spread is 58 FPS (163 to 221); and at 4K, the spread is 36 FPS (101 to 137). This narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded as pixel count increases, reducing frame time variance. The 1080p Medium spread of 81 FPS is notable — it suggests that some scenes are much less demanding than others, which is common in horror games with varying lighting and enemy density.

The average FPS progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution follows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the drops are 59 FPS (328 to 269), 49 FPS (269 to 220), and 82 FPS (220 to 138); at 1440p, the drops are 42 FPS (234 to 192), 35 FPS (192 to 157), and 59 FPS (157 to 98); at 4K, the drops are 27 FPS (146 to 119), 21 FPS (119 to 98), and 37 FPS (98 to 61). The Ultra-to-High drop is consistently the largest at each resolution, which indicates that the Ultra preset introduces disproportionately heavy effects. The Low-to-Medium and Medium-to-High transitions are more moderate, suggesting that Medium and High offer better performance per quality increment.