Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for this Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 580 pairing show a steep and predictable drop as resolution climbs, which clearly identifies the graphics card as the primary limiter in Doom. At 1080p, the combo delivers 102 FPS on Low settings, but this falls to 66 FPS at 1440p and then to 36 FPS at 4K. That represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and another 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K, all at the same Low preset. The scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is being pushed to its limits at higher pixel counts.

Moving through the presets tells the same story. At High settings, the average frame rate goes from 75 FPS at 1080p, down to 49 FPS at 1440p, and then to 26 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 26 FPS, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 23 FPS. This near-linear degradation suggests the rendering workload is scaling directly with pixel count, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is not the bottleneck here; if it were, the frame rate would remain relatively flat across resolutions.

The Ultra preset amplifies the GPU limitation further. At 1080p, the combo manages 62 FPS, which is still playable, but at 1440p it drops to 40 FPS, and at 4K it sinks to 22 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and the data shows that this resolution is essentially unusable for this game with this hardware. The differences between Low and Ultra at each resolution are also telling: at 1080p, the gap is 40 FPS (102 vs 62), while at 4K, the gap narrows to 14 FPS (36 vs 22). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU's pixel throughput is the wall.

The measured frames at Medium settings include minimum and maximum values, which provide additional context. At 1080p Medium, the average is 89 FPS with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103. At 1440p Medium, the average is 58 FPS with a minimum of 49 and a maximum of 66. At 4K Medium, the average is 31 FPS with a minimum of 27 and a maximum of 36. The minimum frame rates at 4K (27 FPS) are particularly low, indicating that even the "playable" average is accompanied by noticeable hitches. In contrast, the 1080p Medium minimum of 76 FPS suggests a stable experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a Polaris 20 chip built on a 14 nm process, and its specifications reveal why it struggles at higher resolutions. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units, with a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These numbers are modest by modern standards, and the benchmark results reflect that: the GPU sits at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12928.

In Doom, the GPU's role is dominant. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is almost entirely determined by the RX 580's ability to fill pixels and process textures. At 1080p Low, the card achieves 102 FPS, which is respectable, but this drops to 36 FPS at 4K Low. The 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game at these settings, as the title is from 2016 and does not require massive memory pools, but the raw compute power is insufficient for high pixel counts. The FP32 performance is rated at 6.175 TFLOPS, and the texture rate is 193.0 GTexel/s, which are adequate for 1080p but not for 4K.

The RX 580's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (with a deltaPct of -0.1) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (with a deltaPct of -0.4). This places the RX 580 in the same performance tier as those cards, which are also considered entry-level to mid-range for modern gaming. The data shows that the RX 580's average benchmark score of 12928 is nearly identical to the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile's 12940, indicating that users can expect similar frame rates in Doom from those GPUs. The GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12986, slightly higher, but the difference is within a rounding error.

The GPU's boost clock of 1340 MHz is modest, and the pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s is the limiting factor at 4K. The card's DirectX 12 support (12_0) is present, but the benchmark scores for DirectX 12 (43 in Passmark) are lower than for DirectX 11 (60), suggesting that the architecture prefers older APIs. Doom is known for its Vulkan support, and the GPU's Vulkan score of 45173 in Geekbench is strong, which may help explain why the game runs as well as it does at 1080p. However, no amount of API optimization can overcome the raw pixel fill limitations at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 13th Gen Raptor Lake processor with 10 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. It has 20 MB of shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22604 and a single-core score of 3191, placing it at the 77th percentile among all CPUs. The average benchmark score is 25292, which puts it in a class well above what Doom requires.

In this specific game, the CPU's role is minimal. The frame rates at 1080p Low (102 FPS) and 1080p High (75 FPS) are high enough that the CPU is unlikely to be a bottleneck, but the fact that the frame rate drops so consistently with resolution indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's cores and threads are more than sufficient for Doom's engine, which is not particularly demanding on modern processors. The 3DMark scores for the CPU, such as 7314 for 16 threads and 960 for single-thread, confirm that it has ample headroom for this title.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (with a deltaPct of 0) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (with a deltaPct of -0.3). These comparisons show that the i5-13400F is in the same performance tier as those processors, all of which are capable of handling Doom without issue. The single-thread performance, which is often critical for older games, is strong at 3191 in Cinebench R23, ensuring that the game's main thread does not become a constraint. The multi-thread performance is also robust, but Doom does not scale well beyond a few cores, so the extra threads go unused.

The CPU's 4.60 GHz boost clock is the key metric for gaming. Doom benefits from high clocks on a single core, and this processor delivers that. However, the data shows that even with a strong CPU, the frame rates at 4K are unplayable, which reinforces that the RX 580 is the sole bottleneck. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node are irrelevant to the game's performance, but they do indicate that the processor is efficient and unlikely to throttle. In summary, the CPU is not a limiting factor in any measured configuration; it is the GPU that defines the experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 75 FPS, which is smooth for a fast-paced FPS like Doom. The Medium preset offers 89 FPS, and the Low preset offers 102 FPS, but the visual quality difference between High and Medium is often worth the 14 FPS trade-off. The Ultra preset drops to 62 FPS, which is still playable, but the gains over High are marginal and the frame rate penalty is significant. For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at 1080p, High is the recommended choice.

