Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers an unusual mix of raw CPU throughput and top-tier GPU muscle in Downfall, a 2016 horror title that is clearly not pushing this hardware to its limits. The measured frame rates across resolutions and presets reveal a system that is far more capable than the game demands, with the bottleneck shifting depending on how much graphical load is applied. Below is a breakdown of how this combo behaves, what settings make sense, and where the data points to the CPU or GPU as the limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

For a game like Downfall, which is a horror title from 2016, the measured results show that even the heaviest preset, Ultra, produces playable frame rates at every resolution tested. However, the best experience per the measured rows depends on what the user prioritizes: maximum smoothness or maximum visual fidelity.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset hits an average of 314 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium drops to 257 FPS, High to 211 FPS, and Ultra to 132 FPS. For competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, Low or Medium at 1080p is the clear choice, as both remain well above 200 FPS. Medium is particularly attractive because it includes a measured minimum of 218 FPS and a maximum of 295 FPS, indicating stable frame pacing even during sudden horror-game spikes. High at 1080p still delivers 211 FPS, which is excellent, but Ultra’s 132 FPS is the first preset to dip below the 144 Hz threshold that many gamers target.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low produces 224 FPS, Medium 184 FPS, and High 150 FPS. Ultra drops to 94 FPS. For 1440p gaming, Medium is the sweet spot: it offers 184 FPS on average, with a measured minimum of 156 FPS and a maximum of 211 FPS. That minimum is still comfortably above 144 FPS, meaning no perceptible stutter on standard high-refresh panels. High at 150 FPS is also viable, but it sits closer to the edge of that 144 Hz target. Ultra at 94 FPS is playable but loses the fluidity that the lower presets provide.

At 3840x2160, the story changes. Low yields 140 FPS, Medium 114 FPS, and High 94 FPS. Ultra drops to 59 FPS. For 4K, Medium is the recommended preset. It delivers 114 FPS on average, with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS. That minimum is just shy of 100 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. High at 94 FPS is acceptable, but the margin above 60 FPS is thinner. Ultra at 59 FPS is right at the edge of playability, and for a horror game that relies on atmosphere, dropping below 60 FPS can hurt immersion.

Across all resolutions, the data indicates that Medium provides the best balance of visual quality and frame rate stability. The measured minimums for Medium are consistently high: 218 FPS at 1080p, 156 FPS at 1440p, and 97 FPS at 4K. No other preset in the dataset has a recorded minimum, so Medium is the only one where frame pacing can be assessed directly. Users who prioritize raw speed should select Low at 1080p for the 314 FPS average, but for a general recommendation that works at any resolution, Medium is the most robust choice.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 826th out of 3716 tested combos in Downfall. That places it in the top 22.2 percent of all configurations, which is strong but not elite. The game is old enough that many systems can achieve high frame rates, so the ranking reflects the fact that this hardware is overkill for the title rather than a sign of weakness.

The CPU itself sits at the 93rd percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 63173. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13790F, which scores 63080 and is 0.1 percent slower, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G, which scores 63331 and is 0.2 percent faster. The Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX, a sibling in the same series, scores 62738 and is 0.7 percent slower. This places the 265HX in a very tight pack where the differences are negligible in real-world terms.

The GPU is at the 88th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 60347. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60, which matches at 60326 with a 0 percent delta, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, which scores 60140 and is 0.3 percent slower. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5 percent faster at 61896, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9 percent slower at 58657. The RTX 4090 is clearly a top-tier card, but the benchmark database shows it competing with workstation and prosumer parts rather than other gaming GPUs in its immediate vicinity.

In Downfall, the combo’s rank of 826 out of 3716 suggests that while the hardware is powerful, the game’s age means that many mid-range systems can achieve similar frame rates. The RTX 4090’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are irrelevant to a 2016 title that likely uses far less, and the CPU’s 20 cores are similarly underutilized. The ranking is a reflection of the game’s low requirements rather than a deficiency in the hardware.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Downfall?*

A: The highest average FPS is 314, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Does the Ultra preset maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 59, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX scores 63173 on average, which is 0.1 percent higher than the Intel Core i7-13790F at 63080 and 0.2 percent lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G at 63331.

Q: Is the GPU’s benchmark score close to any other card?

A: The RTX 4090 scores 60347, which is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60326, showing a 0 percent delta.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded across all settings and resolutions?

