Doom

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, offering a 9 MB shared L3 cache. In this Doom benchmark configuration, the CPU is paired with a high-end GPU, and the data suggests that the processor is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios. The i5-9400 holds a 50th percentile ranking among all CPUs, indicating it sits exactly at the median of the tested processor pool. Its average benchmark score of 2305 places it in close competition with several Intel parts, including the Core i3-10305 (2300, +0.2% delta) and the Core i3-1125G4 (2299, +0.2% delta), while it trails the Core i7-8809G (2319, -0.6% delta) by a narrow margin.

The relationship between the CPU and the game’s frame rates becomes clear when examining the measured FPS data across resolutions. At 1080p, the system achieves very high frame rates, with the Ultra preset hitting 211.5 FPS and the Low preset reaching 252.3 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at the highest settings, the six-core processor can feed the GPU sufficiently to maintain triple-digit performance. However, the spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is only 40.8 FPS, which suggests that while the CPU is capable, the GPU still has headroom to scale with lower settings. The processor’s six threads, while not a modern high-core-count design, are adequate for this title, as Doom is not known for heavy multi-threaded scaling. The 2.90 GHz base clock is modest, but the 4.10 GHz boost clock provides the single-thread performance necessary for the game’s engine, which prioritizes high IPC and clock speeds over raw core counts.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings for this combo?

A: The system delivers an average of 228.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, which is a strong result that indicates the CPU and GPU are well-matched for this title at that resolution.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest rival, the Core i3-10305?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is only 0.2% higher than the Core i3-10305’s score of 2300. This places the two processors in essentially the same performance tier, with negligible difference in overall compute capability.

Q: What is the best average FPS recorded for this combo across all tested settings?

A: The highest average FPS is 252.3, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the maximum frame rate the system can produce in this configuration, as lower settings reduce GPU load and allow the CPU to push frames faster.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top quarter of tested combinations?

A: Yes, the combo ranks 394th out of 1681 tested combos, placing it in the top 23.4% of all configurations. This suggests that the pairing of the i5-9400 with the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is above average for this game.

Q: How much of a performance drop occurs when moving from 1080p High to 4K High?

A: The average FPS drops from 228.4 at 1920x1080 to 95.2 at 3840x2160, representing a 58.3% reduction in frame rate. This significant drop indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER holds an 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of graphics cards in the database. This high percentile aligns with its strong performance in this game.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear trend in frame rate scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound at lower settings, with the Low preset producing 252.3 FPS and the Ultra preset still delivering 211.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 40.8 FPS, which is relatively modest and suggests that the GPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates even when graphical load increases. Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain high but begin to show more variation: Low settings yield 220.7 FPS, while Ultra drops to 146.6 FPS, a gap of 74.1 FPS. This widening spread indicates that the GPU is starting to become more of a limiting factor as pixel count increases.

At 4K, the scaling pattern shifts dramatically. The Low preset at 3840x2160 delivers 128.6 FPS, which is still respectable, but the Ultra preset falls to 79.7 FPS, a difference of 48.9 FPS from Low. The transition from 1080p Ultra (211.5 FPS) to 4K Ultra (79.7 FPS) represents a 62.3% decrease in performance. This steep decline confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU’s six cores are sufficient to keep up with the reduced frame rates. The data shows that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, with its 16 GB of VRAM and 672.3 GB/s memory bandwidth, is capable of handling 4K workloads, but the frame rates indicate that the game’s engine and the GPU’s raw compute power are the limiting factors at this resolution. The 1440p results, particularly the High preset at 175 FPS, represent a sweet spot where the system balances CPU and GPU load effectively.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 394th out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 76.6th percentile of all configurations. This is a strong showing, considering the CPU is a mid-range part from 2018 while the GPU is a high-end card from 2024. The ranking suggests that the GPU’s performance dominates the overall result, as the i5-9400’s 50th percentile CPU ranking is significantly lower than the GPU’s 86th percentile. The combo’s position in the top quarter of all tested pairings indicates that it outperforms many configurations with newer or more powerful CPUs, but it also highlights that the processor is not holding back the system in this particular title.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing’s rank of 394 out of 1681 means that 1287 other combinations produce better or equal results in Doom. The gap between the CPU’s modest ranking and the combo’s strong overall rank is a direct result of the game’s scalability and the GPU’s ability to drive high frame rates even with a six-thread processor. The data shows that this combo is more than capable of delivering a smooth experience at 1080p and 1440p, and it remains playable at 4K with adjusted settings. The ranking also reflects that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 264 TMUs are well-utilized in this engine, which is known for its efficient rendering pipeline.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 8448 shading units, 264 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 66 RT cores and 264 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2340 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus providing 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth. In Doom, the GPU’s role is critical, as the measured FPS data shows that it is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU holds an 86th percentile ranking among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 48704, placing it just above the NVIDIA RTX A2000 (47915, +1.6% delta) and below the NVIDIA CMP 50HX (49071, -0.7% delta).

The GPU’s impact on this game’s results is evident in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized at Low settings, as the CPU limits frame rates to 252.3 FPS, but at Ultra settings, the GPU still manages 211.5 FPS, showing its ability to handle maximum graphical loads. At 4K, the GPU’s raw compute power becomes the deciding factor, with the High preset producing 95.2 FPS and the Ultra preset dropping to 79.7 FPS. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this game, as even at 4K Ultra, the memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s prevents any VRAM-related bottlenecks. The GPU’s 44.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 689.0 GTexel/s texture rate ensure that texture-heavy scenes remain fluid, while the 250.6 GPixel/s pixel rate handles the resolution demands. The data confirms that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the star of this configuration, providing the bulk of the system’s gaming capability while the older CPU merely keeps pace.