Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2580th out of 2930 tested combinations for Doom, placing it in the bottom 12% of systems. This is a severe mismatch: the CPU is a top-tier gaming processor, while the GPU is an integrated-class part that severely bottlenecks the system. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo produces 107 FPS, which is playable, but the experience degrades rapidly at higher settings and resolutions. The benchmark results indicate that this configuration is fundamentally GPU-limited, as the Arc B390’s performance percentile (9th) and its nearest rivals (GeForce GT 710, GT 625 OEM) suggest entry-level capabilities that cannot leverage the 9800X3D’s immense processing power. In Doom, this results in a system that can handle the game at lower presets but fails to provide a smooth experience at higher visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2580 out of 2930 places it in the lowest 11.9% of all tested configurations for Doom. This is a poor result for a system built around the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which is a processor that individually sits at the 87th percentile among all CPUs. The vast gap between the CPU’s high standing and the combo’s low ranking highlights the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The Arc B390, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, is only 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% ahead of the GeForce GT 710, according to its nearest rival data. This places the GPU in a performance tier that is far below what is needed to drive a modern FPS at high settings. Consequently, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s capabilities are largely wasted, as the GPU cannot keep pace with the CPU’s ability to feed frames. The data suggests that this combo is a test of the GPU’s limits rather than the CPU’s, and the ranking reflects that the system is severely unbalanced for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best FPS this combo can achieve in Doom?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 107 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data that exceeds the 100 FPS mark.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 37 FPS on Low settings down to 22 FPS on Ultra settings. The Medium preset yields an average of 33 FPS, with a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9800X3D the limiting factor in this combo?

A: No. The benchmark results indicate the Intel Arc B390 is the bottleneck. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 1482 places it at the 9th percentile, and it is only 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX. The CPU, in contrast, scores 39768 on average and is at the 87th percentile.

Q: What settings are recommended for a playable experience at 1080p?

A: For a consistently smooth experience at 1920x1080, the Low preset is the safest choice, yielding 107 FPS. The Medium preset is also viable with 93 FPS, but the High preset drops to 78 FPS, and Ultra falls to 64 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Arc B390 is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% faster than the GeForce GT 710. These are all entry-level or legacy parts, confirming the GPU’s low performance tier.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 69 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 41 FPS. This represents a 28 FPS drop, or a 40.6% decrease in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and the user’s tolerance for frame rate drops. At 1920x1080, the Low preset provides the best experience with an average of 107 FPS, ensuring maximum fluidity. The Medium preset offers a significant visual upgrade while still maintaining a high 93 FPS average, making it a strong recommendation for users who prefer a balance between quality and performance. The High preset at 78 FPS is acceptable for many, but the Ultra preset at 64 FPS is the edge of playability, as it is more susceptible to dips below 60 FPS in intense scenes.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only setting that guarantees a consistently smooth experience, delivering 69 FPS. The Medium preset, with 60 FPS, is technically playable but leaves little headroom for demanding moments. Both High and Ultra at 51 FPS and 41 FPS respectively are not recommended for a fast-paced FPS like Doom, as they will likely feel stuttery and unresponsive. At 3840x2160, no preset provides a playable experience; the best average is 37 FPS on Low, which is well below the standard for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable option for this combo, and users should avoid it entirely.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 107 FPS on Low, 93 FPS on Medium, 78 FPS on High, and 64 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, indicating some frame variation but overall stability. At 2560x1440, the scores drop to 69 FPS on Low, 60 FPS on Medium, 51 FPS on High, and 41 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution has a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. Finally, at 3840x2160, the average FPS is 37 on Low, 33 on Medium, 28 on High, and 22 on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K is the only one with min/max data, showing a range of 28 to 37 FPS.

The pattern is consistent: each step up in settings reduces FPS, and each increase in resolution also reduces FPS. The most significant relative drop is from 1080p Ultra (64 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (41 FPS), a 35.9% decrease. From 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra, the drop is from 41 FPS to 22 FPS, a 46.3% decrease. The data shows that the combo is most effective at 1080p Low, where it achieves its only triple-digit score, and becomes progressively less capable as the graphical load increases.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU’s limitations. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 107 at 1080p to 69 at 1440p and finally to 37 at 4K. This represents a 35.5% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 65.4% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 64 at 1080p to 41 at 1440p and 22 at 4K, a 35.9% and 65.6% decrease respectively. The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings suggests that the bottleneck is purely the GPU’s rendering capability, as the CPU’s performance is not a factor at these lower frame rates.

The data indicates that the Intel Arc B390’s memory bandwidth, listed as "System Dependent," is a major constraint. The GPU relies on system memory, which is shared with the CPU, and this architecture struggles to handle the increased pixel count at higher resolutions. The 9800X3D’s 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth is high for a CPU, but the GPU’s "System Shared" memory configuration cannot efficiently utilize it for graphics tasks. The result is that the combo scales poorly with resolution, and the frame rate drops almost linearly with the increase in pixel count, confirming that the GPU is the sole limiting component.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz and it boosts up to 5.20 GHz. The CPU has a large 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a key feature for gaming performance. In 3DMark tests, it scores 1212 in single-thread and 10067 in max-thread tests. In Cinebench R23, it achieves 2080 in single-core and 23230 in multi-core. These are strong scores, placing the CPU at the 87th percentile of all processors.

However, in Doom, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU’s power is not being utilized. The frame rates are consistently low, even at 1080p, which would normally be a CPU-bound scenario for a powerful processor. Since the combo ranks 2580th out of 2930, the results indicate that the GPU is so weak that the CPU never becomes the bottleneck. The 9800X3D can easily feed frames to the Arc B390, but the GPU cannot render them fast enough. The CPU’s role in this combo is to provide a stable platform, but its gaming-specific features, like the large L3 cache, have no measurable benefit when paired with such a low-end GPU. The data suggests that this CPU would be better suited for a discrete graphics card, as its capabilities are entirely wasted in this configuration.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. Its memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system’s main memory rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." The GPU’s FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

The benchmark data shows that the Arc B390 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, placing it at the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce GT 710, which are ancient entry-level parts. In Doom, this GPU is the primary bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that it cannot maintain high frame rates even at low settings. The GPU’s lack of dedicated memory is a significant issue, as the "System Shared" memory configuration limits its bandwidth and capacity, causing performance to degrade sharply as resolution and quality settings increase. The data confirms that the GPU is the sole reason for the combo’s poor ranking, as its performance is simply insufficient for a modern FPS title like Doom.