Doom

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a solidly playable experience in Doom, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions. At 1080p, the combination easily clears high-refresh-rate thresholds on most settings, while 4K Ultra demands compromise. The data indicates a balanced pairing where the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the 6-core/6-thread CPU provides adequate support without becoming a major bottleneck in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1920x1080 on High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 149, which indicates a smooth experience for high-refresh-rate gaming at Full HD.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. Its closest competitor, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, scores 21153, which is 0.6% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, which is 1.6% lower.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 131 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 79 FPS. This represents a 52 FPS difference between the two extremes.

Q: What is the CPU's single-core performance score in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 scores 935 points in the Cinebench R23 single-core test.

Q: Does the data show a playable frame rate at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 on Ultra, the average FPS is 43. While this is technically playable, it falls below the 60 FPS threshold commonly desired for a fast-paced FPS.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and what is its bus width?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the dominant component in this pairing for Doom, particularly as resolution increases. The GPU's specifications in the fact pack show an 8 GB VRAM pool, which is sufficient for the textures and assets in a 2016 title at these tested settings. The 128-bit memory bus delivers a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, which helps sustain frame rates without memory starvation at 1080p and 1440p. The GPU's base clock of 2317 MHz and boost clock of 2572 MHz, combined with 2560 shading units, provide the raw compute power necessary for the game's rendering workloads.

The benchmark results show the GPU's capability is the key driver of performance differences between settings. At 1080p, the scaling from Low (202 FPS) to Ultra (122 FPS) demonstrates a 40% reduction in average frame rate, which is a typical workload curve for a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 5050's 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 205.8 GTexel/s texture rate provide ample headroom for the game's effects at lower resolutions. At 4K, however, the GPU's 32 ROPs and 82.30 GPixel/s pixel rate become a limiting factor, as evidenced by the significant drop in performance.

The GPU's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on average benchmark score, places it in a mid-to-upper tier for this generation. In Doom specifically, the measured results show the RTX 5050 can handle the game well up to 1440p High, but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. The 8 GB VRAM is not a bottleneck in these tests, as the game was released in 2016 and likely does not require more than that for its high-resolution textures.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 149 FPS at 1920x1080 to 96 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 36%. Moving from 1440p to 3840x2160, the average further drops to 52 FPS, another 46% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the pixel throughput requirements outpace the GPU's capabilities.

The Low settings row shows a similar trend but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 202 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 131 FPS (35% decrease); and at 4K Low, it falls to 71 FPS (46% decrease). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the scaling is purely resolution-driven, not setting-driven. This means the CPU is keeping up with the GPU's demands even at lower graphical presets, and the limiting factor is the GPU's ability to fill pixels.

The Medium settings row provides additional insight with min and max FPS values. At 1080p, the min FPS is 150 and max is 203, showing a tight frame time distribution. At 1440p, min FPS is 97 and max is 131. At 4K, min FPS is 52 and max is 71. This narrowing of the frame rate range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is working closer to its maximum capacity, reducing variance in frame times. The data suggests that for a consistent 60+ FPS experience, users should target 1440p or lower, as 4K only achieves playable frame rates on Low settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of which preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality. At 1920x1080, the High preset achieves an average of 149 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset drops to 122 FPS, still playable but with diminishing returns for the extra visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 176 FPS offers a substantial performance buffer, but the High preset's 149 FPS is the recommended choice for most users, as it provides a significant boost over Medium without sacrificing the smoothness required for a fast-paced FPS.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 96 FPS, which is excellent for a 1440p experience. The Ultra preset drops to 79 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS and could be considered for users with G-Sync or FreeSync displays. The Medium preset at 114 FPS offers a comfortable margin, but the High setting provides the best visual quality per frame rate cost. For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 131 FPS is an option, but the High preset's balance of quality and performance is superior.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The High preset only achieves 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 62 FPS barely crosses the threshold, while the Low preset at 71 FPS provides a more comfortable margin. The Ultra preset at 43 FPS is not recommended for serious play. Based on the data, the optimal experience across all resolutions is the High preset at 1080p or 1440p, with 1440p High being the sweet spot for those with capable displays. For 4K, the Medium preset is the highest quality option that maintains a playable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 1766 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom. This places the pairing in the 60th percentile of all tested systems, indicating a slightly above-average performance profile for this game. The rank reflects the balanced nature of the components, where the GPU's mid-tier standing is complemented by a CPU that does not hold it back significantly.

The GPU's individual performance percentile is 66, which is higher than the combo's overall rank suggests. This discrepancy indicates that the CPU is slightly limiting the system's potential in Doom, though not to a severe degree. The CPU's percentile rank is 47, which is below the GPU's, confirming that the i5-9400 is the weaker link in this pairing. However, the game's engine appears to be well-optimized for 6-core processors, as the frame rates at lower resolutions remain high.

Compared to the 2930 total combos, this system's rank of 1766 means it outperforms approximately 40% of tested configurations. This is a respectable position, especially considering the GPU was released in 2025 while the CPU is from 2018. The data suggests that users with this combo can expect a solid 1080p and 1440p gaming experience in Doom, with 4K being the only resolution where the system's limitations become apparent.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest performance. The Low preset averages 202 FPS, with the Medium preset at 176 FPS (min 150, max 203). The High preset averages 149 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 122 FPS. These numbers indicate that the pairing is well-suited for 1080p gaming, with even the most demanding preset exceeding 120 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the GPU's workload increasing. The Low preset averages 131 FPS, Medium averages 114 FPS (min 97, max 131), High averages 96 FPS, and Ultra averages 79 FPS. All presets at this resolution maintain at least 79 FPS average, making 1440p a viable option for high-refresh-rate gaming with this combo.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become evident. The Low preset averages 71 FPS, Medium averages 62 FPS (min 52, max 71), High averages 52 FPS, and Ultra averages 43 FPS. Only the Low and Medium presets achieve average frame rates above 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls below 45 FPS. The minimum FPS values at 4K, where available, show that the system can dip below 60 FPS even on Medium settings, which may cause noticeable stuttering in intense scenes.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides 6 cores and 6 threads, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This configuration is sufficient for Doom, as the game does not heavily utilize multi-threading. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and single-core score of 935 indicate a modestly capable processor for its generation. The 9 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality, and the dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth provides adequate data throughput for the GPU.

In Doom, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The measured frame rates at 1080p Low (202 FPS) suggest the CPU is able to keep up with the GPU's output, as such high frame rates would be impossible if the CPU were a significant bottleneck. The single-core performance, which is often critical for game engine tasks, is adequate for this title, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across settings at 1080p.

The CPU's 47th percentile ranking and its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (0.2% lower score) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% higher score), show it sits in the middle of the performance spectrum. While it is not a high-end processor, it does not prevent the RTX 5050 from delivering playable frame rates in Doom. The 65W TDP suggests efficient operation, and the Coffee Lake architecture, while older, remains functional for this game's requirements. The data shows that for Doom, the CPU is a supporting player rather than a star, and its performance is sufficient to avoid major frame rate drops.