Doom

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a wide range of performance in Doom, scaling cleanly from highly playable 1080p Ultra settings to a borderline 4K experience. Across all tested resolutions and presets, the combination shows a predictable pattern: the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, while the CPU's headroom keeps frame rates from collapsing at lower settings. The recorded data provides a clear picture of what this combo can sustain, and the results are consistent with the hardware's respective positions in the database.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, this combination produces excellent results across every preset. Low settings deliver an average of 175 FPS, with Medium averaging 152 FPS and a recorded min of 130 FPS and max of 175 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 129 FPS, while Ultra still manages a strong 105 FPS average. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the frame rate is high enough to fully utilize a 144Hz monitor at Medium and below, and even Ultra remains well above the 60 FPS playable threshold with substantial margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages stay comfortably high. Low settings produce 113 FPS on average, Medium drops to 99 FPS with a min of 84 FPS and max of 113 FPS, and High averages 83 FPS. Ultra remains playable at 68 FPS average. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 26 to 35 percent of the frame rate depending on the preset, but every setting at this resolution remains above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes considerably. Low settings average 61 FPS, just barely clearing the playable threshold. Medium averages 53 FPS with a min of 45 FPS and max of 61 FPS. High averages 45 FPS, and Ultra drops to 37 FPS. The 4K results show a sharp decline in performance, and only the Low preset maintains an average at or above 60 FPS. The gap between 1440p and 4K is severe, indicating that the RTX 2060 is the dominant constraint at this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution changes. At 1080p, the i5-13400F has enough single-thread and multi-thread capability to keep the RTX 2060 fed, and the differences between presets are driven by GPU load. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p costs 70 FPS on average, from 175 down to 105, which is a GPU-bound scaling pattern.

At 1440p, the same pattern continues but with narrower margins. The difference between Low and Ultra narrows to 45 FPS, and the average at Ultra remains 68 FPS. This is still a GPU-limited scenario, though the reduction in frame rate from 1080p is consistent with the increased pixel count.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the overwhelming limiting factor. The difference between Low and Ultra shrinks to 24 FPS, and even Low only manages 61 FPS. This compression of frame rates across presets is a classic sign of severe GPU saturation. The CPU's role diminishes to the point where it is no longer a meaningful contributor to performance differences. The i5-13400F's benchmark results, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a single-core score of 3191, indicate it has far more compute headroom than the game demands at 4K, but that headroom cannot offset the RTX 2060's limits.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this CPU and GPU pairing at 2934 out of 3712 tested combinations for Doom. That places it in the lower half of all recorded combos, which is consistent with the GPU's age and tier. The RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the i5-13400F sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs. The combo's rank reflects the GPU dragging the overall position down despite the CPU being comparatively stronger.

This ranking means that while the combo is perfectly playable at 1080p and 1440p, it does not compete with higher-tier pairings in the database. The frame rates recorded at 4K, where only Low settings clear 60 FPS, are the main reason the overall rank sits below the midpoint. For a game as optimized as Doom, many newer or higher-end GPUs would push this combo much higher in the rankings, but the RTX 2060's 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth limit its ceiling.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database, the RTX 2060 performs nearly identically to a few other GPUs. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has an average benchmark score of 15283 against the RTX 2060's 15290, a delta of 0 percent. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, a delta of 0.1 percent. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, a delta of 0.6 percent, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, a delta of 0.8 percent. In practical terms, any of these GPUs would produce nearly the same frame rates in Doom when paired with the same CPU, differing by no more than a few FPS at any preset.

On the CPU side, the i5-13400F's nearest rivals are similarly close. The AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS scores 25284 against the i5-13400F's 25292, a delta of 0 percent. The Intel Core 5 120 scores 25362, a delta of -0.3 percent. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25365, also a delta of -0.3 percent, and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H scores 25201, a delta of 0.4 percent. Swapping the i5-13400F for any of these would leave Doom performance essentially unchanged, since the game is not CPU-limited at the tested resolutions.

For builders looking at similar systems, the practical takeaway is that the GPU choice matters far more than the CPU for this game. A system with the RTX 2060 and any of the rival CPUs listed would land within a few FPS of the numbers recorded here.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 105 FPS. All four presets at this resolution clear the threshold, so players can run the highest quality without concern.

At 2560x1440, the best preset is also Ultra, averaging 68 FPS. Every preset tested at this resolution stays above 60 FPS, meaning there is no need to compromise on quality for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the situation is different. Only Low settings stay at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 61 FPS. Medium drops to 53 FPS, High to 45 FPS, and Ultra to 37 FPS. For 4K play, the recommendation is Low, and even that sits right at the edge of the playable threshold. Players who want higher quality at 4K would need a stronger GPU than the RTX 2060.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 60 FPS on Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Yes. The recorded average at 1920x1080 Ultra is 105 FPS, well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable with the RTX 2060 and i5-13400F?

A: Only at Low settings. The average at 3840x2160 Low is 61 FPS, which just clears the threshold. Medium averages 53 FPS, High averages 45 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p?

A: Ultra is the best setting at 2560x1440, with an average of 68 FPS. All presets at this resolution remain above 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested combinations?

A: It ranks 2934 out of 3712 combinations for Doom, placing it in the lower half of the database due to the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

Q: Are there GPUs that perform similarly to the RTX 2060?

A: Yes. The GeForce GTX 580, Radeon 680M, RTX 3050 OEM, and Radeon RX 7600 all have average benchmark scores within 0.8 percent of the RTX 2060 in the database.

Q: Does the CPU matter much for this game?

A: At the tested resolutions, the CPU is not the bottleneck. The i5-13400F's nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and Ryzen 7 6800H, show delta percentages of 0.4 percent or less, meaning CPU swaps would have minimal impact on frame rates.