Doom

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a highly capable 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, with 4K remaining playable at reduced settings. This combination leverages a six-core, six-thread Coffee Lake CPU with a 2.90 GHz base and 4.10 GHz boost clock, alongside a Blackwell 2.0 GPU featuring 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU's six threads provide sufficient headroom for the game's engine at lower settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, which is adequate for maintaining high frame rates in Doom, a title that responds well to strong single-core performance. The CPU's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth help feed the GPU efficiently, though the lack of hyper-threading means the six threads must handle all game logic and draw calls.

Benchmark results place this CPU at the 50th percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 2305. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are the Intel Core i3-10305 and Intel Core i3-1125G4, both scoring 2300 and 2299 respectively, showing a negligible 0.2% difference. The Intel Xeon E-2134 trails by 0.4% with a score of 2295, while the Intel Core i7-8809G leads by 0.6% with a score of 2319. In practical terms, this means the i5-9400 performs on par with these alternatives, and in Doom specifically, the six physical cores are sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck at 1080p, where the measured average FPS exceeds 145 at Ultra settings.

The CPU's single-core performance, reflected in a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125, is crucial for Doom's frame pacing. At 1440p Low settings, the combo achieves 156.1 FPS average, suggesting the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output even when graphical load is light. The 65 W TDP and locked multiplier indicate this is a mainstream chip, not designed for overclocking, but its stock clocks prove adequate for this game's demands.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB206 chip fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Doom's texture-heavy environments. The GPU's base clock is 2280 MHz, boosting to 2497 MHz, and it houses 3840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. With 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores, it offers modern features, but Doom's core rendering relies on the 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU's benchmark profile shows a PassMark G3D score of 20891 and a percentile rank of 73 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30109. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, scores 30097, a 0% delta, indicating near-identical synthetic performance. The AMD Radeon RX 570 scores 30158, 0.2% higher, while the NVIDIA Tesla M60 and GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile trail by 0.5% and 0.6% respectively. This places the RTX 5060 in a competitive mid-range bracket, and the measured FPS in Doom confirms its strength.

At 1080p Ultra, the GPU delivers 145.4 FPS average, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 50 FPS, showing the VRAM and memory bandwidth become constrained at higher resolutions. The 8 GB frame buffer is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with Ultra settings, the game's memory demands push the GPU to its limits, resulting in the lowest measured average of 50 FPS. The 128-bit bus, despite GDDR7 speed, limits the data throughput needed for 4K textures.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 179.2 at 1080p to 112.4 at 1440p, a 37.3% reduction, and further to 65 at 4K, a 42.2% reduction from 1440p. This steep decline indicates the GPU becomes the primary limiting component as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload remains relatively constant while the GPU must render more pixels.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 238.4 FPS at 1080p falls to 156.1 at 1440p (34.5% drop) and then to 83.7 at 4K (46.4% drop). The fact that the CPU can push 238.4 FPS at 1080p Low shows it is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions, but the 4K Low result of 83.7 FPS highlights the GPU's pixel throughput limitations. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is 64.9%, suggesting the RTX 5060's 48 ROPs and 119.9 GPixel/s pixel rate are the constraining factors.

Medium settings show a similar trend: 211.2 FPS at 1080p, 134.3 at 1440p, and 73.8 at 4K. Ultra settings yield 145.4, 92.9, and 50 FPS respectively. The consistent pattern across all settings confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck above 1080p, with the CPU's six threads providing stable frame delivery. The 4K Ultra result of 50 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS average, indicating that for smooth 4K play, users must drop to High settings, which still only achieves 65 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers high refresh-rate performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 238.4 FPS, Medium yields 211.2 FPS, High achieves 179.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 145.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 93 FPS, showing that Doom's graphical options have a significant impact on the GPU load, but even at Ultra, the frame rate exceeds 144 Hz, making this an excellent pairing for high-refresh 1080p monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain strong but show more separation. Low settings hit 156.1 FPS, Medium reaches 134.3 FPS, High delivers 112.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 92.9 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is consistent: 82.3 FPS for Low, 76.9 FPS for Medium, 66.8 FPS for High, and 52.5 FPS for Ultra. This resolution is the sweet spot for the RTX 5060, as even Ultra settings remain above 90 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more modest. Low settings average 83.7 FPS, Medium drops to 73.8 FPS, High manages 65 FPS, and Ultra falls to 50 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is severe, with reductions of 72.4 FPS for Low, 60.5 FPS for Medium, 47.4 FPS for High, and 42.9 FPS for Ultra. This indicates that 4K gaming is possible but requires setting expectations: High settings are playable, while Ultra is borderline for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested combinations for Doom, this Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 pairing ranks 858th out of 1681 total combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems, which is notable given the CPU's modest six-thread configuration. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's 50th percentile standing and the GPU's 73rd percentile performance, with the GPU's strength carrying the overall result.

The rank of 858 out of 1681 means the combo outperforms roughly 49% of all tested configurations while being outperformed by the remaining 51%. This is a solid result for a mainstream CPU paired with a mid-range GPU, as many higher-ranked combos likely feature more powerful CPUs or GPUs. The data suggests that the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM and high memory bandwidth are well-utilized in Doom, but the CPU's six threads prevent it from reaching the top quartile of rankings.

Comparatively, the CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks show similar scores, but the GPU's performance relative to its rivals (RX 7700 XT, RX 570) ensures this combo remains competitive. The measured FPS at 1440p Ultra (92.9 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (145.4 FPS) are strong indicators that this rank is earned through real-world gameplay, not just theoretical compute. For users with a 1440p monitor, this combo offers a balanced experience that justifies its mid-pack ranking.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K High settings, the average FPS is 65, while Ultra drops to 50 FPS. For a consistent 60+ FPS experience, Low settings (83.7 FPS) or Medium (73.8 FPS) are recommended at 4K.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data shows 1440p is the optimal resolution, with Ultra settings achieving 92.9 FPS and High settings reaching 112.4 FPS. This provides a balance between visual quality and smooth frame rates, outperforming 4K and remaining above 90 FPS at all but the heaviest settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 scores 2305 on average, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305 and i3-1125G4 (both around 2300), and 0.4% higher than the Intel Xeon E-2134. The Intel Core i7-8809G leads by 0.6% with a score of 2319.

Q: Is the GPU's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Doom?

A: Yes, the 8 GB GDDR7 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for all tested settings. The 4K Ultra result of 50 FPS shows a performance drop, but this is more related to the GPU's 128-bit bus and pixel rate than a VRAM capacity issue.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with this combo?

A: At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 238.4 at Low settings to 145.4 at Ultra. Medium settings yield 211.2 FPS, and High settings achieve 179.2 FPS, all of which are well above 144 Hz for high-refresh displays.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested systems?

A: It ranks 858th out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the upper-middle segment. This rank reflects the GPU's strong performance (73rd percentile) compensating for the CPU's mid-range standing (50th percentile).