Doom

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 paired with the Intel Core i5-9400 delivers a highly playable experience in Doom, with the data showing a clear progression from a solid 4K baseline to extremely high refresh rates at 1080p. The measured frame rates demonstrate that the GPU is the dominant factor across most settings, though the CPU’s capabilities become relevant at the lowest resolutions. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics, compares the combo against other tested systems, and provides actionable settings guidance based on the recorded data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable and significant drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title like Doom. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 155 FPS. Moving to 1440p reduces that figure to 101 FPS, a 34.8% decrease, while at 4K, the average falls to 54 FPS, representing a 65.2% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the primary limiting component, as the performance penalty from increasing pixel count is substantial.

The data shows a more nuanced picture when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system produces 211 FPS. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 137 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 74 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35.1%, and from 1080p to 4K is 64.9%. These ratios are nearly identical to those seen on the High preset, confirming that the GPU’s workload scaling is consistent regardless of visual fidelity. The fact that the relative performance degradation remains constant across settings indicates that resolution, not the preset, is the dominant variable in determining frame rates.

The Medium preset provides the only complete dataset with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 184 FPS with a minimum of 156 FPS and a maximum of 212 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 119 FPS, with a minimum of 101 FPS and a maximum of 137 FPS. The 4K Medium average of 65 FPS shows a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS. The spread between average and minimum FPS grows from 28 FPS at 1080p to 18 FPS at 1440p and 10 FPS at 4K, suggesting that lower resolutions introduce more frame time variance, likely due to CPU involvement at higher frame rates.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest scaling curve. The 1080p Ultra average is 127 FPS, which is 18.1% lower than the High preset at the same resolution. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 82 FPS, a 35.4% drop from 1080p Ultra. The 4K Ultra average of 45 FPS represents a 64.6% reduction from the 1080p Ultra figure. This consistent slope across all four presets reinforces that resolution scaling is the primary performance determinant, and the GPU’s rendering capabilities are the bottleneck throughout the range.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination ranks 1686 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom. This places the system in the 42.5th percentile, meaning roughly 57.5% of tested configurations deliver higher frame rates in this specific game. The rank reflects a mid-pack standing, which is consistent with the measured FPS figures that show strong 1080p performance but more moderate 4K results.

The GPU’s individual benchmark scores provide context for this ranking. The RX 9060 achieves an average benchmark score of 16014, placing it in the 59th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129, a delta of -0.7%, meaning the RX 9060 is essentially performance-equivalent to that card. The AMD Radeon R9 370X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 score 15862 and 15852 respectively, with deltas of 1% and 1%, indicating the RX 9060 sits in a tightly packed performance cluster.

The CPU’s benchmark data shows a more modest standing. The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, placing it in the 47th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are tightly grouped: the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259 (delta -0.2%), the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248 (delta 0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246 (delta 0.4%). This places the i5-9400 in the middle of a very narrow performance band, indicating that its processing power is neither a standout strength nor a significant weakness.

Given the GPU’s 59th percentile ranking versus the CPU’s 47th percentile, the combined 42.5th percentile rank in Doom suggests the game is more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU performance. The combo’s rank being lower than the GPU’s individual percentile indicates that the CPU may be holding back the GPU in certain scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where frame rates are high enough to expose CPU limitations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor has 9 MB of shared L3 cache, with 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 cache per core. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s.

In Doom, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent when examining the frame rate deltas between presets at the same resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (211 FPS) and Ultra (127 FPS) is 84 FPS, a 39.8% reduction. At 1440p, the gap between Low (137 FPS) and Ultra (82 FPS) is 55 FPS, a 40.1% reduction. At 4K, the difference between Low (74 FPS) and Ultra (45 FPS) is 29 FPS, a 39.2% reduction. The consistency of these percentage drops across resolutions suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the relative cost of increased graphical settings remains stable.

The CPU’s benchmark scores show it is a competent mid-range part. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 6629, and its single-core score is 935. The Geekbench multicore score is 5141, with a single-core score of 1389. These figures indicate balanced performance that should not create a significant bottleneck in a game like Doom, which typically relies more heavily on GPU throughput.

