Doom

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT delivers a high-refresh-rate 1080p experience in Doom, with the data showing a clear transition from GPU-bound performance at 4K to a more balanced load at lower resolutions. Across all measured settings, this combination ranks 2660th out of 3712 tested combos in the database, placing it in the lower portion of the distribution while still producing playable frame rates at every resolution tested.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases, which is typical for a fast-paced FPS where fill rate dominates. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo averages 192 FPS, which drops to 124 FPS at 1440p and further to 67 FPS at 4K — a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K at the same Low preset. This scaling pattern indicates that the RX 6600 XT’s 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 2048 shading units become the limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep across all settings. At High settings, 1440p produces 91 FPS while 4K drops to 49 FPS, a 46% decline. At Ultra, the drop is from 75 FPS at 1440p to 40 FPS at 4K, representing a 47% reduction. These consistent percentage drops across presets suggest the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, with the i5-12400’s six cores providing sufficient headroom even at the highest resolution.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, Low (192 FPS) outperforms Ultra (115 FPS) by 67 FPS, while at 4K, the difference shrinks to 27 FPS (67 vs 40). This compression indicates that at 4K, pixel throughput limits performance regardless of graphical complexity, whereas at 1080p, the settings choices have a more pronounced impact on frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo in Doom?

A: The highest measured average is 192 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p reaches 167 FPS, while High and Ultra produce 141 FPS and 115 FPS respectively.

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

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. The data shows 67 FPS at 4K Low and 59 FPS at 4K Medium. At 4K High, the average drops to 49 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 40 FPS, which may feel less fluid for a fast-paced shooter.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 24442, placing it 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24277) and 0.8% ahead of the GTX 780 Ti (24236). It trails the Intel Arc A350M by 0.8%, which scores 24647.

Q: What frame times are recorded at Medium settings?

A: At Medium, the minimum FPS values are 142 at 1080p, 92 at 1440p, and 50 at 4K. The maximum FPS values are 192 at 1080p, 124 at 1440p, and 67 at 4K, matching the Low preset averages at those resolutions.

Q: Is the i5-12400 a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The data suggests the CPU keeps pace at all tested resolutions. The 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and multi-thread score of 5890 indicate sufficient headroom, as FPS scales consistently with resolution and settings rather than showing CPU-limited plateaus.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-12400’s average benchmark score of 18683 is 0.1% below the AMD EPYC 7643 (18697) and 0.3% below the Intel Core i7-1355U (18730). It outperforms the Intel Core i3-14100F by 0.9%, which scores 18519.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT serves as the primary performance driver in this configuration, with its RDNA 2.0 architecture and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock of 2589 MHz and game clock of 2359 MHz translate directly into the measured frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the card’s 10.60 TFLOPS of FP32 compute can be fully utilized.

The memory configuration is adequate for Doom’s demands at the tested settings. The 8 GB capacity and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth support the 192 FPS peak at 1080p Low, but the 128-bit bus width becomes a constraint at 4K, where the 49 FPS average at High settings reflects the bandwidth pressure from higher pixel counts. The pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings that align with the observed scaling.

Synthetic benchmarks corroborate the card’s positioning. The PassMark G3D score of 16461 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1804 place the RX 6600 XT in the 70th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, scores 24170 in average benchmarks — just 1.1% behind — indicating that this card holds its own against older high-end offerings despite its mainstream positioning.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its strongest performance. Low settings produce a 192 FPS average, Medium hits 167 FPS (min 142, max 192), High reaches 141 FPS, and Ultra settles at 115 FPS. All presets exceed the 100 FPS threshold, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain competitive. Low averages 124 FPS, Medium 108 FPS (min 92, max 124), High 91 FPS, and Ultra 75 FPS. The drop from 1080p is roughly 35-40% across presets, consistent with the increased pixel count of 77% more pixels.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes more modest. Low averages 67 FPS, Medium 59 FPS (min 50, max 67), High 49 FPS, and Ultra 40 FPS. These numbers are playable but fall short of the high-refresh-rate experience available at lower resolutions. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 50 indicates occasional dips below the 60 FPS target, while the max of 67 matches the Low preset’s average, showing the preset’s overhead costs roughly 12% performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of i5-12400 and RX 6600 XT ranks 2660th out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 71.6th percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the pairing — neither component is a top-tier part, but together they deliver competent performance across all tested settings.

The CPU’s percentile of 72 against all CPUs and the GPU’s percentile of 70 against all GPUs are nearly identical, suggesting a well-matched pairing without significant imbalance. The CPU’s nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7643, scores nearly identically (18697 vs 18683), while the GPU’s nearest rival, the GTX 1630, is within 0.7% — indicating that small component variations would yield similar in-game results.

This mid-pack ranking is expected for a mainstream 6-core CPU and upper-midrange GPU combination. The data shows no anomalous results; the measured FPS aligns with what the component benchmarks predict, confirming the setup behaves predictably in Doom’s engine.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides the processing foundation with six cores and twelve threads running at a 2.50 GHz base clock and 4.40 GHz boost clock. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core support the game’s physics and AI workloads, though Doom’s Vulkan-based engine is primarily GPU-bound at the tested settings.

Synthetic benchmarks show the processor is well-suited for gaming. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989 and single-core score of 2257 indicate strong per-thread performance, which matters for game engines that rely on a few primary threads. The PassMark single-thread score of 3456 and multi-thread score of 18747 further confirm the CPU’s capability.

The CPU’s 65 W TDP and Alder Lake architecture with 10 nm process node provide efficient operation, though the integrated UHD Graphics 730 is irrelevant for this discrete GPU configuration. The 3DMark scores — 5873 for 16 threads, 910 for single-thread — show scaling that keeps pace with the GPU at 1080p, where the 192 FPS Low result approaches the limits of what the CPU can feed.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p displays, the High preset at 141 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, comfortably exceeding 120 FPS for smooth gameplay. Gamers prioritizing maximum frame rates should select Low at 192 FPS, while those wanting the best visuals can still achieve 115 FPS at Ultra — all three presets deliver excellent experiences.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 108 FPS (min 92, max 124) is the recommended choice, providing smooth gameplay with room for occasional spikes. High at 91 FPS remains viable for those preferring visual fidelity, but the 92 FPS minimum at Medium ensures fewer noticeable dips during intense combat sequences.

For 4K, the Low preset at 67 FPS is the only setting that consistently maintains playable frame rates. Medium at 59 FPS (min 50) risks dropping below 60 FPS, while High at 49 FPS and Ultra at 40 FPS are best reserved for slower-paced sections or screenshot purposes. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming with this combo requires accepting lower graphical settings to maintain acceptable fluidity in Doom’s fast-paced action.