At 1440p, the situation changes. The High preset averages 49 FPS, which is borderline for a game like Doom where reaction time matters. The Medium preset averages 58 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS, which is more acceptable. The Low preset averages 66 FPS, providing the smoothest experience, but it sacrifices visual quality. Given that the minimum frame rate at Medium is 49 FPS, there is a risk of occasional dips below 60 FPS, but this is likely the best compromise for 1440p. The Ultra preset at 40 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the threshold for comfortable play.

At 4K, no preset provides a truly smooth experience. The Low preset averages 36 FPS, the Medium averages 31 FPS, the High averages 26 FPS, and the Ultra averages 22 FPS. All of these are below 60 FPS, and even the minimum frame rates (27 FPS at Medium) indicate significant stutter. For 4K, the only viable option is to drop to Low settings and accept the 36 FPS average, which is playable for a slower-paced game but not ideal for Doom's frantic combat. The data suggests that 4K is not a realistic target for this hardware.

The measured rows show that the Medium preset at 1080p has a minimum frame rate of 76 FPS, which is the safest bet for a stable experience. The High preset at 1080p does not have a recorded minimum, but the average of 75 FPS implies similar stability. For users with a 144Hz monitor, the Low preset at 1080p (102 FPS) is the only way to approach that refresh rate. For 60Hz displays, the High preset at 1080p is the sweet spot. In summary, the recommendation is to prioritize resolution over settings: play at 1080p High for the best overall experience, or drop to 1440p Medium if a larger screen is preferred.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 3397 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the bottom 10% of all combinations, which is a direct result of the GPU's age and performance class. The CPU is certainly not the issue, as it ranks at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, but the GPU's 53rd percentile ranking drags the overall combo down. The data shows that this pairing is mismatched for modern gaming at high resolutions, with the GPU being the clear weak link.

The combo ranking of 3397 out of 3712 indicates that there are only 315 combinations that perform worse in this game. This is a stark assessment of the RX 580's capability in Doom, even at 1080p. The frame rates at 1080p High (75 FPS) are decent, but they are not competitive with what newer GPUs can achieve. The ranking is a holistic measure that likely includes higher resolution results, which severely penalize the combo due to the 4K performance.

Relative to other combos, the pairing is in the bottom tier. This is not surprising given that the RX 580 is an end-of-life product from 2017, while the CPU is from 2023. The performance gap between the two components is evident in the benchmark scores: the CPU's average benchmark score of 25292 is nearly double the GPU's 12928. This suggests that the CPU is capable of driving a much more powerful GPU, and the RX 580 is holding back the system's potential.

For users considering this combo, the data indicates that it is only suitable for 1080p gaming at moderate settings. The ranking of 3397 out of 3712 is a warning that this is not a high-performance configuration. However, for a budget-oriented build focused on older games or esports titles, the combo can still deliver playable frame rates. The key takeaway is that the GPU is the limiting factor, and any upgrade to a more modern graphics card would significantly improve the combo's ranking in Doom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The exact measured frame rates are as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 102 FPS. The Medium preset yields an average of 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. The High preset yields an average of 75 FPS. The Ultra preset yields an average of 62 FPS. These are the only 1080p results, and they show a clear progression from Low to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 66 FPS. The Medium preset yields an average of 58 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. The High preset yields an average of 49 FPS. The Ultra preset yields an average of 40 FPS. The 1440p results show a similar pattern, but the absolute numbers are lower, and the Medium preset's minimum of 49 FPS is the lowest recorded at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset yields an average of 36 FPS. The Medium preset yields an average of 31 FPS, with a minimum of 27 FPS and a maximum of 36 FPS. The High preset yields an average of 26 FPS. The Ultra preset yields an average of 22 FPS. These 4K results are uniformly poor, with no preset reaching even 40 FPS on average. The Medium preset's minimum of 27 FPS is the lowest recorded across all resolutions and settings.

The data shows a consistent pattern: for each resolution, the Low preset provides the highest frame rate, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. The only exception is that at 4K, the High and Ultra presets are within 4 FPS of each other (26 vs 22), suggesting that the GPU is so saturated that additional settings have diminishing returns. The minimum and maximum frame rates are only available for the Medium preset at each resolution, which provides a partial picture of frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range is 76 to 103 FPS (a 27 FPS spread), while at 1440p Medium, the range is 49 to 66 FPS (a 17 FPS spread), and at 4K Medium, the range is 27 to 36 FPS (a 9 FPS spread). This narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the sole bottleneck, with less variance from other system components.