Doom

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER presents a classic mid-range combination for Doom, a 2016 FPS title. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is highly capable at mainstream resolutions, yet clearly constrained by the graphics card as pixel count climbs. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand where this combo excels and where its limits are exposed, offering a clear picture of its performance profile.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a pronounced and predictable decline in average frame rates as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the lowest settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a drop from 148 FPS to 96 FPS, a 35% reduction in performance. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more severe, with the average falling from 96 FPS to 52 FPS, a 46% decrease. This pattern strongly indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions.

This conclusion is reinforced by examining the Ultra preset. At 1080p, the combo achieves 89 FPS, which is good, but at 1440p this falls to 58 FPS, and at 4K it plummets to 31 FPS. The frame rate nearly halves with each step up in resolution, a hallmark of a system where the GPU's rendering throughput is the bottleneck. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GTX 1660 SUPER's 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels at 4K.

The scaling behavior suggests that for a smooth experience at 1440p, users will need to be mindful of settings, while 4K is only playable at the Low preset. The difference between 1080p and 4K at any given setting is substantial, underlining that this is not a 4K-capable combination for this title. The data points to a system that is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver high refresh rates, and is capable of 1440p gaming with adjusted quality settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers the most balanced experience, delivering an average of 129 FPS with a minimum of 110 FPS. This provides a significant performance cushion, ensuring smooth gameplay even during intense action sequences in Doom. The jump from Medium to Ultra at 1080p yields only 89 FPS, a 31% performance cost for the highest visual fidelity, which may not be a worthwhile trade-off unless a user prioritizes image quality over frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset appears to be the sweet spot, with an average of 70 FPS. This is playable and offers a good balance between visual detail and smoothness. While the Low preset at 1440p achieves a high 96 FPS, the visual compromise is likely too significant for most users. The Ultra preset at 1440p dips to 58 FPS, which is on the edge of acceptable for a fast-paced FPS, but the High preset's higher average provides more consistent performance.

For 4K resolution, the only viable option is the Low preset, which manages an average of 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 45 FPS, and High and Ultra fall to 38 and 31 FPS respectively, all of which are below the threshold for a fluid experience in a game like Doom. The data clearly shows that for this game and this hardware combo, 4K is a compromise reserved for the lowest settings, while 1080p Medium and 1440p High provide the most enjoyable balance of visual quality and performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, as it allows for high frame rates across all presets. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 129 FPS, which is ideal for a smooth and responsive experience.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but only at the Low preset, which yields an average of 52 FPS. Higher presets at 4K result in average frame rates of 45 FPS or lower, which are not ideal for a fast-paced FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The performance cost varies by preset. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 148 to 96, a 35% decrease. At Ultra settings, it drops from 89 to 58, a 35% decrease, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1440p delivers an average of 58 FPS. This is playable, but the High preset offers a higher average of 70 FPS, which may be preferable for maintaining a consistent frame rate during combat.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER's performance compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, the GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12,986, which is 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 580's score of 12,928. It also trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile by a 0.4% margin.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only preset with a recorded minimum FPS is Medium. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 110 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 71 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it is 38 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its strength, with all presets achieving playable frame rates. The Low preset leads with an average of 148 FPS, followed by Medium at 129 FPS (min 110, max 148), High at 109 FPS, and Ultra at 89 FPS. This shows a clear progression, where each step up in quality costs roughly 20 FPS, but even the most demanding preset remains comfortably above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain respectable, but the demands of higher resolution become apparent. The Low preset averages 96 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium averages 83 FPS (min 71, max 96), and High drops to 70 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one to fall below 60 FPS, with an average of 58 FPS. This resolution offers a good balance for those with 1440p monitors, as long as they avoid the highest settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, with an average of 52 FPS. The Medium preset averages 45 FPS (min 38, max 52), while High drops to 38 FPS and Ultra to 31 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is not a realistic option for this combination unless the user is willing to accept significant visual compromises and sub-60 FPS performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the decisive factor in this combo's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the data suggests it becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 1785 MHz and its 1408 shading units deliver a raw compute throughput of 5.027 TFLOPS, which is the engine behind the frame rates seen in the measurements.

The GPU's role is clearly demonstrated by the scaling pattern. At 1080p, the CPU can keep the GPU fed, allowing it to reach an average of 148 FPS on Low. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's rendering workload grows exponentially, and its performance drops accordingly. The 4K results, where even the Low preset struggles to maintain 60 FPS, highlight that the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for that resolution in this title. The GPU's percentile rank of 53 versus all GPUs indicates it is a mid-pack performer, and its average benchmark score of 12,986 places it in a close cluster with the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and RX 580.

The data implies that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the bottleneck for this system in Doom. The CPU has more than enough power to drive higher frame rates, but the GPU is unable to keep pace as the resolution increases. This is a classic example of a balanced 1080p build that can stretch into 1440p with settings adjustments, but it will not handle 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides a solid foundation for this gaming combo. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it has the multi-threading capability to handle modern game engines. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz ensure strong single-thread performance, which is often critical for gaming. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10,283 and a single-core score of 1,451, indicate it is a capable processor for this task.

The CPU's role in Doom appears to be secondary to the GPU. The evidence for this is the frame rate scaling. At 1080p, the combo achieves high frame rates, and the CPU is clearly not a bottleneck. However, even if the CPU were more powerful, the frame rates at 4K would not improve because the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are more than adequate to feed the GPU at the resolutions where this system performs well.

The CPU's percentile rank of 68 versus all CPUs places it in the upper third of processors, and its average benchmark score of 14,185 is very close to its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon 6756E and AMD EPYC 7552. The data suggests that the i5-10400F is not holding back the GTX 1660 SUPER in this game. The bottleneck is firmly on the GPU side, especially at higher resolutions, and the CPU has sufficient headroom to ensure that the GPU is the sole determinant of performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is ranked 3,168 out of 3,712 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the bottom 15% of all tested systems, which may seem surprising given the playable frame rates at 1080p. This ranking is a reflection of the fact that many other tested combos feature significantly more powerful GPUs, and the ranking is a global measure that includes high-end systems.

The combo's rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's performance ceiling. While the CPU is a competent mid-range part, the GTX 1660 SUPER is a generation old and is positioned at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. This means that most other GPUs tested in the database are more powerful, leading to higher frame rates and a better overall ranking for their respective combos. The data shows that this combo is a capable 1080p performer, but its rank accurately reflects its position in the broader landscape of tested hardware.

The ranking also suggests that while this system is fine for 1080p gaming in Doom, it is outclassed by many other combinations that can handle higher resolutions with better settings. The 3,712 total combos include a vast array of hardware, and a rank of 3,168 indicates that there is substantial room for improvement, likely through a GPU upgrade. The combo's performance is solid for its class, but the ranking correctly places it among the lower-performing systems in the database for this specific title, primarily due to the GPU's limitations.