Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a highly unusual configuration for analyzing _Doom_ (2016), characterized by a stark imbalance between a high-end 12-core CPU and a low-power integrated GPU. The benchmark data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited across all tested resolutions and settings, with the CPU's substantial processing power remaining largely untapped. This analysis walks through the measured frames-per-second (FPS) data to illustrate how this specific hardware combination behaves in this classic FPS title, focusing on resolution scaling, settings impacts, and the distinct roles each component plays.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases, moving from 1080p to 1440p and finally to 4K. At the "High" preset, the average frame rate drops from 78 FPS at 1920x1080 to 51 FPS at 2560x1440, and then further to 28 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a precipitous decline, with the 1440p score being 34.6% lower than 1080p, and the 4K score being an additional 45.1% lower than the 1440p result. The scaling is consistent and steep, indicating that the rendering workload is the primary constraint. This is a textbook example of a system where the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity are the limiting factors, as the pixel count increases exponentially with resolution.

The "Low" preset exhibits a similar trend. The average FPS at 1080p is 107, which drops to 69 at 1440p (a 35.5% reduction) and then to 37 at 4K (a 46.4% reduction from 1440p). The relative percentage drops between resolutions are very similar across presets, reinforcing the conclusion that the bottleneck is the GPU's processing power. The data suggests that the Intel Arc B390, with its integrated nature and "System Shared" memory, is being saturated by the increasing pixel throughput demands. The game engine's rendering pipeline is scaling as one would expect when the graphics processor is the limiting component, with no signs of CPU-induced stalling or frame rate plateaus.

From 1080p to 4K at the "Ultra" preset, the average FPS falls from 64 to 22, a staggering 65.6% reduction. This steep decline at the highest settings highlights that the combination of high resolution and demanding graphical features is particularly punishing for this GPU. The "Medium" preset shows the same pattern, with the average FPS dropping from 93 at 1080p to 60 at 1440p and then to 33 at 4K. The consistent ~35% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~45% drop from 1440p to 4K across all presets is a clear indicator that the limiting component is the GPU, and its performance scales inversely with the total number of pixels rendered. The CPU's role in this scaling is negligible, as its frame generation capability is far beyond what the GPU can feed it.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this CPU and GPU combination in _Doom_?

A: According to the measured data, the highest average FPS recorded is 107, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the "Low" settings preset.

Q: How does the performance at 4K compare to 1080p?

A: At the "High" preset, the average FPS drops from 78 at 1920x1080 to 28 at 3840x2160, representing a 64.1% decrease in performance. The same resolution scaling is seen across all presets, with "Low" dropping from 107 to 37 FPS, "Medium" from 93 to 33 FPS, and "Ultra" from 64 to 22 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest frame rate?

A: The "Low" preset consistently provides the highest average FPS at every resolution. At 1080p it yields 107 FPS, at 1440p it yields 69 FPS, and at 4K it yields 37 FPS.

Q: Is there a significant performance difference between the "Medium" and "High" presets?

A: Yes, the data shows a measurable difference. At 1920x1080, "Medium" averages 93 FPS, while "High" averages 78 FPS, a difference of 15 FPS. At 2560x1440, "Medium" averages 60 FPS, and "High" averages 51 FPS. At 3840x2160, "Medium" averages 33 FPS, and "High" averages 28 FPS.

Q: What is the performance ranking of this combo among all tested combinations?

A: This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Intel Arc B390 ranks at 2580 out of 2930 tested combos for _Doom_, placing it in the lower percentile of systems.

Q: Does the "Ultra" preset offer a playable experience at any resolution?

A: The "Ultra" preset only manages an average of 64 FPS at 1920x1080. At higher resolutions, the frame rate drops to 41 FPS at 2560x1440 and 22 FPS at 3840x2160, which are below typical playability thresholds.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 plays the dominant role in determining the performance of this system in _Doom_. The GPU's specifications, including a 300 MHz base clock and a 2500 MHz boost clock, are the key drivers of its rendering capabilities. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 render output units (ROPs), which process the graphical data. The architecture is Xe3-LPG on a 3 nm process from Intel, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which are all relevant for running _Doom_ at its various settings.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," with its bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." This is a critical detail, as it means the GPU relies on the system's main memory (DDR4 for the Ryzen 9 5900X) rather than dedicated VRAM. This shared memory setup is a significant performance factor, as it can introduce latency and bandwidth limitations compared to dedicated graphics memory. The "System Shared" memory size and type suggest that the GPU's performance is highly sensitive to system memory performance, and in this case, it creates a substantial bottleneck. The benchmark results show a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places the GPU in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a low-performance part.

