Doom

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a specific performance profile in Doom, one that is heavily dependent on the chosen resolution and graphical preset. The recorded data shows a system that can deliver a fluid experience at 1080p with high settings, but which struggles significantly at higher resolutions, particularly 4K. At 1920x1080, the combination achieves an average of 71 FPS on High settings, comfortably clearing the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the system only manages to stay playable on Low settings, with an average of 62 FPS. The 3840x2160 resolution proves too demanding, with no preset reaching the playable threshold. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the role of each component, and the optimal settings for each resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Doom is recorded across three resolutions and four settings levels: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. The database includes average FPS for all combinations, with minimum and maximum FPS recorded only for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are consistently below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Low preset produces an average of 34 FPS. The Medium preset averages 29 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 25 FPS and a maximum of 34 FPS. The High preset averages 25 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to an average of 20 FPS. The spread across the presets is narrow, from 20 to 34 FPS, indicating that even the lowest settings cannot provide a smooth experience at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance improves but remains limited. The Low preset achieves an average of 62 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution to cross the 60 FPS mark. The Medium preset averages 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. The High preset averages 46 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 37 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a drop of 25 FPS, from 62 down to 37 FPS, which highlights the increasing load on the graphics subsystem as settings are raised.

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strongest performance. The Low preset delivers an average of 96 FPS. The Medium preset averages 84 FPS, with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS. The High preset averages 71 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 58 FPS. Notably, the High preset at 1080p is the most demanding setting that stays above 60 FPS, with an average of 71 FPS. The Ultra preset falls just short of the playable threshold, averaging 58 FPS.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution has a substantial impact on average FPS. For instance, moving from 1080p High to 1440p High reduces the average from 71 to 46 FPS, a drop of 25 FPS. Moving from 1440p High to 4K High further reduces it from 46 to 25 FPS, another drop of 21 FPS. The Medium preset shows a similar trend, with averages of 84 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The Low preset scales from 96 FPS at 1080p, to 62 FPS at 1440p, to 34 FPS at 4K.

CPU and GPU Roles

Determining which component matters more for this game requires examining the scaling between resolutions and presets. The performance drop-off from 1080p to 4K shows a clear pattern. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 96 to 96 FPS at 1080p down to 34 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 34%. At High settings, the average drops from 71 FPS at 1080p to 25 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 35%. This consistent drop across presets indicates that the graphics processing unit, the Intel Arc B370, is the primary limiting factor when resolution increases, the GPU is heavily loaded by the pixel and texture processing demands of higher resolutions.

The Intel Arc B370 has a recorded pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The GPU benchmarks show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals for the GPU include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with an average score of 1186, a difference of 0.2%, and the AMD Radeon HD 5770 with an average score of 1190, a difference of 0.0%. These rivals have scores that are within a very small percentage difference, all within 0.0% to 1.4% of the Arc B370 score, indicating that the Arc B370 is in the same performance tier as these older cards. This low percentile and low scores relative to other GPUs in the database confirm that the GPU is a very weak component for this game and is the dominant bottleneck in the system.

The CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400, is a less significant factor in the performance of Doom at high resolutions. The CPU has a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629, a single-core score of 935, and a Geekbench multi-core score of 5141, and a single-core score of 1389. It ranks in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, which is a mid-pack result. The nearest rivals for the CPU are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259 and a difference of 0.2%, the Intel Core i7-10710U with an average score of 2248 and a difference of 0.3%, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 with an average score of 2246 and a difference of 0.4%, and the Intel Core i3-10305 with an average score of 2264 and a difference of 0.4%. These rival scores are all within 0.4% of the i5-9400, showing that the CPU is a solid mid-range performer, but its performance is not the primary constraint in Doom when the resolution is high.

The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, which is why the system can reach high FPS numbers like 96 FPS on Low settings. As the resolution increases, the GPU workload grows, and the frame rate drops, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's role is more prominent at lower resolutions and lower settings, where the GPU can render frames quickly, but the overall performance is still limited by the GPU. The fact that the GPU scores in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, combined with the CPU's 47th percentile, highlights the mismatch in their performance levels. The verdict is clear: the GPU is the component that matters most for this game at all resolutions, and its weakness prevents the system from achieving playable frame rates at 4K and limits the system to Low settings at 1440p.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database provides a clear verdict on which settings to use for each resolution, based on the playable threshold of 60 FPS. The goal is to find the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. The data shows the following:

At 3840x3840, there are no playable settings. The database records no settings that reach: 60 FPS. The High preset averages 25 FPS, Low averages 34 FPS, Medium averages 29 FPS, and Ultra averages 20 FPS. All of these are all below 60 FPS. The recommended settings for 4K is none, as no preset can achieve playable frame rates. The data indicates that no matter the settings, the 4K resolution is too demanding for this combination of CPU and GPU to handle.

