Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Doom with the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 138 FPS on average. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 89 FPS, a reduction of 49 FPS or roughly 35%. Stepping up to 4K at High settings yields 48 FPS, which is 90 FPS lower than the 1080p result and 41 FPS lower than 1440p.

This scaling curve is steep and consistent, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting component across the entire resolution range. The frame rate at 4K High (48 FPS) is only about 35% of the 1080p High figure, which is a substantial hit. The pattern holds across all settings presets: at Low settings, 1080p achieves 188 FPS, 1440p drops to 121 FPS, and 4K falls to 66 FPS. Similarly, at Ultra settings, the progression is 113 FPS at 1080p, 73 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K.

The relative drops between 1080p and 1440p are larger in percentage terms than the drops between 1440p and 4K, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. For instance, at High settings, the 1080p-to-1440p drop is 49 FPS (35%), while the 1440p-to-4K drop is 41 FPS (46% of the 1440p value). This suggests that the RX 5700 XT's rendering throughput, rather than the CPU's instruction throughput, is the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads running at a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU's raw pixel-pushing capacity saturates as pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

The data also shows that the gap between settings presets widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (188 FPS) and Ultra (113 FPS) is 75 FPS. At 4K, the same comparison shows a difference of only 26 FPS (66 FPS vs 40 FPS). This compression at 4K further confirms that the GPU is fully saturated, leaving less room for settings-based performance differentiation.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear picture of how each preset balances frame rate against visual fidelity. For the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT combination, the Medium preset emerges as the most balanced choice across resolutions, though the optimal pick depends on the target display.

At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 164 FPS on average, with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 188 FPS. This is only 24 FPS below the Low preset's 188 FPS, yet it offers a substantial visual upgrade over Low. The High preset at 1080p yields 138 FPS, which is still comfortably above 120 FPS, but the Medium preset's minimum of 139 FPS ensures that frame time consistency is better than High's average. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 113 FPS, which is playable but sacrifices 51 FPS compared to Medium.

For 1440p, Medium again provides the best experience: 106 FPS on average, with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 122 FPS. This is a strong result, as it stays above the 90 FPS threshold even in the worst-case measured frame. High at 1440p drops to 89 FPS, which is just below that threshold, while Low reaches 121 FPS but at reduced visual quality. Ultra at 1440p falls to 73 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts. Medium yields 57 FPS with a minimum of 49 FPS, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. High at 4K drops to 48 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40 FPS. Low at 4K reaches 66 FPS, which is the only preset that clears the 60 FPS mark at this resolution. For 4K play, the Low preset is the only viable option if frame rate is the priority; for those willing to accept lower frame rates, Medium provides a better visual experience without dropping below 49 FPS.

Overall, the data indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for 1080p and 1440p, while Low is the only choice for 4K if smoothness is paramount. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it provides diminishing returns relative to the frame rate cost.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 1605 MHz, with a game clock of 1755 MHz and a boost clock of 1905 MHz. The memory operates at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective.

In Doom, the GPU's role is clearly dominant, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game at all tested settings and resolutions, as the measured FPS does not show any anomalous drops that would indicate VRAM overflow. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is also adequate, as the frame rates scale smoothly with resolution rather than stalling.

The GPU's compute resources — 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs — drive the pixel and texture throughput. The pixel rate of 121.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 304.8 GTexel/s are the raw capabilities that determine how quickly the GPU can fill frames. The FP32 performance of 9.754 TFLOPS is the theoretical peak for the shader work Doom requires.

The benchmark results show that the RX 5700 XT sits in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16361. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, scores 16351, a negligible 0.1% difference. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell scores 16408, which is 0.3% higher, and the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 scores 16415, also 0.3% higher. These margins are within noise, indicating that the RX 5700 XT performs at a very consistent level relative to its class.

The GPU's launch MSRP is 399 USD. The card is now end-of-life, with its successor being Navi II. In Doom, the RX 5700 XT's performance at 1080p is exceptional, but at 4K it struggles to maintain high frame rates, confirming that it is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings for this combo?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 89 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 40, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. It is playable but not recommended for fast-paced action.

Q: How much VRAM does the RX 5700 XT have, and is it enough for Doom?

