Doom

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-9400 sits in a tightly contested segment of the database. Its average benchmark score of 2254 places it at the 47th percentile of all CPUs tested. The nearest rivals are remarkably close, with all four alternatives within a fraction of a percent of the i5-9400's score. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 lands just 0.4% higher with a score of 2246, while the Intel Core i7-10710U is similarly 0.3% ahead. On the other side, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 trails by 0.2% at 2259, and the Intel Core i3-10305 is 0.4% behind at 2264. In practical terms, any of these processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Doom, meaning the choice between them would come down to platform features rather than gaming throughput.

The GPU side tells a different story. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D holds a 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals are all within a narrow band: the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT is 1.1% higher at 76904, while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT sits 1.6% lower at 78940. Two NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants also appear nearby, with the 12 GB model at 79396 (2.1% lower) and the 16 GB model at 79605 (2.4% lower). For Doom specifically, the RTX 5090 D's nearest GPU competitors would produce frame rates within a few percent of what this combo achieves, though the Tesla cards are compute-oriented parts not typically used for gaming.

CPU and GPU Roles

Benchmark results across the three resolutions reveal how the workload shifts between the i5-9400 and the RTX 5090 D. At 1920x1080, the GPU is not the limiting factor: the gap between Low and Ultra settings is only 42 FPS (254 vs 212), suggesting the CPU is keeping the frame rate high even as GPU load increases. The CPU's six threads without hyper-threading are sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 D at this resolution, as evidenced by the 228 FPS at High settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture changes subtly. The Low preset delivers 219 FPS, while Ultra drops to 183 FPS, a 36 FPS spread. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 178 FPS, which is still far above the playable threshold. At this resolution, the GPU begins to take on more responsibility, but the CPU still manages to keep pace.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The Low preset runs at 170 FPS, but Ultra falls to 102 FPS, a 68 FPS drop. This is the largest resolution-to-settings spread in the data, indicating that at 4K, the RTX 5090 D's rendering load is the primary constraint. The CPU's role diminishes as resolution scales up, which is typical for this type of workload. The i5-9400's single-core performance, shown in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly the limiting component.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which delivers an average of 212 FPS. The Medium preset reaches 242 FPS with a minimum of 205 FPS, while High runs at 228 FPS and Low at 254 FPS. All four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold with substantial headroom, so the choice comes down to visual quality versus raw frame rate.

At 2560x1440, Ultra remains the best choice, averaging 183 FPS. The Medium preset hits 209 FPS with a 178 FPS minimum, High runs at 197 FPS, and Low reaches 219 FPS. Again, every preset exceeds 60 FPS by a wide margin, making Ultra the obvious recommendation for maximum image quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 3840x2160, Ultra still holds at 102 FPS average, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium runs at 148 FPS (minimum 126 FPS), High at 125 FPS, and Low at 170 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure of 102 FPS is the lowest average recorded for this combo, but it remains well within playable territory. The data indicates that this system can run Doom at maximum settings across all three tested resolutions without dropping below the playable threshold.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Doom, and the data shows it does so with exceptional headroom. At every resolution tested, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict by resolution confirms this: at 3840x2160, the best settings are Ultra with an average of 102 FPS; at 2560x1440, Ultra delivers 183 FPS; and at 1920x1080, Ultra reaches 212 FPS. The minimum recorded frame rate across all data points is 126 FPS, which occurred at 4K Medium, still double the playable threshold.

The i5-9400, despite being a 47th percentile CPU, does not prevent the RTX 5090 D from performing at its full potential in this game. The GPU's 92nd percentile standing, combined with its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, ensures that even the most demanding 4K Ultra settings remain smooth. For a game from 2016, this combination is far beyond what is required, but the measurements confirm it handles the title with ease. There are no resolutions or presets in the database where this combo fails to meet the 60 FPS bar.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Doom?

A: The highest recorded average is 254 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 102 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the lowest minimum frame rate recorded in the data?

A: The lowest minimum is 126 FPS, observed at 3840x2160 with Medium settings.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2254 is within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 and within 0.3% of the Intel Core i7-10710U, making performance nearly identical.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D significantly faster than its nearest GPU rivals?

A: No, the nearest rivals are all within 2.4% of its average benchmark score of 77712. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.6% faster, while the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB is 2.4% slower.

Q: Does frame rate drop more at 4K compared to 1080p when switching from Low to Ultra?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (254 FPS) and Ultra (212 FPS) is 42 FPS. At 3840x2160, the difference is 68 FPS (170 FPS Low vs 102 FPS Ultra), showing a larger GPU workload impact at higher resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 574th out of 3712 combos for Doom. This places it in the top 15.5% of all tested configurations, a strong showing that reflects the GPU's dominance in this title. The rank is driven primarily by the RTX 5090 D's exceptional performance, as the CPU's 47th percentile standing is below average but does not bottleneck the system in this game. The combination of a modest six-core processor from 2018 with a flagship GPU from 2025 produces results that are substantially higher than the median tested combo, confirming that Doom's engine responds well to GPU throughput while remaining tolerant of older CPU architectures. The 574th rank out of 3712 indicates that while many faster combinations exist (primarily those pairing the RTX 5090 D with newer high-end CPUs), this specific setup still outperforms the vast majority of systems in the database for this particular game.