Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a profoundly GPU-limited experience in Doom, with the processor’s exceptional single-thread muscle utterly wasted by a graphics solution that ranks in the bottom tenth of all tested GPUs. Benchmark results show that this combination achieves playable frame rates only at 1080p with reduced settings, while higher resolutions and demanding presets push the system below 30 FPS, making the pairing suitable strictly for low-end 1080p gaming.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using TSMC’s 4 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.90 GHz and boosts to 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP and an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. The CPU’s cache layout includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache, while memory support is limited to DDR5 on a dual-channel bus with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Doom, a 2016 title that is heavily dependent on high-frequency single-thread performance, the 9600X is essentially overkill. The CPU’s benchmark results reinforce this: it scores 1253 in 3DMark single-thread and 2183.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core, both indicative of excellent per-thread execution. Its multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17528.5 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 14438. The data shows that the processor sits in the 81st percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29713.

The 9600X’s nearest rivals in the overall CPU benchmark pool include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (avg score 29656, deltaPct 0.2), the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (avg score 29868, deltaPct -0.5), the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (avg score 29879, deltaPct -0.6), and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (avg score 29955, deltaPct -0.8). This places the 9600X within a hair of those chips, with performance deltas under 1%. For Doom, however, these CPU differences are immaterial. The measured frame rates in this game are so low—ranging from 22 FPS to 107 FPS across all tested configurations—that the CPU is never the limiting factor. The bottleneck lies entirely with the GPU, as the 9600X can easily feed frames far faster than the Arc B390 can render them.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is a mobile-oriented integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture (Panther Lake chip) on Intel’s 3 nm process. Its clock speeds are listed at 300 MHz base and 2500 MHz boost, with system-shared memory that has no dedicated VRAM size, type, bus width, or bandwidth—the memory bandwidth is system dependent. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, 24 render output units, and 12 ray tracing cores, with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS.

In Doom, the Arc B390’s lack of dedicated VRAM and its modest compute resources are the primary constraints. The GPU’s benchmark score is a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile versus all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (avg score 1463, deltaPct 1.3), the GeForce 800M (avg score 1460, deltaPct 1.5), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (avg score 1446, deltaPct 2.5), and the GeForce GT 710 (avg score 1443, deltaPct 2.7). The deltaPct values here are small—under 3%—meaning the Arc B390 performs within a few percent of these decade-old chips, which is a damning comparison for a 2026-era part.

The GPU’s low pixel and texture rates directly explain the frame rates in Doom. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS collapses to 22, and even at 1080p Low, the card only manages 107 FPS. The system-shared memory means that performance degrades sharply as resolution increases, because the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth. The data shows that the Arc B390 is fundamentally a low-end part, and Doom’s rendering demands quickly overwhelm it at higher settings.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a severe resolution scaling penalty that confirms the GPU as the sole bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 107 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low reduces that to 69 FPS, a 35.5% decrease, and then to 4K Low it falls to 37 FPS, a 65.4% decrease from 1080p. The drop from 1080p to 4K is a 70 FPS loss, which is consistent with a GPU that has very limited fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The pattern holds across all settings. At Medium, the averages are 93 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K—a 64.5% loss from 1080p to 4K. At High, the numbers are 78 FPS, 51 FPS, and 28 FPS, respectively, a 64.1% loss. At Ultra, the figures are 64 FPS, 41 FPS, and 22 FPS, a 65.6% loss. The consistency of these percentage drops—all hovering around 65%—is a textbook signature of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the scaling from 1080p to 4K would be far less severe, because the processor’s workload would remain roughly constant while the GPU’s workload increased. Instead, the linear degradation indicates that the Arc B390’s rendering pipeline is saturated at every resolution.

The implication is clear: the Ryzen 5 9600X is not contributing to the frame rate at all in this pairing. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 1253 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2183.5 suggest it could push well over 200 FPS in Doom in a CPU-limited scenario, but the Arc B390 caps the output far below that threshold. The data shows that resolution scaling is entirely dependent on the GPU’s capabilities, and the Arc B390’s limitations are exposed at every step above 1080p Low.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its only playable results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 107, with a range from 79 to 107 FPS when considering the Medium preset’s min/max. Medium settings yield an average of 93 FPS, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS. High settings drop the average to 78 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 64 FPS. All of these are above the 60 FPS threshold, meaning the system can handle 1080p gaming across the board, though Ultra’s 64 FPS average leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the situation worsens significantly. Low settings produce an average of 69 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium drops to 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. High settings average 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra settings fall to 41 FPS. The data shows that 1440p is only viable at Low or Medium settings, and even at Medium, the minimum FPS of 51 indicates noticeable stutter in busy scenes.

At 3840x2160, the combo is largely unplayable. Low settings average 37 FPS, Medium averages 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. None of these approach 60 FPS, and even the Low preset’s 37 FPS average falls well below the smoothness standard. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with the Ultra preset’s 22 FPS average being particularly dire. The measured data shows that this pairing should not be considered for 4K gaming under any settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the overall ranking for Doom, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2580 out of 2930 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested, which is a poor showing. The rank reflects the GPU’s severe limitations rather than any CPU deficiency, as the 9600X is a high-end processor in its own right. The data shows that the combo is outclassed by the vast majority of pairings, with only 350 combinations performing worse.

The ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. A combo that averages 107 FPS at 1080p Low and 22 FPS at 4K Ultra is clearly at the low end of the performance spectrum. The GPU’s 9th percentile ranking versus all GPUs directly translates to this poor game-specific rank, as the Arc B390’s 1482 Steel Nomad score is among the lowest recorded. The CPU’s 81st percentile ranking is irrelevant here, because the GPU bottleneck dominates. The combo rank of 2580 out of 2930 is a verdict on the GPU’s ability to run Doom, and that verdict is negative.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured data, the best experience is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This preset delivers an average of 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, providing a smooth and consistent gameplay experience. The Low preset at 1080p yields 107 FPS, which is higher but offers reduced visual quality, while High at 78 FPS and Ultra at 64 FPS are also playable but with diminishing returns. The Medium preset is the sweet spot, balancing visual fidelity with a comfortable frame rate margin above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the only viable options are Low at 69 FPS or Medium at 60 FPS, but the Medium preset’s minimum of 51 FPS introduces stutter risk. For players who prioritize smoothness over visuals, 1440p Low is the safer choice, although it still falls short of the 1080p Medium experience. At 3840x2160, no preset is recommended, as even Low averages only 37 FPS, which is well below the playable threshold.

The data shows that the combo’s best use case is 1080p gaming. For a game like Doom, which is fast-paced and benefits from high frame rates, the 1080p Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and quality. Higher resolutions or settings beyond Medium at 1080p are not justified by the measured results. The GPU’s limitations are such that pushing beyond this point yields poor returns, and the system is best configured for 1080p Medium to avoid the frame rate dips seen at higher settings and resolutions.