Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the AMD Radeon 8060S delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Downfall, with 4K remaining playable only at specific settings. Benchmark results across four presets and three resolutions show a clear pattern: the combo is well-balanced at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises. This analysis walks through the measured data, ranking context, and component-level implications.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a straightforward answer: Medium settings at 2560x1440 offer the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At this preset, the combo produces 123 FPS average, with a minimum of 104 FPS and a maximum of 141 FPS. The minimum frame rate staying above 100 FPS indicates consistent performance without severe dips, which matters in a horror title where sudden frame hitches can break immersion.

For 1920x1080, High settings are the recommended choice – 141 FPS average is well above the 144Hz sweet spot, and the gap to Medium (172 FPS) is less impactful than the visual upgrade from Medium to High. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 88 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices the headroom needed for smoother camera panning in dark environments.

At 3840x2160, Low settings are the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience – 93 FPS average. Medium at 4K produces 76 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS, which is borderline acceptable for a slower-paced horror game, but the Low preset provides a safer margin. High at 4K falls to 63 FPS, and Ultra at 4K plummets to 39 FPS, which is not recommended for anything beyond static scenes.

The data suggests that Medium at 1440p is the "best experience" because it maintains a triple-digit average while offering better visual quality than Low. The 123 FPS average compared to High’s 101 FPS shows a 22 FPS gain for dropping one preset level, which is a meaningful trade-off. For players prioritizing frame rate over visuals, Low at 1440p (150 FPS) is an alternative, but Medium provides a more balanced package.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 8060S is built on the RDNA 3.5 architecture with a 4 nm process node and a chip codenamed Strix Halo. Its base clock is 1295 MHz, boosting to 2900 MHz. The GPU features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines. It also includes 40 ray tracing cores, which is relevant for Downfall’s lighting effects, though the game’s 2016 release date suggests ray tracing is not a primary workload.

The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, meaning the GPU uses the CPU’s DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bus width and bandwidth are listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent," respectively. This design choice impacts high-resolution performance, as the shared memory bandwidth becomes a contention point between CPU and GPU workloads. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth listed for the CPU is the only concrete bandwidth figure available, and it applies to the system as a whole.

In practical terms, the GPU’s 14.85 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 464.0 GTexel/s texture rate are strong on paper. The pixel rate of 185.6 GPixel/s directly influences fill-rate-bound scenarios, which are common in horror games with heavy fog or particle effects. The Radeon 8060S sits at the 87th percentile of all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 55757. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (0.1% faster), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (0.6% faster), AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (1.7% slower), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (2.8% slower).

The GPU’s 55 W TDP is modest for a mobile part, and its IGP slot width indicates it is integrated into the same package as the CPU. This integration explains the system-shared memory and the lack of a dedicated power connector. For Downfall, the GPU handles the 1080p and 1440p workloads comfortably, but the 4K results show diminishing returns as the shared memory subsystem struggles to keep pace with the higher pixel throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep across all settings, revealing where the limiting component shifts. At Low settings, the combo delivers 210 FPS at 1080p, 150 FPS at 1440p, and 93 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 60 FPS (28.6%), and from 1440p to 4K is 57 FPS (38%). This progressive decline indicates the GPU is increasingly constrained as resolution rises, but the 93 FPS at 4K Low shows the Radeon 8060S still has enough raw power to handle the game at lower fidelity.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar: 172 FPS at 1080p, 123 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 28.5% from 1080p to 1440p and 38.2% from 1440p to 4K. The minimum FPS at 1440p (104) and 4K (65) both stay above 60, which is a key threshold for smooth gameplay.

At High settings, the numbers are 141 FPS at 1080p, 101 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K. The 4K High result is exactly at the 60 FPS baseline, making it a borderline case. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 37.6%, which is consistent with the Medium preset’s decline.

At Ultra settings, the performance collapses: 88 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half the 1080p Ultra figure, showing that the combination of higher resolution and maximum settings overwhelms the shared memory bandwidth.

The scaling pattern across all presets shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, while at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU adequately. The consistent ~28-38% drops per resolution step suggest a well-behaved scaling curve rather than a sudden cliff, which is typical for a balanced mid-range mobile combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 210 FPS average – this is the highest measured score in the entire dataset, indicating the combo can push well beyond standard display refresh rates at minimal settings.
• Medium: 172 FPS average, 146 FPS minimum, 198 FPS maximum. The minimum is still above 144 FPS, making this a strong choice for high-refresh monitors.
• High: 141 FPS average – a solid result that stays above 120 FPS, suitable for most gaming displays.
• Ultra: 88 FPS average – playable but a significant drop from High, suggesting that Ultra settings introduce effects that heavily tax the shared memory system.

2560x1440:

• Low: 150 FPS average – still very high, showing the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution with minimal settings.
• Medium: 123 FPS average, 104 FPS minimum, 141 FPS maximum. The minimum stays above 100 FPS, which is excellent for a horror game where sudden action sequences could otherwise cause dips.
• High: 101 FPS average – just above the 100 FPS mark, offering smooth gameplay with better visuals than Medium.
• Ultra: 63 FPS average – exactly at the 60 FPS baseline, making it a borderline choice. The 63 FPS average with no min/max data suggests it may dip below 60 in heavy scenes.