A: The RX 5700 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. The measured FPS data shows no signs of VRAM-related stuttering, so this capacity is sufficient for Doom at all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 139 FPS, with an average of 164 FPS and a maximum of 188 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 5700 XT compare to its nearest GPU rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RX 5700 XT's average benchmark score is 16361, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351) and 0.3% lower than the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16408).

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest average FPS at 4K?

A: The Low preset provides the highest average FPS at 4K, reaching 66 FPS. The Medium preset follows at 57 FPS, High at 48 FPS, and Ultra at 40 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s and connects via PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes.

In Doom, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, as the resolution scaling data demonstrates. The i5-10400F's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient for this game's engine, which is known for scaling well across multiple threads. The boost clock of 4.30 GHz ensures strong single-thread performance, which is critical for maintaining high frame rates at 1080p where the CPU is more likely to be a factor.

The CPU's benchmark scores reflect its mid-range positioning. In Cinebench R23, it scores 10283 in multi-core and 1451 in single-core. In Geekbench, it achieves 6257 in multi-core and 1420 in single-core. These scores place it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14185. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6756E, scores 14163, a 0.2% difference, while the AMD EPYC 7552 scores 14115, a 0.5% difference. The Intel Core 7 160UL scores 14232, which is 0.3% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14277, 0.6% higher.

At 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 188 FPS, which indicates that the CPU is able to keep the GPU fed even at high frame rates. At 1080p Ultra, the FPS drops to 113, but this is due to GPU load rather than CPU limitation, as the scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 75 FPS drop. The CPU's 12 MB of L3 cache and 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth are adequate for the game's data streaming needs.

The i5-10400F's 65 W TDP is modest, and its lack of an integrated GPU means the RX 5700 XT handles all graphics processing. The CPU's 3DMark scores — 4748 in 16-thread, 3929 in 8-thread, and 688 in single-thread — provide context for its multi-threaded capability, but in Doom, the game's frame rate is far more dependent on the GPU's pixel throughput.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions (1080p, 1440p, 4K). A total of 12 data points were recorded, with minimum and maximum values only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 188 at Low to 113 at Ultra. The Medium preset averages 164 FPS, with a minimum of 139 and a maximum of 188. The High preset averages 138 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 75 FPS, representing a 40% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 121 at Low to 73 at Ultra. The Medium preset averages 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 and a maximum of 122. The High preset averages 89 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 48 FPS, a 40% reduction. The minimum FPS at Medium (90) is higher than the average FPS at High (89), indicating that Medium provides more consistent frame pacing.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 66 at Low to 40 at Ultra. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 and a maximum of 66. The High preset averages 48 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 26 FPS, a 39% reduction. The maximum FPS at Medium (66) matches the average FPS at Low (66), showing that Medium at 4K can occasionally reach the same performance as Low, but with a lower average.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values, providing insight into frame time stability. At 1080p Medium, the range from 139 to 188 FPS shows a 49 FPS swing. At 1440p Medium, the range is 90 to 122 FPS, a 32 FPS swing. At 4K Medium, the range is 49 to 66 FPS, a 17 FPS swing. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing variance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT combination ranks 2758 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, at approximately the 74th percentile of all combinations. The rank reflects the combo's overall performance, which is characterized by strong 1080p and 1440p results but weak 4K performance.

The ranking is influenced by the CPU's 68th percentile standing and the GPU's 59th percentile standing. The CPU outperforms the GPU in relative terms, but in Doom, the GPU's limitations at high resolutions drag down the combo's overall rank. The CPU's nearest rivals — the Intel Xeon 6756E, Intel Core 7 160UL, AMD EPYC 7552, and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C — all have average benchmark scores within 0.6% of the i5-10400F, indicating that the CPU is well-matched to its peers.

The GPU's nearest rivals — the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, AMD Radeon PRO W7500, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 — also have scores within 0.9% of the RX 5700 XT. This clustering suggests that the combo's rank is not due to any single component being an outlier, but rather the combination's overall capability in this specific game.

The rank of 2758 out of 3712 means that approximately 954 combos outrank this setup in Doom, which is a notable portion of the database. This is primarily due to the GPU's inability to deliver high frame rates at 4K, as the 4K results (40-66 FPS depending on settings) are significantly lower than what top-tier GPUs would achieve. At 1080p and 1440p, the combo performs admirably, with 1080p Low reaching 188 FPS and 1440p Low reaching 121 FPS, but these results are not enough to boost the overall rank given the weight of 4K performance in the composite score.