Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers remarkably high frame rates in Downfall, a horror title from 2016 that clearly scales well with modern hardware. Across all tested resolutions and settings, the combo never dips below 74 FPS average, with the 1080p Low preset reaching nearly 400 FPS. This positions the pairing at rank 194 out of 2,928 tested combos, placing it in the top 6.6% of all configurations evaluated for this game. The data suggests a system capable of extreme refresh-rate gaming even at 4K, though the scaling patterns reveal where the bottleneck shifts between CPU and GPU as resolution and quality settings change.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but not catastrophic, indicating a balanced system that gradually transitions from CPU-limited at lower resolutions to GPU-limited at higher ones. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 267 FPS at 1920x1080 to 190 FPS at 2560x1440, a 29% reduction, then to 118 FPS at 3840x2160, another 38% drop from 1440p. This progression shows diminishing returns as resolution increases, with the 4K figure representing 44% of the 1080p performance — a typical pattern for a GPU that still has headroom at lower resolutions.

The Low preset tells a similar story but with even more dramatic scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 397 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 284 FPS, a 28% decrease, while 4K Low yields 177 FPS, another 38% reduction. The fact that Low settings at 1080p nearly hit 400 FPS strongly suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at that point, as the RTX 4080 SUPER is unlikely to be saturated at such frame rates. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, appears to be the ceiling here.

Medium settings show the most consistent scaling pattern. The 1440p Medium result of 232 FPS represents a 29% drop from the 325 FPS at 1080p Medium, while 4K Medium at 144 FPS is a 38% reduction from 1440p. This consistency across presets indicates that the resolution scaling is relatively uniform regardless of quality level, which points to the GPU becoming progressively more dominant as pixel count increases. The Ultra preset, however, shows the steepest relative drops: 167 FPS at 1080p, 119 FPS at 1440p (29% lower), and 74 FPS at 4K (38% lower than 1440p). The 4K Ultra figure of 74 FPS is the only result below the 100 FPS mark, suggesting that this combination is still viable for 4K gaming but with quality trade-offs.

How This Combo Ranks

At rank 194 out of 2,928 tested combos, this pairing sits comfortably in the upper echelon of configurations for Downfall. The percentile placement implies that roughly 93% of all tested combinations produce lower average frame rates, making this a top-tier setup for this particular horror title. The ranking reflects not just the individual strength of each component but also their synergy in this game's engine, which appears to favor both high core counts and substantial GPU memory bandwidth.

The RTX 4080 SUPER's individual performance metrics reinforce this standing. Its average benchmark score of 54,209 places it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the RTX 4080 at a 0.1% lower score, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 1.1% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 2.7% lower. These narrow deltas suggest the RTX 4080 SUPER is closely matched with its immediate predecessor, yet the measured FPS in Downfall shows the SUPER variant pulling ahead in real-world gaming scenarios. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all processors further boosts the combo's standing, as the Core Ultra 7 265 outperforms even server-class chips like the AMD EPYC 9124, which sits 0.7% below it in average benchmark score.

The combination of a 93rd percentile CPU with an 86th percentile GPU explains the strong combo rank. Neither component drags the other down, and the measured frame rates at 1080p suggest the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently at high refresh rates. The 397 FPS at 1080p Low is particularly telling — it demonstrates that the Core Ultra 7 265 has enough single-thread and multi-thread throughput to avoid becoming a bottleneck even when the GPU has minimal work to do.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER brings 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. In Downfall, this memory configuration appears more than sufficient, as even the 4K Ultra preset — the most demanding configuration tested — maintains a 74 FPS average. The GPU's 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines provide the raw compute needed for the game's horror-themed environments, which likely feature dynamic lighting and shadow effects that stress pixel throughput.

Clock speeds of 2,295 MHz base and 2,550 MHz boost, with memory running at 1,438 MHz (23 Gbps effective), give the card substantial headroom. The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K suggests the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, particularly on the Ultra preset where the pixel workload grows exponentially. The fact that 4K Ultra produces 74 FPS while 4K High produces 118 FPS — a 59% improvement — indicates that Ultra settings impose significant additional shading and texture costs beyond High.

The GPU's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 816.0 GTexel/s texture rate are reflected in the smooth frame delivery at 1440p and below. At 1080p Medium, the average of 325 FPS with a minimum of 276 FPS shows consistent frame pacing, which is crucial for a horror game where stutter can break immersion. The 4K Medium result of 144 FPS average, with a minimum of 123 FPS, demonstrates that even at high pixel counts, the card maintains respectable low-frame performance, avoiding the severe dips that would detract from the atmospheric tension Downfall aims to create.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER capable of 4K gaming in Downfall?

