Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a commanding performance in Downfall, with frame rates that remain highly playable even at 4K Ultra settings. The data shows a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the 24-core processor provides ample headroom to keep frame delivery consistent across all tested presets. This combo ranks in the 90th percentile of all tested configurations for this horror title, placing it firmly among the top-tier setups for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and solid 60+ FPS experiences at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER becoming the dominant factor at 4K. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 248 FPS average; moving to 1440p High drops this to 177 FPS, and at 4K High the average falls to 110 FPS. This represents a 55% reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings, which is a significant but expected decline given the pixel count increase from roughly 2 million to 8.3 million pixels.

The scaling behavior shifts depending on the preset. With Low settings, the frame rate goes from 369 FPS at 1080p to 264 FPS at 1440p and 164 FPS at 4K — a steeper percentage drop (55% from 1080p to 4K) that indicates the CPU is keeping up well while the GPU becomes progressively more stressed. At Ultra settings, the pattern is more dramatic: 155 FPS at 1080p, 111 FPS at 1440p, and just 69 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is only 45% of the 1080p Ultra figure, showing that the highest preset amplifies the GPU workload disproportionately.

The 1440p to 4K transition is particularly telling. At High settings, 1440p yields 177 FPS while 4K yields 110 FPS — a 38% drop. At Ultra, the drop from 111 FPS to 69 FPS is a 38% reduction as well, demonstrating consistent behavior across presets. This consistency suggests the limiting component is the GPU's pixel throughput capability rather than any memory bandwidth or cache bottleneck, as the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's 672.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 250.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are the relevant constraints.

The minimum FPS data available for Medium settings shows the combo maintains reasonable frame consistency. At 4K Medium, the average is 134 FPS with a minimum of 114 FPS, yielding a 15% drop from average to minimum. At 1440p Medium, the average is 216 FPS with a minimum of 183 FPS (a 15% drop), and at 1080p Medium it's 302 FPS average with 257 FPS minimum (a 15% drop). This consistent 15% minimum-to-average ratio across resolutions indicates stable frame pacing without catastrophic dips, which is crucial for a horror game where sudden frame hitches can ruin immersion.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data makes a strong case for Medium settings as the sweet spot for this combo, particularly at 4K and 1440p. At 4K Medium, the combo achieves 134 FPS average with a minimum of 114 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay while retaining enough visual fidelity for the horror atmosphere. The jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 24 FPS (134 to 110), while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 41 FPS (110 to 69). The Ultra preset's 69 FPS average is still playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes, and the lack of minimum FPS data for Ultra suggests potential instability.

At 1440p, Medium delivers 216 FPS average with an 183 FPS minimum, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 177 FPS is also excellent, and even Ultra at 111 FPS provides a smooth experience. Given that the 1440p Medium result is 22% higher than 1440p High, and the visual difference between Medium and High in a horror game like Downfall is often subtle in dark environments, Medium offers the best balance of performance and quality.

For 1080p users, the choice is less critical since all presets exceed 155 FPS. However, the data shows that Low settings at 1080p produce 369 FPS, which is overkill for virtually all displays. The Medium preset at 302 FPS with a 257 FPS minimum is the practical recommendation, as it provides a massive frame buffer while maintaining better visual quality than Low. Ultra at 155 FPS is still excellent for 1080p, so players with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors can safely use the highest preset without concern.

The Ultra preset at 4K produces 69 FPS, which is below the 72 FPS threshold some players consider minimum for smooth motion. Given that the 4K Medium result provides nearly double the frame rate (134 FPS), the recommendation is clear: use Medium at 4K, High at 1440p, and Medium or Ultra at 1080p depending on display refresh rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus brings 24 cores and 24 threads to this configuration, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. In Downfall, a horror game that typically relies more on single-thread performance than massive multi-threading, this processor's strong single-core capability is evident from the benchmark data. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303 and multi-core score of 51731 demonstrate a balanced design that can handle both the game's primary thread and background tasks simultaneously.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals confirms its high-end positioning. The 290K Plus averages 84003 across all benchmark tests, which is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807) and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090). It trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3% (85072), but that processor is a server-class part with different design priorities. The 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates this is a top-tier processor for gaming workloads.

