Doom

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 pairing delivers a solid 1080p experience in Doom, but the data shows a sharp decline at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combo averages 93.9 FPS on Ultra settings, which is playable, but the 157.8 FPS average on Low settings reveals the GPU’s headroom when the CPU is less burdened. The combo ranks 1419 out of 1681 tested configurations, placing it in the lower half of the database, yet it remains a capable choice for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as the measured results indicate.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 93.9 at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings. This is the most demanding preset at that resolution, and it remains above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 12331, which is 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 (12241) and 1.4% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 880M (12490). Its closest competitor is the GTX 1650 SUPER, which scores 12504, putting the GTX 1070 1.4% behind it.

Q: What is the CPU’s multi-core performance relative to its direct competitors?

A: The i5-9400 scores 3346 in Cinebench R20 multi-core. This places it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299). It trails the Intel Core i7-8809G, which scores 2319, by 0.6%.

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K on High settings?

A: On High settings, the average FPS drops from 118.7 at 1920x1080 to 72.9 at 2560x1440, and then to 43.4 at 3840x2160. This represents a 63.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating a significant performance hit at higher resolutions.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 101.3. The Medium preset reaches 86.4 FPS, while the High preset drops to 72.9 FPS, and Ultra is the lowest at 59.1 FPS.

Q: Is the GTX 1070’s memory bandwidth sufficient for Doom’s demands?

A: The GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory with a 256-bit bus and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth. The data shows that the GPU can handle 1080p Ultra at 93.9 FPS, but the 4K Ultra results (35.4 FPS) suggest that the memory bandwidth and GPU compute are strained at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, built on the Pascal architecture with a GP104 chip, is the primary driver of frame rates in Doom. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth provide sufficient capacity for the game’s textures at 1080p and 1440p. The GPU’s base clock of 1506 MHz and boost clock of 1683 MHz, combined with 1920 shading units, allow it to maintain high throughput. The measured results confirm this: at 1080p, the GPU delivers 118.7 FPS on High and 135.5 FPS on Medium, showing that its compute resources are well-utilized for this title.

However, the GPU’s limitations become apparent at 4K. At 3840x2160, the average FPS on Ultra falls to 35.4, which is below the playable threshold. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The GTX 1070’s 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not enough to sustain high frame rates at 4K, especially on Ultra settings. The scores from Passmark G3D (13498) and Geekbench Vulkan (47395) indicate that the GPU is a mid-range performer, ranking in the 51st percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU’s nearest rival, the GTX 1650 SUPER, scores 12504, which is 1.4% higher than the GTX 1070’s 12331. This close margin suggests that the GTX 1070 is competitive with newer mid-range cards, but its age (released with a 379 USD launch MSRP) shows in demanding scenarios like 4K Ultra. The pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s are adequate for 1440p, where the combo achieves 72.9 FPS on High, but they fall short at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, provides the computational foundation for the combo. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz, along with 9 MB of shared L3 cache, ensure that the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and single-core score of 1125 indicate that the CPU is a solid performer for gaming, ranking in the 50th percentile of all CPUs.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p with Low settings, where the combo reaches 157.8 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU effectively when the graphics load is low. However, at 4K, the CPU’s influence diminishes, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The benchmark results show that the i5-9400 is closely matched with its rivals: it scores 2305 on average, which is 0.2% ahead of the i3-10305 and 0.2% ahead of the i3-1125G4, but 0.6% behind the i7-8809G.

The CPU’s 65 W TDP and Coffee Lake architecture (14 nm process) make it an efficient choice, but its lack of hyper-threading (6 threads total) may limit performance in heavily threaded scenarios. For Doom, which is primarily GPU-bound at higher settings, the i5-9400’s single-core performance (Cinebench R15 single-core score of 113) is sufficient to keep up with the GTX 1070 at 1080p. At 1440p, the CPU still holds up, with the combo achieving 101.3 FPS on Low, indicating that the CPU is not the primary constraint until the resolution exceeds 1440p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 157.8 on Low to 93.9 on Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 135.5 FPS, while High yields 118.7 FPS. These numbers indicate that the combo is well-suited for 1080p gaming, capable of exceeding 90 FPS even on the highest settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. The Low preset averages 101.3 FPS, which is still smooth, but the High preset falls to 72.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 59.1 FPS. The Medium preset at 86.4 FPS provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. At this resolution, the combo remains playable but requires settings adjustments to maintain a high frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. The Low preset averages 53.9 FPS, which is borderline playable, but the High preset drops to 43.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35.4 FPS. The Medium preset at 51.1 FPS is the only setting that approaches acceptable performance at 4K. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable option for this combo if the user wants a smooth experience, as even Low settings barely reach 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1419 out of 1681 tested configurations in Doom, placing it in the lower third of the database. This rank reflects the age of both components, as the GTX 1070 (released in 2016) and the i5-9400 (released in 2018) are from earlier generations. The GPU’s 51st percentile and CPU’s 50th percentile rankings further reinforce the mid-range status of this pairing.

Compared to the nearest rivals, the combo’s performance is tightly clustered. The GTX 1070 is 0.7% ahead of the Quadro K4200 and 1.4% ahead of the GTX 880M, but 1.4% behind the GTX 1650 SUPER. The CPU is similarly matched, with the i5-9400 performing nearly identically to the i3-10305 and i3-1125G4. This suggests that the combo’s low ranking is not due to a specific weakness but rather the overall performance ceiling of both components.

In practical terms, the combo’s rank means it will handle esports titles and older games well, but newer AAA games at high settings may push it to its limits. The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (93.9) confirms that it can still deliver a good experience, but the 4K results (35.4 FPS on Ultra) highlight its limitations.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests prioritizing 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High settings. At 1080p, the High preset (118.7 FPS) offers a great balance of visual quality and performance, while the Medium preset (135.5 FPS) provides a higher frame rate with minimal visual compromise. For users with 1440p monitors, the Medium preset (86.4 FPS) is the sweet spot, as it maintains smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much detail. The Low preset (101.3 FPS) is an option for competitive play, but the visual downgrade is noticeable.

At 4K, the data indicates that only the Low preset (53.9 FPS) is remotely playable, but even this is below the 60 FPS target. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution or accepting a lower frame rate. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution above 1080p, as it drops to 59.1 FPS at 1440p and 35.4 FPS at 4K. The High preset is a viable alternative at 1440p (72.9 FPS) for those who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component of this combo. On High settings, the average FPS drops from 118.7 at 1080p to 72.9 at 1440p, a 38.6% reduction, and then to 43.4 at 4K, a further 40.5% reduction from 1440p. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The GTX 1070’s 256.3 GB/s bandwidth and 6.463 TFLOPS of compute are insufficient to handle the increased pixel count at 4K.

On Low settings, the scaling is less severe but still significant: 157.8 FPS at 1080p drops to 101.3 FPS at 1440p (35.8% reduction) and then to 53.9 FPS at 4K (46.8% reduction from 1440p). This pattern confirms that even with reduced graphics load, the GPU’s raw throughput limits 4K performance. The CPU’s influence is minimal at 4K, as the i5-9400’s 6 cores can keep up with the GPU’s output. The data suggests that users should stick to 1080p or 1440p to get the most out of this combo, as 4K performance is consistently below 60 FPS across all settings.