A: Yes, the data shows 4K High produces 118 FPS average, 4K Medium achieves 144 FPS, and even 4K Ultra maintains 74 FPS. All 4K presets are playable, though Ultra may be better suited for slower-paced horror sections.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 7 265 compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64,640, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, 0.7% higher than the AMD EPYC 7343, and 0.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 4464P. It also trails the AMD EPYC 9124 by 0.7%.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh-rate monitors?

A: At 1080p, all presets exceed 167 FPS, with Low reaching 397 FPS. At 1440p, Low gives 284 FPS, Medium 232 FPS, and High 190 FPS, all suitable for 144Hz or 165Hz displays. For 240Hz monitors, 1080p Medium at 325 FPS or 1080p High at 267 FPS are the sweet spots.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM get fully utilized in this game?

A: The measured FPS data does not indicate VRAM capacity issues. Performance scales consistently with resolution and settings, suggesting the 16 GB GDDR6X memory with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth is not a limiting factor in Downfall.

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

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209 on average benchmarks, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080, 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, and 2.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB. It trails the AMD Radeon 8060S by 2.8%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for high FPS in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the 397 FPS result suggests the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU has minimal work. At 4K Ultra, the 74 FPS result indicates GPU limitation. The crossover point appears to be around 1440p High, where both components are balanced.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience balancing visual quality and frame rate, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the most compelling combination. The 232 FPS average with a 197 FPS minimum provides smooth gameplay well above any standard refresh rate, while the Medium settings likely retain enough shadow and texture detail for the horror atmosphere. The 4K Medium option at 144 FPS is also excellent for users with 4K displays, offering a 61% improvement over 4K Ultra while maintaining frame rates that exceed most panels' refresh capabilities.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, the 1080p High preset at 267 FPS is the recommended choice. It delivers 83% of the 397 FPS achieved at Low settings but with substantially better visual fidelity, making it ideal for 240Hz monitors. The 1440p High preset at 190 FPS serves as a strong alternative for users prioritizing resolution over raw frame rate, particularly with 165Hz or 180Hz displays.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding but yields diminishing returns. At 1440p Ultra, the 119 FPS average is playable, but the 38% drop from High to Ultra at this resolution suggests the extra settings cost more than they deliver visually. At 4K Ultra, the 74 FPS average may be acceptable for atmospheric horror, but the jump from High to Ultra (118 to 74 FPS, a 37% reduction) is significant. The data indicates that High settings at 4K provide the best balance for 4K displays, while Medium at 1440p is the all-around sweet spot for this combination.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 features 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture chip, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC, has 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. In Downfall, the CPU's influence is most apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed what the GPU alone can sustain.

At 1080p Low, the 397 FPS average is almost certainly CPU-bound, as the RTX 4080 SUPER would need minimal time to render each frame at such low settings. The Core Ultra 7 265's single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,960 and PassMark single-thread score of 4,689, provides the necessary per-core throughput for this scenario. The multi-thread capabilities, shown in the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,216 and PassMark multi-thread score of 49,682, indicate the CPU can handle the game's background tasks without interfering with frame rendering.

The 1080p Medium result of 325 FPS, compared to 1080p High at 267 FPS, shows that even as GPU load increases, the CPU continues to feed frames effectively. The minimum FPS figures at Medium settings — 276 at 1080p, 197 at 1440p, and 123 at 4K — reveal that the CPU maintains consistent frame delivery, avoiding the stutters that would be noticeable in a horror game's tense moments. The core configuration of 20 threads on 20 cores, without hyperthreading, appears well-suited to Downfall's engine, which likely benefits from the high clock speeds and modern architecture rather than requiring extreme core counts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 397 FPS average, Medium 325 FPS with a 276 FPS minimum and 374 FPS maximum, High 267 FPS, and Ultra 167 FPS. The 130 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution demonstrates the substantial GPU workload increase from quality settings, while even the lowest Ultra figure remains well above standard refresh rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates remain high but decline proportionally. Low yields 284 FPS, Medium 232 FPS with a 197 FPS minimum and 267 FPS maximum, High 190 FPS, and Ultra 119 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p offers the best minimum-to-maximum consistency, with a 70 FPS spread that indicates stable performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 119 FPS, which is still suitable for most displays but represents a 59% reduction from the Low preset.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low produces 177 FPS, Medium 144 FPS with a 123 FPS minimum and 166 FPS maximum, High 118 FPS, and Ultra 74 FPS. The 4K Medium result offers the best balance, with its 123 FPS minimum ensuring smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes. The 4K Ultra figure of 74 FPS is the only measured result below 100 FPS, and while it remains playable for a horror title, the substantial drop from High settings suggests users prioritize either visual fidelity or frame rate at 4K, not both. The progression from 1080p to 4K across all presets shows a consistent pattern: approximately 29% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and 38% from 1440p to 4K, regardless of quality setting.