Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core Ultra 7 265K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a dominant performance profile in Downfall, a horror title from 2016. This combination ranks 59th out of 1,741 tested hardware combinations, placing it in the top 3.4% of all recorded configurations. The data shows a system capable of exceeding 80 FPS at 4K Ultra settings, with frame rates scaling dramatically as resolution and quality settings are reduced. The following analysis walks through the measured FPS data to interpret how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the experience, and which settings offer the best balance of visual load and frame throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution drops from 3840x2160 (4K) to 1920x1080 (1080p). At Ultra settings, the average frame rate moves from 82 FPS at 4K to 124.8 FPS at 1440p, then to 178.1 FPS at 1080p. This represents a 52.2% improvement moving from 4K to 1440p, and a further 42.7% gain stepping down to 1080p. The progression is steady, indicating the GPU remains the primary workload driver at Ultra settings across all resolutions.

For High settings, the scaling is steeper. The system produces 124.8 FPS at 4K, which jumps to 204 FPS at 1440p — a 63.5% increase — and then reaches 284.7 FPS at 1080p, another 39.6% gain. Medium settings show a similar pattern: 155 FPS at 4K, 247.4 FPS at 1440p (up 59.6%), and 348.9 FPS at 1080p (up 41.0%). Low settings exhibit the most aggressive scaling of all, with 188.2 FPS at 4K climbing to 301.8 FPS at 1440p (a 60.4% jump) and finally to 425.7 FPS at 1080p (a 41.1% increase).

The fact that the percentage gains from 1440p to 1080p are remarkably consistent across all four settings — ranging from 39.6% to 42.7% — suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at every settings tier. The RTX 5080, with its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is being progressively relieved as pixel count drops. The 4K to 1440p transition yields larger relative gains (52-63%) because the pixel count reduction is more substantial, further confirming that rendering resolution is the dominant cost factor in Downfall. There is no evidence of a CPU bottleneck capping performance at lower resolutions, as the frame rates continue to scale well past 300 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.90 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it carries 30 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 50,009 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,060 in single-core, placing it at the 97th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 79,102 sits within 0.2% of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF and Intel Core i9-14900KF, and 0.9% behind the Intel Core i9-14900K.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is best understood by examining the frame rate ceilings at 1080p, where GPU load is lightest. At Low settings, the system reaches 425.7 FPS, and at Medium it hits 348.9 FPS. These high frame rates indicate that the 265K's single-thread performance — evidenced by its 7,060 Cinebench R23 single-core score — is more than adequate for this 2016 horror title. The game's engine appears to be well-served by the processor's 5.50 GHz boost clock and the Arrow Lake architecture's instruction handling. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,904 further supports the notion that this CPU will not hinder frame delivery, even at extreme frame rates.

The core configuration of 20 cores and 20 threads is substantial, though Downfall, like most horror titles of its era, is unlikely to leverage all of them simultaneously. The data suggests that the processor's high boost clock and strong per-core performance are the relevant attributes here, rather than raw multi-core throughput. The CPU's 97th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, combined with its performance parity against the Core i9-14900K series, means it comfortably avoids becoming the limiting factor in this pairing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the clear driver of the measured results. Built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB203 chip on a 5 nm process, it features 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. Its base clock runs at 2,295 MHz with a boost of 2,617 MHz, and the memory operates at 1,875 MHz with 30 Gbps effective speed. The 16 GB GDDR7 frame buffer on a 256-bit bus provides 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution texture streaming.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores reinforce its high-end positioning. It achieves 8,637 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and 36,565 in PassMark G3D, with an average benchmark score of 59,188. This places it at the 89th percentile among all GPUs, though its nearest rivals in the database — the Intel Arc A570M at 58,239 (1.6% slower), Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326 (1.9% faster), Intel Arc A580 at 57,756 (2.5% slower), and AMD Radeon Pro W5500X at 57,661 (2.6% slower) — suggest the percentile ranking is influenced by a broad field rather than direct performance competition.

