Doom

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a highly playable experience in Doom, with the data showing a clear progression from exceptional frame rates at 1080p to more demanding conditions at 4K. The benchmark results indicate that this combination ranks in the 21st percentile of all tested combos for this title, placing it in the 2934th position out of 3712 total configurations. This analysis examines how the system scales across resolutions, where it stands among rivals, and what the measured FPS data reveals about the balance between the CPU and GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline provides insight into which component is the primary limiter. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 175 FPS, while dropping to 45 FPS at 4K with High settings—a reduction that clearly indicates the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher pixel counts. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a smaller percentage drop than the scaling from 1440p to 4K, which is consistent with a system where the RTX 2060 is increasingly strained as pixel count rises.

Looking at the Ultra preset specifically, the frame rate falls from 105 FPS at 1080p to 68 FPS at 1440p, then down to 37 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% reduction when moving from 1080p to 1440p, but a 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The steeper decline at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU’s 6 GB of VRAM and its memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s are being pushed harder as the rendering load increases. The RTX 2060’s boost clock of 1680 MHz and its 1920 shading units are sufficient for 1080p gaming, but the data shows that 4K Ultra exceeds what this card can comfortably deliver.

The CPU’s role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest. At 1080p Low, the 175 FPS figure suggests the i5-12400F with its 6 cores and 12 threads can keep up with the GPU’s output, but the fact that the score does not go higher indicates that the CPU may be nearing its limit in this scenario. The 4.40 GHz boost clock and 18 MB of shared L3 cache provide solid single-thread performance, as evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 909, which helps maintain high frame rates in a fast-paced FPS like Doom.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this configuration at 2934 out of 3712 tested combinations, which translates to roughly the 79th percentile from the bottom—meaning about 79% of all tested combos perform better in Doom. This ranking reflects the mid-range positioning of both components. The RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs based on average benchmark scores, while the i5-12400F achieves a 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs. The gap between these two percentile figures suggests that the GPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing for Doom.

When examining the nearest rivals for the RTX 2060, the data shows it performs nearly identically to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, with a deltaPct of 0%. The AMD Radeon 680M is 0.1% behind, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM trails by 0.6%, and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 is 0.8% behind. These tight margins indicate that the RTX 2060’s average benchmark score of 15290 places it in a competitive cluster, but for Doom specifically, the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (37 FPS) shows that this card is not designed for maximum settings at the highest resolution.

For the CPU, the i5-12400F’s nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS with a deltaPct of 0%, followed by the Intel Core 3 201E at -0.1%, the Intel Core i5-1335U at 0.3%, and the AMD EPYC 7773X also at 0.3%. The average CPU benchmark score of 19039 places this chip in strong company, and its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 demonstrates solid multi-threaded capability that benefits modern game engines. However, the ranking of 2934 out of 3712 combos suggests that in Doom, the overall system performance is dragged down by the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Doom?

A: The highest average FPS is 175, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the best-case scenario for frame rate in the measured data.

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

A: At 4K, the combo delivers 61 FPS on Low settings, 53 FPS on Medium, 45 FPS on High, and 37 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 45 and a maximum of 61, indicating playable but not ideal performance for a fast-paced FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290, which is statistically tied with the GTX 580 at 0% deltaPct. The Radeon 680M is 0.1% behind, the RTX 3050 OEM is 0.6% behind, and the RX 7600 is 0.8% behind. These are negligible differences in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What is the CPU’s multi-threaded performance relative to its rivals?

A: The i5-12400F scores 12380 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, and its average benchmark score of 19039 is essentially equal to the Ryzen 5 7535HS (0% deltaPct). The Core 3 201E is 0.1% behind, while the i5-1335U and EPYC 7773X are each 0.3% ahead.

Q: Is the 6 GB VRAM of the RTX 2060 sufficient for Doom at high settings?

