Downfall

The data for Downfall with the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 reveals a pairing that is heavily influenced by resolution and preset selection. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the board indicate a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, but one that requires careful settings management to maintain playability at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics, contextualizes them against rival hardware, and provides actionable recommendations based solely on the provided measurements.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is substantial across all settings, highlighting where the bottleneck shifts. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 226 FPS at 1080p to 162 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 64 FPS, and then further to 101 FPS at 4K. This progression shows a 55% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K at Low, indicating that even at the lowest graphical load, the rendering resolution heavily taxes the system.

Moving to Medium settings, the scaling pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers: 185 FPS at 1080p drops to 132 FPS at 1440p and then to 82 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Medium is 103 FPS, a 56% reduction. At High settings, the trend continues with 152 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. This represents a 55% drop from 1080p to 4K, consistent with other presets.

The most demanding preset, Ultra, shows the steepest absolute decline: 95 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and just 42 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half the 1080p Ultra figure. This scaling suggests that the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus are likely significant limiting factors at higher resolutions, as the pixel throughput demands increase exponentially. The data implies that for a smooth 4K experience, users must compromise heavily on settings, as even High preset yields only 68 FPS, which may not be ideal for all players.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 operates with a boost clock of 2460 MHz and a base clock of 1830 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. These specifications are directly reflected in the measured FPS. At 1080p, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor, as the frame rates are high enough to suggest the CPU is not a primary constraint. For instance, the 226 FPS at Low settings demonstrates the GPU's raw capability when pixel count is manageable.

However, the 8 GB VRAM capacity appears to be a critical limitation at 4K. The significant frame rate drops between 1440p and 4K across all presets suggest that the memory buffer is being exceeded, leading to performance degradation. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 42, which is a 56% drop from the 1440p Ultra score of 68 FPS. This is a steeper relative decline than what is seen at lower settings, indicating that VRAM pressure is compounding with the increased pixel load.

The GPU's position in the market, with a percentile rank of 61 versus all GPUs, places it in the mid-range tier. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores nearly identically in average benchmarks (17666 vs 17639, a delta of -0.2%), which is surprising given the generational gap. This suggests that while the RTX 4060 excels in specific workloads like DirectX 12 (scoring 76 in Passmark), its overall compute performance is not dramatically ahead of older or integrated solutions like the AMD Radeon 780M (delta of 0.3%). In Downfall, the GPU's performance is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K results clearly indicate a hardware ceiling.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz and a base clock of 3.50 GHz. Its architecture, Arrow Lake-S, is built on a 3 nm process. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance, scoring 32924 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 13828 in R20. Single-thread scores are also robust, with 4648 in R23 single-core. However, the CPU's role in Downfall appears secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling.

At 1080p Low, the 226 FPS average is high enough that the CPU is likely keeping pace with the GPU. The CPU's percentile rank of 90 versus all CPUs places it in the top tier, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (delta of -0.5%) and Intel Core i5-14600K (delta of 0.8%), are comparable in average score. This indicates that the Ultra 5 245 is more than capable of feeding the RTX 4060 at lower resolutions.

The CPU's impact becomes more apparent when examining the frame rate consistency. For instance, at 1440p Medium, the minimum FPS is 112, while the average is 132, showing a 20 FPS variance. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 157 and the average is 185, a 28 FPS variance. These variances could be attributed to CPU-driven frame time spikes, but the overall high averages suggest that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The data implies that in this horror game, which may have specific CPU-intensive scenes, the 14-core processor provides ample headroom, allowing the GPU to be the determining factor for performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1531 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the 52nd percentile, meaning it performs better than just over half of all tested systems. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the GPU's lower percentile (61) and the CPU's high percentile (90), suggesting that the combo is held back by the GPU's limitations.

When comparing to other potential pairings, the data shows that the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (delta of -0.4%) and AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (delta of -0.5%), would likely yield similar FPS if paired with the same GPU, as the CPU is not the limiting factor. Conversely, the GPU's rivals, like the AMD Radeon 780M (delta of 0.3%), would likely produce lower frame rates in Downfall due to their significantly lower standalone performance.

The ranking of 1531 indicates that while this combo is not at the top, it is also not struggling. The measured FPS at 1080p High (152) and 1440p High (108) are respectable and suggest a system that can handle modern games at competitive settings. The Ultra preset at 4K (42 FPS) is the only configuration that falls below a playable threshold, which is a direct result of the GPU's VRAM and bandwidth constraints. Overall, the combo's rank is a reflection of its balanced but GPU-limited nature.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 152.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 4K Ultra average is 42 FPS, while the 1080p Ultra average is 95 FPS, representing a 56% decrease in performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this system?

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU has a high percentile rank (90) and strong benchmark scores, while the GPU's percentile is lower (61) and shows significant FPS drops at 4K.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 112.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1531 out of 2928 tested combos, placing it in the 52nd percentile.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1080p Low settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 226.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080 users, the High preset is recommended as it delivers an average of 152 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz threshold for most monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p still provides 95 FPS, making it viable for those prioritizing visual fidelity, but the jump from High to Ultra comes with a 37% performance cost. The Medium preset offers 185 FPS for competitive play, but the visual trade-off may not be worth it given the High preset's high frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the sweet spot, averaging 108 FPS. This provides a smooth experience for most gamers. The Medium preset at 132 FPS is another option for those with high refresh rate monitors, but the difference between Medium and High is only 24 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 68 FPS, which is still playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced action. The Low preset at 162 FPS is excessive and not recommended unless the user has a 160Hz+ monitor.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that High settings at 68 FPS is the maximum playable configuration. The Medium preset at 82 FPS is also acceptable, but the Ultra preset at 42 FPS is too low for a consistent experience. The Low preset at 101 FPS is the best option for 4K if smoothness is the priority, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. Given the horror genre's reliance on atmosphere, the Medium preset at 4K offers a balance between immersion and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average FPS is 226. This is the highest score recorded for this combo.
• Medium: Average FPS is 185, with a minimum of 157 and a maximum of 213.
• High: Average FPS is 152.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 95.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average FPS is 162.
• Medium: Average FPS is 132, with a minimum of 112 and a maximum of 152.
• High: Average FPS is 108.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 68.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average FPS is 101.
• Medium: Average FPS is 82, with a minimum of 70 and a maximum of 95.
• High: Average FPS is 68.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 42.

These numbers show a clear pattern: for every resolution, the difference between Low and Ultra is substantial, with the 1080p difference being 131 FPS, 1440p being 94 FPS, and 4K being 59 FPS. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for the Medium preset, indicating that this is the only setting where the system experiences measurable frame dips, likely due to transient load spikes. The data confirms that the RTX 4060 is best utilized at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K requiring a significant compromise on settings to achieve playable frame rates.