Doom

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 places at rank 1766 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom. This places the configuration in the 60th percentile of all tested system pairings, indicating a mid-pack performance tier that leans toward the upper half of the field. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically bottlenecks the other, though the data suggests the system sits comfortably above entry-level configurations while remaining well short of top-tier enthusiast setups.

The combo's position becomes clearer when examining the individual component percentiles. The CPU ranks in the 68th percentile against all processors, while the GPU sits in the 66th percentile against all graphics cards. These closely matched percentile values explain why the overall combo ranking does not fall dramatically due to a single weak link. The i5-10400F's nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6756E with a delta of just 0.2 percent, the Intel Core 7 160UL at -0.3 percent, the AMD EPYC 7552 at 0.5 percent, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C at -0.6 percent. These tight deltas show the CPU performing within a narrow band of similarly scoring processors. For the GPU, the RTX 5050's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL at -0.6 percent, the AMD Radeon HD 8970M at -1.0 percent, the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT at 1.6 percent, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile at -1.6 percent.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides six cores and twelve threads, operating with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This Comet Lake architecture processor, built on Intel's 14 nm process, delivers cache configurations of 64 KB L1 per core, 256 KB L2 per core, and 12 MB shared L3. The processor supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth and connects via PCIe Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes. These specifications position the CPU as a solid mid-range performer for a 2016-era shooter like Doom, which was designed before multi-core scaling became as critical as it is in modern titles.

Benchmark data shows this CPU's multithreaded capabilities in context. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283, the Geekbench multicore score of 6257, and the Passmark multithread score of 12115 all indicate a processor that handles threaded workloads competently without excelling at any single task. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748 and max-thread score of 4735 show near-identical performance when all threads are utilized, while the 8-thread score of 3929 and 4-thread score of 2560 reveal the expected scaling curve. Single-thread performance, represented by the 3DMark single-thread score of 688 and Passmark single-thread score of 2541, remains adequate for Doom's engine, which relies heavily on a few primary threads for game logic and draw call submission.

In Doom specifically, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with rendered frames without becoming the limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 202 FPS average, which suggests the CPU can drive high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily taxed. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration provides enough parallel processing headroom for Doom's task scheduler, which can distribute work across multiple threads for physics, audio, and AI. The 4.30 GHz boost clock ensures that the primary game thread receives sufficient single-core throughput, as evidenced by the 3DMark 2-thread score of 1350, which indicates responsive dual-thread performance for latency-sensitive workloads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz, with memory clocked at 2500 MHz or 20 Gbps effective. Built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, the chip contains 16,900 million transistors across a 149 mm² die. The GPU features 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, 32 raster operation units, 20 ray tracing cores, and 80 tensor cores. These specifications produce a pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s, and 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute performance.

The RTX 5050's memory configuration is particularly relevant for Doom at high resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM capacity proves sufficient for the game's texture sets, which were designed for the 2016 hardware era. The 320.0 GB/s bandwidth supports the texture streaming demands of Doom's id Tech 6 engine, which dynamically loads high-resolution textures as the player moves through levels. The GPU's 128-bit memory bus, while narrower than higher-tier cards, does not appear to create a significant bottleneck at the tested settings, as frame rates scale predictably across resolution changes.

Benchmark scores place the GPU's compute capabilities in perspective. The Passmark G3D score of 17326 and the Geekbench OpenCL score of 90334 indicate strong general-purpose compute performance. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 shows modern API efficiency. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 89381, closely matching the OpenCL result, suggests consistent performance across different compute APIs. For Doom, which supports Vulkan, this bodes well for driver-level efficiency, though the measured FPS data does not distinguish between API modes.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems in Doom?

A: This configuration ranks 1766 out of 2930 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the field.

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

A: The i5-10400F scores within 0.6 percent of its closest competitors. It is 0.2 percent ahead of the Intel Xeon 6756E, 0.5 percent ahead of the AMD EPYC 7552, and trails the Intel Core 7 160UL by 0.3 percent and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C by 0.6 percent.

Q: What frame rate can this system achieve at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 149 FPS.

Q: Does the system maintain playable frame rates at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average is 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. At Ultra settings, the average drops to 43 FPS.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and is it sufficient for Doom?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The measured results across all tested resolutions indicate this capacity is sufficient for Doom's requirements at the settings tested.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all graphics cards?

