Doom

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Doom with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Intel Arc B390 combination spans three resolutions and four quality presets. At 3840x2160 (4K), the results are consistently below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Low preset averages 37 FPS, Medium averages 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 FPS and maximum of 37 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. None of these averages approach 60 FPS, and the gap between the least demanding preset and the playability threshold is 23 FPS, which indicates that even the lowest settings leave substantial headroom unaddressed.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the picture improves noticeably. The Low preset averages 69 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS bar by 9 FPS. Medium averages exactly 60 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS. High drops to 51 FPS average, and Ultra falls further to 41 FPS. The Medium preset is the most demanding option that maintains a 60 FPS average, but the minimum of 51 FPS suggests occasional dips below the threshold during intense scenes. Low offers a more consistent experience with its 69 FPS average, though the database does not list minimum or maximum values for that preset.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), every preset clears 60 FPS. Low averages 107 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 107 FPS, High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra averages 64 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding option that stays above 60 FPS, with a 4 FPS margin over the threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop of 43 FPS, from 107 to 64, which is a 40% reduction in average frame rate when moving from the least to the most demanding preset.

The resolution scaling is equally telling. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings reduces the average from 93 FPS to 60 FPS, a 35% drop. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings reduces the average from 60 FPS to 33 FPS, a 45% drop. The combined effect from 1080p Medium to 4K Medium is a reduction from 93 FPS to 33 FPS, a 65% decrease. This indicates that Doom is highly sensitive to pixel count, with each resolution step imposing a substantial frame rate penalty.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS recorded is 37 on the Low preset. Medium averages 33 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. All four presets fall below the 60 FPS playability threshold, and the database lists no playable settings at this resolution.

Q: What is the best preset at 1440p that maintains 60 FPS?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 averages exactly 60 FPS, making it the most demanding option that clears the threshold. The Low preset averages 69 FPS and is also playable, but Medium offers higher visual quality while still meeting the 60 FPS average requirement.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 64 FPS, which is 4 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This is the only resolution where Ultra qualifies as playable, and the database confirms all four presets at 1080p are playable.

Q: How does the minimum FPS compare to the average at Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 51 FPS against an average of 60 FPS, a 9 FPS gap. At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum is 79 FPS against an average of 93 FPS, a 14 FPS gap. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum is 28 FPS against an average of 33 FPS, a 5 FPS gap. The 1440p Medium preset is the only playable configuration where the minimum falls below 60 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at each resolution?

A: At 4K, Low averages 37 FPS and Ultra averages 22 FPS, a difference of 15 FPS. At 1440p, Low averages 69 FPS and Ultra averages 41 FPS, a difference of 28 FPS. At 1080p, Low averages 107 FPS and Ultra averages 64 FPS, a difference of 43 FPS. The absolute gap widens as resolution decreases, but the relative gap is largest at 1440p where Ultra runs at 59% of Low's frame rate.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: The recorded data does not list minimum FPS values for Low, High, or Ultra at 1080p, so no definitive statement is possible for those presets. For Medium at 1080p, the minimum is 79 FPS, which stays above 60 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 51 FPS does drop below 60 FPS.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a 60 FPS average, so no settings recommendation can be made. The closest option is Low at 37 FPS, but this remains far below the playability threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are Medium, which averages exactly 60 FPS. The recorded minimum of 51 FPS indicates that frame pacing may vary, but the average meets the threshold. Low averages 69 FPS and offers a larger safety margin, but Medium provides higher visual quality while still clearing the 60 FPS bar on average.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Ultra, averaging 64 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, with a 4 FPS margin. The next step down, High, averages 78 FPS, providing a larger buffer for scenes with heavy action, but Ultra is the highest quality option that remains playable according to the database's threshold.

The Verdict

The verdict by resolution is clear. At 3840x2160, the system cannot run Doom at a playable frame rate on any preset. The highest average is 37 FPS on Low, and the database lists no playable settings for this resolution. Users targeting 4K would need to consider a different GPU configuration.

