Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the AMD Radeon 890M integrated graphics delivers a playable, but constrained, experience in Downfall. Benchmark data shows this combination is firmly positioned in the lower tier of tested systems, ranking 3494th out of 3716 total combos. The CPU is a high-end mobile processor, but the GPU's integrated nature and performance percentile create a significant bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to explain exactly where this combo excels and where it falls short.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Downfall?*

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 94 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

*Q: Is this combination capable of 4K gaming in Downfall?*

A: At 3840x2160, the best average frame rate is 42 FPS on Low settings. High and Medium settings drop to 28 FPS and 34 FPS respectively, while Ultra settings yield only 18 FPS. This indicates 4K is only viable at the lowest settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 7 155H has an average benchmark score of 32697, which is essentially tied with its nearest rivals. It is 0% different from the Intel Core i5-14600T, 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360, and 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile compared to all other GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon 890M sits in the 45th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it performs better than less than half of the tested graphics cards in the database.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 67 FPS on Low settings to 28 FPS on Ultra settings, a reduction of 39 FPS.

Q: Does the game's performance scale better with resolution or settings changes?

A: The data shows that changing settings has a more dramatic impact on average FPS than resolution changes. For instance, moving from High to Low at 1080p increases the average FPS from 63 to 94, while moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings only lowers the average from 63 to 45 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz, with a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. This is a high-performance part, as evidenced by its 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs and a multithreaded Passmark score of 24873. In Cinebench R23, it scores 15028 points in multi-core and 1743 points in single-core tests. The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth provide a solid foundation for gaming.

Given this strong CPU performance, it is unlikely to be the primary limiting factor in Downfall. The game, released in 2016, does not demand the latest multi-core processing power. The data supports this, as the CPU's average benchmark score of 32697 is effectively on par with its nearest rivals; the deltaPct values are all within 0.4% of each other. This suggests that in a game like Downfall, the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames to the GPU. Its high single-core performance (3468 in Passmark) is also beneficial for older game engines that may not be optimized for many cores. However, while the CPU is powerful, its performance is not the differentiator in this combo; it provides a capable base, but the final frame rate is determined by the graphics subsystem.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 890M is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture. It features 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation units. Its boost clock is 2900 MHz, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate. However, its memory is "System Shared," meaning its bandwidth and size are dependent on the system's main memory, which is a significant limiting factor for gaming performance.

Its benchmark scores illustrate a mid-to-low tier performer. It scores 8076 in Passmark's G3D test and 590 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The GPU sits in the 45th percentile of all GPUs, which is a modest standing. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Vega 8, has a nearly identical average score with a deltaPct of -0.1%, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 is 0.7% ahead. This places the 890M in the same performance class as older discrete entry-level graphics cards. The FP32 compute power is 5.939 TFLOPS, which is respectable for an IGP but pales in comparison to modern discrete solutions. The combination of shared memory and a 15W TDP classifies it as an efficiency-focused part, not a high-performance gaming chip. In Downfall, this GPU is the component that determines playability, and its performance ceiling is what the measured FPS data reflects.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combo show a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase. At 1920x1080, the experience is mostly smooth. Low settings produce an average of 94 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium settings average 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 89 FPS, providing a good balance. High settings still manage a respectable 63 FPS average. However, Ultra settings cause a significant drop to an average of 39 FPS, which is noticeably less fluid.

Moving to 2560x1440, the strain on the GPU becomes more apparent. Low settings deliver an average of 67 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings average 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 and a maximum of 63 FPS. High settings fall to a 45 FPS average, which begins to feel less responsive. Ultra settings at this resolution are quite demanding, with the average FPS plummeting to 28.

At 3840x2160, performance takes a severe hit. The only setting that approaches a playable frame rate is Low, with an average of 42 FPS. Medium settings average 34 FPS (minimum 29, maximum 39), while High settings drop to 28 FPS. Ultra settings are essentially unplayable, with an average of just 18 FPS. The data shows that even at the lowest settings, 4K gaming pushes this integrated GPU to its limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and AMD Radeon 890M ranks 3494th out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the bottom 6% of all systems benchmarked, which is a clear indicator of its overall performance tier. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU's own percentile rank (83rd) is much higher than the GPU's (45th).

The pairing creates a significant bottleneck where the powerful CPU is held back by the integrated graphics. This is evident when looking at the component-level data. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, have similar processing power, but the overall combo ranking is dragged down by the GPU's performance limitations. The 890M's rivals, like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, are older discrete cards that still outperform it in raw score. This suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier mobile part, the system's overall gaming capability is firmly in the entry-level segment, making it unsuitable for high-end gaming scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for a smooth experience depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset is the best choice. It delivers an average of 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, ensuring no significant stutters while maintaining a visual quality improvement over Low. The High preset is also viable at 63 FPS, but the lower minimum frame rate risk makes Medium the safer recommendation for consistent performance.

For 1440p, the Low preset is the only reliable option for a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 67 FPS. The Medium preset is playable at 55 FPS, but the minimum of 47 FPS may cause noticeable dips in demanding scenes. For 4K gaming, only the Low preset is recommended, as it provides a 42 FPS average. Even then, the experience will not be perfectly smooth, and users should expect some compromise. The Medium preset at 4K offers 34 FPS, which is on the edge of playability, but the Low preset provides the best chance for a stable session. In all cases, the Ultra preset should be avoided, as it produces unplayable average frame rates at every resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and expected decline as resolution increases, but the rate of decline reveals the GPU-heavy bottleneck. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings drops the average frame rate from 63 FPS to 45 FPS, a 28.6% reduction. The same transition at Low settings sees a drop from 94 FPS to 67 FPS, a 28.7% reduction. This consistent percentage loss indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the workload scales directly with the pixel count.

The jump from 1440p to 4K is even more punishing. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 45 to 28, a 37.8% reduction. At Low settings, it drops from 67 to 42, a 37.3% reduction. This steeper decline at higher resolutions is a classic sign of a GPU hitting its memory bandwidth or compute limits. The CPU, which has ample headroom, cannot compensate for the GPU's inability to process the increased pixel throughput. The data strongly suggests that the Radeon 890M's performance is the primary constraint, and its "System Shared" memory architecture is likely the main culprit, as it must share bandwidth with the CPU, exacerbating the performance drop at higher resolutions.