Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 produces a predictable bottleneck profile in Downfall: the GPU is the limiting factor at nearly every setting, while the CPU’s strong multi-core headroom remains largely untapped. This analysis walks through the measured frame rates to show where the combo lands in the broader database and what users can expect from each preset.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear, linear progression of performance loss as resolution increases, with the most dramatic drop occurring between 1080p and 4K. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 102 FPS at 1920x1080 to 73 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 29 FPS, and then to 45 FPS at 3840x2160, which is 57 FPS below the 1080p result. This pattern indicates that the Radeon RX 580’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at higher resolutions; the GPU’s 256-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply insufficient to maintain the same fill rate when pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

At High settings, the scaling is steeper in percentage terms. The average FPS drops from 68 at 1080p to 49 at 1440p (a 28% reduction) and then to 30 at 4K (a 56% reduction from the 1080p baseline). The jump from Medium to High at 4K is particularly telling: Medium averages 37 FPS, while High averages 30 FPS, a 7 FPS gap. Meanwhile, the drop from High to Ultra at 4K is catastrophic, collapsing from 30 FPS to 19 FPS. This uneven scaling suggests that the Ultra preset introduces shading or texture workloads that the RX 580’s 32 ROPs and 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute cannot handle efficiently at 4K.

The data points to the GPU as the sole limiting component. The CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads, with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, are more than capable of feeding frames at 1080p; the fact that Low settings at 1080p reaches 102 FPS while Ultra at 4K manages only 19 FPS demonstrates that the graphics card’s compute resources, not the processor’s, dictate the ceiling. For users targeting 4K, the measured results suggest that even Medium settings (37 FPS) are barely playable, while 1440p offers a more balanced experience, with Medium hitting 60 FPS and Low reaching 73 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580, built on the Polaris 20 chip with a 14 nm process, operates with a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is the key enabler for the 1080p and 1440p results. The GPU’s 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units deliver a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s, but the 32 ROPs limit pixel fill to 42.88 GPixel/s, a figure that becomes the bottleneck at high resolutions.

In Downfall, the RX 580’s VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor—the game’s measured rows show no signs of texture thrashing or memory-related stutters, even at 4K Ultra where the average FPS bottoms out at 19. Instead, the compute and fill-rate limits dominate. The GPU’s percentile ranking (53rd among all GPUs) places it in the mid-range, and its nearest rivals—the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (deltaPct -0.1) and the GTX 1660 SUPER (deltaPct -0.4)—have nearly identical average benchmark scores, confirming that the RX 580 is a solid but aging mainstream part.

The measured FPS at 1080p Medium (83 FPS) and High (68 FPS) shows the GPU is still capable of delivering smooth gameplay at lower resolutions. However, the jump to 1440p Ultra (31 FPS) and 4K Ultra (19 FPS) exposes the card’s age. The GPU’s support for DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3 is adequate for this 2016 title, but the raw compute power is what matters here. The 6.175 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is roughly half of what a modern mid-range card would offer, and the 185 W TDP suggests the card is drawing near its thermal limits when pushed to 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 2670 out of 2928 combos for Downfall, placing it in the bottom 9% of all tested systems. This low rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU; the CPU alone sits in the 90th percentile of all processors, while the GPU sits in the 53rd percentile. The pairing of a top-decile CPU with a mid-range GPU creates a significant imbalance.

The combo rank reveals that this system is not competitive for Downfall at high settings, but the measured FPS data shows it is still viable at lower presets. For context, the CPU’s nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (deltaPct -0.5)—have nearly identical average benchmark scores, meaning any of these CPUs paired with the RX 580 would produce similar results. The GPU’s nearest rivals, including the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and GTX 1660 SUPER, also sit within 0.4% of its average score, so swapping the GPU for one of those would not meaningfully change the combo’s rank.

The rank of 2670 out of 2928 is a stark indicator that this is not a balanced gaming system for a modern title. However, because Downfall is a 2016 release with modest requirements, the combo’s actual playable performance at 1080p and 1440p Low/Medium settings is far better than the rank suggests. The data shows that the combo is CPU-heavy, and users would see a substantial rank improvement by upgrading the GPU, but the measured FPS at lower presets is sufficient for the game’s horror genre, where frame rate consistency matters more than absolute maximums.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and the user’s tolerance for frame rate dips. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS, which is the best balance of smoothness and visual fidelity. Low settings at 1080p reach 102 FPS, but the visual trade-off is likely unnecessary given that Medium is still well above 60 FPS. High settings at 1080p average 68 FPS, which is acceptable, but the 15 FPS drop from Medium may not be worth the marginal visual improvement. Ultra at 1080p averages 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, so it is not recommended.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset (73 FPS) is the only setting that clears 60 FPS, making it the safest choice for a consistent experience. Medium at 1440p averages exactly 60 FPS, but the minimum of 51 FPS indicates that scenes with heavy effects or many enemies could dip into stutter territory. High at 1440p (49 FPS) and Ultra (31 FPS) are both below the playable threshold for most users. For 4K, no setting achieves 60 FPS; Low averages 45 FPS, Medium averages 37 FPS, and High drops to 30 FPS. Ultra at 4K is effectively unplayable at 19 FPS.