At 2560x1440, the playable settings list includes Low. The best settings at this resolution is Low, with an average FPS of 62 FPS at that setting. The other settings are all below 60 FPS: High averages 46 FPS, Medium averages 54 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p has an average FPS range of 46 to 62 FPS, with an average of 54 FPS, which is not playable. The best settings for 1440p is Low, as it is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, achieving an average of 62 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium. The best settings at 1080p is High, with an average FPS of 71 FPS. The other settings are Low at 96 FPS and Medium at 84 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 58 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and is not listed as playable. The best settings for 1080p is High, with an average of 71 FPS.

The data clearly shows that the best settings for each resolution are as follows: Low settings for 1440p at 62 FPS, High settings for 1080p at 71 FPS, and no settings for 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Doom at 4K resolution?

A: No. The database shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The highest average FPS at this resolution is 34 FPS on Low settings, while High and Ultra settings average 25 FPS and 20 FPS, respectively. All of these are below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings to use at 1440p for a smooth experience in Doom with this setup?

A: The data shows Low settings at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 62 FPS, which is the only playable setting at this resolution. Medium and High settings average 54 FPS and 46 FPS, respectively, both below 60 FPS. The best settings for 1440p is Low to stay at or above 60 FPS.

Q: At 1080p, what is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS for this system?

A: The data shows the High preset at 1920x1080 is the most demanding playable option, achieving an average of 71 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution averages 58 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals in the database?

A: The Intel Arc B370 GPU ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. Its nearest rivals, such as the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770, have average scores of 1186 and 1190, respectively, showing a performance difference of less than 1%.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in Doom at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting component. At 1080p, the system reaches 96 FPS on Low settings and 71 FPS on High settings, but the GPU is still the bottleneck. This is confirmed by the fact that the GPU has a 5th percentile ranking, while the CPU has a 47th percentile ranking, and performance scales sharply with resolution.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is 71 FPS. The average for this preset is 84 FPS, and the maximum is 96 FPS.

The Verdict

The question of whether the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B370 can run Doom depends entirely on the resolution and settings. The data from the database is clear and unambiguous. The playable threshold is set at 60 FPS, and the verdict is determined by which settings at each resolution clear this mark.

At 1920x1080, the system is playable. The database lists the playable settings at 1080p as High, Low, and Medium. The best settings at this resolution is High, with an average FPS of 71 FPS. This is the highest quality preset that the system can handle while remaining smooth.

At 2560x1440, the system is only playable on Low settings. The database lists the playable settings at 1440p as Low only. The best settings at 1440p is Low, achieving an average FPS of 62 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p are not playable, with High averaging 46 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is not playable. The database lists no playable settings at 4K as none, with no preset reaching 60 FPS. The best settings for 4K is null, with no average FPS. The data shows that this resolution is not viable for playable frame rates.

The verdict is that this PC can run Doom at 1080p with High settings, achieving an average of 71 FPS. It can also run the game at 1440p, but only with Low settings, at an average of 62 FPS. At 4K, it fails to reach playable frame rates at any setting. The system is a capable 1080p machine for Doom, but it cannot handle the higher resolutions. The data shows that if the goal is to play at 1440p or 4K with higher quality, this combination will not deliver a smooth experience. The system is best suited for 1080p gaming in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database, this specific combination of Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B370 is ranked in the game's combo rank. The rank is 3425th place out of 3712 total tested combinations. This rank places this combo in the lower 7.6% of all tested combos in this game. This low rank is expected given the performance data. The GPU has a percentile rank of 5th percentile, which is very low, and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, which is very low. The CPU has a 47th percentile rank, which is a mid-range score, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629.

This combination rank of 3425 out of 3712 indicates that the majority of tested combos outperform this system in Doom. The data shows that this system is not a top performer. The low FPS at 4K resolutions confirms that the system is limited by its GPU. The system is ranked lower than 287 other combos, but higher than 287 other combos. The low rank is a result of the GPU's inability to handle the game at higher resolutions, and the overall system is ranked lower than 287 other combos, but higher than 287 other combos. The recorded data shows that this system is a low-tier option for Doom, and this rank is a direct result of the low FPS numbers. The system ranks 3425th out of 3425 out of 3712 total.