Doom

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 pairing delivers solid, playable performance in Doom, but the benchmark data clearly shows where its strengths and limitations lie. This combination ranks 1421st out of 1681 tested combos in this title, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database. The measured frame rates reveal a system that excels at 1080p and can handle 1440p with adjustments, but struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K. The following analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU contributions, resolution scaling, and the optimal settings for this specific hardware match-up.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400F brings 6 cores and 12 threads to the table, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture processor, built on Intel's 10 nm process, carries 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core. Its benchmark profile shows strong single-thread performance with a 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2332, which is important for Doom's engine that relies heavily on per-core efficiency.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are equally robust, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518 and a Passmark multithread score of 19433. The processor achieves an average benchmark score of 19221, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-8700K, scores 19210, showing the 12400F is essentially neck-and-neck with 0.1% separation. This parity in synthetic benchmarks translates directly to gaming performance, as Doom's frame pacing benefits from strong single-core throughput that both processors share.

In this game, the CPU's 12 threads provide sufficient headroom to feed the GTX 1070 at 1080p, where frame rates reach 158.4 FPS on Low settings. The data indicates the processor is not the bottleneck at these resolutions, as the GPU's workload scales more dramatically with settings changes. However, the 4.40 GHz boost clock becomes relevant at lower resolutions where the engine can push more frames per second, ensuring the CPU keeps up with the GPU's output demand without introducing stutter or frame-time spikes.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, based on the GP104 chip and Pascal architecture, provides 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clock runs at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective), with a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. The card's 1920 shading units and 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s, contributing to its 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power.

The GPU's benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 13498 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1082, placing it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 12331. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, scores 12241 (0.7% lower), while the GeForce GTX 880M scores 12490 (1.3% higher). These comparisons place the GTX 1070 in a performance tier that is clearly capable for 1080p gaming but shows its age at higher resolutions.

In Doom, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for all tested settings, even at 4K Ultra where the card manages 31.8 FPS. The memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s becomes a limiting factor at 4K, as the data shows a significant drop from 53.8 FPS on Low to 31.8 FPS on Ultra at that resolution. The boost clock of 1683 MHz helps maintain consistent frame delivery at 1440p, where the card achieves 77.4 FPS on High settings, demonstrating that the GPU's compute resources scale well with moderate resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of resolution-dependent performance that highlights the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this system. At 1080p High settings, the combo delivers 114.9 FPS, which drops to 77.4 FPS at 1440p High—a reduction of approximately 32.6%. Moving to 4K High, the frame rate falls to 39.2 FPS, representing a 65.9% drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates the GTX 1070's compute and memory bandwidth are stretched thin as pixel count increases.

The Low settings demonstrate the same scaling trend but from a higher starting point. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 158.4 FPS, while 1440p Low yields 103.5 FPS (a 34.7% drop), and 4K Low produces 53.8 FPS (a 66.0% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings confirms the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance headroom at lower resolutions does not compensate for the GPU's workload increase.

Ultra settings exacerbate the GPU bottleneck further. The 1080p Ultra result of 95 FPS falls to 59.7 FPS at 1440p (37.2% drop) and then to 31.8 FPS at 4K (66.5% drop from 1080p). The fact that the 4K Ultra frame rate drops below 30 FPS territory indicates the GTX 1070's 6.463 TFLOPS of compute power is insufficient for that resolution at maximum quality. The data suggests that users targeting 4K should stick to Low settings for playable frame rates, while 1440p offers a viable middle ground across all settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 1421st out of 1681 tested combinations in Doom, placing it in the bottom 15.4% of all systems in the database. This ranking reflects the GPU's age and mid-range positioning rather than a fundamental flaw in the pairing, as the CPU's 77th percentile standing is significantly higher than the GPU's 51st percentile. The imbalance between the i5-12400F's processing power and the GTX 1070's graphics capability means the system is heavily GPU-limited in this title.

The rank suggests that many alternative combinations, particularly those pairing newer mid-range GPUs or higher-tier Pascal cards with comparable CPUs, would outperform this setup. However, the measured results show that this combo still delivers acceptable performance for 1080p gaming, with all settings producing frame rates above 95 FPS. The ranking is more indicative of the competitive landscape than of poor absolute performance—the system sits in the lower quartile primarily because the GTX 1070 has been surpassed by multiple generations of graphics hardware.

For context, the CPU's nearest rivals—the i7-8700K, i5-1335U, Ryzen 5 7533HS, and EPYC 7773X—all show average scores within 1.3% of each other, confirming the 12400F is not the weak link. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rivals are all within 1.7% of the GTX 1070's score, reinforcing that this combo's rank is driven by the GPU's performance ceiling rather than any unusual pairing inefficiency.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For 1080p gaming, the High preset delivers the most balanced experience with 114.9 FPS, offering a significant visual improvement over Low's 158.4 FPS while maintaining a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 1080p produces 95 FPS, which is still highly playable and represents the best visual quality available at this resolution—the 19.9 FPS difference between High and Ultra is a reasonable trade-off for the graphical fidelity gain. Medium settings at 134.4 FPS provide a middle ground for users who prioritize frame rate above all else.

At 1440p, the High preset at 77.4 FPS is the recommended choice, as it sustains smooth gameplay on most displays while preserving visual detail. The Low preset at 103.5 FPS is viable for competitive play, but the visual downgrade is noticeable. Users should avoid Ultra at 1440p, as the 59.7 FPS result barely maintains 60 FPS and can dip below in demanding scenes. Medium at 89.3 FPS offers a comfortable alternative for those who want higher frame rates than High provides.

At 4K, the data strongly recommends the Low preset, which achieves 53.8 FPS—the only setting that approaches playable frame rates at this resolution. High at 39.2 FPS and Medium at 48.9 FPS are playable but with noticeable stutter, while Ultra at 31.8 FPS is not recommended for any serious gaming session. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K (22 FPS) reflects the GPU's memory bandwidth limitations at high pixel counts.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance across all settings. Low settings produce 158.4 FPS, Medium achieves 134.4 FPS, High reaches 114.9 FPS, and Ultra yields 95 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 63.4 FPS difference, with each settings tier costing roughly 20-25 FPS. These numbers confirm the GTX 1070 is well-suited for 1080p gaming in Doom, even at maximum quality settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop proportionally. Low settings maintain 103.5 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium produces 89.3 FPS, High achieves 77.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 59.7 FPS. The 1440p results show a tighter spread between settings compared to 1080p, indicating the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor at this resolution as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops become significant. Low settings yield 53.8 FPS, Medium achieves 48.9 FPS, High produces 39.2 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 31.8 FPS. The 4K results show a 22 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, but the absolute numbers are low across the board. The GTX 1070's 8 GB VRAM and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay in Doom, with only the Low preset approaching acceptable frame rates. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.