Doom

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a high-refresh-rate powerhouse for Doom, capable of maxing out the Ultra preset at every resolution tested while staying far above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The data shows a system that scales cleanly from 1080p to 4K, with the RTX 3080’s 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth providing ample headroom for the 2016 FPS title. At 1920x1080, the combo averages 183.2 FPS at Ultra, while 2560x1440 yields 119.6 FPS at the same preset, and even the most demanding 3840x2160 Ultra setting holds at 61.2 FPS. This is a configuration built for smooth, tear-free gameplay on high-refresh monitors, though 4K Ultra sits just barely above the playability line.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear choice—the measured 183.2 FPS average is nearly triple the 60 FPS playable threshold, making any lower setting unnecessary. The High preset drops to 220.8 FPS, but the visual fidelity gain from Ultra comes at a negligible performance cost relative to the headroom available.

For 2560x1440, Ultra remains the optimal selection, delivering 119.6 FPS on average. This is comfortably above 60 FPS, and the 143.8 FPS High preset shows that even a step down leaves substantial performance on the table. Medium (171.1 FPS) and Low (193 FPS) are faster but pointless given the Ultra preset’s playability.

At 3840x2160, the decision tightens. Ultra averages 61.2 FPS, just 1.2 FPS above the playable threshold, so it is technically viable but leaves almost no margin for demanding scenes. The High preset at 78.7 FPS is the safer recommendation for 4K if you want a buffer against frame drops, while Medium (93.4 FPS) and Low (103 FPS) provide increasingly smooth experiences with reduced visual quality. For most users, High at 4K offers the best balance of fidelity and stability, but Ultra is playable if you accept the risk of sub-60 dips.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-12400 + RTX 3080 run Doom at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, but barely. The measured average is 61.2 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra, which is just 1.2 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset at 78.7 FPS provides more headroom.

Q: What is the best 1440p setting for this combo?

A: Ultra at 2560x1440 delivers 119.6 FPS on average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The data indicates no need to drop below Ultra at this resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 perform at 1080p?

A: Exceptional. The Ultra preset averages 183.2 FPS at 1920x1080, while Low hits 298.4 FPS. Every setting clears 60 FPS by a wide margin, making this ideal for high-refresh 1080p monitors.

Q: Is the i5-12400 a bottleneck for the RTX 3080 in Doom?

A: The CPU’s benchmark scores—18747 in Passmark multithread and 3456 in single-thread—place it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, but the CPU keeps up at all tested settings.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured average is 171.1 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings. This is higher than High (143.8 FPS) and Ultra (119.6 FPS), but Ultra is still well within playable range.

Q: Does the 10 GB VRAM of the RTX 3080 matter for Doom?

A: The game runs at 3840x2160 Ultra with 61.2 FPS, indicating 10 GB is sufficient for this title. The 320-bit bus and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth provide the throughput needed for 4K textures.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are uniformly high across all presets. Low settings produce 298.4 FPS average, Medium 260 FPS, High 220.8 FPS, and Ultra 183.2 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 115.2 FPS, showing that Doom’s visual settings have a significant but not overwhelming impact on performance at this resolution. All presets exceed 180 FPS, making this resolution ideal for 144Hz or 240Hz displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds with lower absolute numbers. Low averages 193 FPS, Medium 171.1 FPS, High 143.8 FPS, and Ultra 119.6 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 73.4 FPS, a smaller relative drop than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is starting to take on more load. Even the lowest preset stays above 115 FPS, so there is no playability concern at any setting.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve flattens considerably. Low averages 103 FPS, Medium 93.4 FPS, High 78.7 FPS, and Ultra 61.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 41.8 FPS, the smallest absolute spread across all resolutions. This is where the RTX 3080’s limits become apparent: Ultra sits just 1.2 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold, while High offers 18.7 FPS more headroom. The 4K results show a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and stability, with High being the practical ceiling for sustained performance.

The Verdict

This PC runs Doom successfully at every resolution and preset combination tested. The verdict by resolution confirms all four settings—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 183.2 FPS, which is 123.2 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold, leaving enormous headroom for high-refresh-rate gaming. At 1440p, Ultra hits 119.6 FPS, still nearly double the threshold, making this the sweet spot for quality and speed. At 4K, Ultra scrapes by at 61.2 FPS, but the High preset at 78.7 FPS is the more robust choice for those who prioritize stable frame pacing over maximum detail. The data indicates this combo is a top-tier performer for Doom, with no resolution forcing you to compromise below High settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals how the workload shifts between the i5-12400 and RTX 3080. At 1920x1080, the CPU’s six cores and 12 threads are likely the primary driver, as the GPU has ample bandwidth to render frames quickly. The jump from 1080p Ultra (183.2 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (119.6 FPS) is a 34.7% drop, indicating the GPU is becoming more stressed as pixel count increases. The further drop to 4K Ultra (61.2 FPS) represents a 48.8% decline from 1440p, confirming the RTX 3080 is the dominant factor at higher resolutions.

The CPU’s benchmark results support this interpretation: a single-thread score of 3456 and multithread score of 18747 suggest it can feed frames quickly at lower resolutions, but the GPU’s 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 465.1 GTexel/s texture rate become the limiting factor as resolution scales. The fact that 4K Ultra (61.2 FPS) is only 35.9 FPS below 4K Low (103 FPS) shows that Doom’s settings primarily tax the GPU, while the CPU maintains consistent frame delivery. For this title, the RTX 3080 is the more critical component for achieving high settings at 1440p and above, while the i5-12400 ensures no bottleneck at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 1080th out of 3712 tested configurations for Doom, placing it in the top 29% of all tested combos. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 25086 and percentile of 68 among all GPUs, combined with the CPU’s 72nd percentile ranking, shows a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically outclasses the other. The CPU’s nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7643, scores 18697 with a -0.1% delta, while the Intel Core i7-1355U is -0.3% behind at 18730—these are effectively identical scores, indicating the i5-12400’s performance is well-matched within its class.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3080’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 (23249, -0.3% delta) and AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23273, -0.4% delta), all within a fraction of a percent. This proximity suggests the RTX 3080 sits at a performance plateau where small variations in benchmark methodology produce negligible differences. The overall rank of 1080 out of 3712 reflects a configuration that is solidly above average for Doom, with the measured FPS data showing it outperforms the overwhelming majority of systems in real-world gameplay. For a 1080p or 1440p gamer, this combo is overkill; for 4K, it’s at the edge of playability but still qualifies as a high-tier setup.