Downfall

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B570 represents a specific configuration in the Downfall benchmark database, ranking 2343rd out of 2928 tested combos. This places it in the lower-mid tier of system pairings for this horror title, a position shaped by the substantial gap between the CPU's top-tier processing power and the GPU's mid-range rendering capabilities. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the graphics card is consistently the primary constraint, though the processor's headroom ensures that even at lower graphical loads, the system delivers playable performance.

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

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation) using a 5 nm TSMC process, and its specifications define the ceiling for this combo's frame rates. The GPU operates at a fixed 2500 MHz base and boost clock, which is notably consistent, and the memory subsystem consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines deliver a peak FP32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s. The 18 ray tracing cores are present but have a limited impact in Downfall, which relies primarily on traditional rasterization for its horror visuals.

In the context of Downfall's measured results, the GPU's role is dominant. At 4K Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 30 FPS, a clear indicator that the B570's compute and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed by the game's most demanding configuration. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient at 1080p and 1440p, but at 3840x2160 with high textures and effects, the memory bus width and bandwidth become limiting factors, causing the steep performance decline. The baseline GPU benchmarks reflect this positioning: the B570 scores 14195 in Passmark G3D and 2649 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the aggregate benchmark are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster) and the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% slower), confirming that this card sits in a competitive mid-range tier where small changes in driver optimization or game workload can shift relative performance.

How This Combo Ranks — comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The comboRankInGame of 2343 out of 2928 places this pairing in the bottom 20% of all tested configurations for Downfall. This ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities, which are exceptional, but rather a consequence of the GPU's mid-range standing. The benchmark data shows that the system's frame rates are consistently tied to the B570's performance envelope, and when combined with a processor that can far exceed the GPU's output, the overall combo ranking is dragged down by the graphics card. For context, the CPU alone sits at the 96th percentile of all processors, while the GPU sits at the 65th percentile, and the combo rank reflects the lower of these two components in a GPU-bound scenario.

The data indicates that other combos in the database achieve higher rankings primarily through more powerful graphics cards, even if paired with weaker CPUs. This is typical for a title like Downfall, which is a horror game with moderate CPU demands but heavy graphical loads at high settings. The 2343rd position suggests that users with this specific pairing will experience playable frame rates at lower resolutions and settings, but the system will not compete with high-end configurations in the upper percentile of the ranking. The rank also implies that the CPU is underutilized; many of the 585 combos ranked below this one likely feature significantly weaker processors, meaning the 290K Plus is being held back by the B570 in nearly every scenario.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a formidable processor that provides far more computational headroom than Downfall requires. With 24 cores and 24 threads (no hyper-threading), a base clock of 3.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, this CPU is designed for heavy multi-threaded workloads. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3, all built on a 3 nm TSMC process with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. The memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration, offering 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for feeding the GPU in a game like Downfall.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks confirm its top-tier status: it scores 51731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 7303 in Cinebench R23 single-core, and 60860 in Passmark multi-thread. Its percentileVsAllCpus is 96, meaning it outperforms 96% of all processors in the database. Its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark score are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (0.2% faster), the AMD EPYC 4584PX (1.1% slower), and the AMD EPYC 9135 (1.2% slower), showing that it trades blows with other high-end parts. However, in Downfall, the CPU's role is secondary. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the system achieves 163 FPS, and at 4K Low it still hits 72 FPS, indicating that the game is not CPU-limited in any tested configuration. The 290K Plus is effectively idle in terms of performance margin, which is why the combo rank is so low relative to the CPU's own standing.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Downfall, and at what settings?

A: The highest average frame rate is 163 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data that exceeds 160 FPS, and it indicates that the GPU is capable of high refresh rate output when graphical demands are minimized.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rival in aggregate GPU benchmarks?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750 (20582) and 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534). The differences are marginal, with deltaPct values of -0.1 and +0.1 respectively, suggesting these cards are virtually interchangeable in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the frame rate drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 109, while at 3840x2160 High, it drops to 49 FPS. This represents a 55% reduction in frame rate, highlighting the GPU's difficulty in handling the 4x pixel count increase.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in any of the tested settings?

A: No, the data suggests the CPU is never the limiting factor. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and a 5.80 GHz boost clock, and the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings changes, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU's 96th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 65th percentile confirms the GPU is the constraint.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 4K Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 3840x2160 Medium is 50, with an average of 59 FPS and a maximum of 68. This is the only 4K resolution where a minimum FPS value was recorded in the data.

Q: How does the combo's rank in Downfall compare to its individual component percentiles?

A: The combo ranks 2343rd out of 2928, which is in the bottom 20% of all tested pairings. This is significantly lower than the CPU's 96th percentile ranking and the GPU's 65th percentile ranking, indicating that the combination is suboptimal for this game, with the GPU dragging down the overall performance.

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

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear GPU-bound profile. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 163 FPS at 1080p to 116 FPS at 1440p, and then to 72 FPS at 4K. This represents a 56% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is consistent with the increase in pixel count (from roughly 2 million to 8.3 million pixels). At High settings, the drop is from 109 FPS at 1080p to 78 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 49 FPS at 4K, a 55% reduction. These consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, as the workload scales linearly with resolution.

The scaling pattern also rules out CPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates at 1080p would be capped at a lower value, and the drop to 4K would be less severe because the CPU workload does not increase with resolution. Here, the 1080p Low result of 163 FPS demonstrates that the 290K Plus can feed the GPU far more frames than the B570 can render, confirming that the graphics card is the sole limiting component. The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases: at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 95 FPS (163 vs 68), while at 4K, the difference narrows to 42 FPS (72 vs 30). This is because at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes so saturated that even reducing settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel throughput demands.

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

1920x1080 (1080p):

At Low settings, the combo delivers an average of 163 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce the average to 133 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 113 FPS and a maximum of 153 FPS. High settings yield 109 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 68 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 58% performance penalty, with each settings tier costing roughly 20-30 FPS. The 1080p results are all well above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution the most comfortable for the B570, even with maxed-out settings.

2560x1440 (1440p):

At Low settings, the average FPS is 116, which is a 29% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 95 FPS, with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 110. High settings average 78 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 49 FPS average. The 1440p results show that the system can still maintain playable frame rates at Medium and High, but Ultra falls below 60 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 67 FPS (116 vs 49), which is a narrower range than at 1080p, as the GPU becomes more saturated at this resolution.

3840x2160 (4K):

At Low settings, the average FPS is 72, which is still above 60 FPS, but just barely. Medium settings average 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 68, placing it just under the playable threshold. High settings drop to 49 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 30 FPS average, which is the lowest result in the dataset. The 4K results clearly show the GPU's limitations: even at Low settings, the system is only 20% above the 60 FPS target, and at High and Ultra, it falls below comfortable playability. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a 37% drop (78 to 49 FPS), which is steeper than the 1080p to 1440p drop of 28% (109 to 78), indicating that the B570's memory bandwidth and pixel rate are increasingly stressed as resolution grows.