Downfall

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It belongs to the Core Ultra Series 2, built on a 3 nm process at TSMC with an Arrow Lake Refresh codename. The CPU carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache, with 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 per core. This is a desktop-class part with a 125 W TDP and support for DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, delivering 115.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth. It also integrates Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units, though the discrete GPU handles all rendering in the measured data.

In synthetic workloads, the CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303. The PassMark multithread score is 60,860, while single-thread performance sits at 4,823. These numbers place the processor at the 96th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ultra 9 290K Plus is effectively tied with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83,807, a delta of just 0.2%. It leads the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% (83,090) and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2% (82,980), while trailing the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3% (85,072).

For Downfall, a horror title released in 2016, the CPU’s 24 threads and high boost clock provide substantial headroom. At 1080p, where frame rates are highest, the processor’s single-core strength becomes relevant. The 5.80 GHz boost clock helps maintain high average FPS even at Low settings, where the game is likely less GPU-bound. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 312 FPS average. This suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU efficiently at lower resolutions. The 36 MB L3 cache also helps with game logic and scene loading, which can be demanding in horror titles with unpredictable asset streaming.

The lack of hyperthreading (24 cores, 24 threads) means the CPU relies on physical cores alone, but 24 of them is more than enough for a 2016-era title. The processor’s PassMark physics score of 3,315 and data compression score of 698,346 indicate strong throughput for background tasks, though these do not directly translate to in-game performance. The benchmark results from the measured FPS data show that even at Ultra settings, the CPU does not become a bottleneck until 4K, where the GPU takes over as the limiting factor.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the Navi 48 chip with RDNA 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 1660 MHz, with a boost clock of 2970 MHz and a game clock of 2400 MHz. Memory runs at 2518 MHz, or 20.1 Gbps effective. The card has 4,096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units, along with 64 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 380.2 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 760.3 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 48.66 TFLOPS.

In the benchmark database, the RX 9070 XT sits at the 55th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,543. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13,536, delta 0.1%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13,515, delta 0.2%), the NVIDIA P106-090 (13,470, delta 0.5%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 555 (13,407, delta 1%). These are older or lower-tier parts, which suggests the RX 9070 XT’s percentile is skewed by the benchmark selection, not its actual capability. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7,260 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 65,879 indicate strong modern API performance.

For Downfall, the 16 GB VRAM is far more than the game requires, given its 2016 release. This means memory capacity is not a constraint at any resolution. The GPU’s bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s is more relevant, as it allows high texture throughput at 4K. The measured FPS shows the GPU handling 4K High at 93 FPS and 4K Ultra at 58 FPS, which indicates the card is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions. The boost clock of 2970 MHz helps maintain consistent frame delivery, especially in scenes with complex lighting or shadows typical of horror games.

The RX 9070 XT’s 128 ROPs are crucial for fill-rate-dependent tasks, which Downfall’s rendering likely relies on. The card’s FP32 throughput of 48.66 TFLOPS provides ample compute for shader work, though the game’s age means it may not fully utilize modern parallel architectures. The measured data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is not the bottleneck — the CPU is, as evidenced by the 312 FPS ceiling at Low settings. At 4K, however, the GPU’s limits become apparent, with Ultra settings dropping to 58 FPS.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Examining the measured FPS across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of scaling. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 209 at 1080p to 150 at 1440p, then to 93 at 4K. This represents a 28% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 38% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 55.5%. This steep decline indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly the limiting component as resolution rises, since the CPU workload remains relatively constant while pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The average FPS goes from 312 at 1080p to 223 at 1440p, then to 139 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 28.5%, and from 1440p to 4K is 37.7%. The total reduction is 55.4%, nearly identical to High settings. This similarity suggests that even at Low settings, where GPU load is minimal, the system is still limited by the GPU at higher resolutions. The fact that 1080p Low yields 312 FPS while 1080p High yields 209 FPS shows the CPU can push beyond 300 FPS, but the GPU’s frame output scales directly with resolution.

Medium settings show a similar trend: 255 FPS at 1080p, 182 FPS at 1440p, and 113 FPS at 4K. The drops are 28.6% and 37.9% respectively. Ultra settings, however, show a different pattern: 131 FPS at 1080p, 93 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 29%, and from 1440p to 4K is 37.6%. The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings indicates that resolution scaling is uniform, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are more balanced, with the CPU potentially capping frame rates. The 312 FPS ceiling at Low settings likely represents a CPU limit, as the GPU would be capable of higher output if given the chance. At 1440p, the GPU begins to dominate, and at 4K, it is entirely the limiting factor. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (58 FPS) is less than half of the 1080p Ultra (131 FPS), further confirming the GPU-bound nature of high-resolution gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT ranks 667th out of 2,928 tested combos in Downfall. This places it in the top 22.8% of all tested configurations. The rank reflects the measured performance across all resolutions and settings, weighted by the game’s demands. Given the hardware’s specifications, this ranking is moderate — the CPU is top-tier (96th percentile), but the GPU is only at the 55th percentile in the database, which drags the combo down.

