Doom

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-9400 sits close to several other processors in the database's aggregate benchmark scoring. Its average benchmark score is 2254, placing it at the 47th percentile among all tested CPUs. The nearest performance match is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259, a negligible 0.2% difference. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, trailing the i5-9400 by only 0.4%. On the AMD side, the Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 posts an average score of 2246, which is 0.4% behind the i5-9400. The Intel Core i7-10710U rounds out the immediate cluster at 2248, a 0.3% gap.

What this means in practice: any of these four CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame pacing in Doom when paired with the same GPU. The differences are within measurement noise, so swapping the i5-9400 for any of these alternatives would not meaningfully change performance in this game.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the database places it at the 88th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 60347. The closest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60326, a 0.0% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, trailing by 0.3%. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 sits at 58657, which is 2.9% behind the RTX 4090. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M actually scores higher at 61896, putting it 2.5% ahead of the RTX 4090 in the aggregate benchmark.

In Doom specifically, the RTX 4090 is the dominant factor in this pairing. The i5-9400 is a mid-range six-core processor from 2018, but Doom's engine is well optimized for multi-threaded workloads, and the CPU's 6 cores and 6 threads with a 4.10 GHz boost clock are sufficient to keep the RTX 4090 fed at the tested settings. The recorded data shows no bottleneck-induced frame drops across any resolution, which indicates the combination behaves like a GPU-limited system rather than a CPU-limited one.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database records measured average FPS for three resolutions and four settings presets each. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and every preset at every resolution clears that bar by a wide margin.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 96.3 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available in the test suite, and it still maintains a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. High runs at 116.2 FPS, Medium at 138.5 FPS, and Low at 156 FPS.

At 2560x1440, Ultra again is the best preset, producing an average of 171 FPS. High reaches 195.6 FPS, Medium 211.3 FPS, and Low 217.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 46.1 FPS, showing that even the heaviest settings leave substantial headroom.

At 1920x1080, Ultra delivers 213.8 FPS on average. High runs at 225.8 FPS, Medium at 242.5 FPS, and Low at 256.8 FPS. The lowest preset at 1080p nearly triples the 60 FPS threshold, which makes sense given the RTX 4090's sheer rendering capacity and the game's release date in 2016.

The verdict is consistent across all three resolutions: the best visual quality setting, Ultra, is always the recommended choice because it never drops below 96 FPS even at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Doom at 4K with the highest settings?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the recorded average FPS is 96.3, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the fastest preset at 1080p?

A: Low settings at 1920x1080 yield the highest average FPS at 256.8. However, Ultra still delivers 213.8 FPS, so there is no practical need to lower settings.

Q: How much performance drops when going from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average is 213.8 FPS. At 2560x1440 Ultra, it drops to 171 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Ultra, it falls to 96.3 FPS. The 4K figure is 117.5 FPS lower than the 1080p figure.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in Doom?

A: The measured data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking. At every resolution and preset, the average FPS scales predictably with GPU load, and the lowest recorded average of 96.3 FPS at 4K Ultra is far above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of quality and performance?

A: 2560x1440 with Ultra settings provides 171 FPS average, which is 74.7 FPS higher than 4K Ultra while still delivering high visual fidelity. For players with high-refresh monitors, 1080p Ultra at 213.8 FPS is the stronger choice.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Doom?

A: The combination ranks 601 out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the top 16.2% of all configurations in the database for this game.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: this PC runs Doom with overwhelming headroom. At every resolution tested, all four settings presets maintain average FPS well above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is Ultra with an average of 96.3 FPS. This is the most demanding configuration available in the test, and it still clears the threshold by 36.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra runs at 171 FPS, nearly tripling the threshold. At 1920x1080, Ultra reaches 213.8 FPS.

The verdict by resolution is consistent: all three resolutions are fully playable at the highest quality preset. The only consideration is whether the player's display can take advantage of the extreme frame rates at lower resolutions. For 4K gaming, the RTX 4090 delivers a fluid, high-fidelity experience. For competitive play at 1080p, the same hardware produces frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of most gaming monitors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database records average FPS for each resolution and settings combination. Minimum and maximum FPS values were not captured, so the analysis relies on averages, which are stable given the game's age and the hardware's capability.

3840x2160:

• Low: 156 FPS average
• Medium: 138.5 FPS average
• High: 116.2 FPS average
• Ultra: 96.3 FPS average

The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows a drop of 59.7 FPS, or roughly 38%, when moving to the highest quality preset. The step from Medium to High costs 22.3 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 19.9 FPS.

2560x1440:

• Low: 217.1 FPS average
• Medium: 211.3 FPS average
• High: 195.6 FPS average
• Ultra: 171 FPS average

At 1440p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 46.1 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is 15.7 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 24.6 FPS. The settings scaling is less steep than at 4K, suggesting the GPU is less stressed at this resolution.

1920x1080:

• Low: 256.8 FPS average
• Medium: 242.5 FPS average
• High: 225.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 213.8 FPS average

At 1080p, even the Ultra preset stays above 213 FPS. The total spread from Low to Ultra is 43 FPS. The step from High to Ultra is the smallest at 12 FPS, indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is clear: the RTX 4090 has enough headroom in Doom that even the heaviest preset at 4K does not approach the playable threshold. The i5-9400's six cores are sufficient to sustain these frame rates without introducing instability.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking for Doom, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds position 601 out of 3712 tested combos. That places it in the top 16.2% of all configurations evaluated for this game.

The rank reflects the fact that the RTX 4090 is a top-tier GPU, but the i5-9400 is a mid-range processor that sits at the 47th percentile among CPUs. The combination's overall position is therefore driven primarily by the GPU's massive rendering capability, while the CPU contributes enough single-thread performance to avoid holding the system back in Doom's engine.

What this ranking does not show is any weakness in the combination's ability to play Doom. The measured FPS at all settings and resolutions are far above the playable threshold, and the rank of 601 simply indicates that there are 600 other combinations in the database with even higher aggregate performance in this title, likely featuring newer high-end CPUs paired with the same or faster GPUs. For the purposes of playing Doom, the practical difference between rank 601 and higher-ranked combos is negligible, since all of them exceed 60 FPS at maximum settings. The rank is a relative measure, not an absolute quality score. The absolute performance, as recorded in the measured FPS data, is what matters for the gaming experience, and that performance is exceptional.