Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + AMD Radeon RX 9060

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a surprisingly balanced experience in Downfall, a 2016 horror title that clearly favors strong single-threaded CPU performance and moderate GPU demands. The combo ranks in the 57th percentile among 2,928 tested configurations, with measured frame rates that range from a barely-playable 39 FPS at 4K Ultra to a silky-smooth 210 FPS at 1080p Low. This pairing's 24-core CPU with a 5.80 GHz boost clock appears to remove most CPU bottlenecks, leaving the GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus as the primary constraint at higher resolutions and quality settings.

FAQ

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Downfall?*

A: The combo ranks 1,667 out of 2,928 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all configurations. This ranking reflects a system that can handle the game well at most settings, but falls short of top-tier performance at maximum quality.

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo achieves?

A: The highest measured average is 210 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Medium settings the average drops to 172 FPS, while High settings produce 141 FPS at the same resolution.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this setup?

A: Yes, but only at reduced settings. At 4K High the average is 63 FPS, and at 4K Medium it's 76 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K fall to 39 FPS, which is below the commonly accepted 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16,014 is within 0.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16,129) and 1% of both the AMD Radeon R9 370X and RX 7700. This puts it in a tight competitive cluster, with the RX 9060 slightly ahead of the R9 370X and RX 7700.

Q: What CPU performance does the Ultra 9 290K Plus offer relative to its closest rivals?

A: The Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 84,003 on average, which is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83,807) and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83,090). It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%.

Q: Does the game benefit more from the CPU or GPU in this configuration?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher settings, since the CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs (versus the GPU's 59th percentile) indicates the processor has substantial headroom. The frame rate drops consistently as resolution and settings increase, which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 uses the Navi 44 chip built on RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process, containing 29,700 million transistors on a 199 mm² die. Its memory subsystem comprises 8 GB of GDDR6 across a 128-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost of 2990 MHz. These specifications position the card in the mid-range tier, and its benchmark results reflect that: a PassMark G3D score of 17,631 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,322.

In Downfall, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the card delivers 210 FPS, suggesting the GPU is not the primary constraint at lower settings. However, at 4K Ultra, the average falls to 39 FPS — a dramatic reduction that points to the GPU's 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus struggling with the game's higher-resolution textures and effects. The 2,990 MHz boost clock helps at lower resolutions, but the memory bandwidth ceiling becomes evident when pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 59 among all GPUs places it squarely in the mid-range category. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 3060 Ti (0.7% faster) and the RX 7700 (1% slower), which explains the measured frame rates: competitive at 1080p and 1440p, but outclassed at 4K Ultra where more powerful cards with larger memory buses would maintain higher averages.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1,667 out of 2,928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the 57th percentile overall. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU's strength — the Ultra 9 290K Plus sits in the 96th percentile among all CPUs — which suggests the GPU is dragging the overall combo ranking down. The data implies that many other tested configurations likely pair high-end GPUs with weaker CPUs, achieving better game-specific results because Downfall is not particularly CPU-intensive.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 84,003 is only 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's 83,807, yet the 285K might appear in higher-ranked combos when paired with faster GPUs. The RX 9060's average score of 16,014, while competitive with the RTX 3060 Ti (16,129), places it below many higher-tier cards that would push the combo rank significantly higher. In a game like Downfall, where 4K Ultra demands substantial GPU resources, this combo's mid-range GPU limits the overall potential despite the elite CPU.

The rank of 1,667 means roughly 1,261 tested combos perform better, and about 1,666 perform worse. This places the system in a comfortable middle ground: capable of excellent 1080p and good 1440p performance, but not among the top configurations for 4K enthusiasts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 210 FPS, Medium averages 172 FPS (with a min of 146 and max of 198), High averages 141 FPS, and Ultra drops to 88 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 58% reduction in frame rate, indicating that each quality tier adds meaningful GPU load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages fall to 150 FPS at Low, 123 FPS at Medium (min 104, max 141), 101 FPS at High, and 63 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra widens to 58% reduction, reinforcing the GPU's growing role as pixel count increases. The 1440p High result of 101 FPS remains highly playable, while Ultra at 63 FPS just clears the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the numbers tell a more cautious story. Low settings average 93 FPS, Medium averages 76 FPS (min 65, max 88), High averages 63 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that dips below 60 FPS, and it does so substantially. The 4K Medium result of 76 FPS, however, shows the card can handle 4K when settings are moderated.

