Doom

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture, using the Cezanne codename on a 7nm process from TSMC. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, and it carries a 65W TDP. The processor features 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 in a dual-channel configuration, yielding 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and it connects via PCIe Gen 3.

In synthetic CPU benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 5500 shows a clear scaling pattern from single-thread to multi-thread workloads. Its 3DMark single-thread score is 836, rising to 1645 in the 2-thread test, 3151 in 4-threads, 4593 in 8-threads, and 5411 in max-threads. This progression indicates that the chip benefits from additional threads up to its 12-thread count, though the gains diminish beyond 8 threads. Cinebench R23 results reinforce this: a single-core score of 2319 jumps to 16429 in multi-core, a roughly 7x improvement that reflects efficient thread utilization across the six physical cores.

For a game like Doom, which is known for being well-optimized and capable of scaling across multiple cores, the 6-core/12-thread configuration is relevant. The CPU's percentile rank of 73 among all tested CPUs places it above the majority of processors in the database. Its average benchmark score of 19593 puts it within a tight competitive group: it trails the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 by 0.1% (which scores 19617), sits 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-12500 (19668), and is 0.7% behind the Intel Core i5-11600KF (19723). Interestingly, it outperforms the Intel Core i7-10700F by 0.5% (19499). These deltas are all within a single percentage point, meaning the Ryzen 5 5500 is effectively in a dead heat with its nearest rivals for general processing power.

In the context of Doom's measured frame rates, the CPU's role appears secondary at higher resolutions but potentially influential at 1080p. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 96 FPS average, which is the highest measured figure across all resolutions and settings. This suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at this resolution, though the GPU's modest capabilities may still be the limiting factor. The fact that 1080p Low yields 96 FPS while 1080p Ultra drops to 58 FPS indicates that graphics settings, not CPU throughput, are driving the performance variation. The CPU's 12 threads are likely sufficient for Doom's engine, which was designed to run on a wide range of hardware from its 2016 release.

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

The Intel Arc B370 is a starkly different component. It uses the Panther Lake chip with the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3nm process. Its clock speeds are unusual: a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output pipelines, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, and it delivers 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

Critically, the Arc B370 has no dedicated VRAM. Memory size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared," meaning it relies on system memory (in this case, the Ryzen 5 5500's DDR4) for graphics data. The memory clock is also "System Shared," and bandwidth is "System Dependent." This is a fundamental architectural choice that shapes its performance profile. With a TDP of only 25W and an integrated graphics form factor (IGP), it is not a discrete gaming GPU but rather an integrated solution.

The GPU's benchmark data is sparse: a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. Its percentile rank among all GPUs is 5, placing it in the bottom 5% of the database. Its nearest rivals are all older, low-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% slower). This grouping confirms the Arc B370 is in entry-level territory, competing with hardware from a decade earlier.

In Doom, this GPU's limitations are evident. At 1080p Low, it manages 96 FPS, which is playable, but at 4K Ultra it falls to 20 FPS. The system-shared memory architecture means the GPU competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth, and the "System Dependent" bandwidth figure suggests performance will vary with the host platform. The 25W TDP also caps sustained performance, as thermal and power constraints limit how long the GPU can maintain boost clocks. The gap between the 300 MHz base and 2400 MHz boost is substantial, indicating the GPU can punch above its weight in short bursts but may throttle under sustained load.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear resolution scaling pattern. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 71 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High drops that to 46 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls to 25 FPS, another 46% drop from 1440p. This steep scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario: as pixel count increases, the rendering load grows, and the Arc B370's limited compute and memory bandwidth become the bottleneck.

Low settings tell a similar story. At 1080p Low, the average is 96 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 62 FPS (a 35% reduction), and at 4K Low, it reaches 34 FPS (a 45% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings — roughly 35% from 1080p to 1440p and 45% from 1440p to 4K — points to a GPU that is uniformly stressed by resolution increases, regardless of quality preset. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the FPS to remain more constant at lower resolutions (where the CPU has more headroom) and only drop when the GPU becomes saturated at higher resolutions.

The medium settings data provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 and maximum of 96. At 1440p Medium, the average is 54 FPS (min 46, max 62). At 4K Medium, the average is 29 FPS (min 25, max 34). The minimum and maximum values for Medium settings show a consistent range: the minimum at each resolution is roughly the same as the High preset's average at that resolution, while the maximum matches the Low preset's average. This suggests that Medium settings are effectively a midpoint, and the GPU's frame delivery is stable within a narrow band.

The resolution scaling indicates the limiting component is overwhelmingly the GPU. At 1080p, the combo can reach 96 FPS on Low, which means the CPU is capable of driving the frame pipeline at that rate. But as resolution climbs, the Arc B370's 6.144 TFLOPS and system-shared memory are insufficient to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, where even Low settings only yield 34 FPS. The CPU's 73rd percentile rank and strong multi-thread scores suggest it has headroom that the GPU cannot exploit at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1080p in Doom?

A: Yes, at 1080p with Low settings the combo averages 96 FPS, and at Medium it averages 84 FPS. High settings drop to 71 FPS, which is still above 60. Ultra settings fall to 58 FPS, just below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this hardware?