A: The lowest average FPS is 59, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

*Q: How many total combos were tested for Downfall?*

A: The dataset includes 3716 tested combos, and this configuration ranks 826th.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings, with average FPS recorded for every combination. Minimum and maximum FPS are only available for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 314 FPS average
• Medium: 257 FPS average, with a minimum of 218 and a maximum of 295
• High: 211 FPS average
• Ultra: 132 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 224 FPS average
• Medium: 184 FPS average, with a minimum of 156 and a maximum of 211
• High: 150 FPS average
• Ultra: 94 FPS average

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 140 FPS average
• Medium: 114 FPS average, with a minimum of 97 and a maximum of 131
• High: 94 FPS average
• Ultra: 59 FPS average

The Medium preset is the only one with min and max data, which is useful for understanding frame consistency. At 1080p, the spread from minimum to maximum is 77 FPS, indicating some variance but staying well above playable levels. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 55 FPS, and at 4K it is 34 FPS. The tighter range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is being more consistently utilized, reducing frame time spikes.

The Ultra preset shows the largest drop-offs relative to Low at each resolution. At 1080p, Ultra is 182 FPS lower than Low, a 58 percent reduction. At 1440p, the gap is 130 FPS, a 58 percent reduction. At 4K, the gap is 81 FPS, also a 58 percent reduction. This consistency suggests that the Ultra preset imposes a similar relative cost regardless of resolution, pointing to a fixed set of graphical effects rather than a resolution-dependent bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals how the workload scales and which component becomes the limiting factor. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 314 at 1080p to 224 at 1440p to 140 at 4K. That is a 29 percent drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 55 percent drop from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is roughly linear with pixel count: 1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p, and 4K has 4 times the pixels. The FPS drops are less severe than the pixel increases, which indicates that the GPU is not the sole bottleneck at Low settings.

At Medium settings, the FPS goes from 257 at 1080p to 184 at 1440p to 114 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 28 percent, and from 1080p to 4K it is 56 percent. Again, the scaling is similar to Low, suggesting that the CPU is still contributing to the frame rate at lower graphical loads.

At High settings, the FPS goes from 211 at 1080p to 150 at 1440p to 94 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 29 percent, and from 1080p to 4K it is 55 percent. This pattern holds across all presets, which is notable.

At Ultra settings, the FPS goes from 132 at 1080p to 94 at 1440p to 59 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 29 percent, and from 1080p to 4K it is 55 percent.

The consistency of the scaling percentages across all four presets indicates that the limiting component does not change with settings. The RTX 4090 is powerful enough that even at Ultra 4K, it is not fully saturated by this 2016 title. The CPU, with 20 cores and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, is also not a bottleneck at any resolution. The result is a system that scales predictably with pixel count, with no sudden cliff where one component becomes overwhelmed.

The data suggests that the GPU is the primary scaling factor, but the game is so undemanding that the RTX 4090 has headroom even at 4K Ultra. The 59 FPS average at that setting is not due to the GPU being maxed out, but rather to the game’s engine limitations or driver overhead. The 5 nm Ada Lovelace architecture, with 16384 shading units and 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, is far beyond what Downfall requires.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a TDP of 55 watts. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3. This is a mobile processor, but it behaves like a desktop-class part in terms of core count and clock speeds.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 40642 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5737 in single-core. It also achieves 47985 in Passmark multithread and 4500 in Passmark single-thread. These scores place it at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 63173. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13790F, is only 0.1 percent slower, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G is 0.2 percent faster. This indicates that the 265HX is a high-end part, but not an outlier in its performance class.

For Downfall, the CPU’s role is minimal. The game is from 2016, and even a modern quad-core would likely handle it without issue. The 20 cores and 20 threads are far more than the game can utilize, and the high boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures that single-threaded performance is excellent. The measured FPS at 1080p Low, 314 FPS, is likely limited by the game’s engine or the GPU’s driver overhead rather than the CPU. At 4K Ultra, the 59 FPS average is more likely a GPU or engine limitation, as the CPU’s compute capabilities are not stressed by a horror title from that era.

The memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s from dual-channel DDR5 is also sufficient for this game. The CPU’s PCIe Gen 5 interface with 20 lanes provides ample bandwidth for the RTX 4090, which uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU is irrelevant here, as the discrete GPU handles all rendering.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in any of the measured configurations. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, with no evidence of CPU-bound behavior. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work to do, the 314 FPS average suggests that the CPU can feed frames faster than the game can render them. The 20-core design is overkill for Downfall, but it does not hurt performance, and the high single-core score of 5737 in Cinebench R23 ensures that the game’s main thread is well served.

The combination of this CPU and GPU is a case of extreme overprovisioning for a 2016 title. The 826th rank out of 3716 combos reflects that many less powerful systems achieve similar results. However, for users who play other, more demanding games, this hardware provides a strong foundation. In Downfall specifically, the CPU and GPU both have significant headroom, and the measured FPS numbers are proof of the efficiency of the Arrow Lake architecture and the Ada Lovelace GPU.