In Downfall specifically, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the frame rate scaling at 1080p where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 369 FPS, which is 2.4x the 4K Low result of 164 FPS. This massive headroom at low resolution suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck even at very high frame rates. The 24 threads allow the game engine to distribute AI, physics, and rendering tasks without contention, and the 36 MB of shared L3 cache provides fast access to frequently used game data.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s over dual-channel DDR5 is adequate for this workload, and the 3 nm process node from TSMC with 17,800 million transistors indicates a highly efficient design that maintains high clock speeds without excessive power draw (125 W TDP). The boost clock of 5.80 GHz is particularly relevant for Downfall's engine, which likely has a primary game thread that benefits from high single-threaded performance.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 289th out of 2928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 10% of all configurations. This ranking reflects a well-balanced pairing where neither component significantly bottlenecks the other across the tested resolution and settings range.

The rank of 289 out of 2928 means this combo outperforms approximately 90% of all tested setups for this game. Given that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is positioned as an upper-midrange GPU (76th percentile among all GPUs) and the 290K Plus is a flagship CPU (96th percentile), the combined result is slightly below what the CPU's percentile might suggest, but this is expected for a 4K-oriented title where the GPU is the primary constraint.

The data shows that this combo's performance is more dependent on the GPU than the CPU. At 4K Ultra, the 69 FPS result is 45% of the 1080p Ultra result (155 FPS), which is a typical GPU-bound scaling curve. The CPU's high percentile ranking (96th) does not translate to an equally high in-game ranking because Downfall's frame rates at 1440p and above are limited by the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's capabilities rather than the processor.

Compared to other combos in the database, this configuration sits in the upper echelon, making it suitable for players who want to run Downfall at high settings with high refresh rates. The rank also indicates that there are 288 combos that perform better, which likely include configurations with higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4090 or equivalent, paired with similarly strong CPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary driver of frame rates in this analysis, and its specifications explain the observed performance patterns. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 672.3 GB/s bandwidth, the card has ample memory capacity and throughput for 4K textures and effects. The 8448 shading units, 264 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output pipelines provide substantial compute resources, with a peak FP32 throughput of 44.10 TFLOPS.

The GPU's clock speeds of 2340 MHz base and 2610 MHz boost are moderate for the Ada Lovelace architecture, but the 66 RT cores and 264 tensor cores add specialized hardware that can accelerate certain rendering features in Downfall. The 5 nm process node from TSMC with 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die shows a dense, power-efficient design rated at 285 W TDP.

Benchmark results place this GPU in the 76th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 31087. Its nearest rivals are remarkably close: the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 scores 31206 (-0.4%), the NVIDIA GRID M60-1Q scores 31220 (-0.4%), and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell scores 31532 (-1.4%). This tight clustering shows that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is competitively positioned within its performance class, though the TITAN RTX at 31676 (-1.9%) shows the card trails older flagship parts by a small margin.

In Downfall, the GPU's role is evident from the resolution scaling data. The 4K Ultra result of 69 FPS is the lowest measured, and it aligns with the GPU's overall performance class. The card's 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Downfall at 4K, as even the Ultra preset does not appear to cause memory-related stuttering based on the available data. The 672.3 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and geometry processing at 4K do not become a bottleneck, which is why the frame rates scale relatively smoothly from 1080p to 4K rather than collapsing at the highest resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Downfall with this combo for a 144Hz monitor?

A: The 1440p High preset delivers 177 FPS average, which is ideal for 144Hz displays. If you prefer maximum visual quality, 1440p Ultra still provides 111 FPS, which is above the 100 FPS threshold many players find acceptable for smooth motion.

Q: Can this system handle 4K Ultra settings in Downfall?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset produces an average of 69 FPS, which is playable on a 60Hz display. However, dropping to 4K Medium more than doubles the frame rate to 134 FPS average with a 114 FPS minimum, making it the recommended choice for smoother performance.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its nearest CPU rival in overall benchmark performance?

A: The 290K Plus averages 84003 across all benchmark tests, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (83807) and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090). It is 1.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 7F72 (85072).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo in Downfall?

A: The only minimum FPS data available is for Medium settings. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 114 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it's 183 FPS; and at 1080p Medium, it's 257 FPS. These represent a consistent 15% drop from average FPS across all three resolutions.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER a bottleneck at 1080p in Downfall?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 369 FPS, which suggests the GPU is the limiting factor since the CPU could likely push even higher frame rates. However, at 1080p Ultra, the 155 FPS result indicates the GPU still provides ample performance for high-refresh-rate gaming without being severely constrained.

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

A: This combo ranks 289th out of 2928 tested combinations, placing it in the top 10% of all configurations. This rank reflects the strong balance between the 96th percentile CPU and 76th percentile GPU, with the GPU being the more limiting factor at higher resolutions.