Doom

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a specific set of performance characteristics in Doom. The database’s measured FPS data shows that this combination is highly dependent on resolution and quality settings, with a clear ceiling at 4K. At 1080p, the combo delivers a solid experience across all presets, while 1440p requires dropping to Medium or Low to maintain playability. At 4K, no preset reaches the 60 FPS threshold. This analysis breaks down the exact frame rates, contextualizes the hardware’s standing, and offers practical guidance for configuring the game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Doom is broken down by resolution and preset, with average FPS provided for all settings and minimum/maximum values for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the results are sobering. With the Ultra preset, the average FPS is 22, which is far below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset improves the average to 28 FPS, still not enough for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset yields an average of 33 FPS, with a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. The Low preset offers the best average at this resolution, reaching 37 FPS. Even the lowest settings cannot push the frame rate past the 37 FPS mark, meaning the GPU is simply not potent enough for 4K gaming in this title.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the situation improves significantly. The Ultra preset averages 41 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The High preset averages 51 FPS, still short of 60 FPS. The Medium preset hits the playable threshold exactly at 60 FPS average FPS, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. The Low preset averages 69 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS line. This resolution allows for a playable experience, but only when settings are set to Medium or lower.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combo finally stretches its legs. The Ultra preset averages 64 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and is fully playable. The High preset averages 78 FPS, providing a good margin for stable performance. The Medium preset averages 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, indicating a very smooth experience. The Low preset peaks at 107 FPS average FPS, the highest recorded value for this combo. All four presets at 1080p clear the 60 FPS barrier, making this the optimal resolution for this hardware configuration.

The pattern is clear: frame rates at 1080p are nearly double those at 4K. For example, the average FPS at 1080p Medium is 93 FPS, which is nearly three times the 33 FPS at 4K Medium. The scaling between resolutions is steep, which highlights the GPU-bound nature of this combo.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K with any settings?

A: No. The measured data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160 resolution. The highest average FPS at 4K is 37 FPS on Low settings, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Ultra preset averages 22 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Medium averages 33 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting at 1440p?

A: The best settings at 2560x1440 resolution are Medium and Low. The Medium preset achieves exactly 60 FPS average FPS, which meets the playable threshold, while the Low preset averages 69 FPS, providing a better margin of performance.

Q: Does the Ultra preset at 1080p clear 60 FPS?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 resolution, all four presets are playable. The Ultra preset averages 64 FPS, High averages 78 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS, and Low averages 107 FPS. The Ultra setting stays above the 60 FPS mark.

Q: What is the highest average FPS for this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded for this combo at 1920x1080 resolution is 107 FPS, which occurs on the Low preset setting.

Q: Is the 1440p Medium preset with min and max FPS recorded?

A: Yes. The measured data for 2560x1440 Medium shows an average FPS of 60, with a minimum FPS of 51 and a maximum FPS of 69. This demonstrates that while average is at the threshold, there are dips below, though they are not severe.

Q: What can we infer from the 4K performance data?

A: The data suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. Even at the Low preset, the average FPS is 37, which is significantly below the 60 FPS target. The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating low overall performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this combo at position 3300 out of 3712 tested combinations for Doom. This places it in the lower tier of systems, indicating that while it can handle the game at lower resolutions, it is not a high-performance setup for this title.

The CPU and GPU individually have distinct standings. The Intel Core i5-12400 has a percentile of 72, meaning it outperforms 72% of all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 18683, placing it near close to rivals like the AMD EPYC 7643 (score 18697, delta -0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-1355U (score 18730, delta -0.3%). The i5-12400 is slightly behind these rivals but still a capable processor.

The Intel Arc B390 GPU is much lower in the rankings, with a percentile of 9. Its average benchmark score is 1482, placing it near NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, delta 1.3%), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (score 1460, delta 1.5%), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446, delta 2.5%), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (score 1443, delta 2.7%). The delta values show that the Arc B390 is slightly ahead of these rivals in performance, but it is not a powerful GPU. This combination of a high-ranking CPU with a low-ranking GPU explains why the frame rates in Doom are heavily influenced by the GPU, especially at higher resolutions.

The Verdict

This PC can run Doom, but the experience is resolution-dependent. At 1920x1080, the combo is fully capable, clearing the 60 FPS threshold on all four presets. The High preset averages 78 FPS, the Medium averages 93 FPS, and the Ultra averages 64 FPS, all of which are above the 60 FPS mark. The best settings at 1080p is Ultra, with an average FPS of 64.

At 2560x1440, the combo is partially playable. The playable settings are Low and Medium. The Medium preset hits exactly 60 FPS average FPS, which meets the playable threshold, and the Low preset averages 69 FPS, providing a better margin. The best settings at 1440p is Medium, with an average FPS of 60.

At 3840x2160, the combo is not playable at any setting. There are no playable settings at this resolution, with the highest average FPS being 37 FPS on Low, which is far below 60 FPS. The verdict by resolution is clear: for a smooth 60 FPS experience, stick to 1080p, or if 1440p is preferred, use Medium or Low settings.

The data shows that this system is a 1080p gaming setup for Doom, delivering 64 FPS at Ultra, which is a good result. At 1440p, it can meet the threshold but with reduced quality settings. At 4K, it falls short of the playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data reveals a significant shift in workload between the CPU and GPU depending on the resolution. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are high, with the Low preset average at 107 FPS and Medium at 93 FPS. The scaling between Low and Ultra is noticeable, with Ultra at 64 FPS, a difference of 43 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 1080p, as lowering the settings from Ultra to Low changes performance substantially. The CPU, with a high percentile of 12, can handle the frame pacing at these rates, but the GPU limits the raw output.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are lower, with Low averaging 69 FPS and Medium at 60 FPS, a difference of 9 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 41 FPS, and the High averages 51 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 9 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p. This suggests that the CPU is starting to have more influence, but the GPU is still the main limiting factor. The GPU’s 9th percentile and low benchmark score of 1482, near rivals like the GT 710, confirms that the GPU is not powerful enough to fully utilize the CPU’s capabilities at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are the lowest, with Low averaging 37 FPS and Medium at 33 FPS, a difference of 4 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 22 FPS. The scaling between settings is minimal, indicating that the GPU is heavily bottlenecked by the 4K resolution. The GPU’s performance at 4K is so low that all settings produce poor results, and the CPU’s role is negligible. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor at all resolutions, but its impact is most severe at 4K, where frame rates are uniformly low.

The role of each component is clear: the CPU is a strong processor for 1080p gaming, but the GPU is the weak link, and its performance at 4K limits the overall experience.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average FPS of 64. The High preset averages 78 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS, Low averages 107 FPS, all above 60 FPS. The data shows that all 1080p presets are above 60 FPS, so the best settings at 1080p is Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the best settings that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average FPS of 60. The Low preset averages 69 FPS, and the High averages 51 FPS, with Ultra averaging 41 FPS. The Medium preset exactly hits the 60 FPS threshold, so it is the most demanding playable setting at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, there is no preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. The best settings at 4K is null, as no settings achieve the playable threshold. The highest average FPS is 37 at Low, which is below 60 FPS.

The recommendation is to use 1080p Ultra for the best visual quality while maintaining playability.