Doom

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a robust performance profile for Doom, with benchmark data indicating that the combination easily surpasses the 60 FPS playability threshold at both 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 across all tested settings. At 3840x2160, the system remains playable but requires a reduction in graphical fidelity, with the data showing that Medium settings are the highest preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above the target. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance, optimal settings per resolution, and how this specific CPU and GPU pairing ranks among other tested configurations.

Best Settings per Resolution

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on how to configure the game for a minimum of 60 FPS average at each resolution. For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average frame rate of 122 FPS. The data indicates that even the most graphically intensive settings at this resolution leave substantial headroom above the 60 FPS threshold, with the average frame rate being more than double the playable threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average FPS of 79. This represents a significant drop from the 1080p results, but the average frame rate remains comfortably above the 60 FPS target. The scaling from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra shows a reduction of 43 FPS, which corresponds to a 35% decrease in average performance, indicating that resolution scaling has a substantial impact on frame rates in this game.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, which produces an average of 62 FPS. The data shows that High settings at this resolution yield an average of 52 FPS, which falls below the playable threshold, while Ultra drops to 43 FPS. The Low preset delivers 71 FPS, but Medium is the highest quality setting that still maintains an average of at least 60 FPS. This represents a substantial shift from the lower resolutions, where the Ultra preset was viable.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1920x1080 in Doom?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 produces an average frame rate of 122 FPS, making it the highest quality setting that remains above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: Does the combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160, the Medium preset yields an average of 62 FPS, while Low reaches 71 FPS. However, High drops to 52 FPS and Ultra to 43 FPS, both below the threshold.

Q: How much faster is the 1920x1080 result compared to 2560x1440?

A: At 1920x1080 resolution, the Ultra preset achieves 122 FPS, while at 2560x1440 it averages 79 FPS. This represents a performance difference of 43 FPS, with the lower resolution being 35% faster.

Q: What is the highest settings preset that maintains 60 FPS at 3840x2160?

A: The Medium preset is the highest settings option that stays above the threshold at this resolution, producing an average of 62 FPS.

Q: Which resolution shows the largest gap between Low and Ultra average frame rates?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 202 FPS and Ultra averages 122 FPS, a difference of 80 FPS. At 2560x1440, the difference is 52 FPS (131 vs 79), and at 3840x2160, the difference is 28 FPS (71 vs 43).

Q: Are there any settings at 2560x1440 that fall below 60 FPS?

A: No, all four presets at 2560x1440 produce averages above the threshold, with the lowest being the Ultra preset at 79 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rival data for the Intel Core i5-12400, the benchmark results show that this CPU sits within a narrow performance band of several other processors. The AMD EPYC 7643 has an average score of 18697, which is 0.1-0.1% lower than the i5-12400's average score of 18683, representing a deltaPct of -0.1. The Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730, again slightly higher by 0.3%. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 shows an average score of 18811, 0.7% above the i5-12400, while the Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, which is 0.9% lower. These small deltas indicate that any of these CPUs would provide very similar gameplay performance in Doom, as the core differences are minimal.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050's nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark data show a similar pattern of close performance clustering. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL has an average score of 21153, which is 0.6% higher than the RTX 5050's average score of 21035, while the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, a 1% difference. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, which is 1.6% lower than the RTX 5050. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, 1.6% higher. In practice, these near-identical scores mean that gamers with any of these GPUs would experience frame rates in Doom that are statistically indistinguishable from the RTX 5050, given the same CPU and settings.

The Verdict

The benchmark data confirms that this PC can run Doom with playable frame rates across all three test resolutions. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, with the Ultra preset achieving an average of 122 FPS. The 2560x1440 shows similar results, with all four presets above 60 FPS, and Ultra averaging 79 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system remains playable but with a choice: the Medium preset averages 62 FPS, just above the threshold, while Low reaches 71 FPS. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution fall below 60 FPS (52 and 43 FPS respectively), so they are not playable according to the threshold.

The playable settings list confirms these findings: at 3840x2160, only Low and Medium are viable, with Medium being the best setting at 62 FPS. For 2560x1440 and 1920x1080, all settings (High, Low, Medium, Ultra) are playable, and the best settings are Ultra, with 79 FPS and 122 FPS respectively. This indicates that the system is well suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires a compromise on graphical quality to maintain smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following FPS figures provide the detailed performance data for each resolution and preset combination. All values are measured, not estimated.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 202 FPS. The Medium preset averages 176 FPS, with a minimum of 150 and a maximum of 203. The High preset averages 149 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 122 FPS. This shows a steady decrease in frame rate as quality increases, with the delta between Low and Ultra being 80 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 131 FPS. The Medium preset averages 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 and a maximum of 131. The High preset averages 96 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 79 FPS. The performance gap between the highest and lowest presets is 52 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 71 FPS. The Medium preset averages 62 FPS, with a minimum of 52 and a maximum of 71. The High preset averages 52 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 43 FPS. The medium preset's minimum of 52 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, but the average for this setting is still 62.

The scaling across resolutions is consistent: for the Medium preset, the average drops from 176 FPS at 1920x1080 to 114 at 2560x1440, and then to 62 at 3840x2160. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Doom, this specific pairing of Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 achieves a ranking of 2281 out of 3712 tested combos. This places it in the 38.5th percentile among all tested configurations, meaning that it outperforms 38.5% of the tested combinations while the remaining 61.5% are faster.

This rank reflects the fact that the RTX 5050 is positioned as a mainstream GPU, and the i5-12400 is a capable mid-range CPU. The data indicates that there are many other hardware pairings that yield higher frame rates in Doom, but this combination still provides a solid, playable experience at the tested settings. The rank of 2281 out of 3712 shows that while this combo is not at the top of the chart, it still delivers a very smooth frame rate in the vast majority of cases, particularly at the lower two resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets in the measured FPS data indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance in Doom, particularly at higher resolutions. When the resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, the average frame rate for the same preset drops dramatically. For example, the Medium preset goes from 176 FPS to 62 FPS, a 65% reduction. This large drop is consistent with the GPU being the limiting factor, as the rendering load increases with pixel count.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when examining the minimum and maximum frame rate data. At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 150 and the maximum is 203, a spread of 53 FPS. At 2560x1440 Medium, the spread is 34 FPS (97 to 131), and at 3840x2160 Medium, the spread is 19 FPS (52 to 71). The narrowing spread at higher resolutions suggests that the CPU is less likely to become a bottleneck at lower frame rates, while at 1080p the CPU must work harder to feed the GPU, leading to larger frame time variance. At 1080p, the i5-12400's twelve threads can be more fully utilized, but the performance data shows that the 5050 is still able to reach very high frame rates.

Overall, the data points to the GPU being the main determinant average frame rate at all resolutions, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when resolution increases. The CPU's role is more subtle, but the variations in minimum and maximum frame times indicates that it has sufficient headroom to prevent stuttering, even at the highest frame rates seen at 1080p.