Downfall

FAQ

Q: What is the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX's average benchmark score and how does it compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX has an average benchmark score of 67469. It is 0.3% behind the Intel Xeon w5-3525 (score 67673) and 0.5% behind the AMD EPYC 4484PX (score 67822). It also trails the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX (score 67868) by 0.6%, while leading the Intel Xeon 6515P (score 67006) by 0.7%.

Q: What is the AMD Radeon RX 7900M's memory configuration, and how does its benchmark score compare to the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900M features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 576.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its average benchmark score is 97487, which is 4.3% lower than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000's score of 101872. The RX 7900M also outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro VII (score 97131) by 0.4%.

Q: What are the measured FPS results at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings for this combo?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 108. This is a significant drop from the High preset at the same resolution, which delivers 172 FPS. The data shows a clear performance scaling curve across presets at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo perform at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the measured average FPS is 150, with a minimum of 127 FPS and a maximum of 172 FPS. This indicates a smooth experience that is 27 FPS higher than the High preset's 123 FPS average at the same resolution.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations in Downfall?

A: The combo ranks 1219 out of 2928 tested combinations in Downfall. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested combos, showing that it is competitive but not at the absolute top of the leaderboard.

Q: What is the highest measured FPS for this combo in Downfall, and at what settings?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 257, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 210 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, demonstrating that the combo has substantial headroom at 1080p for high-refresh-rate displays.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor built on the Arrow Lake-HX architecture using a 3 nm process node. It has a base clock of 2.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 55 W. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 via a dual-channel bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Downfall, the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are critical for maintaining high frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the primary bottleneck. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589 and Geekbench multi-core score of 20795 indicate strong parallel processing power. This is reflected in the measured FPS data: at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 257 FPS, which is 143 FPS higher than at 4K with the same settings (114 FPS). This scaling suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is feeding the GPU effectively, allowing it to reach its full potential.

The single-thread performance is also noteworthy, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2458. In a horror game like Downfall, which may rely on single-threaded game logic and physics calculations, this strong single-core performance helps maintain consistent frame pacing. The PassMark single-thread score of 4713 further corroborates this capability. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads also handle background tasks and streaming without compromising game performance, as evidenced by the PassMark multithread score of 55759.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 94 among all CPUs places it in the top tier of processors. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Xeon w5-3525 and EPYC 4484PX, the 275HX is within 0.5% of their average scores, indicating near-parity in synthetic benchmarks. However, in gaming workloads, the 275HX's architecture and clock speeds may provide advantages that synthetic tests do not fully capture. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU's influence is most pronounced, with a 49.4% FPS increase from Low to Ultra settings being driven largely by GPU workload, while the CPU maintains a stable foundation.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900M is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process node. It features 4608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 192 ROPs, along with 72 ray tracing cores. The GPU's clocks are set at 1825 MHz base and 2090 MHz boost, with memory running at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective). The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for high-resolution textures in Downfall.

The GPU's FP32 performance is 38.52 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 401.3 GPixel/s. These specifications directly impact Downfall's rendering performance, particularly at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows a clear resolution-dependent trend: at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 76, while at 1920x1080 with the same settings, it jumps to 172. This 96 FPS difference highlights how the GPU's workload scales with pixel count, and the 16 GB VRAM ensures that even at 4K, texture memory is not a limiting factor.

The RX 7900M's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4201 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 158760 indicate strong DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, which are relevant for Downfall's rendering API. The GPU's percentile ranking of 94 among all GPUs places it in the top tier, though its nearest rivals show mixed results: it is 4.3% behind the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000 but 5.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60. This competitive positioning is reflected in the measured FPS, where the combo achieves playable frame rates even at 4K with High settings (76 FPS average).