However, the 1080p Low preset achieving 211 FPS indicates the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high frame rates. The fact that the 1080p Low score is the highest measured in the dataset suggests the i5-9400 can sustain frame rates well above 200 FPS in this title when the GPU is not heavily loaded. This is consistent with the CPU’s 47th percentile ranking, which shows it is above average but not exceptional.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides FPS measurements for three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) across four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). The Medium preset is the only one with complete min, max, and average values; other presets only list average FPS.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 211 FPS, Medium averages 184 FPS with a range of 156-212 FPS, High averages 155 FPS, and Ultra averages 127 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline: Medium is 12.8% slower than Low, High is 26.5% slower than Low, and Ultra is 39.8% slower than Low. The frame rate range at Medium (156-212) shows that even the minimum FPS is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate threshold.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 137 FPS, Medium 119 FPS with a range of 101-137 FPS, High 101 FPS, and Ultra 82 FPS. The percentage declines from Low are: Medium 13.1% slower, High 26.3% slower, and Ultra 40.1% slower. These ratios closely mirror the 1080p results, indicating consistent scaling behavior. The Medium range of 101-137 FPS shows the minimum is exactly equal to the High preset average, suggesting some frame rate overlap between settings.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 74 FPS, Medium 65 FPS with a range of 55-74 FPS, High 54 FPS, and Ultra 45 FPS. The declines from Low are: Medium 12.2% slower, High 27.0% slower, and Ultra 39.2% slower. The 4K Medium range of 55-74 FPS shows a minimum that is just above the High preset average, and the maximum equals the Low preset average. This indicates that at 4K, the difference between presets becomes less pronounced in terms of absolute frame rates.

The data reveals that the relative performance cost of each preset tier is remarkably consistent across all resolutions, with Medium costing approximately 12-13% performance, High costing 26-27%, and Ultra costing 39-40% compared to Low. This consistency suggests that the game’s rendering pipeline scales uniformly with both resolution and settings, and the GPU’s capabilities are the primary determinant of final FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It features 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The GPU has 28 ray tracing cores and operates with a base clock of 1700 MHz, a game clock of 2400 MHz, and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 2250 MHz with an 18 Gbps effective rate across a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card’s TDP is 132 W and it connects via PCIe 5.0 x16.

The GPU’s performance in Doom is strong, as evidenced by the measured FPS figures. The 1080p High average of 155 FPS and 1440p High average of 101 FPS indicate the card is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at mainstream resolutions. The 4K High average of 54 FPS shows that the card can handle 4K gaming, though not at high refresh rates. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s appears sufficient for this title, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution without any anomalous drops that might indicate memory capacity or bandwidth limitations.

The RX 9060’s benchmark scores place it in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 16014. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16129 with a delta of -0.7%, meaning the RX 9060 is just 0.7% slower. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 scores 15852 with a delta of 1%, indicating the RX 9060 is 1% faster. This tight grouping suggests the RX 9060 delivers performance comparable to these established cards.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are substantial, with an FP32 throughput of 21.43 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s. The texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s provides ample texture filtering bandwidth. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Doom at all tested settings, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates and lack of any sudden performance collapses at higher resolutions or settings.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 211, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon RX 9060 compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, while its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, scores 16129. This represents a delta of -0.7%, meaning the RX 9060 is 0.7% slower.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded, and at what settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 45, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra preset.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combinations in Doom?

A: The combo ranks 1686 out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the 42.5th percentile.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor in Doom?

A: The GPU appears to be the primary limiting factor, as the percentage performance drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all presets (approximately 65% reduction), indicating resolution-dependent scaling typical of GPU-bound workloads.

Q: What are the core and thread counts of the Intel Core i5-9400?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the High preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 155 FPS. This is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate threshold for most monitors. The Ultra preset drops to 127 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 18.1% performance penalty for the highest visual fidelity. The Low preset at 211 FPS offers the highest frame rates, but the visual compromise is significant.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 101 FPS, which is suitable for 100 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 119 FPS offers a 17.8% performance improvement over High with a modest visual quality reduction, making it a strong choice for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 82 FPS is playable but does not reach the 100 FPS threshold preferred by many gamers.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset at 65 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides the best balance between visual quality and smoothness. The Low preset at 74 FPS offers higher frame rates but with noticeable visual compromises. The High preset at 54 FPS and Ultra at 45 FPS are best avoided unless the user prioritizes visual fidelity over frame rate, as both fall below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The data suggests the following optimal configurations: 1080p High for maximum visual quality at high refresh rates, 1440p Medium for competitive play with good visuals, and 4K Medium for a playable console-like experience. Users with 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays at 1080p should consider the Ultra preset, as the 127 FPS average still exceeds most refresh rate requirements.