A: The RTX 5050 ranks in the 66th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21035.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the system scales across three resolutions: 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160. Examining the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 149 FPS at 1080p to 96 FPS at 1440p, then to 52 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35.6 percent reduction from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 45.8 percent reduction from 1440p to 4K. The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K is 65.1 percent.

The Low preset shows similar scaling patterns. At 1080p, the system averages 202 FPS. At 1440p, this drops to 131 FPS, a 35.1 percent reduction. At 4K, the average falls to 71 FPS, a 45.8 percent reduction from 1440p. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 64.9 percent. The Medium preset follows the same trend: 176 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p (35.2 percent reduction), and 62 FPS at 4K (45.6 percent reduction from 1440p).

The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p, the average is 122 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 79 FPS, a 35.2 percent reduction. At 4K, the average falls to 43 FPS, a 45.6 percent reduction from 1440p. The consistency of these percentage reductions across all four presets indicates that resolution scaling is purely GPU-bound, with the CPU not becoming a limiting factor even at 1080p Low where the system reaches 202 FPS.

The pattern of frame rate reductions between resolutions suggests the GPU is the primary scaling component. The near-identical percentage drops across presets indicate that the rendering load increases proportionally with pixel count regardless of quality settings. The CPU maintains adequate headroom even at the highest frame rates measured, as evidenced by the 202 FPS result at 1080p Low, which would require the processor to handle frame submission at approximately 5 milliseconds per frame.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets deliver playable frame rates. The High preset at 149 FPS average offers an excellent balance of visual quality and smoothness, while Ultra at 122 FPS remains well above the 60 FPS threshold. For players prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, Ultra at 1080p is viable. For those seeking higher refresh rates, Low at 202 FPS or Medium at 176 FPS provide substantial headroom.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 96 FPS average represents the sweet spot for most players, delivering smooth gameplay with solid visual quality. Medium at 114 FPS offers additional performance for high-refresh-rate displays, while Low at 131 FPS maximizes frame rates. Ultra at 79 FPS remains playable but approaches the threshold where frame pacing becomes more noticeable during intense combat sequences.

At 3840x2160, the recommended settings shift toward lower presets. Medium at 62 FPS average with a minimum of 52 FPS provides the best playable experience, staying close to the 60 FPS target while maintaining acceptable visual quality. Low at 71 FPS offers a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS but with reduced visual fidelity. High at 52 FPS and Ultra at 43 FPS fall below the smoothness threshold and are not recommended for competitive play, though they may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration.

The data indicates that the Medium preset provides the most consistent frame delivery across all resolutions when considering the minimum FPS values. At 1080p, Medium shows a minimum of 150 FPS and maximum of 203 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 97 to 131 FPS. At 4K, the range is 52 to 71 FPS. This consistency suggests that Medium avoids the extreme frame time spikes that can occur at higher settings while maintaining better visual quality than Low.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the system produces the following average frame rates across presets: Low at 71 FPS, Medium at 62 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and maximum of 71 FPS, High at 52 FPS, and Ultra at 43 FPS. The Medium preset provides the only complete frame range data at this resolution, showing a spread of 19 FPS between minimum and maximum.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are: Low at 131 FPS, Medium at 114 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS and maximum of 131 FPS, High at 96 FPS, and Ultra at 79 FPS. The Medium preset again provides the full range, with a spread of 34 FPS between minimum and maximum values.

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are: Low at 202 FPS, Medium at 176 FPS with a minimum of 150 FPS and maximum of 203 FPS, High at 149 FPS, and Ultra at 122 FPS. The Medium preset shows a spread of 53 FPS between its minimum and maximum values, indicating the widest frame time variance across all tested configurations.

The frame ranges for Medium settings scale consistently with resolution. The 1080p range spans from 150 to 203 FPS, the 1440p range from 97 to 131 FPS, and the 4K range from 52 to 71 FPS. These ranges represent approximately 35 percent of the average value at each resolution, suggesting that frame time variance scales proportionally with the rendering load. The minimum FPS values remain within 15 percent of the average across all resolutions, indicating stable frame delivery without severe stuttering events.

The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution follows a consistent pattern. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 80 FPS (202 to 122). At 1440p, the drop is 52 FPS (131 to 79). At 4K, the drop is 28 FPS (71 to 43). This diminishing absolute difference at higher resolutions reflects the GPU becoming increasingly pixel-bound, where quality setting changes have less absolute impact on frame rate than resolution changes.