The combo rank of 667 out of 2,928 means there are 666 combos that perform better in this specific game. This is surprising given the CPU’s high benchmark scores, but it underscores the GPU’s role as the bottleneck at higher resolutions. In a game like Downfall, which is not particularly demanding by modern standards, the GPU’s percentile ranking becomes the dominant factor. The RX 9070 XT’s 55th percentile places it below many other GPUs in the database, even though its raw specs are strong.

Comparatively, the CPU’s nearest rivals — the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, AMD EPYC 4584PX, and AMD EPYC 9135 — would likely produce similar combo rankings when paired with the same GPU, since the delta between them is under 1.2%. The GPU’s nearest rivals, which are much older parts, would perform significantly worse in Downfall, but they are not typically paired with a CPU like the Ultra 9 290K Plus. The combo’s rank of 667 suggests that while the CPU is overkill for this game, the GPU provides adequate but not exceptional performance.

The rank also implies that users with mid-range GPUs from more recent generations might outperform this combo, especially at 1080p where CPU-bound scenarios could favor higher single-thread performance. However, the measured FPS values show that the combo is still highly playable at all settings, with the lowest average being 58 FPS at 4K Ultra. The rank is a relative measure, and in absolute terms, the combo delivers smooth gameplay across the board.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 312 FPS. Medium settings yield 255 FPS, with a minimum of 217 FPS and a maximum of 294 FPS. High settings drop to 209 FPS average. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of 131 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is CPU-bound at Low and Medium, since the GPU is capable of higher output than the CPU can feed. The difference between Low and Ultra is 181 FPS, a 58% reduction, which shows the impact of graphical settings on frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS scales down. Low settings yield 223 FPS. Medium settings produce 182 FPS, with a minimum of 155 FPS and a maximum of 210 FPS. High settings average 150 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 93 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 130 FPS, a 58.3% reduction, consistent with the 1080p pattern. The minimum FPS at Medium (155) is still above 144 Hz, making this resolution suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors at Medium settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 139 FPS. Medium settings yield 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS. High settings drop to 93 FPS. Ultra settings produce 58 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 81 FPS, a 58.3% reduction. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (96) is close to the 60 FPS threshold, meaning there is some headroom for consistent play. However, at 4K Ultra, the 58 FPS average is below 60 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutters on standard 60 Hz displays.

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern: each settings tier (Low to Medium, Medium to High, High to Ultra) reduces FPS by roughly 20-30%, regardless of resolution. The minimum and maximum FPS values are only provided for Medium settings, which show a spread of 77 FPS at 1080p (217 to 294), 55 FPS at 1440p (155 to 210), and 35 FPS at 4K (96 to 131). This indicates that frame pacing is more consistent at higher resolutions due to GPU-bound rendering.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Downfall?

A: At 1440p Medium, the combo delivers 182 FPS average with a minimum of 155 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS, still playable but less smooth.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 312 FPS, which suggests a CPU limit since the GPU is capable of higher output. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 58, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor at high resolutions.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 84,003 on average, which is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83,807), 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83,090), and 1.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9135 (82,980), but 1.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7F72 (85,072).

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

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT scores 13,543 on average, which is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13,536), 0.2% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13,515), 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA P106-090 (13,470), and 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 555 (13,407).

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in Downfall?

A: The combo ranks 667th out of 2,928 tested combos, placing it in the top 22.8% of all configurations. This is driven by the GPU’s 55th percentile ranking, despite the CPU’s 96th percentile.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: No, the measured average at 4K Ultra is 58 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, Medium settings at 4K are required, which yield 113 FPS average.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1080p, Ultra settings provide 131 FPS average, which is suitable for 120 Hz displays. If a higher refresh rate is preferred, High settings at 209 FPS or Medium at 255 FPS offer smoother motion. Low settings at 312 FPS are unnecessary for most displays and provide diminishing returns.

At 1440p, Medium settings deliver 182 FPS average with a minimum of 155 FPS, making this the best balance of visual quality and performance. High settings at 150 FPS are also viable for 144 Hz monitors, but the minimum FPS is not provided, so Medium is safer for consistent frame delivery. Ultra settings at 93 FPS are playable but do not fully utilize high-refresh-rate displays.

At 4K, Medium settings yield 113 FPS average with a minimum of 96 FPS, which is the recommended preset for a smooth experience on 60 Hz or 120 Hz displays. High settings at 93 FPS are acceptable but leave less headroom for dips. Ultra settings at 58 FPS should be avoided, as the average falls below 60 FPS, which can cause visible stuttering in a horror game where smooth motion is critical for immersion.

The data shows that Medium settings provide the most consistent frame pacing, as evidenced by the provided minimum and maximum FPS values. Across all resolutions, Medium settings maintain a minimum FPS that is at least 67% of the average, whereas other settings lack this data. For the best overall experience, Medium settings at the user’s preferred resolution is the safest choice, balancing visual fidelity with reliable frame rates. At 1080p, High settings offer a better visual experience with minimal risk, given the 209 FPS average. At 1440p and 4K, Medium is the recommended preset.