Downfall

# Downfall with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers an interesting dataset in Downfall, a 2016 horror title that clearly scales heavily with resolution and settings. The measured FPS across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K reveals a system that is profoundly CPU-limited at lower resolutions, with the GPU taking over as the primary constraint only at 4K Ultra. This combination ranks 194th out of 2,928 tested combos in the game, placing it in the top 6.6% of all configurations — a strong showing that nonetheless leaves headroom for analysis about where the bottleneck shifts.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about component utilization. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 397 at 1920x1080 to 284 at 2560x1440, then to 177 at 3840x2160. That's a 55.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. At High settings, the drop is even steeper: from 267 at 1080p to 190 at 1440p, and then to 118 at 4K — a 55.8% reduction. The Medium settings show a similar pattern, with 325 at 1080p, 232 at 1440p, and 144 at 4K, representing a 55.7% decline from the lowest to highest resolution.

What's more revealing is the Ultra settings curve. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 74, compared to 167 at 1080p Ultra and 119 at 1440p Ultra. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 55.7%, matching the other presets almost exactly. This consistency across all four settings levels suggests a uniform scaling behavior — the game's rendering pipeline is likely pixel-bound in a predictable manner, with each resolution step adding roughly the same relative load.

The data implies that at 1080p, the RTX 4080 SUPER is not the limiting factor. The 397 FPS at Low settings is extraordinarily high, and the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p (397 vs 167) indicates that the CPU can push frames well beyond what the GPU can render at higher quality settings. At 4K, however, the picture changes. The 74 FPS at Ultra is the only measurement that approaches what might be considered a GPU-bound scenario, given the RTX 4080 SUPER's raw compute capabilities. The similarity in percentage drops across all settings strongly suggests that resolution scaling is the dominant variable, with the GPU becoming progressively more important as pixel count rises.

FAQ

Q: Why is the FPS at 4K Low (177) so much lower than at 1080p Ultra (167)?

A: The data shows that resolution has a more significant impact than settings in this configuration. At 4K Low, the system produces 177 FPS, which is only 6% higher than 1080p Ultra's 167 FPS. This indicates that the pixel-count increase from 1080p to 4K (a 4x jump) imposes a heavier load on the GPU than the settings increase from Low to Ultra at the same resolution. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB VRAM and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth are likely being taxed more by resolution than by texture quality or shading complexity.

Q: Is this combo CPU-bound or GPU-bound in Downfall?

A: The evidence points to CPU-bound behavior at 1080p and GPU-bound behavior at 4K. At 1080p Low, the 397 FPS figure is far beyond what most games can achieve, suggesting the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with 24 cores and a 5.80 GHz boost clock is feeding frames faster than the GPU can render them. At 4K Ultra, the 74 FPS result indicates the RTX 4080 SUPER is the limiting factor, as the CPU's headroom is no longer sufficient to overcome the GPU's rendering load.

Q: How does the Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K's 83,807. It also leads the AMD EPYC 4584PX by 1.1% and the AMD EPYC 9135 by 1.2%, while trailing the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%. These small deltas indicate that the 290K Plus is essentially at parity with its closest competitors, meaning the CPU's 24-core/24-thread configuration is not a differentiator in this game.

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1440p Medium offers the best balance, with 232 FPS average and a minimum of 197 FPS. This is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common in modern monitors, and the 197 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. At 4K Medium, the 144 FPS average with a 123 FPS minimum is also viable for high-refresh 4K displays, though the margin above 120 FPS is thinner.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER's VRAM capacity matter for this game?

A: The game's performance data shows no indication of VRAM limitations. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB GDDR6X memory is more than sufficient for Downfall, which was released in 2016 and likely does not require large texture budgets. The consistent FPS scaling across settings suggests that memory capacity is not a bottleneck at any resolution tested.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark performance translate to in-game results?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 34,245 in Passmark G3D and 54,209 in average benchmark score, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. In Downfall, this translates to 118 FPS at 4K High and 74 FPS at 4K Ultra. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080, is only 0.1% behind in average score, and the data shows the 4080 SUPER's performance in-game is strong but not overwhelming — the game's age and lighter rendering load mean the GPU's theoretical power is not fully utilized except at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

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, built on a 3 nm process with 17,800 million transistors. Its cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3. This CPU sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. In synthetic tests, it scores 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7,303 in single-core, alongside 21,727 in Cinebench R20 multi-core and 3,067 in single-core.

In Downfall, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p, where the 397 FPS at Low settings suggests the processor is delivering frame rates that far exceed typical display refresh rates. The 5.80 GHz boost clock is particularly relevant here — a high single-thread performance is often critical in older games like Downfall, which may rely on fewer threads. The Cinebench R15 single-core score of 736 and Passmark single-thread score of 4,823 both indicate strong single-thread capability, which likely explains why the game can achieve such high FPS at lower resolutions.

The 24-core configuration is interesting because Downfall, being a 2016 title, likely does not scale well beyond a handful of threads. However, the CPU's high boost clock compensates for this, ensuring that the game's primary threads run at near-maximum frequency. The Passmark physics score of 3,315 and multithread score of 60,860 suggest that the CPU is more than capable of handling any physics or logic load the game throws at it, but the data shows that at 1080p, the GPU becomes the bottleneck once settings rise above Low.

The nearest rival comparison is telling: the Ultra 9 290K Plus is only 0.2% faster than the Ultra 9 285K in average benchmark score, yet the in-game FPS at 1080p Low reaches 397. This suggests that even a modest CPU advantage can translate to large FPS gains in CPU-bound scenarios, though the exact relationship is not linear. The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and DDR5 memory support with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth likely contribute to maintaining consistent frame delivery without stutter, as evidenced by the minimum FPS figures at Medium settings (276 at 1080p, 197 at 1440p, 123 at 4K).

