Doom

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with 9 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 7969 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 points in single-core, placing it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 2305 puts it within 0.2% of the Intel Core i3-10305 and Intel Core i3-1125G4, and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon E-2134. The closest competitor above it, the Intel Core i7-8809G, scores 2319, which is 0.6% higher. For a game like Doom, which is an FPS title from 2016, this processor provides a solid foundation. The six physical cores without hyper-threading are sufficient for the game's threading model, and the 4.10 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded performance, which often dictates frame pacing in older engines, remains strong. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck, as the frame rates scale significantly with GPU settings, indicating headroom in the processor. The 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are standard for this class, and the PCIe Gen 3, 16 Lanes interface is adequate for the paired GPU. Benchmark results indicate that the i5-9400 sits in the middle of the pack, meaning it will not hold back the system in most gaming scenarios, but it is also not a high-end part that would excel in CPU-intensive simulations.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture using a 7 nm process at TSMC, featuring the Navi 23 chip with 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die. It operates with a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. Memory is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s. In synthetic tests, it scores 15096 in Passmark G3D and 80492 in Geekbench Vulkan, placing it at the 69th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 25235 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon 890M (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (0.2% higher), while it is 0.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. The RX 6600 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which are relevant for Doom's Vulkan renderer. In this game, the GPU is the dominant factor in determining performance at higher resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Doom's textures at all settings, and the 224.0 GB/s bandwidth prevents memory bottlenecks. The boost clock of 2491 MHz is high, and the data shows the GPU scales well with resolution, but it also shows clear limits at 4K, particularly on Ultra settings.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling as resolution increases, which directly indicates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with High settings, the average FPS is 131.3. Moving to 1440p with the same settings drops this to 86.9, a 34% reduction, and at 4K it falls further to 48.1, a 63% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario; the CPU has enough headroom at 1080p, but the GPU's rendering workload grows exponentially with pixel count. On Low settings, the trend is even more pronounced: 176.9 FPS at 1080p, 116.5 at 1440p, and 64.2 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K on Low settings is 45%, which is larger than the 25% drop from 1080p to 1440p, indicating that the GPU is being saturated at the higher resolution. The Ultra settings confirm this: 108.2 FPS at 1080p, 67.1 at 1440p, and 37 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 37 FPS is barely playable, and the gap between 1440p and 4K on Ultra is 45%, showing that the RX 6600's compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The data does not show any CPU-related stutter or frame drops, as the minimum FPS values are not provided, but the average FPS scaling is smooth and predictable. This suggests that for a 60 FPS target, 1080p and 1440p are viable, while 4K requires significant settings reductions.

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

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 131.3 FPS is an excellent choice for high-refresh monitors, offering a balance between visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 108.2 FPS is also viable if the monitor is 100 Hz or lower, but the 21% FPS gain from dropping to High is substantial, and the visual difference between High and Ultra is often negligible in fast-paced FPS games. The Medium preset at 152.2 FPS is the best option for 144 Hz panels, as it provides a significant FPS boost while still maintaining decent visuals. The Low preset at 176.9 FPS is only necessary for 165 Hz or 240 Hz monitors, but the visual quality loss is noticeable. For 1440p, the High preset at 86.9 FPS is the sweet spot for 60-75 Hz monitors, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 98.3 FPS is better for 100 Hz panels, but the difference between Medium and High is smaller than at 1080p. The Ultra preset at 67.1 FPS is playable on 60 Hz displays but leaves little headroom for drops. At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 64.2 FPS is the only option that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 56.5 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 48.1 FPS will feel sluggish on fast-moving scenes. The Ultra preset at 37 FPS is not recommended. Overall, the data suggests that the RX 6600 is best paired with a 1080p high-refresh monitor or a 1440p 60 Hz monitor, with settings tuned to keep the FPS above the display's refresh rate.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only with significant settings compromises. At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS is 64.2, which is above 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 56.5 FPS, and High settings fall to 48.1 FPS. Ultra settings are not playable at 4K, with an average of 37 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the AMD Radeon RX 6600 in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1080p, FPS scales greatly with GPU settings (from 108.2 on Ultra to 176.9 on Low), which suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's benchmark score of 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core places it at the 50th percentile, which is adequate for this game.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p 60 Hz monitor?

A: The High preset at 86.9 FPS is the best choice, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 67.1 FPS also works, but it is closer to the 60 FPS target, leaving less room for frame drops in intense scenes.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to its closest rival, the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 6600 has an average score of 25235, which is 0.5% higher than the RTX 3060 Ti's score of 25120. This indicates they are nearly identical in overall compute performance, though real-world game performance can vary.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Doom at any resolution?

A: Yes. The benchmark data shows that the GPU can handle all settings at 1080p and 1440p, and even at 4K the frame rates are limited by compute power, not memory capacity. The 8 GB GDDR6 with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is not a limiting factor for this game.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RX 6600?

A: The launch MSRP is 329 USD.

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

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS values for each resolution and settings preset combination. All values are average FPS; minimum and maximum FPS were not recorded in the data.

At 1920x1080, the performance envelope is wide, covering everything from high-refresh esports to visually rich single-player. The Low preset delivers 176.9 FPS, which is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset. The Medium preset offers 152.2 FPS, a 14% reduction from Low, but still exceptionally smooth. The High preset provides 131.3 FPS, which is a 14% drop from Medium, representing the classic trade-off between quality and speed. The Ultra preset is the most demanding at this resolution, yielding 108.2 FPS, which is an 18% reduction from High. This shows that at 1080p, the RX 6600 has ample headroom to push high frame rates, and even the most demanding preset stays above the 100 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop consistently across all settings, reflecting the increased pixel count. The Low preset averages 116.5 FPS, which is still very playable for high-refresh 1440p monitors. The Medium preset comes in at 98.3 FPS, a 16% reduction from Low. The High preset delivers 86.9 FPS, an 11% drop from Medium, which is a smaller relative penalty than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more saturated. The Ultra preset at 67.1 FPS is a 23% reduction from High, and this is the first point where the frame rate approaches the 60 FPS threshold. This resolution is a good fit for the card, with High settings providing a smooth experience on standard 60 Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, and the frame rates show a steep decline. The Low preset averages 64.2 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target, making it the only viable option for a smooth 4K experience. The Medium preset drops to 56.5 FPS, a 12% reduction from Low, which is borderline playable but may exhibit noticeable dips in action sequences. The High preset averages 48.1 FPS, a 15% reduction from Medium, and this is below the 60 FPS threshold for most gamers. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of 37 FPS, a 23% reduction from High, which is only suitable for turn-based or slow-paced content. The overall pattern across all resolutions is consistent: the performance gap between settings widens as resolution increases, confirming that the RX 6600's compute and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at higher pixel densities.