Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a highly unusual configuration for analyzing Doom’s performance characteristics. The benchmark data reveals a system where the integrated graphics solution is the overwhelming bottleneck, yet the CPU’s capabilities ensure that frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings. The measured results indicate that this combo, ranked 2580th out of 2930 tested combinations, is positioned in the lower percentile of gaming performance, a direct consequence of the GPU’s limited throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic and consistent decline in average frame rates across all settings presets, clearly identifying the GPU as the primary performance limiter. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 107 at 1920x1080 to 69 at 2560x1440, and further to 37 at 3840x2160. This represents a 35% performance loss when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a substantial 65% loss from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is similar at High settings, where the average FPS falls from 78 at 1080p to 51 at 1440p, and then to 28 at 4K, showing a 64% reduction across the full resolution range.

The scaling behavior is characteristic of a system constrained by pixel throughput rather than geometry or shading complexity. As resolution increases, the number of pixels the Intel Arc B390 must process grows exponentially, and its 24 ROPs and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate become the limiting factor. The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows at higher resolutions, which is typical when the GPU is saturated. At 1080p, the difference between Low (107 FPS) and Ultra (64 FPS) is 43 FPS, but at 4K, this gap compresses to just 15 FPS (37 FPS versus 22 FPS). This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily pixel-bound that settings changes have diminishing returns on frame rate.

Interestingly, the Medium preset provides the only complete min/max FPS data in the pack. At 1080p Medium, the average is 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 and maximum of 107. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 60 FPS with a range of 51 to 69. At 4K Medium, the average is 33 FPS with a range of 28 to 37. The consistency of these ranges suggests that the frame pacing is relatively stable, with the minimum and maximum values tracking closely around the average, indicating that the GPU is being driven to its limits without significant stuttering or frame time spikes.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combos for Doom, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and Intel Arc B390 achieves a rank of 2580 out of 2930. This places the configuration in the bottom 12% of all tested systems, a position that aligns with the GPU’s individual performance percentile. The GPU itself sits at the 9th percentile among all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. This low percentile is reflected in the gaming results, where the combo’s ranking is consistent with a system that is heavily GPU-limited.

The CPU’s performance potential is far above what the GPU can utilize. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has an avgBenchmarkScore of 27896, placing it in the 80th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in aggregate CPU benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U with a score of 27887 (a deltaPct of 0%), the Intel Core i9-10900K at 27872 (deltaPct of 0.1%), and the Intel Core i5-12600KF at 27799 (deltaPct of 0.3%). This indicates that the CPU is a high-performing part, but its capabilities are entirely wasted in this configuration because the Arc B390 cannot generate enough frames to stress the processor.

The ranking disparity between the CPU’s strong individual standing and the combo’s poor gaming rank highlights a fundamental mismatch. The data suggests that the combo rank is almost entirely determined by the GPU, as the 5800X3D’s 8 cores and 16 threads with a 96 MB shared L3 cache are far more capable than what is required for Doom at these frame rates. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution or setting, as the FPS scales directly with GPU load.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive component in this system’s gaming performance. Its architecture, Xe3-LPG on a 3 nm process, features 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The clock speeds show a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, which allows for a peak FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS. However, the memory configuration is critical: the GPU uses System Shared memory with a System Dependent bandwidth. This means that the GPU relies on the CPU’s DDR4 memory, which has a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s on the Ryzen 7 5800X3D. This shared memory arrangement is a significant drawback for gaming, as it creates latency and bandwidth contention that dedicated VRAM would not.

The GPU’s benchmark results confirm its entry-level status. Its nearest rivals in the 3DMark Steel Nomad test are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 (a deltaPct of 1.3%), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460 (deltaPct of 1.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (deltaPct of 2.5%). The Arc B390’s score of 1482 is marginally higher than these older mobile and OEM parts, indicating that its absolute performance is in the same tier as decade-old low-end graphics solutions. This explains why the measured FPS in Doom is so low even at 1080p.

The relationship between the GPU’s specifications and the game’s results is clear. With only 24 ROPs, the pixel fill rate of 60.00 GPixel/s is insufficient for high-resolution gaming. The texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, driven by the 48 TMUs, is also modest. For a game like Doom, which requires rapid texture sampling and pixel processing, these limitations manifest as the observed frame rates. The boost clock of 2500 MHz helps, but the underlying hardware is simply not designed for modern gaming at high resolutions. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility are present, but raw compute and rasterization throughput are the bottlenecks.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Doom at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded at 1920x1080 is 107, which occurs at Low settings. The Medium preset achieves 93 FPS, High achieves 78 FPS, and Ultra achieves 64 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested systems in Doom?

