Doom

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 in Doom presents a classic case of GPU-limited performance at higher resolutions, while the CPU's capable six-core design ensures the frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the graphics card's workload. The measured data reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the GTX 1650's 4 GB GDDR5 memory and 128-bit bus becoming the primary constraint. At 1080p, the combo produces playable frame rates across all settings, but the transition to 1440p and 4K shows a steep decline that highlights the GPU's limits in this 2016 FPS title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 71.1 FPS, which falls to 42 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 21.7 FPS at 4K. This represents a 69.5% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a pattern consistent with a GPU that is being overwhelmed by pixel count. The data shows that the GTX 1650's 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are simply insufficient for 4K rendering in Doom, where even Low settings only manage 31.9 FPS.

The scaling between 1440p and 1080p is more moderate but still significant. Low settings at 1080p yield 93.1 FPS, while 1440p Low drops to 57.6 FPS, a 38.1% decrease. This suggests the GPU is still the limiting factor even at the lower resolution, though the CPU's 12 threads are capable of feeding the GPU adequately. The gap between Medium and High settings narrows as resolution increases—at 1080p the difference is 6.2 FPS (77.3 vs 71.1), but at 4K it shrinks to 6.8 FPS (28.5 vs 21.7), indicating that pixel fill rate becomes more dominant than shading complexity at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings reveal the GPU's absolute ceiling. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 57.4 FPS, which is still playable but noticeably lower than High. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 36.3 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it collapses to 18 FPS, which is effectively unplayable for a fast-paced FPS. The data indicates that the GTX 1650's 32 ROPs and 56 TMUs are insufficient for 4K Ultra, where the pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s becomes the binding constraint. The resolution scaling pattern confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p viable only at Low or Medium settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F brings six cores and twelve threads to the pairing, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Rocket Lake processor, built on Intel's 14 nm process, provides a solid foundation for Doom, which is known to scale well with multi-threaded CPUs. The CPU's benchmark scores support this: it achieves 14,372 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 5,652 in 3DMark max threads, placing it in the 75th percentile among all CPUs. In the context of Doom, the 11400F's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are more than adequate for the game's engine.

The benchmark results show that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this combination. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 93.1 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game, but the GPU still holds it back from higher frame rates. The CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 1,979 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 868, is sufficient to drive the GTX 1650 without creating a significant CPU bottleneck. The data suggests that the 11400F is overqualified for this GPU pairing, as evidenced by the 3DMark 16-thread score of 5,619 compared to the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 7,880.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U and Intel Core i7-1260P, both with average scores within 0.2% of the 11400F's 17,181 average. This indicates that the CPU is well-positioned among its peers, but its performance headroom is wasted in this configuration. The 65 W TDP and 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes provide a capable platform, but the GTX 1650's PCIe 3.0 x16 interface limits data transfer rates. In Doom, the CPU's role is to maintain consistent frame pacing, which it does effectively, but the GPU's 4 GB memory capacity becomes a more pressing concern at higher resolutions where texture data exceeds available VRAM.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable frame rate for this combo in Doom?

A: The highest average frame rate measured is 93.1 FPS at 1080p with Low settings, while 1080p High delivers 71.1 FPS and 1080p Medium achieves 77.3 FPS.

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

A: No. At 4K, the best result is 31.9 FPS with Low settings, and High settings drop to 21.7 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K produce only 18 FPS, which is not suitable for a fast-paced FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 8,713, placing it in the 43rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile, scores 8,746, just 0.4% higher, while the AMD Radeon 550X scores 8,749, also 0.4% higher.

Q: What is the CPU's performance ranking among all tested processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F ranks in the 75th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,181. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, scores 17,189, essentially identical.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low settings yield 93.1 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 57.4 FPS, a difference of 35.7 FPS. This is a 38.3% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Is 1440p viable for this combo in Doom?

A: Yes, but only with lower settings. At 1440p Low, the combo averages 57.6 FPS, and Medium settings achieve 54.9 FPS. High settings at 1440p drop to 42 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36.3 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates span three resolutions and four quality settings, providing a comprehensive view of the combo's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the results range from 93.1 FPS at Low to 57.4 FPS at Ultra. The progression is linear: Low (93.1), Medium (77.3), High (71.1), and Ultra (57.4). This 35.7 FPS spread between Low and Ultra demonstrates that the GTX 1650 has sufficient headroom at 1080p to deliver playable frame rates even at maximum quality, though the drop from High to Ultra is notable at 13.7 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates shift downward significantly. Low settings produce 57.6 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold but close to it. Medium settings achieve 54.9 FPS, High drops to 42 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 21.3 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but represents a larger percentage drop (63% reduction). This indicates that the GPU's fill rate is becoming a more significant factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable for a competitive FPS. Low settings average 31.9 FPS, Medium drops to 28.5 FPS, High falls to 21.7 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 18 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is only 13.9 FPS, showing that the GPU is severely constrained at 4K regardless of settings. The data shows that the GTX 1650's 4 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus cannot handle the bandwidth demands of 4K rendering in Doom, even at the lowest quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank in Doom is 1,628 out of 1,681 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 3.2% of all tested systems. This low ranking reflects the GTX 1650's position as an entry-level GPU—it sits in the 43rd percentile among all GPUs—rather than the CPU's capabilities. The Intel Core i5-11400F, in contrast, ranks in the 75th percentile among CPUs, indicating that the processor is far more capable than the graphics card in this pairing.

The ranking in Doom is particularly low because this game is optimized to run well on a wide range of hardware, meaning that many combos achieve high frame rates. The GTX 1650's limitations become more apparent in this context, as the game's 2016 engine does not place excessive demands on the CPU, allowing the GPU to become the sole bottleneck. The combo's performance at 1080p High (71.1 FPS) is respectable for the GPU's class, but the rank of 1,628 out of 1,681 shows that this configuration is near the bottom of the tested pool.

The delta between the CPU and GPU rankings highlights a significant imbalance. The CPU is capable of supporting a much stronger GPU, as evidenced by its 75th percentile ranking, but the GTX 1650's 43rd percentile ranking drags the overall combo performance down. In Doom specifically, the 4K results (21.7 FPS at High) and even 1440p Ultra (36.3 FPS) demonstrate that the GPU is the limiting factor. The measured data confirms that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it ranks near the bottom but still delivers playable frame rates across all settings.