Doom

The Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT pairing delivers a robust experience in Doom, with benchmark data showing a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, indicating the GPU has ample headroom, but the scaling curve to 4K reveals the RDNA 3.0 card becoming the primary limiting factor. The measured data shows a 59.9 FPS average at 4K Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but only barely, suggesting that the visual ceiling for this combo is at 1440p for high-refresh-rate monitors. The consistent performance drop from Low to Ultra settings at every resolution confirms the GPU is doing the heavy lifting, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures it stays out of the way even at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 follows a predictable pattern governed by pixel count and GPU load. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces 167.1 FPS, but dropping the resolution to 1440p Ultra only yields 110.6 FPS, a reduction of approximately 34%. Pushing to 4K Ultra, the average plummets to 59.9 FPS, which is a 64% drop from the 1080p figure. This significant scaling indicates that the RX 7800 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily as the render resolution increases, with the GPU's 37.32 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power becoming the decisive factor.

Looking at the Low settings across resolutions, the trend is more revealing. At 1080p Low, the system hits 283.5 FPS, which is an extraordinarily high ceiling. At 1440p Low, it drops to 182 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 97.9 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is a 65% reduction, which nearly mirrors the drop at Ultra settings. This consistency suggests that even at the lowest fidelity, the GPU's pixel throughput is the limiting factor, not the CPU. The i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads at a 4.40 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the GPU at all resolutions, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low where CPU overhead would typically be most apparent.

The delta between Medium and High settings is relatively small. At 1440p, Medium yields 161.6 FPS while High delivers 132.1 FPS, a difference of about 18%. At 4K, the gap narrows to 15% (87.3 vs 71.7 FPS). This suggests the game's rendering pipeline scales well with the GPU's 240 TMUs and 96 ROPs, but the 4K Ultra preset introduces effects that disproportionately impact performance, pushing the average below the 60 FPS mark.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7800 XT, built on the 5 nm Navi 32 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, demonstrates its capabilities through the measured results. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Doom, even at 4K Ultra, as the game does not appear to hit a memory capacity wall. The 256-bit memory bus with 19.5 Gbps effective speed provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for the texture-heavy environments of this title. The boost clock of 2430 MHz and game clock of 2124 MHz are the performance drivers, with the card's 60 RT cores not being utilized in this non-ray-traced title, allowing the 3840 shading units to work at full capacity.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is telling. The benchmark data shows the RX 7800 XT with an average score of 32619, placing it 0.2% ahead of the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (32540) and 0.4% behind the NVIDIA P104-100 (32747). This narrow margin indicates that the card sits in a competitive performance tier, but its real-world advantage in Doom comes from the architecture's efficiency. The 78th percentile ranking among all GPUs highlights that this is a capable mainstream-to-high-end part, and the measured FPS in Doom aligns with that positioning.

At 1080p High, the card pushes 209.7 FPS, which is 25% higher than the 4K High result of 71.7 FPS. This scaling demonstrates that the GPU's compute units are fully utilized at higher resolutions, with the 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate being the constraint at 4K. The card's TDP of 263 W and dual-slot design are the physical requirements for this performance level, but the benchmark data shows no thermal throttling impact on the frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 provides the foundation for this combo, and its role becomes clearer when examining the frame rate data. With 6 cores and 12 threads, the Alder Lake-S architecture running at a 2.50 GHz base clock and 4.40 GHz boost clock delivers strong single-thread performance. The CPU's benchmark scores support this: a 3dmark single-thread score of 910 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249. These figures are crucial for Doom, a game that relies heavily on a few primary threads for game logic and rendering commands.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is tight. Its average benchmark score of 19850 places it 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831) and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K (19771). This narrow margin in synthetic benchmarks translates to real-world parity in gaming, where the i5-12400's L3 cache of 18 MB shared and DDR4/DDR5 memory support ensure it never becomes a bottleneck in Doom. The 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its position as a solid mid-range performer.

The evidence of CPU headroom is visible in the frame rate deltas between settings. At 1080p, the jump from Ultra (167.1 FPS) to Low (283.5 FPS) is a 70% increase, which is a massive range. If the CPU were the limiting factor, this range would be much narrower. The fact that the GPU can nearly double its output when settings are lowered indicates the i5-12400 can feed frames far beyond what the RX 7800 XT can render at higher quality presets. The 3dmark 16-thread score of 5873 and passmark multithread score of 18747 show the CPU has sufficient multi-threaded capacity for background tasks while gaming, but the single-thread performance is what matters most here.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 283.5 FPS, Medium drops to 243.7 FPS, High achieves 209.7 FPS, and Ultra still manages 167.1 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is well within the GPU's comfort zone, and any modern high-refresh-rate monitor (144Hz or above) can be fully utilized at any preset. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 41% reduction, which is a typical cost for the visual fidelity improvements.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU starting to work harder. Low settings hit 182 FPS, Medium produces 161.6 FPS, High delivers 132.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 110.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 39%, similar to 1080p, but the absolute numbers suggest that 1440p is the sweet spot for high-refresh gaming. Even at Ultra, the system stays well above the 100 FPS mark, providing a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings yield 97.9 FPS, Medium drops to 87.3 FPS, High falls to 71.7 FPS, and Ultra barely maintains 59.9 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is 39%, consistent with lower resolutions, but the absolute values show that 4K Ultra is the only preset that dips below the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K gaming, users should consider Medium or High settings to maintain a comfortable frame rate buffer. The data suggests that 4K is viable for this combo, but with careful settings management.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 629th out of 1681 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the 63rd percentile of all system pairings. This ranking is respectable but not top-tier, reflecting the balanced nature of these components. The GPU's 76th percentile ranking (32619 average score) is slightly higher than the CPU's 77th percentile (19850 average score), indicating a well-matched pairing where neither component dramatically outclasses the other.

In the context of the measured frame rates, this ranking makes sense. The combo excels at 1080p and 1440p, where it can push frame rates that rival much more expensive systems. The 4K performance, while playable, is not class-leading, which is consistent with its mid-pack ranking. The system's synthetic benchmark scores show that both components are evenly matched, with the GPU's 0.2% lead over the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 and the CPU's 0.1% lead over the Core i7-9700 highlighting the competitive tier this combo occupies. For Doom specifically, the data indicates that this pairing delivers a strong 1440p experience and a serviceable 4K experience, making it a versatile choice for various monitor setups.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 59.9, which is just below the 60 FPS target. Dropping to High raises it to 71.7 FPS, and Medium achieves 87.3 FPS, making 4K playable with settings adjustments.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831) and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-11600K (19771).

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh-rate monitors with this combo?

A: At 1440p, the system achieves 132.1 FPS on High settings and 161.6 FPS on Medium, making it ideal for 144Hz monitors. At 1080p, all settings exceed 167 FPS, which covers 165Hz and even some 240Hz displays.

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

A: The RX 7800 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for Doom at any resolution, as the benchmark data shows no memory-related performance drops.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The GPU ranks in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32619. This places it 0.2% ahead of the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 and 0.4% behind the NVIDIA P104-100.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 283.5 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed frames far beyond what the GPU can render. The CPU's single-thread score of 910 in 3dmark confirms it is not a limiting factor.