Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Downfall, with the data showing that the GPU is the primary performance arbiter at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-thread capabilities prevent it from becoming a bottleneck at 1080p. This combination ranks in the top 10% of all tested configurations, proving its mettle as a high-end horror gaming setup.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K in Downfall reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern, confirming that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces 155 FPS; moving to 1440p reduces this to 111 FPS (a 28.4% decline), and at 4K the frame rate falls to 69 FPS (a 55.5% decline from 1080p). This steep degradation is the hallmark of a system where the graphics card's pixel throughput, rather than the CPU's processing power, dictates the final frame rate.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced at lower settings, which strips away GPU load and exposes the raw capabilities of both components. At Low settings, the system achieves 369 FPS at 1080p, 264 FPS at 1440p (a 28.5% drop), and 164 FPS at 4K (a 55.6% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops—roughly 28% from 1080p to 1440p and another 38% from 1440p to 4K—strongly indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's memory bandwidth and shading power are the binding constraints, not the Core Ultra 5 245's 14 cores or 5.10 GHz boost clock.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (369 FPS) and Ultra (155 FPS) is 214 FPS; at 4K, that gap shrinks to 95 FPS (164 vs 69). This narrowing suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings cannot fully compensate for the sheer pixel count. The 4K Medium preset's 134 FPS average, with a minimum of 114 FPS and maximum of 154 FPS, shows that the system can still deliver smooth gameplay at 4K, but only with a significant settings compromise.

The data also reveals that the Core Ultra 5 245 is never the primary constraint in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the system hits 369 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can refresh, indicating that the CPU has ample headroom. The CPU's benchmark scores—including a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4394—support this interpretation, as they place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, scores within 0.4% of the Core Ultra 5 245's average benchmark score of 48995, confirming that this Intel chip is a top-tier performer for gaming workloads.

FAQ

*Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Downfall?*

A: The highest measured average is 369 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the absolute ceiling for this configuration, limited by both the CPU's processing speed and the GPU's ability to render frames quickly at lower resolutions.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 69, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced horror sequences. The 4K High preset offers 110 FPS, while 4K Medium provides 134 FPS with a minimum of 114 FPS, making these the recommended 4K options for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 31087, placing it in the 76th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M5000, scores 31206, which is only 0.4% higher. The NVIDIA TITAN RTX is 1.9% ahead, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell is 1.4% ahead, showing that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is competitive with previous flagship cards.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 369 FPS, and at 1080p High it still manages 248 FPS. These figures indicate that the CPU has sufficient single-thread performance (boost clock of 5.10 GHz) to feed the GPU effectively at lower resolutions, with the Passmark single-thread score of 4394 confirming its strength.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce an average of 216 FPS (minimum 183, maximum 248), while High settings produce 177 FPS. This 39 FPS difference (18% reduction) is relatively modest, suggesting that High settings offer a better visual experience without a significant performance penalty.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 289th out of 2928 tested combos, placing it in the top 9.9% of all systems. This high ranking reflects the balanced performance of the 14-core CPU and the 16 GB GDDR6X GPU memory configuration.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER plays the dominant role in shaping Downfall's performance, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 672.3 GB/s bandwidth proving sufficient for even the most demanding 4K scenarios. The GPU's 8448 shading units and 66 RT cores, running at a boost clock of 2610 MHz, deliver the raw compute necessary to maintain high frame rates in this horror title, which relies on detailed environments and dynamic lighting to create atmosphere.

The memory configuration is particularly relevant for Downfall's 4K performance. The 16 GB capacity ensures that texture data and geometry buffers do not overflow, even at Ultra settings, where the 4K resolution demands significant memory allocation. The 256-bit memory bus, paired with the 672.3 GB/s bandwidth, provides the throughput needed to stream assets quickly, which is evident in the 4K Medium preset's 134 FPS average—a very playable result that suggests the memory subsystem is not a bottleneck.

The GPU's clock speeds also contribute to its performance consistency. The base clock of 2340 MHz and boost clock of 2610 MHz are relatively high for a 40-series card, allowing it to maintain strong performance under sustained load. The Passmark G3D score of 31811, which places the GPU in the 76th percentile, reflects this capability. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M5000, scores only 0.4% higher, indicating that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER sits at the upper echelon of graphics cards.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 44.10 TFLOPS is critical for Downfall's rendering pipeline, which is heavily shader-bound. The 5 nm process node, manufactured by TSMC with 45,900 million transistors, allows for efficient power delivery (285 W TDP) while maintaining high clock speeds. The 264 TMUs and 96 ROPs work in tandem to handle texture filtering and pixel output, with a texture rate of 689.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 250.6 GPixel/s, ensuring that the game's detailed surfaces are rendered without stutter.

