Downfall

Downfall, a 2016 horror title, shows a wide performance spread across the tested configurations of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. The data indicates a system capable of high refresh rates at lower resolutions but one that is progressively constrained as graphical load increases, with the Ultra preset proving particularly demanding at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured frames per second to identify where the bottleneck lies and which settings offer the most balanced experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High settings preset, the average frame rate scales from 176 FPS at 1080p, down to 126 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 78 FPS at 4K. This represents a drop of 28.4% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 38.1% drop when moving from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the rendering workload expands disproportionately with the pixel count.

The pattern is similar for the Low and Medium presets. The Low preset delivers 263 FPS at 1080p, 188 FPS at 1440p, and 117 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows 215 FPS at 1080p, 154 FPS at 1440p, and 96 FPS at 4K. This consistent drop across all settings suggests that the performance limiter at higher resolutions is the GPU's rendering throughput, as the workload on the graphics card increases significantly with each resolution step.

The most dramatic scaling occurs with the Ultra preset. At 1080p, the system manages 110 FPS, but this falls to 79 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 49 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half the frame rate of the 1080p Ultra result. This sharp decline indicates that the Ultra preset introduces graphical features that are particularly taxing on the GPU at high pixel counts, making it the most resolution-sensitive configuration in the dataset.

The frame time consistency, where measured, also shows the impact of resolution. The Medium preset at 1080p shows a min FPS of 183 and a max FPS of 247, giving a spread of 64 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 47 FPS (130-177), and at 4K it narrows further to 29 FPS (81-110). This suggests that while average frame rates drop with resolution, the variance between minimum and maximum frame times also decreases, potentially leading to a more stable, albeit slower, experience at higher resolutions.

Overall, the scaling data points to a system that is heavily GPU-bound in Downfall. The CPU appears capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, but as the resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The performance cliff seen when moving to 4K, particularly on the Ultra preset, strongly suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti is the primary constraint in this scenario.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the central component in determining the system's performance in Downfall, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU's role is defined by its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and a 256-bit memory bus, which provides a bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. This substantial memory bandwidth is likely a key factor in maintaining playable frame rates at 4K, where texture data and frame buffers are large.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2452 MHz, are relevant when considering the performance deltas. The benchmark results for the GPU place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 49957. Its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark score include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, which is 0.1% slower, and the Intel Arc A550M, which is 0.4% slower. The data shows the RTX 5070 Ti is also 2% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 3.1% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT.

When examining the measured FPS, the GPU's role becomes clearer. At 4K, the difference between the Low preset (117 FPS) and the Ultra preset (49 FPS) is a 58.1% reduction in performance. This demonstrates that the GPU's processing power, including its 8960 shading units and 70 RT cores, is being heavily taxed by the higher-quality settings. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K costs 29 FPS, which is a substantial hit, indicating that the Ultra preset likely enables effects that are disproportionately expensive on the GPU.

The data suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, where it can deliver well over 100 FPS on most presets. However, at 4K, it begins to struggle with the highest settings. The 49 FPS average on Ultra at 4K is below the threshold for smooth 60 FPS gameplay, indicating that users seeking 4K performance may need to compromise on settings. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is not shown to be a limiting factor in this dataset, as there are no measurements indicating a memory capacity issue.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX plays a supporting role in this configuration, and the data suggests it is not the primary bottleneck in Downfall. The CPU features 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This high core count and boost capability likely ensure that the CPU can keep up with the game's logic and physics calculations, even when the GPU is under heavy load.

The CPU's benchmark scores are robust. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 40642 and a single-core score of 5737. In PassMark, it scores 47985 in multithread and 4500 in single-thread tests. These results place the CPU in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 63173. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13790F, which is 0.1% faster, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G, which is 0.2% slower.

