Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is an overwhelmingly potent combination for Downfall, a 2016 horror title. The benchmark data shows that this pairing delivers exceptional frame rates even at 4K Ultra settings, positioning it in the top tier of all tested configurations. While the RTX 4090 is the dominant performance driver, the Core Ultra 5 245 provides more than sufficient headroom to avoid bottlenecking, even at lower resolutions where CPU load typically increases.

FAQ

*Q: How well does this combo rank for playing Downfall?*

A: This configuration ranks 90th out of 2,928 tested combos, placing it in the 97th percentile of all systems benchmarked for this specific game.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Core Ultra 5 245 and its closest CPU rival?

A: The Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48,995, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. It is 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming at maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system averages 82 FPS. While this is the lowest of the tested settings at that resolution, it remains comfortably playable, and the 82 FPS average is still well above standard 60 Hz refresh rates.

Q: How much of a performance jump is there from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 296 FPS at 1920x1080 to 212 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 132 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 55% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What are the ROPs and TMUs of the RTX 4090?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 features 176 Raster Output Pipelines (ROPs) and 512 Texture Mapping Units (TMUs). It also has 16,384 shading units.

Q: Does the CPU's 14-core configuration matter for gaming?

A: While Downfall is not a multi-threading showcase, the 14 cores and 14 threads of the Core Ultra 5 245 provide substantial processing power. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,924 indicates that it can handle any background tasks without impacting the game's frame pacing.

How This Combo Ranks

The data unequivocally demonstrates that this CPU-GPU pairing is a top-tier performer in Downfall. With a rank of 90 out of 2,928 tested combinations, this system outperforms approximately 97% of all other configurations tested for this title. This ranking places it firmly in the enthusiast segment, where the primary limitation is the game's own engine and the monitor's refresh rate rather than the hardware itself.

The high ranking is a direct result of the RTX 4090's raw compute power. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 38,194 and its 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance ensure that Downfall's DirectX 11 and 12 rendering paths are saturated. The CPU, while not the star of the show, does not hinder progress; its 90th percentile standing among all CPUs means it is capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls and physics data efficiently. The delta between this combo's rank and the CPU's individual percentile suggests that the GPU is the primary differentiator, but the CPU's consistency prevents any performance regression.

The system's performance is so high that even the most demanding preset tested—4K Ultra—yields an average of 82 FPS. This is higher than the refresh rate of many standard displays, meaning the hardware is often waiting on the display to refresh. The combo's rank would likely be even higher if more combinations with lesser GPUs were included, but as it stands, a 90th rank out of 2,928 is an elite result.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the undisputed performance leader in this configuration. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides a massive 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for feeding the high-resolution textures and geometry that Downfall's horror environments demand. The GPU's 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs allow it to process pixel and texture data at an extremely high rate, evidenced by its 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture fill rate and 443.5 GPixel/s pixel rate.

Clock speeds are also a factor. The GPU's base clock of 2235 MHz boosts to 2520 MHz under load, and the memory runs at an effective 21 Gbps. These high frequencies ensure that the chip's massive compute resources are kept busy. The data shows the impact of this hardware: at 1080p Low, the system hits 442 FPS, which is likely near the engine's maximum frame rate ceiling. Even at 4K Ultra, the GPU maintains an average of 82 FPS, proof of its raw power.

The RTX 4090's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% delta), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (0.3% higher), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (2.5% lower), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (2.9% higher). These are professional-grade cards, indicating that the RTX 4090's consumer-focused architecture is uniquely optimized for gaming workloads like Downfall. The GPU's performance is so robust that the resolution and settings are the only variables that meaningfully change the outcome.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent and predictable scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system produces staggering numbers: 442 FPS on Low, 361 FPS on Medium (with a min of 307 and max of 416), 296 FPS on High, and 185 FPS on Ultra. These figures suggest that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of rendering far more frames than the processor can request.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings yield 315 FPS, Medium drops to 258 FPS (min 219, max 297), High settings produce 212 FPS, and Ultra still manages 132 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a performance drop of approximately 29% across all settings, which is a logical consequence of the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its strength. Low settings still deliver 196 FPS, Medium drops to 161 FPS (min 136, max 185), High settings average 132 FPS, and Ultra settings settle at 82 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only figure that dips below the 100 FPS mark, but it remains fully playable. The data indicates that the RTX 4090 is so powerful that even at 4K, the settings need to be maxed out before the frame rate drops below 100 FPS.

The medium settings data provides the only min/max figures, showing a tight frame pacing window. At 1080p Medium, the variance is 109 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 78 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 49 FPS. This tightening variance as resolution increases further confirms that the GPU is taking on more work, smoothing out frame delivery times.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is a classic demonstration of GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions. At High settings, the system delivers 296 FPS at 1080p, 212 FPS at 1440p, and 132 FPS at 4K. This represents a 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 55% drop from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear; doubling the pixel count from 1080p to 4K (approximately 2.25 times more pixels) results in a frame rate that is less than half, indicating that the GPU is becoming the dominant bottleneck.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar: 442 FPS at 1080p, 315 FPS at 1440p, and 196 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 29%, and from 1080p to 4K is 56%. This consistency across settings suggests that the resolution scaling is independent of the visual complexity, which is a sign of a well-optimized engine.

The fact that the frame rate does not drop dramatically when moving from Low to Ultra at the same resolution points to the GPU's immense headroom. For instance, at 4K, the difference between Low (196 FPS) and Ultra (82 FPS) is a 58% reduction. This is a large gap, but it shows that the RTX 4090 has the raw power to handle even the most demanding settings without collapsing. The limiting factor at 1080p is clearly the CPU, as the GPU is likely idling, waiting for instructions. At 4K, the GPU is finally being pushed to its limits, but it still delivers playable frame rates in all configurations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a supporting but crucial role in this configuration. With 14 cores and 14 threads based on the Arrow Lake architecture, it offers a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,924 and a single-core score of 4,648. The single-core performance is the most relevant metric for Downfall, as most game logic and draw call submission runs on a limited number of threads. The high boost clock of 5.10 GHz ensures that these single-threaded tasks are completed with minimal latency.

The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4,394 and multi-thread score of 38,706 further support its capability. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache provides a fast data buffer for frequently accessed game assets. The 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth, while less critical for gaming, ensures that data can flow to the GPU without stalling. The CPU's 90th percentile standing among all CPUs indicates that it is a high-end part, but its nearest rivals show a tight cluster: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is 0.4% faster, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 is 0.5% faster, and the Intel Core i5-14600K is 0.8% slower.

In the context of Downfall, the CPU is not the bottleneck. The evidence is clear: at 1080p Low, the system hits 442 FPS, which is likely a game engine limit rather than a CPU or GPU limit. The CPU's job is to feed the RTX 4090 with enough frames to keep it busy, and it does so effectively. Even at 1080p Ultra, the CPU manages to push 185 FPS, which is a workload that would cause many other processors to struggle. The Core Ultra 5 245 provides ample headroom for this horror title, ensuring that the GPU is the only component that matters for visual fidelity.