Doom

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Doom on this Intel Core i5-10400F and Intel Arc B390 combination spans three resolutions and four quality presets. At 3840x2160, the results are consistently below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The High preset averages 28 FPS, the Low preset averages 37 FPS, the Medium preset averages 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 22 FPS. No 4K setting clears the playable bar.

At 2560x1440, the picture improves substantially. The Low preset averages 69 FPS, while the Medium preset averages exactly 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. The High preset averages 51 FPS, which falls short of the 60 FPS threshold, and the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS. This resolution offers two playable settings: Low and Medium.

At 1920x1080, the combination performs strongly across the board. The Low preset averages 107 FPS, the Medium preset averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, the High preset averages 78 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 64 FPS. Every preset at 1080p clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra being the highest playable setting at an average of 64 FPS.

The scaling pattern is clear: as resolution drops, average frame rates rise consistently. The gap between the Low and Ultra presets is most pronounced at 4K, where the spread is 15 FPS (37 down to 22), while at 1080p the spread widens to 43 FPS (107 down to 64). The Medium preset at each resolution sits between Low and High, as expected.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that this game, at these settings, is heavily constrained by the graphics solution at higher resolutions. The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics part with a 3 nm process node, 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. Its benchmark footprint is modest, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs in the database.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant factor. The average frame rates collapse to between 22 and 37 FPS regardless of preset, which indicates the rendering load at 4K exceeds what the Arc B390 can deliver. The CPU, a 6-core, 12-thread Comet Lake part with a 4.30 GHz boost clock, has ample headroom in this scenario; its multi-threaded Cinebench R23 score of 10283 and single-core score of 1451 suggest it is not the limiting factor when the GPU is saturated.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts slightly. The Low preset reaches 69 FPS and Medium hits exactly 60 FPS, while High drops to 51 FPS and Ultra to 41 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium is 9 FPS, between Medium and High is 9 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 10 FPS. This relatively even step-down indicates the GPU is still the primary constraint, but the CPU begins to matter more as frame rates rise toward the playable range.

At 1920x1080, the CPU and GPU are more evenly matched. The Low preset reaches 107 FPS, which is a 38 FPS jump over the 1440p Low result. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 64 FPS, which is 23 FPS higher than the 1440p Ultra result. The scaling between resolutions suggests that at 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU fast enough to push frame rates well past the playable threshold, while the GPU still limits the highest preset to 64 FPS. The i5-10400F has a PassMark single-thread score of 2541 and a multi-thread score of 12115, both of which are sufficient for this 2016 title at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's full set of tested combinations, this pairing ranks 3300 out of 3712 combos for Doom. That places it in the lower portion of the ranking, roughly in the 11th percentile of tested systems. The ranking reflects the GPU's limitations more than the CPU's, since the Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile of all GPUs while the i5-10400F sits at the 68th percentile of all CPUs.

The combo's position is consistent with its measured frame rates. It cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K at any preset, can barely reach the threshold at 1440p on Medium, and only becomes comfortably playable at 1080p. A rank of 3300 out of 3712 suggests that the majority of tested combos deliver higher average frame rates in Doom, but it also shows that this system is not at the very bottom of the pile.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 68 indicates it is a reasonably capable processor relative to the broader CPU pool, while the GPU's 9th percentile ranking drags the overall combo down. This imbalance is visible in the frame rate data: at 1080p Low, the system produces 107 FPS, which shows the CPU can drive high frame rates, but at 4K Ultra, the 22 FPS result shows the GPU simply cannot keep pace with the rendering demands.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Doom? Yes, but only at certain resolutions and presets. The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, no playable settings exist. Every preset, from Low at 37 FPS to Ultra at 22 FPS, falls below the 60 FPS threshold. Users targeting 4K will need to accept sub-60 FPS performance or look elsewhere.

At 2560x1440, the system is partially playable. The Low preset averages 69 FPS and the Medium preset averages exactly 60 FPS, which meets the playable threshold. The best playable setting at this resolution is Medium, with an average of 60 FPS. High at 51 FPS and Ultra at 41 FPS are not playable by the 60 FPS standard.

At 1920x1080, the system is fully playable. All four presets clear 60 FPS: Low at 107 FPS, Medium at 93 FPS, High at 78 FPS, and Ultra at 64 FPS. The best playable setting is Ultra, with an average of 64 FPS. This is the resolution where the combo makes the most sense for a smooth experience.

The practical takeaway is that this system is a 1080p machine for Doom. At 1440p, users can play on Low or Medium, but the experience is on the edge of the playable threshold. At 4K, the system is not viable for 60 FPS gaming in this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-10400F, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Xeon 6756E with an average score of 14163 and a delta of 0.2 percent, the Intel Core 7 160UL with an average score of 14232 and a delta of negative 0.3 percent, the AMD EPYC 7552 with an average score of 14115 and a delta of 0.5 percent, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C with an average score of 14277 and a delta of negative 0.6 percent. These CPUs are effectively within a fraction of a percent of the i5-10400F's average benchmark score of 14185, meaning systems built with any of these processors would behave nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios.

The nearest rivals for the Intel Arc B390 are all NVIDIA parts, and they are dramatically weaker in the database's GPU benchmarks. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX has an average score of 1463 with a delta of 1.3 percent, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M has an average score of 1460 with a delta of 1.5 percent, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM has an average score of 1446 with a delta of 2.5 percent, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 has an average score of 1443 with a delta of 2.7 percent. The Arc B390's average benchmark score is 1482, so these rivals are all within a few points, yet they represent much older, lower-end hardware.

For a system pairing the i5-10400F with any of these rival GPUs, the Doom frame rates would be very close to the recorded numbers, since the GPU scores are within 1.3 to 2.7 percent of the Arc B390. The CPU alternatives would also produce similar results, given their sub-1 percent score deltas. In practical terms, a user with a Xeon 6756E or a Ryzen 3 7320C paired with this GPU would see nearly the same FPS in Doom.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and preset for this system in Doom?

A: The best playable configuration is 1920x1080 on the Ultra preset, which averages 64 FPS. This is the highest preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold at any resolution.

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average frame rate is 37 FPS on the Low preset, and the Ultra preset averages only 22 FPS. No 4K setting reaches 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1440p?

A: The GPU is the primary constraint. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages exactly 60 FPS, while the High preset drops to 51 FPS and Ultra to 41 FPS. The CPU has a 68th percentile ranking, while the GPU sits at the 9th percentile.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p on Medium?

A: The 1920x1080 Medium preset averages 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 3300 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the lower portion of the database's results.

Q: Which GPUs perform similarly to the Intel Arc B390?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GeForce GT 625 OEM, and GeForce GT 710, all with average benchmark scores within 1.3 to 2.7 percent of the Arc B390's score of 1482.