Doom

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT in Doom produces a dataset that clearly illustrates the shifting balance between CPU and GPU responsibility as resolution increases. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the three standard resolutions reveal a system that is exceptionally capable at 1080p, increasingly GPU-bound at 1440p, and struggling to maintain high refresh rates at 4K. This analysis breaks down the specific performance metrics, the role of the hardware components, and how this configuration ranks against the broader field of tested combos.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is the defining characteristic of this combo, with the data showing a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 137.9 at 1080p to 91.8 at 1440p, a reduction of 46.1 FPS, before plummeting to 48.6 at 4K. This trajectory indicates that while the 1440p result remains highly playable, the transition to 4K represents a severe performance cliff, with the frame rate nearly halving from the 1440p figure. The scaling factor from 1440p to 4K is 0.53, demonstrating that the GPU’s rendering workload at 4K is overwhelming for the Radeon RX 5700 XT.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is likely not fully GPU-limited, as the substantial frame rates across all settings imply headroom that the CPU can feed. However, as resolution climbs, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. This is particularly evident when comparing the Low settings results: the 1080p Low average of 192.1 FPS drops to 122.9 at 1440p and then to 63.3 at 4K. The proportional drop from 1440p to 4K is roughly 48%, which is a strong indicator that the rendering pipeline, rather than the processor, is the limiting component. The Core i5-12400, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides sufficient computational power to avoid being the primary constraint at higher resolutions, where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth of the GPU become the deciding factors.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, which further points to GPU limitation. At 1080p, the difference between Low (192.1 FPS) and Ultra (114.1 FPS) is 78 FPS. At 4K, this difference shrinks to 23.8 FPS (63.3 vs 39.5). This compression of the settings-based performance delta at higher resolutions is a textbook sign that the GPU is saturated; when the GPU is the bottleneck, reducing graphical fidelity has a diminishing impact on FPS because the underlying hardware is already working at its maximum capacity to process the increased pixel count.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is the dominant factor in this configuration’s performance, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured results. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the higher memory pressure and bandwidth demands likely contribute to the significant FPS drop. The GPU’s boost clock of 1905 MHz and base clock of 1605 MHz, built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with a 7 nm process, deliver a peak FP32 performance of 9.754 TFLOPS. This raw compute power is what drives the strong 1440p results but proves inadequate for the 4K Ultra preset’s demands, which only yields 39.5 FPS.

The GPU’s role is further illuminated by the performance scaling between settings. At 4K, moving from Low (63.3 FPS) to Medium (60 FPS) results in a negligible 3.3 FPS penalty, while moving from High (48.6 FPS) to Ultra (39.5 FPS) incurs a more substantial 9.1 FPS drop. This suggests that the GPU’s shading units and texture processors are handling the lower-tier presets with relative ease, but the Ultra preset’s additional effects and geometry push the architecture to its limits. The pixel rate of 121.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 304.8 GTexel/s are the theoretical ceilings, and the benchmark results indicate that at 4K Ultra, the card is operating very close to these limits, resulting in sub-60 FPS performance.

The data shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p, where even the Ultra preset achieves 114.1 FPS, indicating that the CPU and memory subsystem can keep the GPU fed with work. However, the 4K results confirm that the RX 5700 XT is fundamentally a 1440p-class card for this title. The substantial drop in performance when moving to 3840x2160, regardless of settings, underscores that the GPU’s 8 GB frame buffer and compute throughput are the primary barriers to higher resolution play. The 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is a high figure, but the sheer number of pixels at 4K requires more processing power than the 2560 shading units can efficiently deliver.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation, as the 114.1 FPS average provides a smooth and highly responsive experience that fully utilizes the GPU’s capabilities without any compromise in visual fidelity. The High preset at 137.9 FPS is also viable for users with higher refresh rate monitors, but the visual improvement from High to Ultra is often worth the 23.8 FPS cost, given that both remain above the 100 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the data suggests that the High preset offers the best balance, with an average of 91.8 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS standard and provides a high-quality image. The Ultra preset drops to 75.4 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant 16.4 FPS reduction for the extra effects. The Medium preset at 109.3 FPS and Low at 122.9 FPS are options for those prioritizing maximum frame rates, but the High preset appears to be the sweet spot, delivering strong performance without the stark visual compromises of the lower tiers.

For 3840x2160, the recommendation is more complex. The Low preset, at 63.3 FPS, is the only setting that consistently breaks the 60 FPS barrier, making it the only viable option for smooth 4K play. The Medium preset at 60 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 48.6 FPS and Ultra at 39.5 FPS are too demanding for a consistent experience. Therefore, users targeting 4K should use the Low preset to maintain playability, while those prioritizing visual quality should consider reducing the resolution to 1440p, where the High preset offers a vastly superior experience. The data clearly shows that this combo is not suited for high-fidelity 4K gaming, and the settings should be adjusted accordingly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average FPS values provides a detailed view of the combo’s behavior. At 1920x1080, the results are consistently high: Low delivers 192.1 FPS, Medium delivers 165.8 FPS, High delivers 137.9 FPS, and Ultra delivers 114.1 FPS. This range shows that the system can easily handle high refresh rate gaming at this resolution, with even the most demanding preset exceeding 110 FPS. The performance scaling is nearly linear, with each step up in settings costing roughly 20-30 FPS, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom.

Moving to 2560x1440, the FPS figures remain strong but show the expected decline. Low produces 122.9 FPS, Medium produces 109.3 FPS, High produces 91.8 FPS, and Ultra produces 75.4 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p is consistent, averaging around a 35-40% reduction across the settings. This resolution is where the GPU starts to feel the pressure, but the results are still very playable, with the bottom-tier Ultra preset staying above 75 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit, revealing the GPU’s limitations. Low yields 63.3 FPS, Medium yields 60 FPS, High yields 48.6 FPS, and Ultra yields 39.5 FPS. The gap between the 1440p and 4K results is stark, with the High preset dropping from 91.8 FPS to 48.6 FPS, a 43.2 FPS decrease. The data shows that the combo is only capable of a smooth 4K experience on the Low preset, and even then, the margin over 60 FPS is slim. The Ultra preset’s 39.5 FPS result is well below the standard for comfortable gameplay, confirming that 4K Ultra is not a feasible option for this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Core i5-12400 and Radeon RX 5700 XT holds a rank of 1258 out of 1681 combos for Doom. This places it in the lower half of all tested systems, indicating that while it is not a weak performer, it is outclassed by a significant number of other configurations. The rank reflects the overall performance across the measured resolutions and settings, and the 4K results likely drag down the overall standing. The combo’s percentile rank, when considering all CPUs, is 77, and for all GPUs it is 68, suggesting that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-9700 with a delta of 0.1% and the Intel Core i7-8700 with a delta of -0.2%, indicating that the i5-12400’s processing power is on par with these older i7 parts. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile with a delta of -0.1% and the Intel Arc A350M with a delta of 0.3%, showing that the RX 5700 XT sits in a competitive performance band with these mobile and entry-level desktop parts. The rank of 1258, combined with these rival comparisons, suggests that the combo is a mid-range performer that excels at 1080p and 1440p but falls short at 4K, which is the primary reason for its lower overall position. The data indicates that the system’s performance is solid for its class, but it is not among the top-tier configurations for this game.