Doom

# Doom — Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB

This combination of a 6-core, 12-thread Intel Core i5-11400F and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Doom. The measured data shows a clear pattern: performance scales strongly with resolution, dropping from a smooth 136 FPS at 1080p Low to a marginal 29 FPS at 4K Ultra. The combo ranks 3255 out of 3712 tested configurations, placing it in the lower 12th percentile of all tested combos, which suggests this pairing is better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming rather than 4K. The RTX 3050's 4 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus appear to be the primary limiting factors at higher resolutions and settings, while the i5-11400F's 6 cores and 12 threads provide ample CPU headroom across all tested scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a dramatic performance drop as resolution increases, indicating that the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck at higher pixel counts. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 136 FPS, but stepping up to 1440p Low reduces this to 88 FPS — a 35% decrease. Moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low further drops performance to 48 FPS, another 45% reduction. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-limited scenario where the RTX 3050's 192.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 4 GB frame buffer cannot keep pace with the increasing pixel workload.

At Ultra settings, the resolution scaling becomes even more pronounced. The combo delivers 82 FPS at 1080p Ultra, dropping to 53 FPS at 1440p Ultra (a 35% decrease), and finally to 29 FPS at 4K Ultra (a 45% drop from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 29 FPS falls below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered minimum for playable frame rates, suggesting that this resolution and settings combination is not viable for smooth gameplay.

The data indicates that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p to the GPU at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the i5-11400F's 6 cores and 12 threads, boosted by a 4.40 GHz clock, can feed frames quickly enough to reach 136 FPS on Low settings. However, at 4K, the RTX 3050's pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s become the constraining factors. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution also widens as resolution increases, further confirming GPU-bound behavior at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB plays a pivotal role in this combo's performance profile. With 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, the GPU provides 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's base clock of 1545 MHz and boost clock of 1740 MHz drive 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. These specifications translate to 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is modest by modern standards but adequate for a game like Doom at lower resolutions.

The 4 GB VRAM capacity is likely the key constraint at 4K resolution. The measured data shows that 4K High averages 35 FPS, while 4K Medium averages 41 FPS, and 4K Low reaches 48 FPS. The relatively small gap between High and Ultra at 4K (35 vs 29 FPS) suggests that texture memory pressure is severe at this resolution. The 4 GB frame buffer may be insufficient for Ultra settings at 4K, forcing the GPU to swap data more frequently and reducing effective throughput.

At 1080p, the GPU's capabilities are better matched to the workload. The card's 55.68 GPixel/s pixel rate allows it to fill frames at 136 FPS on Low settings, and even at Ultra, it maintains 82 FPS. The RTX 3050's 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores are present but do not appear to provide significant benefit in this non-ray-traced title, as the performance scaling is consistent with traditional rasterization workloads.

The GPU's 90 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are consistent with its mid-range positioning. The data shows that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance at 1440p and 4K, while at 1080p, the system achieves frame rates that could be limited by either component depending on the settings preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1080p, all four presets deliver playable frame rates, but the Medium preset stands out as the best balance. Medium averages 118 FPS with a minimum of 100 FPS and maximum of 136 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining visual quality. The jump from Medium to High costs 18 FPS (118 to 100), while the jump from Medium to Ultra costs 36 FPS (118 to 82). Given that the min FPS at Medium is 100, this preset ensures smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much detail.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again offers the best experience, averaging 77 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS and maximum of 88 FPS. The High preset drops to 65 FPS average, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 53 FPS, which may feel less responsive on high-refresh-rate displays. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 88 FPS, but the visual fidelity loss may not be worth the 11 FPS gain over Medium.

At 4K, none of the presets deliver truly smooth gameplay. The Low preset averages 48 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced FPS action. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS, and the High preset drops to 35 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 29 FPS is below the playability threshold. For 4K gaming, the Low preset provides the best balance of playability and visual quality, though users should expect occasional frame rate dips.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this combo?