At 2560x1440, the system is playable on Low and Medium presets. Low averages 69 FPS, and Medium averages exactly 60 FPS. The best playable preset is Medium, as it offers higher visual quality while meeting the 60 FPS average threshold. High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS, so they are not recommended.

At 1920x1080, the system is playable on all four presets: Low at 107 FPS, Medium at 93 FPS, High at 78 FPS, and Ultra at 64 FPS. The best playable preset is Ultra, which provides the highest visual quality while averaging 64 FPS. This is the only resolution where the full range of settings is usable, and the Ultra preset clears the threshold with a modest 4 FPS margin.

Overall, this combination is a 1080p gaming system for Doom. It can handle 1440p with reduced settings, but 4K is not viable. The data shows a consistent pattern: the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases, and the CPU's capabilities are not sufficient to compensate at higher pixel counts.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals how the CPU and GPU split responsibilities across resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU has more influence because the GPU is less stressed. The average FPS ranges from 107 on Low to 64 on Ultra, a spread of 43 FPS. This wide range suggests that the GPU is handling most of the workload, as preset changes directly affect frame rate. The CPU, a 12-core, 24-thread AMD Ryzen 9 5900X with a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, provides ample headroom for Doom's engine, which is not heavily threaded for this title.

At 1440p, the GPU becomes more dominant. The average FPS ranges from 69 on Low to 41 on Ultra, a spread of 28 FPS. The Medium preset averages 60 FPS, which is exactly the playability threshold. The narrowing spread compared to 1080p indicates that the GPU is starting to saturate, and the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. The GPU, an Intel Arc B390 with 1536 shading units and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, is the primary driver of frame rate at this resolution.

At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The average FPS ranges from 37 on Low to 22 on Ultra, a spread of only 15 FPS. This compressed range shows that even the lowest preset cannot overcome the GPU's limitations at this pixel count. The GPU's FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, which is consistent with its inability to handle 4K rendering in Doom. The CPU's role is minimal at 4K, as the frame rate is constrained by the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity.

The scaling between resolutions further clarifies the roles. From 1080p Medium to 1440p Medium, the average drops from 93 to 60 FPS, a 35% reduction. From 1440p Medium to 4K Medium, the average drops from 60 to 33 FPS, a 45% reduction. The larger drop at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is increasingly the limiting factor, while the CPU remains underutilized. For users seeking higher frame rates, reducing resolution is the most effective lever, as the GPU cannot be upgraded within this combination.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking for Doom, this combination of AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3300 out of 3712 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 11% of all systems tested for this game. The rank reflects the GPU's low standing: the Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. The CPU, by contrast, ranks in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41376. This disparity explains the overall rank: a high-end CPU paired with a low-end GPU produces a system that is CPU-heavy but GPU-limited for gaming.

The rank of 3300 out of 3712 means that 412 other combos perform worse in Doom, while 3299 perform better. This is not a competitive position for modern gaming, but it is sufficient for 1080p playable frame rates across all presets. The data shows that the combo's performance is driven almost entirely by the GPU, and the CPU's high percentile does not translate into higher frame rates at resolutions above 1080p.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is closely matched by several Intel and AMD processors. The Intel Core Ultra 7 366H has an average score of 41263, which is 0.3% lower than the Ryzen's 41376. The Intel Core Ultra 7 356H scores 41215, 0.4% lower. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 scores 41208, also 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i7-14650HX scores 41576, which is 0.5% higher. These deltas are all within 1%, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Doom when paired with the same GPU. The choice of CPU has negligible impact on frame rates in this game, as the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B390's nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from older generations. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the Arc B390's 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These rivals are all within 3% of the Arc B390's performance, so swapping the GPU for any of these would result in nearly identical frame rates in Doom. The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it just above these legacy parts, but the differences are small enough that users would not notice a change in playability.

The practical implication is that this system's performance in Doom is determined by the GPU tier, and the CPU choice is irrelevant within this range. For users considering upgrades, the data suggests that improving the GPU would have a far larger impact on frame rates than changing the CPU, since the current CPU already operates well above the performance level required by the game at these settings.