The data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences across resolutions. When moving from 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops by roughly 55% at both Low and Ultra settings, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound scaling. The CPU, by contrast, shows no such sensitivity, with its benchmark scores remaining constant regardless of resolution. This indicates that for Downfall, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's capabilities are the deciding factor between a 69 FPS experience at 4K Ultra and a 369 FPS experience at 1080p Low.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 1440p offers the most compelling experience, delivering 177 FPS with no reported minimum frame rate dips. This setting provides ample headroom above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while maintaining the atmospheric lighting and texture details that define Downfall's horror aesthetic. The 4K High preset, at 110 FPS, is also a strong choice for users with high-refresh-rate 4K displays, offering a 41 FPS improvement over Ultra while sacrificing only the most demanding visual effects.

Users targeting maximum visual quality should consider the Ultra preset at 1440p, which achieves 111 FPS—a playable frame rate that still exceeds 60 FPS by a wide margin. However, the 4K Ultra preset's 69 FPS average is borderline for a horror game where quick reactions are often necessary, so this setting is only recommended for players who prioritize image quality over responsiveness. The data shows that the step from High to Ultra at 4K costs 41 FPS (from 110 to 69), which is a significant drop that suggests diminishing returns on visual investment.

The Medium preset offers the best performance-to-quality ratio for 4K gaming, with a 134 FPS average and a minimum of 114 FPS that ensures consistent frame delivery. This makes it the safest choice for 4K displays, as it maintains frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold while still providing a substantial visual upgrade over Low settings. The Low preset, while achieving 164 FPS at 4K and 369 FPS at 1080p, strips away too much detail for a game that relies on environmental storytelling, making it suitable only for competitive or high-refresh-rate scenarios where maximum FPS is paramount.

At 1080p, all settings are playable, with even the Ultra preset delivering 155 FPS. The High preset at 248 FPS is the recommended choice for 1080p users, as it provides nearly 100 FPS more than Ultra while maintaining visual quality that is likely indistinguishable on most monitors. The 1080p Medium preset, at 302 FPS, offers a 54 FPS improvement over High, but the visual compromise may not be worth it for a horror game where atmosphere is key.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 289th out of 2928 tested combos, placing it in the top 9.9% of all systems tested. This high ranking reflects the synergy between the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, which together deliver performance that exceeds the vast majority of alternative pairings. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 76th percentile ranking combine to create a system that is greater than the sum of its parts.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score—the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (0.4% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (0.5% lower), and Intel Core i5-14600K (0.8% higher)—all fall within a narrow performance band, suggesting that the Core Ultra 5 245 is well-positioned among contemporary mid-to-high-end processors. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H is 0.6% higher, but its server-oriented design makes it less relevant for gaming.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar clustering, with the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 (0.4% higher), NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q (0.4% higher), NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell (1.4% higher), and NVIDIA TITAN RTX (1.9% higher) all representing comparable performance levels. This indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a well-established performer that has not been surpassed by newer entries in the 40-series lineup.

The combo's top-10% ranking is particularly notable given the game's 2016 release date, which means Downfall was not designed to take advantage of the latest hardware features. The fact that this modern combination still achieves 369 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the game is not particularly demanding, but the 4K Ultra performance of 69 FPS shows that it can still stress high-end GPUs when pushed to their limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its peak performance capabilities. The Low preset achieves an average of 369 FPS, representing the absolute maximum output of this configuration. The Medium preset delivers 302 FPS (minimum 257, maximum 347), while High produces 248 FPS. The Ultra preset, at 155 FPS, is the most demanding option at this resolution, but still maintains a frame rate that is more than double the 60 FPS standard.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings produce 264 FPS, Medium delivers 216 FPS (minimum 183, maximum 248), and High achieves 177 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 111 FPS, which is a 44 FPS reduction from the 1080p Ultra result. The Medium preset's minimum of 183 FPS ensures that even the most intense horror sequences remain fluid.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become evident. Low settings achieve 164 FPS, Medium delivers 134 FPS (minimum 114, maximum 154), and High produces 110 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 69 FPS, which is the lowest measured average across all settings and resolutions. The 4K Medium preset's minimum of 114 FPS is notable, as it ensures that frame rates never drop below the 60 FPS threshold even during demanding scenes.

The data shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions: each settings tier (Low to Medium, Medium to High, High to Ultra) results in a roughly 20-25% reduction in average FPS. At 1080p, the reductions are 67 FPS (Low to Medium), 54 FPS (Medium to High), and 93 FPS (High to Ultra). At 1440p, the reductions are 48 FPS, 39 FPS, and 66 FPS respectively. At 4K, the reductions are 30 FPS, 24 FPS, and 41 FPS. This consistency indicates that the game's settings scale linearly in terms of GPU load, with no single preset causing an unexpected performance cliff.

The minimum FPS values, available only for the Medium presets, show that the system maintains stable frame delivery. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 257 FPS is 85% of the average, while at 1440p Medium, the minimum of 183 FPS is 85% of the average, and at 4K Medium, the minimum of 114 FPS is 85% of the average. This consistent ratio suggests that the system does not experience significant frame pacing issues, which is crucial for a horror game where sudden frame drops can break immersion.