Downfall

Downfall, a 2016 horror title, shows a wide performance spread across the tested settings and resolutions with the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. The measured data indicates that the combination is capable of high frame rates, but the optimal experience depends heavily on the player's display and preference for visual fidelity. The dataset provides a clear hierarchy, with the Low preset delivering the highest frame rates at every resolution and the Ultra preset demanding the most from the hardware, resulting in the lowest scores. The following analysis breaks down the specifics of these measurements, focusing on the relationship between settings, resolution, and the components involved.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results for Downfall reveal a predictable performance curve across the four graphics presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 328 FPS, which serves as the performance ceiling. Moving up to Medium yields 269 FPS, representing a solid balance for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset delivers 220 FPS, still exceptionally smooth, while the Ultra preset drops to 138 FPS. This 1080p data suggests that even the most demanding preset remains highly playable, but the frame rate drops are substantial, indicating that the Ultra preset's visual enhancements come at a significant cost.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues. Low averages 234 FPS, Medium 192 FPS, and High 157 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 98 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold but marks a notable reduction from the lower presets. The data shows that at this resolution, the High preset offers a compelling middle ground, providing a high frame rate while likely retaining most of the visual quality. The jump from High to Ultra costs 59 FPS, a 37.6% reduction, which is a considerable trade-off for the extra graphical features.

For 4K resolution at 3840x2160, the performance drops further. Low averages 146 FPS, Medium 119 FPS, and High 98 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 61 FPS, which is just above the standard 60 FPS target. Given these numbers, the High preset at 4K appears to be the recommended choice for a smooth experience, as it maintains an average above 90 FPS while still providing a higher level of detail than Medium or Low. The Medium preset, with a measured minimum of 101 FPS, also offers a very stable experience, making it a safe option for those who prioritize frame time consistency.

Considering all resolutions, the data suggests that the Medium preset provides the best overall balance of performance and quality. At 1080p, it achieves 269 FPS, which is only 59 FPS less than Low but likely offers significantly better visuals. At 1440p, it holds 192 FPS, and at 4K, it maintains 119 FPS with a minimum of 101 FPS. The Medium preset consistently delivers frame rates that are more than sufficient for smooth gameplay on any standard display, while the High preset also performs admirably, especially at 1440p and 1080p. The Ultra preset should only be considered when a player has a 60 Hz display and prioritizes maximum graphical fidelity, as the data shows it is the only preset that brings the average frame rate close to that threshold at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing for Downfall. The GPU's immense memory capacity of 32 GB of GDDR7 is far beyond the requirements of a 2016 horror title, ensuring that memory capacity is not a limiting factor at any tested resolution or setting. The 512-bit memory bus and 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth provide the necessary throughput to feed the GPU's processing units, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates at 4K. The benchmark scores for the GPU, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18355 and a Passmark G3D score of 39650, place it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, indicating its high-end positioning.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz, contribute to its raw computational power. This is reflected in the measured FPS, where the GPU is clearly the primary driver of performance. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 328 FPS, a score that is heavily dependent on the GPU's ability to process frames rapidly. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p High, the average is 220 FPS, which drops to 157 FPS at 1440p and further to 98 FPS at 4K. This consistent drop of roughly 30% with each resolution step-up is characteristic of a system where the GPU's rendering workload is the main bottleneck.

The RTX 5090's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which has a delta of 0.3%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, with a delta of 1.1%. While these comparisons are based on synthetic benchmarks, they contextualize the GPU's performance tier. In Downfall, the RTX 5090's capabilities are evident in the high frame rates observed, even at the demanding Ultra preset. The data shows that the GPU can handle the game's most intensive settings, providing a playable 61 FPS at 4K Ultra, a feat that would be challenging for lower-tier graphics cards. The gap between the High and Ultra presets at 4K, a 37 FPS difference, highlights the significant computational cost of the Ultra settings, which the RTX 5090 can absorb but not without a substantial performance hit.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, with its 16 cores and 22 threads, provides ample processing power for Downfall. The game's genre and release year suggest it is not exceptionally CPU-intensive, and the benchmark data supports this. The CPU's performance, as measured by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 and a single-core score of 1743, places it in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs. This indicates a capable processor that is unlikely to bottleneck the RTX 5090 in most scenarios.

The CPU's boost clock of 4.80 GHz and its architecture, Meteor Lake built on a 7 nm process, contribute to its strong single-threaded performance, which is often critical for game logic and frame pacing. The measured FPS at 1080p Low, 328 FPS, is a high number that could potentially be influenced by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. However, the data from the resolution scaling suggests the CPU is not the primary constraint. When moving from 1080p to 1440p, the FPS drops from 328 to 234 at Low settings, a decrease of 28.7%. This is a substantial drop that is more indicative of a GPU bottleneck, as the CPU workload remains relatively constant while the GPU's pixel-pushing demands increase.

Further evidence of the CPU's sufficiency is seen in the comparison with its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14600T, which has a delta of 0% in average benchmark score. This means the Ultra 7 155H performs similarly to its direct competitors in general processing tasks. In Downfall, the CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth are more than adequate. The data does not show any anomalies, such as frame rate stutters or inconsistencies, that would point to a CPU limitation. The minimum FPS recorded, such as 101 at 4K Medium, suggests stable frame delivery. Overall, the CPU's role is to support the GPU, and the benchmark results indicate it does so effectively, allowing the RTX 5090 to operate at its full potential.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Downfall, the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 803 out of 3716 total combos. This places the system in the top 21.6% of all tested configurations, a strong showing that underscores the high-performance nature of both components. The rank is a composite measure, indicating that this specific combination is very effective for this game.

