Doom

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Doom with the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel Arc B390 combination covers three resolutions and four quality presets. The database shows a clear performance ceiling imposed by the Intel Arc B390, which behaves like an integrated-class part in this title.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles across every preset. The High preset produces an average of 28 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold by a wide margin. Dropping to Medium raises the average to 33 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. The Low preset reaches an average of 37 FPS, still far from playable. The Ultra preset is the slowest at 3840x2160, with an average of 22 FPS. None of these figures approach the playable threshold, and the spread between Low and Ultra is only 15 FPS, indicating that resolution is the dominant constraint at this setting.

At 2560x1440, the picture improves but remains limited. The High preset averages 51 FPS, just below the 60 FPS target. Medium achieves exactly 60 FPS on average, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. Low reaches an average of 69 FPS, which is the highest recorded value at this resolution. Ultra falls to 41 FPS, which is not playable. The Medium preset is the most demanding setting that clears the threshold, and its 60 FPS average comes with a minimum that dips to 51 FPS, meaning there will be occasional frame drops below the target during intense scenes.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally delivers a fully playable experience across all presets. Low averages 107 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra averages 64 FPS. The Ultra preset clears the 60 FPS threshold with an average of exactly 64 FPS, making it the most demanding playable setting at 1080p. The scaling from 1440p to 1080p is substantial, roughly doubling the performance in some cases, which points to the GPU being heavily resolution-bound.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database, this CPU and GPU pairing is ranked 3300 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom. That places the combo in the 89th percentile of tested combinations, specifically at the lower end of the performance distribution. In other words, around 89% of tested combos perform better in this game, while only a small fraction demonstrate lower frame rates.

The CPU itself is a top-tier part, ranking in the 95th percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 75779. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 with a score of 75738 and a delta of 0.1%, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D with 75716 and a delta of 0.1%, the AMD EPYC 8224P with 75582 and a delta of 0.3%, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 with 75488 and a delta of 0.4%. These deltas are negligible, meaning the CPU is effectively tied with several other high-end processors in overall compute performance.

The GPU, however, is the bottleneck. The Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 and a delta of 1.3%, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M with 1460 and a delta of 1.5%, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM with 1446 and a delta of 2.5%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 with 1443 and a delta of 2.7%. This places the Arc B390 in the company of much older, entry-level discrete GPUs and integrated graphics parts, which explains why the measured FPS in Doom is so constrained despite the flagship CPU.

The combination of a 95th percentile CPU with a 9th percentile GPU produces a system that is entirely GPU-bound in this game. The rank of 3300 out of 3712 reflects that imbalance: the CPU contributes almost nothing to the frame rate at higher resolutions, while the GPU holds the system back.

Best Settings per Resolution

The database records the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at each resolution.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The best recorded average is 37 FPS at Low settings, but the verdict for 4K lists no playable settings. The combination cannot deliver a playable experience at this resolution under any tested preset.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is Medium, with an average of 60 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that clears the threshold, though the minimum of 51 FPS indicates that the experience is not consistently smooth. Low also clears the threshold with 69 FPS, but Medium is the recommended maximum for a playable frame rate.

At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is Ultra, with an average of 64 FPS. All four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution, and Ultra is the most demanding of them. The 64 FPS average is only 4 FPS above the threshold, so users who want a larger safety margin might prefer High at 78 FPS, but the data shows Ultra is technically playable.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest recorded average is 37 FPS on Low settings. Medium averages 33 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. None of the presets at this resolution clear the 60 FPS threshold, and the verdict lists no playable settings for 4K.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the most demanding one that stays at 60 FPS on average. It records 60 FPS average, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. Low is also playable at 69 FPS, but Medium is the highest quality playable option.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 64 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. The database lists High, Low, Medium, and Ultra as playable settings at this resolution, with Ultra being the best settings preset.

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463 (1.3% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460 (1.5% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (2.5% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% slower). These are all entry-level parts from previous generations.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck in Doom?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 75779, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile with a score of 1482. The measured FPS scales heavily with resolution, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload.

Q: Is the CPU comparable to other high-end processors?

A: Yes. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D has an average benchmark score of 75779, and its nearest rivals are within 0.4% of that score: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 at 75738, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D at 75716, the AMD EPYC 8224P at 75582, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 at 75488. The differences are negligible in practical terms.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a system that is almost entirely GPU-bound in Doom. The evidence for this lies in the scaling of frame rates across resolutions and presets. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 22 on Ultra to 37 on Low, a span of 15 FPS. At 2560x1440, the range is 41 on Ultra to 69 on Low, a span of 28 FPS. At 1920x1080, the range is 64 on Ultra to 107 on Low, a span of 43 FPS. The frame rate nearly triples from 4K Ultra to 1080p Low, which is a hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. If the CPU were the constraint, resolution changes would have a much smaller effect on frame rate.

The CPU, by contrast, is a 16-core, 32-thread part with a boost clock of 5.70 GHz, 128 MB of L3 cache, and a 95th percentile ranking. In a game like Doom, the CPU has more than enough headroom at all tested resolutions. The fact that the frame rate drops from 107 FPS at 1080p Low to 37 FPS at 4K Low, a reduction of 65%, demonstrates that the GPU cannot keep up as pixel count increases. The CPU is effectively idle waiting on the GPU to complete rendering work.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 60 FPS average, but the minimum of 51 FPS shows that even a moderate resolution pushes the GPU to its limits. The jump from 1440p Medium at 60 FPS to 1080p Medium at 93 FPS is a 55% increase, again pointing to the GPU as the constraining factor. The CPU contributes a stable base, but its role in determining the final frame rate is secondary throughout the tested range.

The Verdict

This system can run Doom, but only at specific resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the combination clears the 60 FPS threshold on every preset, with Ultra averaging 64 FPS, High at 78 FPS, Medium at 93 FPS, and Low at 107 FPS. This is a fully playable experience at 1080p, though the margin on Ultra is thin.

At 2560x1440, the system is partially playable. The Medium preset averages exactly 60 FPS, and Low averages 69 FPS, but High falls to 51 FPS and Ultra to 41 FPS. The verdict lists Low and Medium as playable, with Medium being the best settings preset at 60 FPS. Users who want a consistent 60 FPS with headroom should stick to Low, since Medium has a minimum of 51 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot deliver a playable experience. No preset reaches 60 FPS, and the verdict lists no playable settings. The best case is Low at 37 FPS, which is well below the playable threshold. Anyone expecting 4K performance from this combination will be disappointed.

The verdict is straightforward: this combo is a 1080p machine for Doom, with a passable 1440p option on Medium settings. The 4K results are not playable under any tested preset.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals in the database are all within 0.4% of its average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 scores 75738, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D scores 75716, the AMD EPYC 8224P scores 75582, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 scores 75488. Any of these processors would behave nearly identically to the Ryzen 9 9950X3D in Doom, since the game clearly does not stress modern high-end CPUs to any meaningful degree. The deltas of 0.1% to 0.4% mean the practical differences in frame rates would be imperceptible.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile with a score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX at 1463, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1463. These deltas range from 1.3% to 2.7%, placing the Arc B390 in the company of entry-level parts from earlier GPU generations. A system builder looking for similar behavior in Doom would target GPUs in this performance class, understanding that frame rates in the 30 to 70 FPS range at 1080p are the realistic expectation.

In short, the CPU alternatives represent drop-in replacements that would not change the gaming outcome in Doom, because the GPU is the limiting factor. The GPU alternatives, while slightly slower on paper, would produce a similar experience constrained by the same fundamental performance ceiling.