Doom

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, this combination struggles to maintain playable performance across all presets. The High preset delivers an average of 28 FPS, while Low improves to 37 FPS and Medium sits at 33 FPS with a recorded minimum of 28 FPS and maximum of 37 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 22 FPS average, making every 4K setting well below the 60 FPS threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance improves significantly. The Low preset reaches 69 FPS average, which clears the playable threshold, while Medium achieves exactly 60 FPS average with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS. High drops to 51 FPS average, and Ultra falls further to 41 FPS, meaning the two highest presets at 1440p fail to sustain 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combination shows its strongest results. Low produces 107 FPS average, Medium reaches 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 107 FPS, High delivers 78 FPS, and Ultra still manages 64 FPS. Every preset at 1080p clears the 60 FPS threshold, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 43 FPS. The recorded data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the FPS penalty from higher presets becomes more pronounced, with 4K Ultra at 22 FPS representing the most demanding scenario tested.

How This Combo Ranks

Across all 3,712 tested combinations in the database for Doom, this pairing of AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with Intel Arc B390 ranks 3,300th. That places it in the lower 11 percent of tested configurations, indicating that while it can run the game, it does so with less headroom than most other hardware pairings in the database.

The CPU contributes a percentile rank of 73 when compared against all processors, meaning the Ryzen 5 5500 outperforms roughly three-quarters of tested CPUs. Its average benchmark score sits at 19,593, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 at 19,617 (0.1 percent ahead), the Intel Core i5-12500 at 19,668 (0.4 percent ahead), the Intel Core i7-10700F at 19,499 (0.5 percent behind), and the Intel Core i5-11600KF at 19,723 (0.7 percent ahead). These deltas are all within one percent, indicating the processor is well-matched against its direct competitors.

The GPU tells a different story. The Intel Arc B390 ranks at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1,482. Its nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX at 1,463 (1.3 percent behind), the GeForce 800M at 1,460 (1.5 percent behind), the GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1,446 (2.5 percent behind), and the GeForce GT 710 at 1,443 (2.7 percent behind). The Arc B390 leads these competitors by small margins, but its low percentile ranking shows the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing.

The combination of a mid-tier CPU with a very low-tier GPU explains the overall rank. The CPU has enough headroom for the game's logic and physics, but the GPU constrains frame rates heavily, especially at higher resolutions and presets.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS threshold. The closest option is Low with 37 FPS average, but the database records no playable settings for this resolution. Even the least demanding preset falls 23 FPS short of playable performance.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, which records exactly 60 FPS average. The Low preset also clears the threshold at 69 FPS, but Medium represents the best visual quality that maintains playability. High and Ultra both fail, with 51 FPS and 41 FPS respectively.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 64 FPS average, making it the most demanding option that still clears 60 FPS. Since Ultra is the highest available preset and it remains playable, all four settings at 1080p meet the playability threshold. The margin at Ultra is 4 FPS, which is slim but sufficient according to the recorded data.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are all within one percent of the Ryzen 5 5500's average score. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 scores 19,617, which is 0.1 percent higher, making it a near-identical substitute in terms of benchmark performance. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19,668 at 0.4 percent higher, while the Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19,499 at 0.5 percent lower. The Intel Core i5-11600KF leads the group at 19,723, 0.7 percent above the Ryzen. Any of these processors would produce essentially the same frame rates in Doom, as the differences fall well within measurement noise.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B390's nearest rivals are all significantly older NVIDIA parts. The GeForce GT 520MX scores 1,463, just 1.3 percent behind, while the GeForce 800M scores 1,460 at 1.5 percent behind. The GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1,446 at 2.5 percent behind, and the GeForce GT 710 scores 1,443 at 2.7 percent behind. These GPUs would behave similarly to the Arc B390, meaning users with any of these cards should expect comparable frame rates in Doom. The small deltas suggest the Arc B390 has a slight edge, but not enough to change the playability verdict at any resolution.

