Downfall

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 paired with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus in Downfall produces a playable but heavily GPU-bound experience at 1080p and 1440p, with performance collapsing at 4K Ultra. The data shows a CPU with immense headroom (24 cores, 5.80 GHz boost) that is never the limiting factor, leaving the RX 6600’s 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth as the primary constraints. This combo ranks in the 23rd percentile of all tested combinations, indicating that while the processor is elite, the graphics card holds the overall result back significantly.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a clear GPU bottleneck. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 117 FPS at 1920x1080 to 84 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 52 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 55% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, which is a steep decline typical of a graphics card struggling with pixel throughput rather than a CPU limitation. The pattern is consistent across all settings: 1080p Low runs at 175 FPS, dropping to 125 FPS at 1440p and 78 FPS at 4K, showing the same proportional scaling.

The scaling curve suggests the RX 6600’s 159.4 GPixel/s pixel rate and 8.928 TFLOPS FP32 compute are the ceilings. At 1080p, even Ultra settings yield 73 FPS, which is respectable but far from the 175 FPS seen at Low, indicating that the GPU is working hard on shading and texture work. Moving to 4K, the Ultra preset collapses to 33 FPS, a 55% drop from 1080p Ultra, which is unplayable for a horror title requiring smooth motion. The 1440p Medium result of 102 FPS with a minimum of 87 FPS demonstrates the best balance of resolution and fluidity, but the 4K Medium score of 64 FPS (min 54) shows the card’s memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s is insufficient for high-resolution textures.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts entirely to the GPU as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the 175 FPS average suggests the CPU could push higher, but the RX 6600’s 64 ROPs and 112 TMUs cap the output. At 4K, the gap between Low (78 FPS) and Ultra (33 FPS) widens to 45 FPS, proving that the GPU’s shading units (1792) and memory subsystem are overwhelmed by the increased pixel count. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus’s 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is irrelevant here; the RX 6600’s 224.0 GB/s is the data pipeline that matters, and it saturates quickly at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is an overqualified partner for this GPU in Downfall. With 24 cores and 24 threads, a base clock of 3.70 GHz, and a boost of 5.80 GHz, the processor’s capabilities far exceed what this 2016 horror title can utilize. The benchmark scores support this: the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. In contrast, the RX 6600 sits in the 63rd percentile of GPUs, creating a massive imbalance.

The game’s results show no CPU-bound frame rate ceilings. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 175 FPS, which is likely the GPU’s maximum output rather than a CPU limit. The processor’s PassMark single-thread score of 4823 and multi-thread score of 60860 indicate it can handle any game logic or physics calculations Downfall throws at it, especially given the game’s 2016 release date. The nearest CPU rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 0.2% higher on average, but this difference is negligible in gaming scenarios where the GPU dominates.

The CPU’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 per core provide ample fast storage for game assets, but the RX 6600’s 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM is the actual memory constraint. The processor’s 3 nm process node and TSMC foundry give it efficiency, but its 125 W TDP is irrelevant when the GPU’s 132 W TDP is the active workload driver. In essence, the data shows the CPU is never the bottleneck; even at 4K Ultra with 33 FPS, the frame time is determined by the GPU’s rasterization and memory latency, not the CPU’s 5.80 GHz boost clock. The processor’s PassMark physics score of 3315 further confirms it can handle the game’s physics engine without breaking a sweat, leaving all performance variation to the graphics card.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance for the best experience with this combo. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver 143 FPS with a minimum of 122 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS, which is the sweet spot for high refresh rate monitors without sacrificing visual quality. High settings at 1080p still achieve 117 FPS, making it a viable alternative for those prioritizing image fidelity, but Ultra drops to 73 FPS, which is a 49% reduction from Medium and not worth the visual gain for a horror game where reaction time matters. Low settings at 175 FPS are unnecessary unless chasing maximum competitive advantage, but the visual degradation is likely too severe for the atmospheric genre.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts to High settings, which produce 84 FPS. This is a 17% drop from 1080p High but maintains smooth gameplay on 144 Hz displays. Medium at 1440p yields 102 FPS (min 87), which is arguably the best balance of resolution and fluidity, offering a 21% improvement over High with minor visual compromises. Ultra at 1440p drops to 52 FPS, which is borderline for a horror title where sudden movements require stable frame pacing; the 4K Ultra result of 33 FPS is unplayable, so 1440p Ultra is the highest quality preset that remains tolerable, though it sacrifices the smoothness of lower settings.