A: The measured data shows 1080p delivers the highest frame rates, with Low averaging 136 FPS, Medium 118 FPS, High 100 FPS, and Ultra 82 FPS. At 1440p, frame rates range from 53 to 88 FPS depending on settings. 4K performance ranges from 29 to 48 FPS, with only Low settings approaching playability.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: The data indicates 4K performance is marginal. The best 4K result is 48 FPS at Low settings, while Ultra averages only 29 FPS. For a smooth experience, 1080p or 1440p are more appropriate resolutions for this pairing.

Q: How does the RTX 3050's 4 GB VRAM affect performance?

A: The 4 GB VRAM appears to be a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is only 6 FPS (35 vs 29), suggesting memory pressure limits the benefit of higher settings. At 1080p, the VRAM is sufficient for all presets.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Medium averages 77 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS, while High averages 65 FPS. The 12 FPS difference represents a 15% performance loss for the higher visual quality preset.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F sufficient for this game?

A: The i5-11400F provides 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 136 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

Q: Which settings preset should I choose for the smoothest experience?

A: For 1080p, Medium offers 118 FPS average with a 100 FPS minimum. For 1440p, Medium also provides the best balance at 77 FPS average. At 4K, Low is the only preset that stays above 45 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

This combo ranks 3255 out of 3712 tested configurations in Doom, placing it in the lower 12% of all tested combos. This ranking reflects the RTX 3050's mid-range positioning — the card sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs tested, and this game's performance aligns with that percentile placement. The i5-11400F ranks at the 71st percentile among all CPUs, indicating that the processor is comparatively stronger than the graphics card in this pairing.

The rank suggests that while this combo is capable of playing Doom at 1080p with high frame rates, it is outclassed by the majority of tested configurations for higher resolutions. The 88% of combos that rank above this one likely feature more powerful GPUs that can maintain playable frame rates at 1440p and 4K. However, for 1080p gaming, this combo's performance is respectable, as evidenced by the 136 FPS result at Low settings.

The disparity between the CPU's 71st percentile ranking and the combo's 12th percentile ranking in Doom indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor. Users considering this combo should prioritize the graphics card when planning for future upgrades, as the i5-11400F has more headroom for additional GPU performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F contributes 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Rocket Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process. With a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, the processor delivers solid single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2024 and Geekbench single-core score of 1777. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate data throughput for gaming workloads.

In Doom, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU across most tested configurations. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 136 FPS, suggesting the CPU can handle the game's frame generation at this resolution. However, the lack of frame rate data at higher resolutions where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck indicates that CPU performance is sufficient. The processor's 3DMark 16-thread score of 5619 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 demonstrate strong multi-threaded capabilities, but Doom's engine likely doesn't fully utilize all 12 threads.

The i5-11400F's 65 W TDP and 14 nm process node are modest by current standards, but the processor's performance in this game is adequate. The nearest rival comparisons show the i5-11400F performing within 0.6% of the AMD EPYC 7H12 and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, and within 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-12450H. This indicates consistent CPU performance that is not a limiting factor in Doom at the tested resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 136 FPS average
• Medium: 118 FPS average, 100 FPS minimum, 136 FPS maximum
• High: 100 FPS average
• Ultra: 82 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 88 FPS average
• Medium: 77 FPS average, 65 FPS minimum, 88 FPS maximum
• High: 65 FPS average
• Ultra: 53 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 48 FPS average
• Medium: 41 FPS average, 35 FPS minimum, 48 FPS maximum
• High: 35 FPS average
• Ultra: 29 FPS average

The data reveals consistent scaling patterns. From Low to Ultra at each resolution, the frame rate drops by approximately 40-45%. From 1080p to 4K at the same settings, the frame rate drops by approximately 64-65%. The Medium preset consistently provides the best balance of minimum and average frame rates, with the minimum FPS matching the average of the next higher preset at each resolution. Specifically, 1080p Medium's 100 FPS minimum equals 1440p High's 65 FPS average, and 1440p Medium's 65 FPS minimum equals 4K High's 35 FPS average. This suggests that the Medium preset offers the most stable frame pacing relative to its performance tier.