The measured data includes min/max values only for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range spans 146 to 198 FPS, a 52 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 104 to 141 FPS (37 FPS spread), and at 4K Medium, it's 65 to 88 FPS (23 FPS spread). The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests more consistent frame pacing as the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, based on Arrow Lake Refresh architecture manufactured on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 36 MB shared L3. Memory support includes DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 115.2 GB/s bandwidth.

This CPU's benchmark scores are exceptional. It achieves 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core, along with a PassMark single-thread score of 4,823 and a multithread score of 60,860. The 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its top-tier status. In Downfall, a 2016 horror title, the game's engine likely benefits from high single-thread performance, and the 5.80 GHz boost clock provides ample headroom.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (0.2% slower), AMD EPYC 4584PX (1.1% slower), and AMD EPYC 9135 (1.2% slower), while the AMD EPYC 7F72 is 1.3% faster. These small deltas suggest the Ultra 9 290K Plus is at the forefront of consumer CPU performance. In the context of Downfall, the CPU's role appears minimal at higher resolutions — the frame rate differences between 1440p and 4K are substantial, indicating GPU-bound scenarios. At 1080p Low, the 210 FPS result shows the CPU can feed the GPU effectively without becoming a bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average of 172 FPS (min 146) provides a smooth experience with headroom for demanding scenes. At 1440p Medium, 123 FPS (min 104) remains well above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended choice for 1440p displays. Even at 4K Medium, the 76 FPS average (min 65) is playable, though users sensitive to frame drops might prefer High settings.

High settings are viable at 1080p (141 FPS) and 1440p (101 FPS), but at 4K the 63 FPS average is borderline. Ultra settings should be avoided at 4K entirely, as the 39 FPS average falls below playable standards. At 1080p Ultra, 88 FPS is acceptable for those prioritizing visual fidelity. Low settings offer the highest frame rates (210 FPS at 1080p, 150 FPS at 1440p, 93 FPS at 4K) but significantly reduce visual quality, making them unnecessary given the Medium preset's strong performance.

The data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo. It delivers high frame rates with min FPS values that remain comfortable, and it scales predictably across resolutions. For competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, Low at 1080p (210 FPS) or 1440p (150 FPS) provides maximum smoothness. For cinematic horror experiences, High at 1440p (101 FPS) offers the best visual immersion without sacrificing playability.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals clear GPU-bound behavior. At Low settings, the averages progress from 210 FPS at 1080p to 150 FPS at 1440p (a 29% drop) and 93 FPS at 4K (a 56% drop from 1080p). At Medium settings, the progression is 172 FPS to 123 FPS (28% drop) to 76 FPS (56% drop). High settings show 141 FPS to 101 FPS (28% drop) to 63 FPS (55% drop). Ultra settings demonstrate the steepest decline: 88 FPS to 63 FPS (28% drop) to 39 FPS (56% drop from 1080p).

The consistent 28% reduction from 1080p to 1440p across all settings, followed by a further 39-40% reduction from 1440p to 4K, indicates that the GPU's rendering load scales predictably with pixel count. The 4K resolution contains 4 times the pixels of 1080p, yet the frame rate reduction is only about 56%, suggesting some efficiency gains at higher resolutions or that the CPU helps maintain performance.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking and high single-thread scores mean it can sustain high frame rates even at 1080p Low (210 FPS), where CPU overhead typically becomes more significant. The GPU's 59th percentile ranking, combined with its 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus, creates the performance ceiling observed at 4K Ultra. The 39 FPS result at 4K Ultra — a 81% reduction from 1080p Low — underscores that the RX 9060's memory bandwidth and capacity are insufficient for maximum settings at the highest resolution, while the CPU remains largely untapped.