3840x2160:

• Low: 93 FPS average – surprisingly strong for 4K, indicating the Radeon 8060S can handle the resolution when settings are reduced.
• Medium: 76 FPS average, 65 FPS minimum, 88 FPS maximum. The minimum is comfortably above 60 FPS, making this the best 4K preset for consistent performance.
• High: 63 FPS average – exactly at the 60 FPS threshold, but with no min/max data, there is risk of sub-60 dips.
• Ultra: 39 FPS average – not recommended for active gameplay, as the frame rate falls well below the 60 FPS standard.

The Medium preset at each resolution shows the only complete min/max data in the dataset, which provides a useful reference for frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the 146 FPS minimum and 198 FPS maximum show a 52 FPS spread, while at 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 37 FPS (104 to 141). At 4K Medium, the spread is 23 FPS (65 to 88), indicating tighter frame pacing at higher resolutions due to the GPU becoming the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and AMD Radeon 8060S ranks 2185 out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 41st percentile of all tested systems. This rank is notably lower than the individual component percentiles – the CPU sits at the 84th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU at the 87th percentile of all GPUs. The discrepancy suggests that the combo’s performance in this specific game is limited by factors beyond raw component strength, likely related to the shared memory architecture.

The CPU’s nearest rivals provide context: the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H is 0.3% faster in average benchmark score, the AMD EPYC 4244P is 0.4% faster, the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 is 0.4% faster, and the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is 0.5% faster. These margins are all within 1%, meaning the 165H is essentially tied with these alternatives in synthetic benchmarks.

The GPU’s nearest rivals show a similar pattern: the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 0.1% faster, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is 0.6% faster, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.7% slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is 2.8% slower. The RTX 5080 being only 0.6% faster is noteworthy, as it suggests the Radeon 8060S performs competitively despite its integrated nature.

The combo rank of 2185 out of 3716 means that about 41% of tested systems outperform it in Downfall. Given that the individual components rank in the mid-80s percentile, the game’s specific workload appears to favor systems with dedicated VRAM or higher memory bandwidth. The system-shared memory of the Radeon 8060S likely holds the combo back from reaching the top quartile.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Downfall?*

A: 2560x1440 at Medium settings is the best overall choice, delivering 123 FPS average with a 104 FPS minimum. This resolution balances visual detail with high frame rates, whereas 4K requires Low settings to achieve a similarly smooth experience (93 FPS).

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

A: Yes, but only at Low settings (93 FPS) or Medium settings (76 FPS average, 65 FPS minimum). High at 4K drops to 63 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39 FPS, which is not recommended for gameplay.

Q: How does the Radeon 8060S compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Radeon 8060S is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (0.1% faster) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 (0.6% faster). It is 1.7% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X and 2.8% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, based on average benchmark scores.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck at 1080p or 1440p, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes. The 4K results suggest the GPU and shared memory become the limiting factors, while the CPU’s 16 cores and 22 threads provide ample processing headroom.

*Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking in Downfall?*

A: The combo ranks 2185 out of 3716 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of tested systems. This is lower than the individual component percentiles (CPU at 84th, GPU at 87th), indicating that the shared memory design affects game-specific performance.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever usable?

A: At 1080p, Ultra produces 88 FPS, which is playable. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 63 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 39 FPS. The data suggests Ultra is only viable at 1080p for this combo.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 7 nm process node. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it has a 28 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, which is shared with the integrated GPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 165H scores 14551 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1759 in single-core. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 25933, and single-thread is 3509. These results place it at the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34083. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its score, showing that it performs on par with the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, AMD EPYC 4244P, AMD Ryzen AI 7 350, and AMD Ryzen 7 3700X.

For Downfall, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The 16 cores and 22 threads are more than sufficient for a 2016 horror title, which likely uses four to eight threads at most. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz provides strong single-thread performance, which is critical for games that rely on a primary game thread. The L3 cache of 24 MB is ample for the game’s asset streaming needs.

The key interaction between CPU and GPU is the shared memory system. The Radeon 8060S accesses the same DDR5 memory as the CPU, and the 89.6 GB/s bandwidth is a shared resource. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU’s memory operations do not seem to interfere with GPU performance, as frame rates are consistently high. At 4K, however, the increased memory traffic from the higher resolution likely contends with CPU workloads, contributing to the steep FPS drops.

The CPU’s 84th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 34083 indicate it is a capable mid-range mobile processor. Its 16-core configuration is well ahead of typical gaming CPUs from 2016, meaning it should not bottleneck the Radeon 8060S in most scenarios. The measured frame rates support this conclusion: the 210 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the CPU can handle high frame rates without issue, and the 93 FPS at 4K Low shows it can still keep up when the GPU is more heavily loaded.

The integrated graphics of the CPU (Arc Xe-LPG 128EU) are irrelevant for this combo, as the discrete Radeon 8060S handles all rendering. The CPU’s PCIe Gen 5 support with 8 lanes provides sufficient bandwidth for the GPU, though the GPU’s PCIe 5.0 x16 interface is likely underutilized given the shared memory design.

In summary, the CPU provides strong single-threaded performance and ample multi-threaded headroom for Downfall, while the shared memory architecture is the main factor limiting higher-resolution performance. The combo’s overall rank of 2185 out of 3716 reflects this balance: it excels at 1080p and 1440p where the CPU and GPU work well together, but struggles at 4K Ultra where the shared memory becomes a bottleneck. The measured data shows a capable system for most gaming scenarios, with the caveat that 4K enthusiasts should stick to Low or Medium settings.