Doom

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination delivers a wide range of performance in Doom, depending on resolution and graphics preset. The recorded data shows that this pairing is capable of high frame rates across most settings, with the most demanding configuration at 4K Ultra being the only scenario that falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The benchmarks cover three resolutions and four settings each, providing a complete picture of how this system scales with graphical load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, this system produces extremely high frame rates across all presets. The Low preset reaches an average of 253.7 FPS, which is the highest recorded value for this combination. Medium settings deliver 225.5 FPS, while High settings average 190.3 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most visually demanding, still maintains an average of 155.1 FPS. All four settings at 1080p remain far above the 60 FPS playable threshold, with even the slowest preset (Ultra) more than doubling that mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows a clear step down from 1080p. The Low preset averages 166 FPS, Medium settings reach 146.4 FPS, and High settings produce 121 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 98.6 FPS, which is still comfortably above 60 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows an average reduction of roughly 35 to 40 percent across all presets, which is typical for a resolution increase that nearly doubles the pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to show its limits under maximum load. The Low preset averages 90.4 FPS, which remains above the playable threshold. Medium settings reach 78.3 FPS, and High settings average 65.3 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration in the entire dataset that fails to reach 60 FPS, with an average of 55.7 FPS. This represents a shortfall of 4.3 FPS below the playable threshold, indicating that the GPU is fully saturated at this resolution with maximum settings.

The data does not include minimum or maximum frame rate values, so only average FPS can be assessed. The absence of min and max figures means frame time consistency cannot be directly evaluated from the recorded measurements. However, the average frame rates alone indicate that stutter or severe drops would need to be substantial to push any of the configurations below playability, except for the 4K Ultra case.

How This Combo Ranks

The database ranks this specific CPU and GPU combination at position 1634 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom. This places the system in the 44th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 56 percent of tested hardware combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this game. The rank reflects the balance between the i5-9400 and RTX 3070, where the GPU is relatively strong but the CPU is from an older generation.

The combo rank of 1634 indicates that while this system is far from the top of the charts, it sits above the median of tested hardware. Games like Doom are highly optimized and scale well across a wide range of hardware, which helps this combination achieve a respectable position. The ranking considers all tested resolutions and settings collectively, so the strong performance at 1080p and 1440p offsets the weaker result at 4K Ultra.

In comparison to the wider database, the RTX 3070 individually ranks in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208. The i5-9400 ranks in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. The combination rank of 1634 out of 3712 suggests that the pairing works well together for Doom, with the GPU carrying more of the performance weight at higher resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals which component becomes the limiting factor. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extremely high, reaching 253.7 FPS on Low settings. This indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, as the CPU is able to feed frames quickly enough to support these high output levels. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 98.6 FPS, showing that graphics settings have a substantial impact on the GPU workload.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop by a noticeable margin across all presets. The Low preset falls from 253.7 to 166 FPS, a reduction of 87.7 FPS. This scaling suggests that the GPU is becoming more heavily utilized as pixel count increases, while the CPU still has headroom. The fact that Low settings at 1440p still produce 166 FPS indicates that the i5-9400 is not the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The Low preset drops to 90.4 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 55.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 34.7 FPS, which is smaller in absolute terms than at 1080p but represents a larger percentage drop due to the lower baseline. The CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases, since the GPU must process four times the pixels of 1080p and nearly double the pixels of 1440p.

The data shows that the RTX 3070 is the dominant component in this pairing for Doom. At 1080p, the GPU is capable of producing frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of most monitors, making the CPU relatively less important. At 4K, the GPU is saturated at Ultra settings, and even the highest CPU performance would not prevent the drop below 60 FPS. The i5-9400 provides sufficient processing power to avoid holding back the GPU at all resolutions up to 4K High, but it does not contribute to pushing frame rates higher once the GPU is maxed.

The Verdict

This PC can run Doom at 60 FPS or higher in the majority of tested configurations. At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) achieve average frame rates well above 60 FPS, with the lowest being Ultra at 155.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets also clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 98.6 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low, Medium, and High presets all remain above 60 FPS, with respective averages of 90.4, 78.3, and 65.3 FPS.

The only configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS is 4K Ultra, which averages 55.7 FPS. This shortfall is modest, but it means that players seeking maximum visual quality at 4K would need to reduce settings to High or lower to maintain smooth gameplay. At 1440p and below, the system has no such limitations, and the highest preset is fully playable.

For players with a 60 Hz monitor, this system delivers smooth performance at 4K with High settings, at 1440p with Ultra settings, and at 1080p with any settings. For those with high refresh rate displays, the 1440p and 1080p results provide ample headroom for 120 Hz or 144 Hz operation, particularly on Medium or High presets. The 4K Ultra result of 55.7 FPS is the only case where the system falls short of the playable threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest CPU rivals to the i5-9400, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259 (0.2 percent higher), the Intel Core i3-10305 with a score of 2264 (0.4 percent higher), the Intel Core i7-10710U with a score of 2248 (0.3 percent lower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 with a score of 2246 (0.4 percent lower). These processors perform within a narrow band of the i5-9400, so swapping to any of them would produce nearly identical frame rates in Doom, assuming the same GPU.

The nearest GPU rivals to the RTX 3070 include the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT with an average score of 17083 (0.7 percent higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 with a score of 17037 (1 percent higher), the AMD Radeon HD 7970M with a score of 17019 (1.1 percent higher), and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c with a score of 17468 (1.5 percent higher). These GPUs deliver benchmark scores within a couple of percentage points of the RTX 3070, suggesting that frame rates in Doom would be very similar across these alternatives.

A system using one of these rival CPUs paired with the RTX 3070 would likely show FPS differences of less than one percent, which is imperceptible in real gameplay. Similarly, a system with the i5-9400 paired with one of the rival GPUs would see performance differences of around one percent, translating to a few frames per second at most in Doom. The GTX 690 and HD 7970M are older architectures, but their benchmark scores indicate they perform at a similar level to the RTX 3070 in this specific comparison.

FAQ

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

A: Yes, at 4K the system achieves average frame rates of 90.4 FPS on Low, 78.3 FPS on Medium, and 65.3 FPS on High settings. The Ultra preset falls to 55.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 98.6 FPS, which is above 60 FPS. All four settings at 1440p are playable.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT scores 17083 (0.7 percent higher), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 scores 17037 (1 percent higher), the AMD Radeon HD 7970M scores 17019 (1.1 percent higher), and the NVIDIA Tesla K40c scores 17468 (1.5 percent higher).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the GPU is the dominant factor. Frame rates range from 155.1 FPS on Ultra to 253.7 FPS on Low, indicating that graphics settings, which affect GPU load, have a large impact on performance. The CPU provides enough throughput to support these high frame rates without bottlenecking.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this system?

A: The lowest average FPS is 55.7, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only configuration in the dataset that falls below 60 FPS.

Q: How does this system rank among all tested combos for Doom?

A: This combination ranks 1634 out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of the database. The GPU ranks in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 47th percentile among all CPUs.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 155.1 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available and provides a large margin above the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 98.6 FPS. This offers maximum visual quality while remaining comfortably playable.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS is High, which averages 65.3 FPS. While this is above the threshold, the margin is narrower than at lower resolutions. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 55.7 FPS and is not recommended for 60 FPS gameplay. Players seeking higher frame rates at 4K can use Medium (78.3 FPS) or Low (90.4 FPS) for additional headroom.