A: The measured data shows that at 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves 83 FPS, and at 1920x1080 with High settings, it reaches 129 FPS. These results suggest that 6 GB of GDDR6 memory is adequate for this game at these settings, though the drop to 45 FPS at 4K High indicates VRAM or bandwidth constraints at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 175 FPS while Ultra produces 105 FPS. This 70 FPS gap represents a 40% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest preset, reflecting the increased GPU load from higher quality effects and textures.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data provides a detailed picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 175 FPS average, Medium delivers 152 FPS with a minimum of 130 and maximum of 175, High delivers 129 FPS, and Ultra delivers 105 FPS. These figures indicate that 1080p is well within the capabilities of this hardware, with even the most demanding preset maintaining triple-digit frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. Low settings produce 113 FPS, Medium drops to 99 FPS with a range of 84 to 113, High achieves 83 FPS, and Ultra falls to 68 FPS. The 1440p results show that this resolution is still very playable, particularly on Medium and High presets, which offer a good balance between visual quality and frame rate for a competitive FPS.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals the system’s limitations. Low settings deliver 61 FPS, Medium drops to 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 and maximum of 61, High falls to 45 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 37 FPS. The 4K results show that while the game is technically playable on Low and Medium settings, the frame rates on High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS threshold that is often considered ideal for fast-paced action games. The minimum FPS of 45 on Medium at 4K suggests that even this preset can experience noticeable drops during intense scenes.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture using TSMC’s 12 nm process, with a die size of 445 mm² containing 10,800 million transistors. The card features 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, operating at a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. These specifications place the GPU at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290.

In Doom, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. The data shows that at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 70 FPS, while at 4K, the same comparison yields only a 24 FPS difference (61 FPS on Low versus 37 FPS on Ultra). This compression of frame rates at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, regardless of settings. The card’s 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth appear sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest that the memory subsystem may struggle with the higher texture and geometry loads.

The RTX 2060’s compute capabilities, measured at 6.451 TFLOPS FP32 and 12.90 TFLOPS FP16, provide adequate raw performance for Doom’s Vulkan and OpenGL rendering paths. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which are relevant for modern game versions. However, the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (37 FPS) indicates that this GPU is not intended for maximum settings at the highest resolution, and users seeking 60 FPS at 4K would need to reduce settings to Low or Medium.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver playable performance, with Ultra achieving 105 FPS. For users with 144 Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 175 FPS or Medium at 152 FPS would be preferable to maximize frame rates, while those prioritizing visual quality can select Ultra and still maintain over 100 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering 99 FPS average with a minimum of 84 FPS. High settings at 83 FPS are also viable, though the lower minimum frame rate on Medium (84 FPS versus no reported minimum for High) may actually provide smoother performance in demanding scenes. Ultra at 68 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for competitive play where higher frame rates are advantageous.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset at 61 FPS is the only setting that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium at 53 FPS is the next best option with a minimum of 45 FPS. High and Ultra settings at 45 and 37 FPS respectively are not recommended for this resolution, as the frame rates fall below the threshold for smooth, responsive gameplay in a fast-paced FPS. The data suggests that 1440p Medium or High is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a strong balance of visual fidelity and performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, supporting DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and features an 18 MB shared L3 cache, along with 80 KB L1 and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core. These specifications place the processor at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039.

In Doom, the CPU’s performance is most critical at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680 indicate strong per-core performance, which is essential for game logic and physics in a fast-paced shooter. The multi-threaded scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 12380 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 9472, demonstrate that the CPU can handle background tasks and streaming without impacting frame rates.

The measured FPS at 1080p Low (175 FPS) suggests that the i5-12400F can feed the RTX 2060 effectively at high frame rates, but the absence of even higher scores may indicate that the CPU is approaching its limit in this scenario. The 6 cores and 12 threads are well-suited for modern game engines, and the 4.40 GHz boost clock ensures responsive single-thread performance. However, the combo’s overall ranking of 2934 out of 3712 suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor—the GPU’s mid-range positioning holds back the system’s potential in Doom, particularly at resolutions above 1080p.