A: The combo is ranked 2580th out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems. This low rank is primarily due to the Intel Arc B390’s limited performance, which is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 5800X3D bottleneck the Intel Arc B390 in this game?

A: No. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The FPS scales directly with resolution and settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s aggregate benchmark score of 27896 places it in the 80th percentile, far higher than the GPU’s performance level.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 69 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 41 FPS. This represents a 28 FPS difference, or a 41% reduction in frame rate when moving to the highest settings.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390’s performance comparable to any discrete graphics cards?

A: Based on the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark, the Arc B390’s score of 1482 is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. These are very old, low-end parts, indicating the B390’s performance tier is entry-level.

Q: What is the min FPS at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 33, with a minimum FPS of 28 and a maximum of 37. This data point is the only 4K measurement in the pack that includes min/max values.

Settings Recommendations

For this specific combo, the choice of settings is a trade-off between frame rate and visual quality, but the data strongly favors lower presets for playability. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 107 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches a high-refresh-rate experience. The Medium preset at 93 FPS is also acceptable, offering a 14 FPS penalty for improved visuals. High settings at 78 FPS are still playable, but Ultra at 64 FPS begins to feel less smooth for a fast-paced FPS like Doom.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset at 69 FPS is the only setting that maintains a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 60 FPS is borderline, while High at 51 FPS and Ultra at 41 FPS will likely feel sluggish. At 3840x2160, no setting achieves a playable frame rate for a competitive shooter. The Low preset at 37 FPS, Medium at 33 FPS, High at 28 FPS, and Ultra at 22 FPS are all below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The best experience per the measured rows is achieved at 1080p with the Low or Medium preset. Given that the Medium preset provides a min FPS of 79 and a max of 107, it offers a more stable experience than Low, which lacks min/max data but has a higher average. For users who prioritize frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p is the optimal choice. For those who want a balance, 1080p Medium is the sweet spot, as it retains a 93 FPS average while improving visual fidelity. Higher resolutions should be avoided for gaming, as the GPU cannot maintain adequate performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D plays a supporting role in this configuration, but its specifications are far beyond what Doom requires at the measured frame rates. The CPU features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.50 GHz. Its cache hierarchy is notable, with 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and a massive 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L3 cache, a hallmark of the 3D V-Cache design, is excellent for gaming, but its benefits are unrealized here because the GPU cannot feed frames fast enough to stress the CPU.

The CPU’s benchmark scores demonstrate its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 14317 in multi-core and 1452 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 11765 multi-core and 2017 single-core. Its Passmark multithread score is 28309, with a single-thread score of 3234. These results place it in the 80th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27896. The nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U, Intel Core i9-10900K, and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340, all within a 0.3% deltaPct of the 5800X3D’s aggregate score.

In the context of Doom, the CPU’s role is to prepare draw calls and handle game logic, which it does with ease. The measured FPS is entirely dependent on the GPU, as evidenced by the linear scaling with resolution. Even at 1080p Low with 107 FPS, the CPU is likely idle waiting for the GPU to finish rendering. The 5800X3D’s memory support for DDR4 at 51.2 GB/s is sufficient for the game’s data demands, but the shared memory architecture of the GPU means that the CPU’s memory controller is also serving the graphics subsystem, potentially adding latency. Despite this, the CPU’s performance is not a limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes all measured average FPS data points for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and Intel Arc B390 combination in Doom:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 22 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | High | 28 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 33 | 28 | 37 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 37 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 41 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 51 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 60 | 51 | 69 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 69 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 64 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 78 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 93 | 79 | 107 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 107 | - | - |

At 1920x1080, the progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline: 107 to 93 to 78 to 64 FPS. The Medium preset’s min/max range of 79 to 107 FPS indicates that the frame rate can dip significantly but also reach the Low preset’s average. At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds with lower absolute numbers: 69, 60, 51, and 41 FPS for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, respectively. The Medium preset’s range at 1440p is 51 to 69 FPS, mirroring the min/max of the 1080p Medium preset scaled down. At 3840x2160, the averages are 37, 33, 28, and 22 FPS for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K shows a range of 28 to 37 FPS, which is identical to the min/max values of the 1440p Medium preset, highlighting the consistency of the GPU’s performance under load.

The data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern across all resolutions and settings. The delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution is consistent: 43 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K. This compression at higher resolutions confirms that the Intel Arc B390 is the sole performance bottleneck, with its pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth dictating the final frame rates. The CPU, despite its high performance, has no measurable impact on the gaming experience in this configuration.