Doom

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for the Intel Core i5-12400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER in Doom spans three resolutions and four quality presets. The measurements capture average frame rates, with the playable threshold fixed at 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combination delivers high frame rates across every preset. The Low setting produces an average of 194.7 FPS, which is the highest recorded value for this pairing. Medium follows at 166.6 FPS, High at 140 FPS, and Ultra at 114.7 FPS. All four presets remain comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, with even the most demanding setting exceeding the baseline by nearly double.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down predictably but remain strong. Low averages 121.6 FPS, Medium drops to 108 FPS, High reaches 92.8 FPS, and Ultra settles at 74.3 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 47.3 FPS, which shows that the quality settings have a substantial impact on performance. Every preset still clears the 60 FPS line, making 1440p fully playable with headroom.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes. Low averages 66.1 FPS, which remains above the playable threshold. Medium drops to 57 FPS, just below the line. High averages 47.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 39.5 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 26.6 FPS, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K. Only the Low preset sustains a playable experience at this resolution.

The data does not include minimum or maximum frame rate values, so the analysis relies solely on average FPS. The absence of min/max figures means variance and frame pacing cannot be assessed from this dataset.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 114.7 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available in the measurements, and it delivers a frame rate well above the playable threshold. The system has significant headroom at 1080p, allowing the full visual experience without compromising smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, averaging 74.3 FPS. This preset remains above 60 FPS with a margin of 14.3 FPS. The drop from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra is 40.4 FPS, which is substantial but still leaves the experience playable. Ultra at 1440p is the recommended configuration for this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The only preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Low, with an average of 66.1 FPS. This is the best settings choice for 4K, though it comes with a significant visual compromise. Medium at 57 FPS and High at 47.9 FPS both fall short of the threshold, and Ultra at 39.5 FPS is not viable for smooth gameplay.

The verdict by resolution confirms these choices. For 1920x1080, the playable settings list includes all four presets with Ultra as the best. For 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, again with Ultra as the best. For 3840x2160, only Low is playable, and it is designated as the best setting.

CPU and GPU Roles

The interplay between the Intel Core i5-12400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER in Doom shifts depending on resolution and preset. The scaling data reveals which component governs performance at each stage.

At 1920x1080, the GPU is the primary constraint, though the CPU is not idle. The frame rates range from 114.7 FPS at Ultra to 194.7 FPS at Low. The difference between Low and Ultra is 80 FPS, which is a wide gap driven largely by GPU workload. The CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at these rates, as evidenced by the high averages. The i5-12400's multi-threaded performance, measured at 15,989 in Cinebench R23, provides ample compute for the game's engine at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The frame rates compress as resolution increases, with Low at 121.6 FPS and Ultra at 74.3 FPS. The gap between presets narrows to 47.3 FPS, compared to 80 FPS at 1080p. This compression indicates that the GPU is working harder to fill more pixels, and the CPU is less likely to be the bottleneck. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus width are sufficient for 1440p, but the load shifts toward the graphics card.

At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates completely. The frame rates drop to a range of 39.5 to 66.1 FPS, with the gap between Low and Ultra shrinking to 26.6 FPS. At this resolution, the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor. The CPU's performance is largely irrelevant here, as the GPU cannot keep up with the pixel count. The data shows that the i5-12400 has enough single-thread and multi-thread capability to avoid becoming a bottleneck even at 4K, but the GPU's raw throughput caps the experience.

The scaling between resolutions at the same preset illustrates this. For Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 114.7 at 1080p to 74.3 at 1440p, a reduction of 35.3 percent. From 1440p to 4K, it falls to 39.5, another reduction of 46.8 percent. These steep declines are typical of GPU-bound scenarios. For Low settings, the drops are smaller: from 194.7 at 1080p to 121.6 at 1440p, then to 66.1 at 4K. The Low preset reduces GPU load, which allows the CPU to contribute more, but the trend still points to the GPU as the dominant factor at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Doom at 1920x1080 with maximum settings?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER averages 114.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 2560x1440?

A: The best settings at 2560x1440 is Ultra, which delivers an average of 74.3 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution, but Ultra provides the highest visual quality while staying above 60 FPS.

Q: Is 3840x2160 playable with this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which averages 66.1 FPS. Medium averages 57 FPS, High averages 47.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 39.5 FPS, all of which fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 114.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 74.3 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 40.4 FPS. This is a significant decline but still leaves the game playable.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at 3840x2160?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting factor at 4K. The frame rates are consistently low across all presets, and the CPU's performance headroom cannot compensate for the GPU's limited pixel throughput at this resolution.

Q: Does the CPU matter more at lower resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU has a more substantial role, as the frame rates are high and the GPU is less burdened. The i5-12400's strong multi-threaded score of 15,989 in Cinebench R23 helps sustain high averages. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-12400, based on average benchmark scores, provide context for its compute capability. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18,697, which is 0.1 percent below the i5-12400's average. The Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18,730, 0.3 percent lower. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18,811, 0.7 percent lower. The Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18,519, which is 0.9 percent higher. These differences are minimal, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver comparable performance in Doom when paired with the same GPU. The i3-14100F is the closest match, with a slightly higher average score, suggesting it would behave nearly identically in this game.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, the nearest rivals are equally close. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile scores 18,159, 0.4 percent below. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18,189, 0.5 percent below. The AMD Radeon RX 460 scores 18,373, 1.5 percent below. The Intel Arc A770M scores 18,383, 1.6 percent below. These GPUs would produce similar frame rates in Doom, though the RTX 3060 Mobile and Radeon Pro 5700 are the closest in raw compute. The RX 460 and Arc A770M are slightly further off but still within a narrow performance band.

In practical terms, swapping the i5-12400 for any of its nearest CPU rivals would change the measured FPS by less than one percent, given the small delta values. Similarly, swapping the RTX 2060 SUPER for its nearest GPU rivals would shift results by no more than 1.6 percent. This means the overall experience in Doom would be nearly indistinguishable across these hardware combinations.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-12400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER can run Doom, but the playable experience depends heavily on resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold on every preset. Ultra averages 114.7 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay. This resolution offers the best experience, with full visual fidelity and substantial headroom for frame rate fluctuations.

At 2560x1440, the system also clears the threshold on every preset. Ultra averages 74.3 FPS, which is still comfortable. The margin above 60 FPS is 14.3 FPS, which is acceptable for most gameplay scenarios. This resolution provides a strong balance between visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the system only clears the threshold on Low settings, averaging 66.1 FPS. Medium at 57 FPS, High at 47.9 FPS, and Ultra at 39.5 FPS all fall short. For 4K gaming, the user must accept Low quality to maintain playability. This is a significant compromise, and the experience will look noticeably less detailed than at lower resolutions.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p and 1440p are fully playable at the highest settings, while 4K requires the lowest preset to stay above 60 FPS. The GPU is the binding constraint at 4K, and no amount of CPU headroom can overcome it.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Doom, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2,707 out of 3,712 combinations. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the field. The percentile position is not explicitly given for this game, but the rank relative to total tested combos suggests that many other systems deliver higher frame rates.

The rank reflects the age and tier of the components. The RTX 2060 SUPER, while capable at 1080p and 1440p, is outclassed by newer GPUs at 4K. The i5-12400 is a solid mid-range CPU, but it does not boost the combo into the upper ranks. The combination is competitive for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it trails more powerful hardware in demanding scenarios.

Given the measured FPS data, this rank is consistent with the performance profile. The system excels at lower resolutions, where it can deliver high frame rates, but it struggles at 4K. The recorded data confirms that this is a mid-tier combination suitable for mainstream gaming, not a high-end setup for maximum settings at 4K.