Doom

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Doom, though the data reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the CPU is doing the heavy lifting; at 4K, the GPU takes over. This is a pairing that scales predictably, making it a solid foundation for high-refresh-rate 1440p play, though it demands careful settings management to hit the highest refresh rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta between 1080p and 4K is substantial, indicating a healthy balance where neither component is drastically underpowered for the other. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 217.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 143.5 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 34%. The jump to 3840x2160 brings the average down to 73.7 FPS, which is a further 49% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline at 4K clearly shows the Radeon RX 9070 becoming the limiting factor, as pixel throughput demands outpace what the CPU needs to feed the GPU.

Looking at the Low preset, the pattern is even more pronounced. The system achieves 298 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 193.5 FPS at 1440p and then falls to 102.6 FPS at 4K. The fact that the 1080p Low result is so high suggests the CPU is capable of pushing far beyond 300 FPS in this title when given less work to do. The 4K Low result is still over 100 FPS, proving that the RX 9070’s raw compute is strong enough to handle the resolution, but the scaling from 1440p to 4K remains the steepest cliff, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of this resolution.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story but with lower absolute numbers. The 1080p Ultra average of 178.8 FPS is still excellent, but the 4K Ultra figure drops to 64.3 FPS. The gap between Medium and Ultra at 4K is only 25.1 FPS (89.4 vs 64.3), while at 1080p the gap is 82.1 FPS (260.9 vs 178.8). This compression of frame rates at higher resolutions is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck, where the cost of each pixel becomes so high that settings differences have a smaller relative impact on the final FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this combination at rank 544 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This puts it in the upper third of all system configurations, which is a strong result for a mid-range CPU paired with a upper-mid-range GPU. The percentile position suggests that while it is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, it outperforms a significant majority of systems tested in this specific game. This ranking is particularly meaningful because Doom is an older title known for its scalability, meaning the rank reflects the pair’s ability to push high frame rates rather than just avoid low ones.

The CPU’s individual performance is a key contributor to this ranking. The Intel Core i5-12400F sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19221. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-8700K and the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS, with the i5-12400F performing within 0.1% to 0.7% of these chips. This indicates the processor is punching above its weight, offering performance comparable to older high-end models. The GPU’s percentile is similar at 79, with an average score of 34780, placing it near the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 in raw performance. Both components are well-matched in their relative standing, which explains why the combo ranks as high as it does.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the clear driver of 4K performance in this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card has a 644.6 GB/s bandwidth, which is ample for Doom’s textures at any resolution. The memory clock is listed at 2518 MHz, and the boost clock is 2520 MHz. These specifications allow the card to maintain high frame rates even at the 4K Ultra preset, where it still manages an average of 64.3 FPS. The 128 ROPs and 224 TMUs ensure that pixel fill rate and texture filtering are not bottlenecks, which is critical for a fast-paced FPS.

The GPU’s benchmark scores corroborate its gaming performance. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290 and the Passmark G3D score of 25381 show a card that is capable in modern APIs. The Vulkan score of 165532 in Geekbench is particularly relevant for Doom, as the game uses the Vulkan API. The card’s compute performance, evidenced by the 14737 Passmark GPU Compute score, suggests it has headroom for more demanding titles. The fact that the 4K Low preset hits 102.6 FPS while the 4K High preset hits 73.7 FPS shows that the GPU has enough raw power to offer flexibility, but the Ultra preset’s 64.3 FPS indicates that the most demanding settings will push the card to its limits at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system operates in CPU-bound territory. The Low preset produces an average of 298 FPS, while Medium drops to 260.9 FPS and High to 217.8 FPS. The Ultra preset still manages 178.8 FPS. The differences between settings are significant, showing that the CPU can feed the GPU fast enough to see clear scaling. The 1080p performance is so high that it will exceed the refresh rate of most monitors, making this resolution ideal for competitive play or for users with 240Hz displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the system remains highly capable. The Low preset averages 193.5 FPS, which is still above the refresh rate of most 1440p high-refresh monitors. Medium produces 168.6 FPS, High produces 143.5 FPS, and Ultra produces 113.8 FPS. This resolution offers the best balance for the combo, as all presets except Ultra are well above the 144Hz threshold, and even Ultra stays above 100 FPS. The 1440p High result of 143.5 FPS is nearly perfect for a 144Hz display.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary limiter. The Low preset averages 102.6 FPS, which is playable but requires turning down settings for a smooth experience. Medium drops to 89.4 FPS, High to 73.7 FPS, and Ultra to 64.3 FPS. The data shows that for a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, the High preset is the maximum you can use, while Ultra will result in occasional dips below 60 FPS depending on the scene. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 38.3 FPS difference, which is much smaller than the 119.2 FPS difference seen at 1080p, confirming the GPU bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19221. In Doom, its role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2332 indicate strong single-core performance, which is crucial for a game engine that is not heavily multi-threaded.

The processor’s multi-threaded performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16518 and a Passmark Multithread score of 19433. This suggests the CPU will not stutter when background tasks are running. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache is a reasonable amount for a modern game. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the bottleneck, as the frame rates are high but scale with settings. However, the fact that the 1080p Low preset hits 298 FPS shows that the CPU’s limit is well above that number, meaning it is not a weak point in this system.

Comparing the i5-12400F to its nearest rivals, it is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-8700K, which has a delta of 0.1% in average score. This means the newer i5 offers similar performance to the older i7, which reflects its efficiency. The processor’s 65W TDP is remarkably low for the performance it delivers, making it easy to cool with a capable air cooler. The data indicates that the CPU is more than sufficient for Doom at any resolution, as it never appears to hold back the GPU at 1440p or 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For a 1440p display with a 144Hz refresh rate, the High preset is the optimal choice. The measured 143.5 FPS average at this setting is almost exactly at the refresh rate, providing a perfectly smooth experience without the performance cost of Ultra. If you prefer maximum visual fidelity and your monitor supports a slightly lower refresh rate, the Ultra preset at 113.8 FPS is still a very playable option, though you will be sacrificing some headroom.

For 4K gaming, the recommendation is to use the High preset. The 73.7 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS console standard, and it offers a significant visual improvement over the Medium preset’s 89.4 FPS. The Ultra preset’s 64.3 FPS is borderline, and the data suggests that the visual difference between High and Ultra may not justify the 9.4 FPS loss in performance. If you are sensitive to frame rate dips, the Medium preset at 89.4 FPS is a safer choice that still looks good.

For 1080p, any preset is viable. The Ultra preset’s 178.8 FPS is more than enough for a 165Hz monitor, and the High preset’s 217.8 FPS is ideal for 240Hz panels. The Low preset’s 298 FPS is only useful for extreme competitive play where every frame counts. The data shows that the system is so fast at this resolution that settings can be chosen purely on visual preference without worrying about hitting a playable frame rate. The sweet spot for most users will be the High preset, as it offers a balance of visual quality and performance that is future-proof for the next few years.