Doom

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 lands at rank 1632 out of 1681 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the bottom 3% of all configurations. This is a decidedly low-tier result, but the data reveals that the bottleneck is almost entirely the GPU, not the CPU. The combo’s position is heavily dragged down by the GTX 1650’s 43rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, while the i5-13400F sits at a much healthier 82nd percentile among CPUs. This split explains why the system can manage playable frame rates at 1080p but collapses at higher resolutions — the processor has ample headroom, but the graphics card runs out of steam quickly as pixel count rises.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s 1632nd place out of 1681 configurations is a clear signal that this pairing is not optimized for Doom’s demands. The percentile data reinforces this: the CPU’s 82nd percentile score versus the GPU’s 43rd percentile means the graphics card is the limiting factor in nearly every scenario. In practical terms, the system is closer to the bottom of the barrel than to mid-range, and benchmark results confirm this with sub-60 FPS averages at 1440p and below-30 FPS at 4K. The rank is not surprising given that Doom is a fast-paced FPS that rewards high frame rates, and this combo struggles to hit 60 FPS at 1080p on High settings, let alone at higher resolutions. The data implies that any user with this pairing should expect to make significant compromises on visual quality or resolution to achieve smooth gameplay.

GPU Role

The GTX 1650 is built on the TU117 chip with a 12 nm process, featuring 896 shading units and 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 1485 MHz with a boost up to 1665 MHz, and memory operates at 2001 MHz (8 Gbps effective). These specs place the card at 43rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8713. In Doom’s measured results, the GPU’s limitations become obvious: at 4K Ultra, the combo averages just 19.7 FPS, while even at 1080p Low it only reaches 92.3 FPS. The 4 GB VRAM buffer is a concern for higher resolutions, as the card’s 128.1 GB/s bandwidth and 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are simply insufficient for Doom’s more demanding presets. The data shows that the GPU’s performance scales poorly with resolution, suggesting that the memory bandwidth and shading power are the primary bottlenecks rather than any CPU constraint.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Doom at 4K?

A: The data shows 4K results range from 19.7 FPS on Ultra to 30.4 FPS on Low, meaning it is technically playable but far from smooth — only the Low preset approaches the 30 FPS threshold, and even that is marginal.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: At 1080p, the combo achieves 57.5 FPS on Ultra and 92.3 FPS on Low, making it the only resolution where the system can consistently hit above 60 FPS on lower settings. 1440p results are mixed, with Low hitting 58.6 FPS but Ultra dropping to 36.8 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25236, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-13620H (25201, 0.1% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365, -0.5% delta). This places it comfortably in a competitive mid-range CPU tier.

Q: Does the GPU bottleneck the CPU in Doom?

A: Benchmark results indicate yes — the GPU’s 43rd percentile ranking versus the CPU’s 82nd percentile, combined with FPS dropping sharply as resolution increases, shows the GTX 1650 is the limiting component at all measured settings.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 19.7 at 4K Ultra settings, which is well below playable thresholds for a fast-paced FPS. Even the next lowest, 25.4 FPS at 4K High, is still too low for competitive play.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded?

A: The i5-13400F scores 21279 in Cinebench R23 multi-core versus 3004 in single-core, showing strong scaling across its 10 cores and 16 threads. This indicates the CPU is not a limiting factor for Doom, which relies more on single-thread performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results: Low averages 92.3 FPS, Medium 80.7 FPS, High 66.2 FPS, and Ultra 57.5 FPS. This is the only resolution where the system can exceed 60 FPS, and only on Low and Medium settings. Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops significantly: Low hits 58.6 FPS, Medium 50.8 FPS, High 42.3 FPS, and Ultra 36.8 FPS. These numbers suggest 1440p is playable but only on lower settings, with Ultra falling below 40 FPS. At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable: Low averages 30.4 FPS, Medium 28.9 FPS, High 25.4 FPS, and Ultra 19.7 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern where each resolution step up halves the frame rate, indicating a GPU-bound scenario. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions — at 1080p the delta is 34.8 FPS, but at 4K it narrows to 10.7 FPS, suggesting the GPU is saturated regardless of settings at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 92.3 FPS, but at 1440p Low it falls to 58.6 FPS (a 36.5% reduction), and at 4K Low it plunges to 30.4 FPS (a 67% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU bottleneck — if the CPU were limiting, the FPS would remain more constant across resolutions. The data shows that the GTX 1650’s 128.1 GB/s bandwidth and 2.984 TFLOPS are simply overwhelmed by the pixel count at 4K, where even Low settings cannot maintain 30 FPS consistently. At 1080p, the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (3004 Cinebench R23 single-core) allows the GPU to stretch its legs, but the GPU’s 43rd percentile ranking caps the maximum achievable FPS. The implication is that users should treat this combo as a 1080p machine, with 1440p only viable on Low settings for less demanding scenes.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows indicate that the best experience for this combo is at 1080p with Medium settings, which yields 80.7 FPS — a sweet spot that balances visual quality and performance. High settings at 1080p drop to 66.2 FPS, still smooth enough for most players, but Ultra at 57.5 FPS is borderline for a fast-paced FPS where frame consistency matters. At 1440p, only Low settings (58.6 FPS) approach playability, while Medium (50.8 FPS) is acceptable for casual play but not ideal for competitive scenarios. For 4K, the data suggests avoiding this resolution entirely, as even Low (30.4 FPS) is below the 60 FPS target and Ultra (19.7 FPS) is unplayable. The recommendation is to prioritize 1080p with Medium or High settings, as the GPU’s 4 GB VRAM and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth cannot handle higher resolutions without significant frame rate sacrifices.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost up to 4.60 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support contribute to a strong average benchmark score of 25236, placing it at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs. In Doom, the CPU’s single-thread performance is particularly relevant — its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3004 and Geekbench single-core of 2301 show it can handle the game’s logic without bottlenecking the GPU. The data confirms this: even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly overwhelmed at 19.7 FPS, the CPU is not the constraint. The i5-13400F’s nearest rivals — the Core i7-13620H (0.1% delta) and Ryzen 5 5600X3D (-0.5% delta) — have nearly identical average scores, indicating that the CPU is a solid mid-range performer that will outlast the GTX 1650 in future upgrades. For this specific game, the CPU’s role is to provide consistent frame pacing, which it does admirably given the GPU’s limitations.