Doom

# Doom — AMD Ryzen 5 5600G + Intel Arc B390 Benchmark Analysis

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a playable but constrained experience in Doom, with performance heavily dependent on resolution and settings. The combo ranks 2580th out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 12th percentile of all systems benchmarked in this title. The data shows a system that can handle 1080p gaming comfortably at medium settings, but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates at 4K, where the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a steep performance drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a system where the graphics processor is the limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the system averages 107 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings reduces that to 69 FPS, a 35.5% decrease. At 4K with Low settings, the average falls to 37 FPS, which is a 65.4% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B390 is being saturated by pixel throughput requirements as resolution climbs.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the spread between Low (107 FPS) and Ultra (64 FPS) is 43 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 28 FPS (69 versus 41), and at 4K it narrows further to 15 FPS (37 versus 22). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU-bound operation — the graphics card is already at its limits, so reducing graphical fidelity yields diminishing returns because the pixel fill rate remains the bottleneck.

The Medium settings row at each resolution provides an interesting data point with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 93 FPS with a range from 79 to 107 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 60 FPS with a range from 51 to 69 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 33 FPS with a range from 28 to 37 FPS. The consistent ratio between min and max values across resolutions suggests the frame pacing is stable, but the absolute performance ceiling is being crushed by pixel count.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Cezanne, built on TSMC's 7 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor holds a 74th percentile ranking among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 21088. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-1220P, scores 21066 for a 0.1% difference, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 256V scores 21112 (0.1% behind the 5600G). This places the 5600G in a tightly contested performance band where single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads yield near-identical aggregate scores.

In this game, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU at higher resolutions, but it still matters at 1080p. The 5600G's 3DMark single-thread score of 872 and 2-thread score of 1705 indicate solid per-core performance for a processor of this generation. The 8-thread score of 4694 and max-thread score of 5455 suggest that the 12 threads are being utilized to a reasonable degree, but Doom is not a heavily threaded title. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10551 and single-core score of 1409 reinforce that this CPU can feed a discrete GPU adequately at mainstream resolutions.

The fact that 1080p Low produces 107 FPS while 1080p Ultra produces 64 FPS indicates that the CPU is not the primary limiter at the lower settings — the GPU is. However, the CPU's performance headroom is evident in the 1440p and 4K results, where frame rates are so low that the processor is unlikely to be the constraining factor. The 5600G's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provide sufficient data throughput for a game of Doom's era.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units, with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its memory is system-shared, meaning the bandwidth is system-dependent rather than fixed. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, with a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s.

The Arc B390's benchmark credentials are modest. It holds a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463 (1.3% ahead), the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% ahead), and the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% ahead). This places the Arc B390 in extremely low-end territory for GPU compute, which aligns with its integrated nature.

In Doom, this GPU's limitations manifest clearly. Even at 1080p Low settings, the system only manages 107 FPS — a playable but not exceptional number. The 4K results are particularly telling: 28 FPS at High, 22 FPS at Ultra, and 37 FPS at Low. These are all below the 60 FPS threshold that most players would consider smooth. The GPU's 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs are likely the constraining factors at higher resolutions, as the pixel and texture fill rates become insufficient for 4K output. The system-shared memory architecture also means that the GPU competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which can exacerbate performance issues in memory-intensive scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2580th out of 2930 tested systems in Doom, placing it in the bottom 12% of all combinations. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GPU, which sits at the 9th percentile among all graphics cards. The CPU, by contrast, is a mid-range part at the 74th percentile, so the pairing represents a significant mismatch between processor and graphics capabilities.

The ranking context is important for understanding what this system can and cannot do. Being in the 2580th position out of 2930 means that the vast majority of tested configurations outperform this combo in Doom. However, the game is from 2016, and its engine is relatively efficient. The fact that this system manages 107 FPS at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is capable enough, but the GPU holds the combo back from higher settings or resolutions.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals provides additional context. The Arc B390's 1.3% lead over the GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% lead over the GeForce GT 710 in 3DMark Steel Nomad are paper-thin margins. These are all very old, very low-end parts, which underscores how limited the Arc B390 is for gaming. The combo ranking reflects this: it is not a system that will challenge modern gaming expectations, but it can handle older or less demanding titles at reduced settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS table shows 12 distinct configurations across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 107 FPS, Medium averages 93 FPS (with min 79 and max 107), High averages 78 FPS, and Ultra averages 64 FPS. At 2560x1440, the averages are 69 FPS for Low, 60 FPS for Medium (min 51, max 69), 51 FPS for High, and 41 FPS for Ultra. At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 37 FPS for Low, 33 FPS for Medium (min 28, max 37), 28 FPS for High, and 22 FPS for Ultra.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Low settings provide the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra being the most demanding. The Medium settings rows are the only ones with min and max FPS values, and they show that the range between minimum and maximum is identical in absolute terms (28 FPS) at both 1080p and 1440p, and 9 FPS at 4K. This suggests that the frame rate variability is relatively stable regardless of resolution.

The 1080p results are the only ones that approach what could be considered smooth gaming. Low and Medium both exceed 90 FPS, and High reaches 78 FPS. Ultra at 64 FPS is borderline but playable. At 1440p, only Low and Medium exceed 60 FPS, and at 4K, no settings level reaches even 40 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable option for this combo, and 1440p requires settings compromises.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 1080p with smooth frame rates?

A: Yes, at 1080p the system averages 107 FPS on Low and 93 FPS on Medium settings. High settings produce 78 FPS, and Ultra produces 64 FPS. All four settings levels at 1080p exceed 60 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600G and Intel Arc B390?

A: The data shows 4K performance is poor. The best 4K result is 37 FPS at Low settings, with Medium at 33 FPS, High at 28 FPS, and Ultra at 22 FPS. None of these approach a smooth 60 FPS experience.

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

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the Arc B390 scores 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, placing it 1.3% behind, while the GeForce 800M scores 1460 (1.5% behind), and the GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446 (2.5% behind). The Arc B390 leads all four nearest rivals.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system?

A: The data indicates that 1080p Medium is the sweet spot, averaging 93 FPS with a range from 79 to 107 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while offering better visual quality than Low settings.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. Evidence includes the steep FPS drops when moving from 1080p to 4K and the narrowing gap between Low and Ultra settings as resolution increases. The CPU's 74th percentile ranking suggests it is not the primary bottleneck.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems in Doom?

A: The combination ranks 2580th out of 2930 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems. This low ranking is driven by the GPU's 9th percentile performance, while the CPU sits at the 74th percentile.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, Medium settings deliver 93 FPS average with a minimum of 79 FPS, which is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. High settings at 78 FPS are also viable, but the 15 FPS drop from Medium to High may not justify the visual improvement for all players. Ultra at 64 FPS is technically playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to Low settings, which produce 69 FPS. Medium at 60 FPS is right at the edge of smoothness, and the min FPS of 51 indicates that some scenes will dip below 60 FPS. High and Ultra at 51 and 41 FPS respectively are not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, no settings level is recommended for serious play. The best result is 37 FPS at Low, which is below the 60 FPS target. Players who must use 4K should accept the frame rate limitations, but the data suggests that 1080p Medium or 1440p Low are the optimal configurations for this hardware combination.