Doom

# Doom: Intel Core i5-10400F + AMD Radeon RX 9070

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a remarkably strong showing in Doom, with the measured frame rates indicating that this pairing can handle the game's fast-paced action across all tested resolutions. The data places this combo at rank 1206 out of 3712 tested combinations, which puts it in the upper third of all systems in the database, a solid position for a 2016 title that remains demanding at high refresh rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This combo's rank of 1206 out of 3712 tested combinations places it comfortably above the median performer. The percentile data reinforces this: the CPU sits at the 68th percentile against all processors, while the GPU achieves the 69th percentile against all graphics cards. When paired together for Doom, the system demonstrates that both components are well-matched for this workload, with neither dragging the other down into lower performance tiers.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 23877 places it in close competition with several notable rivals. It edges out the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z by 0.6% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile by 1.1%, while trailing the AMD Radeon RX 6800S by 0.8% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER by 1.2%. These are extremely tight margins, indicating that the RX 9070 sits in a highly competitive performance band. For Doom specifically, the measured FPS numbers suggest that this GPU's capabilities translate into strong real-world performance.

On the CPU side, the Intel Core i5-10400F's average benchmark score of 14185 pits it against some unexpected rivals. It is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon 6756E and 0.5% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7552, while sitting 0.3% behind the Intel Core 7 160UL and 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C. These deltas are negligible in practical terms, but they show that the i5-10400F's six-core, twelve-thread configuration remains competitive even against enterprise and newer mobile parts in aggregated benchmark scores.

The combination rank of 1206 indicates that while neither component is a top-tier champion, the pairing works effectively for Doom. The game's engine appears to respond well to the CPU's architecture and the GPU's raw throughput, delivering frame rates that far exceed what the percentile rankings alone would suggest.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 178. This is the most demanding preset at this resolution, yet the system still produces frame rates well above 144 Hz, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 62 FPS on Ultra to 104 FPS on Low. The High preset delivers 76 FPS, while Medium achieves 90 FPS. This indicates that 4K gaming is viable, though Ultra settings will require a compromise on smoothness.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The resolution scaling data suggests the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The CPU's six cores and twelve threads provide sufficient headroom, as evidenced by the relatively modest FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p compared to the larger drop from 1440p to 4K.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 1440p, the High preset delivers 141 FPS, which is very close to a 144 Hz target. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset at 178 FPS exceeds 144 Hz, while Medium hits 254 FPS and Low reaches 266 FPS. For 4K, no preset reaches 144 FPS, with Low being the only option above 100 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to the RTX 2080 SUPER in this game?

A: The RX 9070's average benchmark score is 1.2% behind the RTX 2080 SUPER. In Doom, the measured FPS indicates the RX 9070 delivers high frame rates across all presets, suggesting that the small benchmark delta does not translate into a visible performance deficit in this title.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance like for Doom?

A: The i5-10400F scores 688 in 3DMark single-thread and 1451 in Cinebench R23 single-core. These scores indicate strong single-threaded capability, which is important for Doom's engine, and the measured FPS at 1080p where the CPU has more influence confirms this strength.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience at each resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 178 FPS is the clear choice for users with high-refresh-rate monitors, as it delivers both maximum visual quality and frame rates that exceed 144 Hz. Those with 240 Hz panels might prefer the Medium preset at 254 FPS, which sacrifices some visual fidelity for a substantial frame rate boost. The Low preset at 266 FPS offers marginal additional headroom but at a significant visual cost, making it less appealing.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 141 FPS is the sweet spot for 144 Hz displays, providing near-maximal refresh rates with good visual quality. The Ultra preset at 115 FPS is playable but falls short of high-refresh targets, while Medium at 167 FPS and Low at 192 FPS both exceed 144 Hz but with reduced visual fidelity. For most users at this resolution, High offers the best balance of quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes considerably. The Ultra preset at 62 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold for some users' comfort, making it a marginal choice. The High preset at 76 FPS provides a smoother experience, while Medium at 90 FPS offers a better balance for 4K gaming. The Low preset at 104 FPS is the only option that approaches high-refresh territory, but it significantly compromises visual quality. For 4K, the Medium preset at 90 FPS is recommended as the best compromise between image quality and smoothness.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 266 FPS, Medium averages 254 FPS with a minimum of 216 and maximum of 292, High averages 218 FPS, and Ultra averages 178 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a predictable decline, with Ultra delivering 88 FPS less than Low, a 33% reduction in average frame rate. The Medium preset's min FPS of 216 indicates that even in demanding scenes, the system rarely drops below 200 FPS at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected resolution penalty. Low averages 192 FPS, Medium averages 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 and maximum of 192, High averages 141 FPS, and Ultra averages 115 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 77 FPS, a 40% reduction. Notably, the High preset at 141 FPS is just 1 FPS below the Medium preset's minimum, indicating that the High preset provides consistent performance close to the Medium preset's worst-case scenario.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low averages 104 FPS, Medium averages 90 FPS with a minimum of 77 and maximum of 104, High averages 76 FPS, and Ultra averages 62 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra is 42 FPS, a 40% decrease. The Medium preset's minimum of 77 FPS shows that even at 4K, the system rarely drops below console-level performance, but the Ultra preset's 62 FPS average is borderline for smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the limiting component. At High settings, the system delivers 218 FPS at 1080p, 141 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, with the 4K penalty being disproportionately larger, which is typical when the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but with different magnitudes: 266 FPS at 1080p, 192 FPS at 1440p, and 104 FPS at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is 28%, while from 1440p to 4K it is 46%. The fact that the 1080p to 1440p drop is smaller at Low settings suggests that the CPU has more headroom to feed the GPU at lower visual loads, while the 4K penalty remains GPU-bound.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 178 FPS at 1080p, 115 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K reduction of 46% mirrors the other presets, reinforcing that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. However, the 1080p to 1440p drop of 35% at Ultra is larger than at Low (28%), indicating that at higher settings, the GPU begins to saturate even at 1440p. This pattern confirms that the Radeon RX 9070 is the performance ceiling for this pairing, with the Core i5-10400F providing adequate CPU throughput across all tested resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F brings six cores and twelve threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This Comet Lake processor, built on Intel's 14 nm process, features 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. The CPU's percentile ranking of 68 against all processors indicates it is a solid mid-range performer.

In Doom, the CPU's role is evident in the 1080p results, where frame rates reach as high as 266 FPS at Low settings. At this resolution, the GPU has less work per frame, allowing the CPU's thread scheduling and single-thread performance to shine. The 3DMark single-thread score of 688 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1451 highlight the CPU's capability in lightly-threaded workloads, which is relevant for Doom's engine.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance, as shown by the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283 and the 3DMark max threads score of 4735, provides ample headroom for the game's background tasks. The PassMark multithread score of 12115 and the 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748 confirm that all twelve threads are utilized effectively. However, the benchmark data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration at any resolution, as the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K follows the GPU's expected performance curve rather than showing CPU-related plateaus at lower resolutions.

The CPU's 68th percentile ranking, paired with the GPU's 69th percentile, creates a balanced system where both components operate in their expected performance bands. The measured FPS in Doom, which reach 266 FPS at 1080p Low and 62 FPS at 4K Ultra, demonstrate that this pairing delivers performance that exceeds what the individual component rankings might predict, making it a capable choice for this title across all settings and resolutions.