Doom

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This configuration provides a solid foundation for a game like Doom, which is a fast-paced FPS that relies on consistent single-thread performance as well as adequate multi-core throughput. In this pairing, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic data without becoming a bottleneck, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU can produce frames very quickly. The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU’s 6 cores are likely being utilized effectively, though the lack of hyper-threading means there is limited headroom for background tasks. The L3 cache is 9 MB shared, which is modest but sufficient for a game of this era. The processor’s average benchmark score of 2305 places it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a mid-range part; its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, scores 2300, a delta of 0.2%, showing they are nearly identical in general computing performance. This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, this chip performs as expected for its class.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary driver of visual performance in this combo. It is built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process node and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and it contains 2176 shading units. For Doom, which was released in 2016, this GPU is more than capable of handling the game’s graphical demands. The 8 GB VRAM is a key asset, as it allows for high-resolution textures and settings without running into memory capacity limits, even at 4K. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 19774, placing it at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival in the data is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN with a score of 19706, a delta of 0.3%, meaning the RTX 2060 SUPER is marginally ahead in raw compute. A more significant comparison is against the RTX 2070, which scores 19680, a delta of 0.5% in favor of the 2060 SUPER in this specific dataset. This indicates that the GPU is positioned slightly above the performance tier of the original RTX 2070 in synthetic benchmarks, which is useful context for understanding its frame rates in Doom.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. At 1080p, the Low preset yields an average of 189.9 FPS, while Medium drops to 166 FPS, High to 143.4 FPS, and Ultra to 116.8 FPS. All of these are above 100 FPS, so the game is highly playable at any setting. However, the jump from Low to Medium costs 23.9 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 26.6 FPS. For a competitive FPS, the High preset at 143.4 FPS offers a strong balance, maintaining high frame rates while providing better visual fidelity than Medium. Moving to 1440p, the High preset delivers 92.9 FPS, which is still smooth, but the Ultra preset drops to 77.8 FPS, which is a more significant reduction. At 4K, the High preset produces 47.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for this combo across all resolutions, as it maintains the highest visual quality while keeping frame rates at acceptable levels for a majority of monitors. For 144Hz monitors, the 1080p Medium preset at 166 FPS is the best choice, as it stays above the refresh rate threshold while offering better visuals than Low.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking for Doom, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER places at rank 1211 out of 1681 tested combos. This puts it in the bottom 28% of all configurations tested for this game, which is a surprisingly low position given the individual component scores. The reason for this is likely that Doom is a highly optimized game that runs well on a wide range of hardware, and many other combos in the database feature faster CPUs or newer GPUs that push frame rates higher. The CPU’s 50th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 63rd percentile ranking do not translate into a top-tier gaming combo because the game’s engine is efficient enough that even mid-range parts can achieve high frame rates, meaning the competition is fierce. The rank indicates that while this setup is perfectly playable, it is not a standout performer compared to the broader pool of systems tested, which includes many higher-end and more recent parts. The delta between this combo and the top performers is likely substantial, but the data only provides the rank, not the specific frame rates of the combos above it.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear trend as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, revealing the limiting component. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 143.4. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 92.9 FPS, a reduction of 50.5 FPS or roughly 35%. Moving from 1440p to 4K High, the average drops to 47.4 FPS, a further reduction of 45.5 FPS or about 49%. This scaling pattern is indicative of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s performance is relatively constant across resolutions, while the GPU’s workload increases dramatically with pixel count. The fact that the FPS is cut nearly in half when going from 1440p to 4K suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the FPS is 189.9, which is extremely high, and the drop to 1440p Low is 123 FPS, a 66.9 FPS reduction. This shows that the GPU is still the limiting factor even at lower settings, as the CPU appears to be able to keep up with the frame generation demands. The data indicates that for this combo, the GPU is the bottleneck across all tested settings and resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete breakdown of measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 189.9 FPS
• Medium: 166.0 FPS
• High: 143.4 FPS
• Ultra: 116.8 FPS

At 1080p, the combo is never below 116.8 FPS, even at the highest settings. The Low preset’s 189.9 FPS is the highest of any resolution and setting combination, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a total reduction of 73.1 FPS, which is a 38.5% performance loss, indicating a significant impact from visual fidelity settings on the GPU.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 123.0 FPS
• Medium: 105.6 FPS
• High: 92.9 FPS
• Ultra: 77.8 FPS

At 1440p, the performance remains strong, with Low still exceeding 120 FPS. The Ultra preset at 77.8 FPS is the first time the combo dips below 80 FPS, which may be noticeable on a 144Hz monitor. The difference between Low and Ultra is 45.2 FPS, a 36.7% reduction, which is slightly less pronounced than at 1080p, further confirming the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 67.0 FPS
• Medium: 60.5 FPS
• High: 47.4 FPS
• Ultra: 40.0 FPS

At 4K, the RTX 2060 SUPER starts to struggle. The Low preset is the only one that maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS, at exactly 67.0 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 60.5 FPS, which is borderline, while High and Ultra fall to 47.4 and 40.0 FPS, respectively. These figures show that for 4K gaming, users must compromise on settings to achieve smooth gameplay. The difference between Low and Ultra is 27.0 FPS, a 40.3% reduction, which is the largest percentage drop across all resolutions, highlighting the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute limits at high pixel counts.