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where all four settings presets exceed 50 FPS average. At 1440p, only Low (62 FPS) and Medium (54 FPS) remain playable, while High (46 FPS) and Ultra (37 FPS) fall short. At 4K, no preset reaches 35 FPS, so 1080p is the recommended resolution.

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

A: The Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 places it 0.2% behind the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), 0.5% behind the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), and 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192). It is 1.4% faster than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168). All these rivals are within 1.4 percentage points, indicating near-identical performance.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU in Doom?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 96 FPS, which is a high frame rate. The CPU's 12 threads and 16 MB L3 cache provide sufficient processing power for Doom's engine. The performance ceiling appears tied to the GPU, particularly as resolution increases.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the measured average is 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS. This is a playable range for most users, though it is not consistently above 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 3425 out of 3712 tested combinations in Doom, placing it in the bottom 8% of all combos. This low rank is driven by the GPU's 5th percentile performance rather than the CPU, which sits at the 73rd percentile.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160).

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows. Low settings produce an average of 96 FPS. Medium settings yield 84 FPS average, with a minimum of 71 and maximum of 96. High settings drop to 71 FPS average. Ultra settings fall to 58 FPS average. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 40% reduction in average frame rate (96 to 58 FPS), which is a moderate penalty for the higher visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 62 FPS. Medium settings average 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 62. High settings average 46 FPS. Ultra settings average 37 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 40% as well (62 to 37 FPS), matching the 1080p reduction percentage.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become marginal for most presets. Low settings average 34 FPS. Medium settings average 29 FPS, with a minimum of 25 and maximum of 34. High settings average 25 FPS. Ultra settings average 20 FPS. At 4K, even the Low preset fails to reach 35 FPS, making the game difficult to play smoothly at this resolution.

The Medium settings data is the only preset with complete min/max values across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 71-96 FPS; at 1440p, it is 46-62 FPS; at 4K, it is 25-34 FPS. The ranges are consistent, with the minimum being roughly 74% of the maximum at each resolution. This indicates stable frame delivery without severe spikes or drops.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience depends on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, but the data suggests Medium settings provide the best balance. Medium averages 84 FPS, which is 12 FPS below Low (96) but offers improved visual quality. High (71 FPS) is also viable, while Ultra (58 FPS) is borderline — it is below the common 60 FPS threshold but not by a large margin. For a smooth experience at 1080p, Medium is the recommended preset, as it delivers a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while still improving over Low.

At 2560x1440, the options narrow. Low (62 FPS) and Medium (54 FPS) are the only presets that maintain an average above 50 FPS. High (46 FPS) and Ultra (37 FPS) are likely to feel stuttery in fast-paced Doom gameplay. Medium at 1440p offers a reasonable compromise: 54 FPS average with a minimum of 46, which is playable but not perfectly smooth. If the user prioritizes frame rate, Low at 62 FPS is the safer choice.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve playable frame rates by conventional standards. Low averages 34 FPS, Medium 29 FPS, High 25 FPS, and Ultra 20 FPS. These numbers are below the 40 FPS threshold typically considered minimum for playable FPS. The recommendation is to avoid 4K with this combo unless the user is willing to accept severe performance degradation. The data shows that even the Low preset at 4K is slower than High at 1080p by a significant margin (34 vs 71 FPS).

When considering the entire dataset, Medium settings at 1080p emerge as the single best configuration. It provides 84 FPS average, which is substantially above 60 FPS, while also offering better visuals than Low. The minimum of 71 FPS ensures that frame drops are unlikely to be noticeable. This preset leverages the CPU's strength (feeding frames) while keeping the GPU within its comfort zone.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 3425 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 7.7th percentile of all tested combinations. This is a very low rank, but it is important to contextualize why. The CPU alone sits at the 73rd percentile among all processors, which is respectable. The GPU, however, is at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, which drags the overall combo down dramatically.

The ranking makes sense when examining the measured FPS data. At 1080p, the combo performs competently — 96 FPS on Low and 71 FPS on High are playable numbers. But the database likely includes many combos with discrete GPUs that far exceed the Arc B370's capabilities. The GPU's system-shared memory and 25W TDP are severe constraints for a game like Doom, which can scale to high frame rates on modern hardware.

The delta between the CPU's strong showing and the GPU's weak one is stark. The Ryzen 5 5500's nearest rivals all score within 0.7% of it, meaning the CPU is competitive with mid-range processors. The Arc B370's nearest rivals are all legacy parts from the early 2010s, and the GPU's 3DMark score of 1184 is dwarfed by modern discrete GPUs. This mismatch — a solid 2022-era CPU paired with a GPU that performs like a decade-old part — explains the low combo rank.

In practical terms, the combo is playable at 1080p with Medium or High settings, which is a meaningful distinction from "unusable." The rank of 3425 out of 3712 indicates that 92% of tested combos perform better in Doom, but the remaining 8% are worse. For a user with this specific hardware pairing, the data suggests that lowering resolution to 1080p and using Medium settings is the only way to get a consistently smooth experience. At higher resolutions, the combo falls below playable thresholds, validating its low overall rank.