For 4K, the data suggests avoiding Ultra entirely (33 FPS) and even High (52 FPS) is marginal. Low settings at 4K produce 78 FPS, which is the only truly fluid option at this resolution, but it strips the game of its visual atmosphere. Medium at 4K offers 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS, which is playable if the player tolerates occasional dips. The best overall experience is 1440p Medium: it maintains 102 FPS average, stays above the 87 FPS minimum, and preserves enough detail for the horror setting. This preset maximizes the RX 6600’s strengths while avoiding its VRAM and bandwidth limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2270 out of 2928 tested combinations in Downfall, placing it in the 22.5th percentile of all system pairings. This low rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU alone ranks in the 96th percentile of all processors. The data reveals a stark mismatch: a top-tier processor paired with a mid-range graphics card produces a mediocre overall gaming result. The RX 6600’s average benchmark score of 19036 places it slightly above the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030, 0% delta) and below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, -0.1% delta), indicating its performance class is roughly equivalent to a mobile RTX 4050, which is not suited for high-end gaming in a demanding title.

The rank of 2270 suggests that most other combinations, even those with weaker CPUs, outperform this pairing because they pair their processors with more capable GPUs. The CPU’s nearest rivals—the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (0.2% higher), AMD EPYC 4584PX (1.1% higher), and AMD EPYC 9135 (1.2% higher)—all have similar compute power, but the bottleneck is the GPU. For Downfall specifically, the game’s horror genre benefits from stable frame rates, and this combo’s 52 FPS at 4K High is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth. The 2928 total combos include many with lower-end CPUs but faster GPUs, which explains the low percentile rank despite the CPU’s elite status.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the definitive bottleneck in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured results. With 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 128-bit bus providing 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, the card has enough memory for 1080p and 1440p textures but struggles at 4K. The GPU’s base clock of 1626 MHz and boost clock of 2491 MHz (with a game clock of 2044 MHz) give it a peak FP32 performance of 8.928 TFLOPS, which is modest by modern standards. The 1792 shading units and 112 TMUs are sufficient for 1080p, but the 64 ROPs limit pixel fill rate to 159.4 GPixel/s, which is why 4K Ultra drops to 33 FPS.

The GPU’s benchmark scores corroborate the gaming data. Its PassMark G3D score of 15096 places it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, scores 19030 (0% delta), showing it is a mid-range card. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492 indicates moderate DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for a 2016 game that may not fully utilize modern APIs. The GPU’s 28 ray tracing cores are present but unused in Downfall, as the game’s 2016 release predates widespread RT implementation.

The 8 GB VRAM is the critical limitation. At 4K, the game likely exceeds this capacity with high-resolution textures, causing the FPS to plummet from 78 at Low to 52 at High. The memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s is also insufficient for 4K Ultra, where the pixel and texture data exceed what the 128-bit bus can deliver. The GPU’s PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides 16 GB/s of bandwidth to the CPU, but this is not the limiting factor; the internal memory subsystem is. The GPU’s 132 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU are irrelevant to performance, but the data clearly shows that the RX 6600 is the component that determines the frame rates in Downfall, not the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus the bottleneck in this combo?

A: No. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and single-core score of 7303 place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, and the game’s FPS scales consistently with GPU settings, not CPU load. The processor has 24 cores and a 5.80 GHz boost clock, far exceeding the requirements of this 2016 horror title.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo?

A: The data shows 1440p Medium is optimal, delivering 102 FPS average with a minimum of 87 FPS. This is the highest resolution and settings combination that maintains a stable frame rate above 60 FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 33 FPS and 1080p Ultra yields 73 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 6600’s average benchmark score is 19036, which is statistically tied with the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, -0.1% delta). It is slightly ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (18954, 0.4% delta) but behind the NVIDIA Tesla K20m (19089, -0.3% delta).

Q: Why does 4K Ultra perform so poorly?

A: The RX 6600 has 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the game’s texture and pixel data exceed this capacity, causing the average FPS to drop to 33, which is a 55% reduction from 1080p Ultra’s 73 FPS.

Q: Is this combo suitable for high refresh rate gaming?

A: At 1080p, yes—Medium settings achieve 143 FPS with a minimum of 122 FPS, and Low reaches 175 FPS. However, at 1440p, only Low (125 FPS) and Medium (102 FPS) exceed 100 FPS, while High drops to 84 FPS. At 4K, no setting exceeds 78 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 2270 out of 2928 total combinations in Downfall, placing it in the bottom 23% of tested systems. This low ranking is due to the GPU’s mid-range performance (63rd percentile) despite the CPU being in the 96th percentile, creating a significant imbalance that limits overall gaming performance.