The CPU's performance relative to the GPU suggests it is not the limiting factor. The measured FPS scaling with resolution shows a clear GPU bottleneck. For instance, at 1080p on the Low preset, the system achieves 263 FPS. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see the frame rate cap out at a similar level regardless of resolution. Instead, we see a significant drop to 117 FPS at 4K, which indicates the GPU is unable to maintain the same output level due to increased pixel workload.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is sufficient to feed the GPU without creating a data transfer bottleneck. The data does not show any frame rate plateaus that would indicate CPU limitations. The Core Ultra 7 265HX, with its high single-thread performance of 5737 in Cinebench R23, is more than capable of handling the game's main thread. In summary, the CPU provides a solid foundation, but the performance ceiling in this game is clearly set by the RTX 5070 Ti.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming in Downfall with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system consistently exceeds 170 FPS on High settings. At 2560x1440, the High preset still delivers 126 FPS, which is suitable for high refresh rate monitors, but 3840x2160 on the same preset drops to 78 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost by using the Ultra preset instead of High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 126 FPS on High to 79 FPS on Ultra. This represents a 37.3% reduction in performance, indicating the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main performance bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary constraint. The frame rate scales down significantly as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's high benchmark scores and the consistent FPS drops across all resolutions confirm this.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K in Downfall?

A: Yes, but only on the Medium and Low presets. The Medium preset averages 96 FPS, and the Low preset averages 117 FPS. The High preset averages 78 FPS, which is above 60 FPS, but the Ultra preset falls short with an average of 49 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The average benchmark score for the RTX 5070 Ti is 49957, while the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 has an average score of 50001. This makes the RX Vega 64 0.1% faster, placing the two GPUs at a statistical tie in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the frame time variance like on the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: The data shows a minimum FPS of 183 and a maximum FPS of 247, resulting in a 64 FPS spread. This indicates that while the average is high, there is noticeable variance in frame times, which could be perceived as stutter in some scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 1041 out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall. This places the system in the top 35.6% of all configurations tested for this game. While not a top-tier ranking, it is a solid position that reflects the high performance of both components.

The rank is likely influenced by the game's demanding Ultra preset, which brings the system to its knees at 4K. However, the overall ranking is buoyed by the strong performance at lower resolutions. The combo outperforms a significant majority of other systems, suggesting that it is a high-end configuration for most gaming scenarios.

The GPU's percentile rank of 86 and the CPU's percentile rank of 93 are both high, but the game's performance is limited by the GPU. This is reflected in the combo rank, which is lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest. This indicates that in Downfall, the specific combination of components matters less than the GPU's raw power, as the CPU has enough headroom to avoid being a limiting factor. The data shows that this combo is more than capable, but it is not optimized for the absolute highest settings at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following breakdown details the exact average frame rates measured for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti in Downfall:

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: Average FPS is 49.
• High: Average FPS is 78.
• Medium: Average FPS is 96, with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 110.
• Low: Average FPS is 117.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: Average FPS is 79.
• High: Average FPS is 126.
• Medium: Average FPS is 154, with a minimum of 130 and a maximum of 177.
• Low: Average FPS is 188.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: Average FPS is 110.
• High: Average FPS is 176.
• Medium: Average FPS is 215, with a minimum of 183 and a maximum of 247.
• Low: Average FPS is 263.

The data shows a clear performance hierarchy across all resolutions, with the Low preset performing best and the Ultra preset performing worst. The Medium preset provides a middle ground, with the only recorded minimum and maximum frame rates in the dataset, allowing for an assessment of frame time stability. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets is most pronounced at 4K, where the average FPS drops from 117 to 49, a difference of 68 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For users with a 1080p display, the High preset is an excellent choice, delivering an average of 176 FPS. This provides a smooth experience on most high refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p still offers 110 FPS, which is playable, but the 37.5% performance drop from High may not be worth the visual gains for competitive play.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended starting point, with an average of 126 FPS. This is sufficient for 120Hz monitors. The Medium preset, at 154 FPS, is also a strong option for those prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 79 FPS is still above 60 FPS, but the significant drop from High suggests it may be too demanding for the visual improvement it provides.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests avoiding the Ultra preset, as the 49 FPS average will result in a sub-60 FPS experience. The High preset, at 78 FPS, is the best balance for 4K, providing a playable frame rate while maintaining a high level of visual quality. The Medium preset at 96 FPS offers a smoother experience for those who prefer higher frame rates over maximum detail. The Low preset is playable but should only be used if maximum frame rate is the absolute priority, as the visual compromise is significant.

In summary, the data supports using the High preset for the best overall experience at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K, the High preset is still the recommended choice for a balanced experience, while those seeking higher frame rates should step down to Medium. The Ultra preset is not recommended for 4K due to its low average frame rate.