Doom

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT combination produces a fascinating dataset in Doom (2016), revealing a stark imbalance between the two components. The i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread Coffee Lake processor with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This CPU sits at the 50th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 2305, placing it in a dead heat with the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300, +0.2%) and Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299, +0.2%). The data suggests this CPU lacks the raw multithreaded muscle for modern titles, but for a fast-paced FPS like Doom, its single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125) may be more relevant than its multicore score (7969). The measured FPS shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 255 FPS, but this is where the GPU is clearly doing the heavy lifting; the CPU's six threads may become a bottleneck when trying to push beyond that figure, though the data does not explicitly confirm this, only that the scores are what they are.

The RX 6800 XT, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a 7 nm process, is the dominant force here. It features 4608 shading units, 72 ray accelerators, and a boost clock of 2250 MHz, with a 256-bit memory bus delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth across 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. This GPU sits at the 87th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 49982, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (48704, +2.6%) and the NVIDIA CMP 50HX (49071, +1.9%). The GPU's raw compute power (20.74 TFLOPS FP32) is immense, which is why the measured frame rates are so high. However, the CPU's role becomes more apparent when analyzing the scaling from 1080p to 4K; the GPU's performance headroom is only fully utilized at lower resolutions, while at 4K, the gap between settings narrows, suggesting the CPU is not the limiting factor at that point, but rather the GPU's workload increases.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data offers a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields 255 FPS, while Medium drops to 239.7 FPS, High to 215.2 FPS, and Ultra to 175.9 FPS. The jump from Low to Ultra represents a 31% reduction in frame rate, but the absolute numbers remain exceptionally high. For a competitive FPS player, the Low preset at 1080p provides the maximum frame rate, but the difference between Low and Medium is only 6%, making Medium a reasonable compromise for better visuals without sacrificing much performance. At 2560x1440, the pattern holds: Low gives 190.6 FPS, Medium 164.9 FPS, High 136.9 FPS, and Ultra 112.4 FPS. Here, the gap between Low and Ultra widens to 41%, but High still delivers over 136 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The most interesting recommendation comes from the 4K data. At 3840x2160, Low produces 104 FPS, Medium 89.7 FPS, High 75.7 FPS, and Ultra 62.6 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that dips below 60 FPS, but it remains playable at 62.6 FPS. For a visually demanding title like Doom, the High preset at 4K (75.7 FPS) offers an excellent balance, providing a 21% improvement over Ultra while still maintaining a high level of fidelity. The data suggests that the sweet spot for this combo is either High at 1440p (136.9 FPS) for high refresh rate monitors, or High at 4K (75.7 FPS) for those prioritizing resolution. The Low preset at any resolution is rarely necessary given the GPU's power, but it exists for those seeking absolute maximum frame rates.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Doom?*

A: The highest measured average FPS is 255, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 190.6 FPS, while Ultra yields 112.4 FPS, representing a 41% drop in performance.

Q: Is the RX 6800 XT a high-performing GPU relative to others?

A: Yes, the RX 6800 XT sits at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49982, placing it just 0.5% behind the Intel Arc A550M (49737).

Q: Does the 4K Ultra preset maintain a playable frame rate?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset achieves an average of 62.6 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, but it is the lowest measured setting in the dataset.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to the 4K Low preset?

A: The 1080p Low preset achieves 255 FPS, while the 4K Low preset achieves 104 FPS, making the 1080p result 145% higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo scales across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates exceptional performance, with the Low preset hitting 255 FPS, Medium at 239.7 FPS, High at 215.2 FPS, and Ultra at 175.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 79.1 FPS, which is substantial but leaves headroom for high refresh rate displays. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected drop: Low at 190.6 FPS, Medium at 164.9 FPS, High at 136.9 FPS, and Ultra at 112.4 FPS. This represents a 25% reduction from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, indicating that the GPU is scaling well with resolution while the CPU remains relatively constant.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens. Low delivers 104 FPS, Medium 89.7 FPS, High 75.7 FPS, and Ultra 62.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 41.4 FPS, which is a 40% drop. The data shows that the RX 6800 XT is powerful enough to handle 4K gaming, but the Ultra preset pushes it to its limits. The measured rows indicate that the High preset is the most balanced at 4K, offering 75.7 FPS, which is 21% faster than Ultra. This breakdown suggests that the GPU is the primary driver of performance, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution, while the CPU's six cores and six threads are sufficient to avoid major bottlenecks, even at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 613th out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the top 36% of all combinations, which is a strong showing given the CPU's modest 50th percentile ranking. The GPU's high percentile (87th) likely carries the combo, as the CPU's average benchmark score of 2305 is only slightly above its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300). The ranking suggests that while the CPU is not a top-tier performer, it is sufficient for this game, and the GPU's raw power compensates for any CPU limitations. The data implies that a stronger CPU might yield even higher frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the CPU could become a bottleneck, but the current combo still achieves excellent results. The rank of 613 out of 1681 indicates that this pairing is well-balanced for Doom, with the GPU providing the majority of the performance headroom.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the undisputed performance leader in this combo. Its specifications are robust: 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, along with a boost clock of 2250 MHz. The GPU's 4608 shading units and 128 ROPs contribute to a pixel rate of 288.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 648.0 GTexel/s, which are critical for a fast-paced FPS like Doom. The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its capability, with a Passmark G3D score of 24980 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 152200. The data shows that the GPU is the primary factor in achieving high frame rates, as evidenced by the 4K Low preset hitting 104 FPS, which is more than enough for smooth gameplay. The GPU's 87th percentile ranking places it ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (48704, +2.6%) and just behind the Intel Arc A550M (49737, +0.5%), indicating it is a top-tier card for this title. The 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Doom at any settings, and the memory bandwidth ensures no texture loading bottlenecks. The GPU's role is clear: it provides the raw compute power needed to maintain high frame rates across all resolutions, and the data suggests that it is not the limiting factor in this combo.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is a key indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 255 FPS, which drops to 190.6 FPS at 1440p Low (a 25% reduction) and further to 104 FPS at 4K Low (a 59% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the GPU's workload increases exponentially with pixel count. The data shows that the RX 6800 XT is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rates drop significantly despite the CPU remaining constant. Conversely, at 1080p High, the system hits 215.2 FPS, while at 4K High it drops to 75.7 FPS, a 65% reduction. This suggests that the GPU is fully utilized at 4K, while the CPU has more than enough capacity to handle the game's logic at lower resolutions. The scaling also reveals that the Ultra preset at 4K (62.6 FPS) is the most demanding configuration, while the Low preset at 1080p (255 FPS) is the least. This indicates that for players seeking maximum frame rates, 1080p is the target, while 4K is viable for those prioritizing visual fidelity, as the GPU still delivers playable frame rates. The data implies that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution, as the frame rates scale smoothly with the GPU's workload.