When considering the full system, the CPU has substantial headroom relative to the GPU. Swapping the Ryzen 5 5500 for any of its nearest rivals would not meaningfully change FPS, since the GPU is the bottleneck. Conversely, replacing the Arc B390 with a similarly-scoring GPU would preserve the current performance profile, while upgrading to a significantly faster GPU would unlock the CPU's potential.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling data shows that resolution changes affect FPS more than preset changes, which points to the GPU as the dominant constraint. At 1080p, dropping from Ultra to Low increases average FPS from 64 to 107, a 67 percent improvement. At 1440p, the same preset change moves from 41 to 69 FPS, a 68 percent improvement. At 4K, Low to Ultra spans 37 to 22 FPS, a 68 percent swing in reverse. This consistent ratio across resolutions indicates that the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity are the primary limiters.

The CPU's role becomes visible in the absolute FPS values at low settings. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 107 FPS, which is a respectable frame rate that suggests the Ryzen 5 5500 can feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions. At 1440p Low, 69 FPS still shows reasonable CPU throughput. The drop to 37 FPS at 4K Low, however, is steeper than pure resolution scaling would predict, suggesting the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel workload.

Preset scaling also reveals GPU dependence. At 1080p, Medium to High costs 15 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 14 FPS. At 1440p, Medium to High costs 9 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 10 FPS. At 4K, Medium to High costs 5 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 6 FPS. The absolute FPS penalty shrinks as resolution increases because the GPU is already saturated, but the percentage penalty remains similar. This behavior is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario across all tested settings.

The CPU's benchmark scores support this interpretation. With a single-thread score of 836 in 3dmark and a multithread score of 5,411, the Ryzen 5 5500 provides enough processing power for a 2016 FPS title. The game's engine, running on the Vulkan API, benefits from modern CPU architectures, and the recorded 107 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions. At higher resolutions, the GPU's low percentile rank (9th) becomes the decisive factor.

The Verdict

This PC can run Doom, but with significant caveats depending on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS on every preset, including Ultra at 64 FPS. This is the only resolution where full visual quality is achievable while maintaining playable performance. The margin at Ultra is 4 FPS, so users who prefer higher frame rates should consider Medium at 93 FPS or Low at 107 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the system is playable on Low and Medium presets, with Medium hitting exactly 60 FPS average. The minimum recorded FPS at Medium is 51, which means occasional dips below the threshold are possible during intense scenes. The data records 51 FPS as the minimum for Medium, so the average meets the target but frame pacing may vary. High and Ultra presets fall short at 51 FPS and 41 FPS respectively.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS on any preset. The best result is 37 FPS at Low, which is 23 FPS below the playable threshold. Ultra drops to 22 FPS, making 4K gaming impractical with this hardware. The database records no playable settings at this resolution.

The overall verdict: this is a 1080p-capable configuration for Doom with full settings, a 1440p-capable configuration with reduced settings, and not a 4K-capable configuration. Users targeting 1440p should stick to Medium or Low, while 1080p users can enjoy the game at maximum quality with a small safety margin.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 1920x1080?

A: The Ultra preset achieves 64 FPS average at 1080p, making it the most demanding setting that remains playable. All four presets (Low at 107, Medium at 93, High at 78, Ultra at 64) clear the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Can this system run Doom at 2560x1440?

A: Yes, but only on Low (69 FPS) or Medium (60 FPS) presets. High drops to 51 FPS and Ultra to 41 FPS, both below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Medium preset records a minimum of 51 FPS, so occasional dips below 60 are possible.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 leads the GeForce GT 520MX by 1.3 percent, the GeForce 800M by 1.5 percent, the GeForce GT 625 OEM by 2.5 percent, and the GeForce GT 710 by 2.7 percent in average benchmark scores. All four rivals are within 3 percent, so they would produce similar frame rates in Doom.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 5500 ranks in the 73rd percentile among CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among GPUs. The recorded FPS scaling across resolutions and presets shows consistent GPU-bound behavior, with 1080p Low reaching 107 FPS but 4K Low only reaching 37 FPS.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K with this hardware?

A: The best 4K result is 37 FPS at Low settings. Medium averages 33 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. No preset at 3840x2160 reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to the Intel Core i5-12500?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 scores 19,593 in average benchmarks, while the Core i5-12500 scores 19,668, which is 0.4 percent higher. This difference is negligible for gaming performance, so the two CPUs would behave nearly identically in Doom.