Given the GPU's 92nd percentile ranking and the CPU's 83rd percentile ranking, a combo rank of 803 is a logical result. The system is not at the absolute top of the charts, which would likely be reserved for the most extreme desktop processors paired with this same or a more powerful GPU. However, it outperforms the vast majority of systems, many of which may have less capable graphics cards or older CPUs. The data shows that the RTX 5090 is the primary driver of this high rank, as its performance class is significantly above average.

The fact that the combo ranks 803rd suggests that while the RTX 5090 is a top-tier GPU, the mobile-class Core Ultra 7 155H may be a slight limiting factor in achieving even higher frame rates in certain scenarios. However, the measured FPS in Downfall does not show extreme bottlenecking. The high frame rates at 1080p, such as 138 FPS on Ultra, indicate that the CPU is capable of keeping up with the GPU's output. The rank of 803 out of 3716 is a robust performance indicator, showing that users of this combination can expect a top-quartile experience in Downfall.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a clear and consistent trend in frame rate scaling as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 220 FPS at 1080p to 157 FPS at 1440p, a 28.6% decrease. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate further drops to 98 FPS, a 37.6% decrease. This pattern is consistent across all settings. For Low, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is from 328 to 234 FPS (28.7%), and from 1440p to 4K is from 234 to 146 FPS (37.6%). The Medium preset shows similar relative drops, from 269 to 192 FPS (28.6%) and then from 192 to 119 FPS (38.0%).

This scaling behavior is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound system. The percentage drop in frame rate is roughly proportional to the increase in pixel count. From 1080p to 1440p, the pixel count increases by 78%, but the frame rate only drops by about 29%. This suggests that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the additional pixels without a linear performance penalty. However, from 1440p to 4K, the pixel count increases by 125%, and the frame rate drops by around 38%, which is a more significant hit. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is starting to work much harder, and the performance cost of the higher resolution becomes more pronounced.

The data implies that the limiting component is definitively the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with resolution. Instead, the consistent and substantial FPS drops with each resolution increase confirm that the RTX 5090's rendering capabilities are the determining factor. The system is well-balanced in that the CPU does not hold back the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU's workload at 4K causes the most significant performance degradation. For players, this means that to maintain a specific frame rate target, they will need to adjust settings more aggressively at 4K than at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following breakdown details the exact average frame rates measured for the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Downfall.

1920x1080

• Low: The average frame rate is 328 FPS. This is the highest score recorded in the entire dataset at any resolution or setting.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 269 FPS, with a minimum of 228 FPS and a maximum of 309 FPS. This shows a wide variance but a consistently high performance level.
• High: The average frame rate is 220 FPS. This provides a smooth experience on any high-refresh-rate monitor.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 138 FPS. This is the lowest score at 1080p but still highly playable.

2560x1440

• Low: The average frame rate is 234 FPS. This is a significant drop from 1080p Low but remains extremely fast.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 192 FPS, with a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 221 FPS. The minimum frame rate is well above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay.
• High: The average frame rate is 157 FPS. This is a strong result for 1440p, offering a high level of detail with excellent performance.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 98 FPS. This is just shy of the 100 FPS mark, indicating that the Ultra preset is still within a very playable range at this resolution.

3840x2160

• Low: The average frame rate is 146 FPS. This is a solid score for 4K, offering a fast-paced experience.
• Medium: The average frame rate is 119 FPS, with a minimum of 101 FPS and a maximum of 137 FPS. This is the most consistent and stable result at 4K, with a high minimum frame rate.
• High: The average frame rate is 98 FPS. This is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target, making it a good choice for 4K gaming.
• Ultra: The average frame rate is 61 FPS. This is the lowest score in the dataset, but it still manages to stay above the 60 FPS threshold, making it playable on a standard 60 Hz display.

The data shows a clear hierarchy, with performance decreasing as both resolution and settings increase. The Medium preset at 4K offers the best balance of high frame rates and visual quality, while the Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding, resulting in the lowest average frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved with this CPU and GPU combo in Downfall?

A: The highest average frame rate is 328 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low graphics preset.

Q: Can this system run Downfall at 4K resolution with a smooth frame rate?

A: Yes, the data shows it can. At 3840x2160 with the High preset, it averages 98 FPS. Even on the Ultra preset, it averages 61 FPS, which is just above the standard 60 FPS target.

Q: How much performance does the Ultra preset cost compared to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 157 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 98 FPS. This represents a decrease of 59 FPS, or 37.6%, when switching from High to Ultra.

Q: Which component is the main bottleneck in this system for Downfall?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. This is evident from the significant frame rate drops when increasing resolution. For example, moving from 1080p to 4K on the High preset reduces the average FPS from 220 to 98, a drop that is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload.

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

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 803rd out of 3716 tested combos for Downfall, placing it in the top 21.6% of all systems.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate measured for the 4K Medium preset?

A: The minimum frame rate for 3840x2160 with the Medium preset is 101 FPS, with a maximum of 137 FPS and an average of 119 FPS. This indicates a very stable performance level.