Doom

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination covers three resolutions and four settings presets. Starting at 3840x2160, the results are uniformly below the 60 FPS playable threshold. At High settings, the average FPS is 28. Dropping to Medium raises the average to 33, with a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 37. Low settings improve the average to 37, while Ultra is the most demanding at 22 FPS average. None of these 4K results approach playability.

At 2560x1440, the picture improves but remains constrained. High settings deliver an average of 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings hit exactly 60 FPS on average, with a recorded minimum of 51 and maximum of 69. Low settings reach 69 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 41 FPS average. The Medium preset is the only one at this resolution that clears the playability bar on average, though its minimum of 51 shows some frame dips.

At 1920x1080, all four presets exceed 60 FPS on average. Low settings produce 107 FPS average, Medium yields 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 and maximum of 107, High reaches 78 FPS average, and Ultra stays at 64 FPS average. The 1080p Medium result shows a tight range between minimum and maximum, suggesting consistent frame pacing. The Ultra preset at 1080p, despite being the most demanding, still maintains a 64 FPS average, which is 4 FPS above the playable threshold.

The scaling between resolutions is steep. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings drops the average from 78 to 51, a reduction of 27 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings drops the average from 51 to 28, another reduction of 23 FPS. The Low preset follows a similar pattern: 107 FPS at 1080p, 69 at 1440p, and 37 at 4K. The data indicates that this GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU is capable of far higher frame rates in other workloads.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i7-13700K, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 with a delta of -0.2%, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at -0.3%, the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX at +0.5%, and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 at +0.5%. These CPUs are effectively identical in overall compute performance, differing by less than one percent. For gaming at 1080p, where the CPU matters more, any of these processors would produce nearly the same frame rates in Doom. At 4K, however, the CPU differences become irrelevant because the GPU is the clear bottleneck.

The Intel Arc B390 has a very different competitive landscape. Its nearest rivals, based on the Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a delta of +1.3%, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at +1.5%, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at +2.5%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at +2.7%. These deltas are all within three percent, meaning the Arc B390 performs within a narrow band of these older, low-end GPUs. The Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, which places it near the bottom of the performance distribution. In practical terms, any of these rival GPUs would deliver similar frame rates in Doom at the same settings and resolution. The GT 520MX and GT 710 are particularly close, so swapping the Arc B390 for either would not change the playability verdict at any resolution.

The CPU's percentile ranking is 89th among all CPUs, while the GPU's percentile ranking is 9th. This enormous gap confirms that the GPU is the dominant constraint in this system. When comparing to other tested combinations, the CPU is a high-end part that would not hold back any modern GPU, but the Arc B390 is so weak that it drags the entire system down to near-entry-level gaming performance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results across resolutions and presets reveal which component matters more for Doom. At 1080p, the CPU still has some influence, but the GPU is already the primary limiter. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 43 FPS (107 versus 64), which is a large swing driven almost entirely by GPU load. At 1440p, the GPU bottleneck becomes more pronounced. The spread between Low and Ultra is 28 FPS (69 versus 41), showing that the GPU is struggling to keep up even at lower settings. At 4K, the GPU is completely saturated. The spread between Low and Ultra is only 15 FPS (37 versus 22), meaning that even dropping to Low settings cannot overcome the GPU's lack of raw throughput.

The CPU's capabilities are far beyond what this GPU can feed. The i7-13700K scores 30,745 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,116 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 45,887. These are strong numbers, but they do not translate into high frame rates because the Arc B390 cannot render frames fast enough. The data shows that resolution scaling is the key indicator: as resolution increases, the FPS drops disproportionately, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound system. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions or drop only slightly.

At 1080p Low, the 107 FPS average suggests the CPU can push frames well above 100 in this game, but the GPU cannot maintain that pace at higher settings. At 1080p Ultra, the 64 FPS average is still above the playable threshold, but just barely. The minimum FPS data is only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 51 FPS is below the 60 FPS average, indicating occasional stutters or drops. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 79 FPS is well above the threshold, showing a more stable experience. The absence of minimum FPS data for other presets limits the analysis, but the available numbers suggest that the GPU's frame time consistency degrades as resolution increases.

FAQ

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

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 37, achieved at Low settings. Medium averages 33 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. None of these reach the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best playable preset at 2560x1440?

A: Medium is the best preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. It averages exactly 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69. Low also clears the threshold at 69 FPS average, but Medium offers higher visual quality while still meeting the playability bar.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1920x1080?

A: Yes. Ultra at 1080p averages 64 FPS, which is 4 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. It is the most demanding preset at this resolution and still delivers playable performance.

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

A: The Arc B390 scores 1,482 in the Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463, 1.3% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1,460, 1.5% slower), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1,446, 2.5% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1,443, 2.7% slower). All are within 3% of each other.

Q: Does the CPU matter at 4K resolution for this game?

A: No, the data shows the GPU is the bottleneck. At 4K, the FPS drops to 22-37 depending on settings, while the i7-13700K is capable of far higher frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's performance is irrelevant at this resolution because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1080p Low settings?

A: The average FPS at 1080p Low is 107. This is the highest recorded average for this combination across all tested settings and resolutions.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest average is 37 FPS at Low settings, which is 23 FPS short of playable. The database records no playable settings for this resolution, so the best settings recommendation is none.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS. It achieves an average of exactly 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and maximum of 69. Low settings also work at 69 FPS average, but Medium provides better visual quality for the same playability. The recommended preset is Medium.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS. It averages 64 FPS, which is above the threshold. Since all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear 60 FPS average at this resolution, the best choice is Ultra for maximum visual quality. The 64 FPS average leaves only a small margin, but it is sufficient.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B390 ranks 3,300th out of 3,712 tested combos in Doom. That places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, since the CPU is in the 89th percentile among all CPUs while the GPU is in the 9th percentile. The enormous gap between the two components means the system is severely unbalanced for gaming. Many combinations with weaker CPUs but more powerful GPUs would rank higher because the GPU is the dominant factor in this game's frame rate. The 4K results, where the system cannot reach 60 FPS on any preset, are consistent with a GPU that ranks near the bottom of the performance distribution. The 1080p results, where the system clears 60 FPS on all presets, show that the CPU is more than sufficient for this workload.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Doom? The answer depends on the resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, yes: all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset averages 64 FPS, which is playable, and Low reaches 107 FPS. At 2560x1440, partially: Low and Medium are playable, with Medium averaging exactly 60 FPS. High and Ultra fall short, averaging 51 and 41 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, no: the highest average is 37 FPS at Low settings, which is well below the playable threshold. The recorded data indicates that this system is suitable for 1080p gaming with headroom in the lower presets, and acceptable for 1440p only if the user sticks to Medium or Low settings. For 4K, the GPU is simply not powerful enough. The verdict by resolution is clear: playable at 1080p on all presets, playable at 1440p only on Low and Medium, and not playable at 4K on any preset.