The GPU's ray tracing capabilities (72 RT cores) may be relevant for Downfall's lighting and shadow effects, though the measured data does not isolate this specific workload. The 192 ROPs ensure efficient pixel throughput, which is critical for maintaining high fill rates at 4K. The power draw of 180 W is managed effectively within the mobile form factor, as indicated by the consistent performance across the measured scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo delivers a range of performance across presets. With Low settings, the average FPS is 114, which is the highest at this resolution. Medium settings reduce the average to 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 and maximum of 107. High settings further lower the average to 76 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 48 FPS. This represents a 66 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, with the highest preset demanding more than the RX 7900M can consistently deliver.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the performance scales more favorably. Low settings yield an average of 183 FPS, which is the highest at this resolution. Medium settings produce 150 FPS average (minimum 127, maximum 172), while High settings bring the average down to 123 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p result in 77 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 106 FPS, showing that the GPU has more headroom at this resolution, and the CPU can better keep up with the rendering demands.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combo reaches its peak performance. Low settings achieve an average of 257 FPS, which is the highest measured across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings deliver 210 FPS average (minimum 178, maximum 241), while High settings produce 172 FPS. Ultra settings at 1080p yield 108 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 149 FPS, the largest spread among all resolutions, indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU effectively at this resolution, allowing the GPU's performance to scale more dramatically with settings changes.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: as resolution decreases, the impact of settings on FPS increases. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 66 FPS (114 vs 48), while at 1080p, it is 149 FPS (257 vs 108). This suggests that at 1080p, the system is less GPU-bound, and the CPU's strong single-thread performance allows the GPU to stretch its legs across different presets. The Medium settings at each resolution provide a balanced experience, with 93 FPS at 4K, 150 FPS at 1440p, and 210 FPS at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and AMD Radeon RX 7900M ranks 1219 out of 2928 tested combinations in Downfall. This places it in the 58th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms more than half of the configurations tested. The ranking reflects a balanced system where both the CPU and GPU contribute effectively to game performance, but neither is at the absolute top of its respective class.

The CPU's percentile rank of 94 and GPU's percentile rank of 94 both indicate high-tier components individually. However, the combo's overall rank of 1219 suggests that other factors, such as memory bandwidth, thermal management, or driver optimization, may prevent this pairing from reaching the very top of the leaderboard. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Xeon w5-3525 and EPYC 4484PX, have similar average scores (within 0.6%), yet the combo's performance in Downfall is determined by how well these components work together.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar pattern: the RX 7900M is within 4.3% of the Quadro RTX 6000's average score, and within 6.3% of the RTX A4500. In Downfall, the combo's rank of 1219 suggests it sits in the upper-middle tier, where small performance differences between components can have a noticeable impact on the final ranking. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 48 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive gaming, while at 1080p Low, it reaches 257 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays.

The rank of 1219 out of 2928 also indicates that there are 1709 combos that rank below this pairing, providing a comfortable margin of superiority over the majority of tested configurations. However, the gap to the top-tier combos is not insignificant, as they likely feature higher-end GPUs or more optimized pairings. The combo's performance in Downfall is consistent with its component-level benchmarks, showing that the 275HX and RX 7900M work well together without significant bottlenecks at most resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 108 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios, but the High preset at 172 FPS offers a significantly better experience for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset at 257 FPS is overkill for most displays, but it demonstrates the combo's headroom at 1080p. For the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1080p, the High preset is recommended, as it provides a 64 FPS improvement over Ultra while maintaining high visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset (150 FPS average, 127 minimum) is the sweet spot, offering a smooth experience with good visual quality. The High preset at 123 FPS is also viable, but the 27 FPS difference between Medium and High may be noticeable in fast-paced scenes. The Ultra preset at 77 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for competitive play. For 1440p, the Medium preset is recommended for the best balance, as it provides a 73 FPS advantage over Ultra while maintaining a minimum frame rate above 120 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the High preset (76 FPS) is the highest setting that delivers consistently smooth gameplay. The Medium preset (93 FPS) offers better performance with a 17 FPS improvement over High, and the Low preset (114 FPS) is the best for maximizing frame rate at 4K. The Ultra preset at 48 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold that is generally considered smooth. For 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a 45 FPS advantage over Ultra while maintaining a minimum frame rate of 79 FPS.

Overall, the data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates across most presets. At 1080p, the combo excels at High and Medium settings, while at 4K, it requires lower presets to maintain smooth performance. The Medium preset at each resolution provides the most balanced experience, with 210 FPS at 1080p, 150 FPS at 1440p, and 93 FPS at 4K, making it the recommended default for most users.