The data suggests that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a 71 FPS minimum that protects against frame drops. For users with 1440p monitors, Low is the only preset that guarantees smooth gameplay, while those attempting 4K should accept that even Low will not reach 60 FPS and should consider lowering the resolution instead.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides an average of 83 FPS and a minimum of 71 FPS, making it the most reliable choice. At 2560x1440, only Low settings (73 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, while 4K tops out at 45 FPS on Low.

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

A: Technically, yes, but with compromises. The 4K results show 45 FPS on Low, 37 FPS on Medium, 30 FPS on High, and 19 FPS on Ultra. None of these reach 60 FPS, so 4K is only viable if the user accepts sub-60 frame rates or plays on Low settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 or the AMD Radeon RX 580 the bottleneck?

A: The data clearly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 102 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 19 FPS, showing that the RX 580’s compute and fill-rate limits are the constraint, not the CPU’s 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This pairing ranks 2670 out of 2928 combos for Downfall, placing it in the bottom 9%. The CPU alone is in the 90th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is in the 53rd percentile, indicating a significant performance imbalance.

Q: What is the highest settings preset that maintains 60 FPS?

A: At 1080p, Medium (83 FPS) and High (68 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS, but Medium has a higher minimum (71 FPS) versus High’s unspecified minimum. At 1440p, only Low (73 FPS) clears 60 FPS, while Medium averages exactly 60 FPS with a 51 FPS minimum.

Q: Does the RX 580’s 8 GB VRAM limit performance in this game?

A: No. The measured FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with compute and fill-rate limitations, not memory capacity. The 8 GB GDDR5 pool is sufficient for Downfall’s textures, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from Medium to High at 1440p (60 FPS to 49 FPS).

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz, combined with 24 MB of shared L3 cache, position it as a high-end desktop part. The CPU’s benchmark scores reinforce this: it achieves 32,924 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,648 in single-core, with a PassMark single-thread score of 4,394. The 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its strength.

In Downfall, however, the CPU’s role is minimal. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (102 FPS) is the highest recorded for this combo, but this is still well below the CPU’s potential frame generation capacity. The CPU’s nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (deltaPct -0.5)—have nearly identical average benchmark scores, meaning the choice between these processors would not change the gaming outcome. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 17,800 million transistors provide ample headroom, but the RX 580 simply cannot utilize it.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. The frame rate differences between 1080p and 4K are entirely attributable to the GPU’s workload scaling. For this game, users would see zero benefit from a faster CPU; the bottleneck is the graphics card. The CPU’s 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR5 support are also irrelevant here, as the game’s data throughput is far below what the memory subsystem can provide.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings average 102 FPS, Medium averages 83 FPS (minimum 71, maximum 96), High averages 68 FPS, and Ultra averages 43 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 59 FPS, with the most significant drop occurring between High (68 FPS) and Ultra (43 FPS), a 25 FPS reduction that suggests Ultra adds computationally expensive effects.

At 2560x1440, Low averages 73 FPS, Medium averages 60 FPS (minimum 51, maximum 69), High averages 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 31 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 13 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 11 FPS, showing a fairly consistent scaling. The drop from High to Ultra (49 to 31 FPS) is again the steepest, at 18 FPS.

At 3840x2160, Low averages 45 FPS, Medium averages 37 FPS (minimum 32, maximum 43), High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. The scaling here is compressed because the GPU is heavily saturated. The difference between Low and Medium is 8 FPS, between Medium and High is 7 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 11 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K produces a 19 FPS average, which is below the 24 FPS threshold for perceived motion, making it effectively a slideshow.

The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium settings, shows 71 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. These minimums are critical for a horror game like Downfall, where sudden frame drops can break immersion. The 1080p Medium minimum of 71 FPS is the only setting across all resolutions that maintains a comfortable buffer above 60 FPS, reinforcing the recommendation for that preset. The 4K Medium minimum of 32 FPS indicates that even the middle preset cannot sustain smooth playback at that resolution.