In Downfall, the RTX 5080's role is most visible at 4K Ultra, where it produces 82 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for a horror title, which often prioritizes atmosphere over fast action. The GPU's 56.28 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 293.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient to handle the game's visual effects at this resolution. As settings drop, the GPU's headroom becomes apparent: at 4K Low, it delivers 188.2 FPS, showing that the card is far from saturated even at 4K when lighting and shadow complexity are reduced. The consistent 40%+ frame rate gains when moving to 1080p across all settings confirm that the GPU is the primary scaling component throughout the tested range.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which preset to select for different display configurations. At 4K, Ultra settings produce 82 FPS, which is the baseline for a smooth horror experience. For players prioritizing visual fidelity, this is acceptable, but those seeking higher frame rates should consider High settings, which deliver 124.8 FPS — a 52.2% improvement over Ultra while still maintaining a substantial visual upgrade over Medium's 155 FPS. Medium at 4K offers 155 FPS, but the gap to High is only 24.3%, making High the better choice for most users.

At 1440p, the situation improves dramatically. High settings achieve 204 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any display refresh rate commonly available. Ultra at 1440p produces 124.8 FPS, identical to 4K High, suggesting that the GPU is hitting a similar workload threshold at these two configurations. For 1440p users, High settings provide an excellent balance, with Medium at 247.4 FPS offering headroom for very high refresh rate monitors but diminishing visual returns.

At 1080p, all settings exceed 178 FPS, with Low reaching 425.7 FPS and Medium at 348.9 FPS. High at 284.7 FPS is the recommended choice here, as it offers a substantial frame rate buffer while maintaining the visual quality that the RTX 5080 is capable of. Ultra at 178.1 FPS remains viable for those who want maximum quality, but High is the sweet spot. Across all resolutions, the data indicates that High provides the best experience per measured frame rate, with the gap between High and Ultra being larger than the gap between Medium and High in most cases.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this hardware combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 425.7, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K has an average benchmark score of 79,102, which is 0.2% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF and the Intel Core i9-14900KF, and 0.9% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900K.

Q: Is the RTX 5080 GPU limited by the CPU in this game?

A: No. The frame rates continue to scale consistently as resolution drops, reaching 425.7 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating the GPU is the limiting component across all tested settings.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 82 FPS.

Q: How does the system rank among all tested hardware combinations for Downfall?

A: This combination ranks 59th out of 1,741 tested combinations.

Q: What is the percentage difference between 4K High and 1440p High average FPS?

A: The average FPS increases from 124.8 at 4K High to 204 at 1440p High, representing a 63.5% improvement.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 425.7 FPS on Low settings, 348.9 FPS on Medium, 284.7 FPS on High, and 178.1 FPS on Ultra. The progression shows a consistent drop of roughly 60-70 FPS between each consecutive settings tier, with the largest single-step decline occurring between Medium and High at 64.2 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the measured averages are 301.8 FPS on Low, 247.4 FPS on Medium, 204 FPS on High, and 124.8 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is 54.4 FPS, while Medium to High drops by 43.4 FPS. The most significant reduction is from High to Ultra, which loses 79.2 FPS, indicating that Ultra settings impose a disproportionately heavy load at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 188.2 FPS on Low, 155 FPS on Medium, 124.8 FPS on High, and 82 FPS on Ultra. The Low to Medium difference is 33.2 FPS, Medium to High is 30.2 FPS, and High to Ultra is 42.8 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 82 FPS is the lowest measured value across all configurations, yet it remains comfortably playable. The 124.8 FPS at 4K High matches the 1440p Ultra result exactly, highlighting that the GPU's workload at these two settings is nearly equivalent. The overall dataset shows a well-behaved scaling curve, with no anomalies or unexpected bottlenecks, confirming that this hardware pairing operates as expected for Downfall's rendering demands.