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset yields an average of 397 FPS, which is the peak measurement across all configurations. Medium settings reduce this to 325 FPS, with a minimum of 276 and maximum of 374. High settings drop further to 267 FPS, while Ultra settings bring the average down to 167 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a 57.9% reduction in average FPS, indicating that settings have a substantial impact even at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected decline. Low settings average 284 FPS, Medium averages 232 FPS (with a minimum of 197 and maximum of 267), High averages 190 FPS, and Ultra averages 119 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 58.1%, nearly identical to the 1080p reduction, suggesting that settings scaling is consistent regardless of resolution.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the numbers drop more noticeably. Low settings average 177 FPS, Medium averages 144 FPS (with a minimum of 123 and maximum of 166), High averages 118 FPS, and Ultra averages 74 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra reduction at 4K is 58.2%, again matching the pattern. However, the absolute numbers at 4K Ultra (74 FPS) are the only measurements that fall below the 100 FPS threshold, indicating that the GPU is finally being pushed to its limits.

The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings, but it provides useful insight. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 276 FPS, which is 84.9% of the average — a tight distribution suggesting consistent frame pacing. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 197 FPS (84.9% of average), and at 4K Medium, it's 123 FPS (85.4% of average). This consistency in the minimum-to-average ratio across resolutions indicates that the system maintains stable performance without significant drops, even as the overall FPS decreases.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 194th out of 2,928 tested combos in Downfall, placing it in the top 6.6% of all configurations. This ranking is notably lower than what the individual component percentiles might suggest — the CPU is in the 96th percentile and the GPU in the 86th percentile — which implies that the game's performance is not purely a function of raw component power. The 194th rank suggests that many other combinations of CPUs and GPUs achieve higher FPS in this specific title, likely due to the game's age and its sensitivity to single-thread performance or other architectural factors.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the Ultra 9 285K, EPYC 4584PX, EPYC 9135, and EPYC 7F72 — all have average scores within 1.3% of the 290K Plus. However, these EPYC processors are server-class parts with different performance characteristics, and their in-game performance in Downfall could vary significantly. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080, is only 0.1% behind in average score, yet the 4080 SUPER's higher boost clock (2550 MHz vs unspecified for the 4080) and 16 GB VRAM make it a more capable gaming card.

The ranking data suggests that Downfall may favor certain CPU architectures or GPU configurations that are not captured by synthetic benchmarks. The 194th rank out of 2,928 combos means that 193 other combinations perform better, which could include setups with lower-tier CPUs paired with the same GPU, or vice versa. This highlights the importance of game-specific testing over generic benchmark scores.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to Medium settings as the sweet spot across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 325 FPS average with a 276 FPS minimum, providing headroom for any refresh rate up to 240 Hz or beyond. At 1440p Medium, the 232 FPS average and 197 FPS minimum are excellent for high-refresh gaming, comfortably exceeding 144 Hz displays. At 4K Medium, the 144 FPS average and 123 FPS minimum are strong for 4K high-refresh monitors, though the minimum falls below 144 Hz in demanding scenes.

The Low preset offers diminishing returns in terms of playability — the FPS gains over Medium are 22.1% at 1080p, 22.4% at 1440p, and 22.9% at 4K, but the visual quality reduction is likely significant given the game's horror atmosphere. High settings provide a 17.9% reduction in FPS compared to Medium at all resolutions, which may be acceptable for players prioritizing visual fidelity. Ultra settings, while offering the best visuals, drop FPS by 48.6% compared to Medium at 1080p, 48.7% at 1440p, and 48.6% at 4K — a substantial penalty that makes Ultra only viable at 1080p, where 167 FPS is still playable.

For players with high-refresh 1080p or 1440p monitors, Medium is the clear recommendation. The minimum FPS figures at Medium (276 at 1080p, 197 at 1440p) provide a safety margin that prevents drops below typical refresh rates. At 4K, Medium is the best choice for those with 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays, as the 123 FPS minimum is close enough to the refresh rate to avoid noticeable stutter, though players seeking a locked 144 FPS experience may need to consider High settings or accept occasional dips.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a substantial graphics card with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. It features 10,240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2,295 MHz and a boost clock of 2,550 MHz, with memory operating at 1,438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). Its FP32 performance is rated at 52.22 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In Downfall, the GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution rises. At 1080p, the GPU is not the primary constraint — the 397 FPS at Low settings suggests the CPU is feeding frames faster than the GPU can render, but the GPU still manages to produce extremely high output. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM is likely underutilized at 1080p, as the game's textures and effects do not require large memory allocations. The 736.3 GB/s memory bandwidth, however, may contribute to the consistent minimum FPS figures observed at Medium settings.

At 4K, the GPU's performance becomes the defining factor. The 74 FPS at Ultra settings is the lowest measurement in the dataset, and it reflects the GPU's rendering load at 8.3 million pixels per frame. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 112 ROPs and 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are likely the limiting factors here, as the game's shading and texture work at Ultra settings combined with 4K resolution saturate the GPU's pixel throughput. The 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than sufficient for a 2016 game, but the pixel fill rate is what ultimately caps performance at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its capabilities: 34,245 in Passmark G3D and 21,9065 in Geekbench OpenCL, with 26,0075 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs means it outperforms most cards, yet in Downfall, the 74 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests that even this powerful GPU is not overkill for the game's most demanding configuration. The nearest rival data shows the RTX 4080 is 0.1% behind in average score, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% behind, and the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.7% behind — indicating that the 4080 SUPER sits at a competitive but not dominant position in the GPU hierarchy.