The GPU's percentile and average benchmark score of 1482 highlight its position in the market. Its nearest rivals, based on average score, include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). These comparisons show that the Arc B390 is slightly faster than these older, low-end parts, but it is still in the same performance tier. In _Doom_, this translates to the measured FPS figures, which are mostly below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay at higher settings and resolutions. The GPU's raw compute capabilities, listed as 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), are simply insufficient for the demands of this game at high settings and resolutions, leading to the observed frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this configuration prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset is the only one that provides a consistently high frame rate, averaging 107 FPS. The "Medium" preset also offers a playable experience at 93 FPS, and even "High" at 78 FPS is above the 60 FPS threshold. However, "Ultra" at 64 FPS is on the edge of playability and shows a significant performance cost. For a smooth experience at 1080p, the "Medium" or "High" presets are the best choices, as they provide a more visually pleasing image while staying comfortably above 60 FPS. The "Low" preset is recommended for those seeking the highest possible frame rates, likely for competitive play or high refresh rate displays.

At 2560x1440, the options become more limited. The "Low" preset is the only setting that achieves a high frame rate, averaging 69 FPS. "Medium" drops to 60 FPS, which is borderline playable, while "High" at 51 FPS and "Ultra" at 41 FPS fall below the 60 FPS standard. For 1440p, the "Low" preset is the safest choice for a consistent experience. The "Medium" preset is an alternative if the user is willing to accept a lower frame rate, but the data suggests that "Low" is the recommended setting for this resolution. The performance cost of moving from "Low" to "Medium" is a 13% reduction in FPS, while moving to "High" results in a 26% reduction.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the situation is challenging. Only the "Low" preset manages an average FPS above 30, at 37 FPS. "Medium" averages 33 FPS, "High" averages 28 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 22 FPS. None of these settings provide a typically smooth gaming experience, but "Low" is the most viable option if 4K resolution is a requirement. The data indicates that this hardware combination is not well-suited for 4K gaming in _Doom_, as even the lowest settings struggle to maintain a playable frame rate. The recommendation is to use the "Low" preset at 4K, but users should be prepared for a sub-optimal experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset delivers the highest average FPS at 107, with the "Medium" preset following at 93 FPS. The "High" preset averages 78 FPS, and the "Ultra" preset averages 64 FPS. The spread between "Low" and "Ultra" is 43 FPS, showing a significant performance range. The "Medium" preset has a minimum FPS of 79 and a maximum of 107, indicating a stable frame time with a 28 FPS variance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops across all presets. The "Low" preset averages 69 FPS, which is the highest at this resolution. "Medium" averages 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 69 FPS. "High" averages 51 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 41 FPS. The performance gap between "Low" and "Ultra" narrows to 28 FPS at this resolution, suggesting that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor more severely. The "Medium" preset's minimum FPS of 51 matches the "High" preset's average, showing how the settings scale.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are the lowest. The "Low" preset averages 37 FPS, which is the only preset above 30 FPS. "Medium" averages 33 FPS, with a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 37 FPS. "High" averages 28 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 22 FPS. The variance in "Medium" (28 to 37 FPS) is the same range as the "Low" preset's average, indicating that the GPU is heavily strained. The data shows a consistent decrease in performance as both resolution and settings increase, with the "Low" preset at 1080p being the only configuration that provides a high refresh rate experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a high-end desktop processor with 12 cores and 24 threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture (codenamed "Vermeer"). It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, along with a substantial 64 MB of L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 16,262 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,527 points in single-core. Its average benchmark score is 41,376, placing it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (41,263, 0.3% slower), Intel Core Ultra 7 356H (41,215, 0.4% slower), and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 (41,208, 0.4% slower), as well as the Intel Core i7-14650HX (41,576, 0.5% faster).

Despite this processing power, the CPU's role in _Doom_ with this GPU is minimal. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU bottlenecking; the frame rates are almost entirely determined by the GPU's capabilities. At lower resolutions like 1080p, the CPU is more than capable of feeding frames to the GPU, but the GPU is still the limiting factor. The high core count and fast clock speeds of the Ryzen 9 5900X are largely irrelevant for this game, as the Intel Arc B390 cannot keep up with the CPU's frame generation potential. This is a clear case of a GPU bottleneck, where the processor's performance is vastly superior to the graphics solution.

The CPU's benchmark scores, such as 9,075 in 3DMark 16 threads and 10,075 in 3DMark max threads, demonstrate its multi-threading power. However, in a game like _Doom_ (2016), which is not heavily multi-threaded, the single-thread performance (e.g., 941 in 3DMark single thread, 250 in Cinebench R15 single-core) is more relevant. Still, even this is more than sufficient to avoid limiting the Arc B390. The data suggests that with a more powerful GPU, the Ryzen 9 5900X would be a capable gaming processor, but in this specific pairing, its potential is entirely untapped. The system's performance is a direct reflection of the GPU's limits, not the CPU's capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2580 out of 2930 tested combos in _Doom_. This places it in the bottom 12% of all tested systems, which is consistent with the low performance of the GPU. The rank is a direct consequence of the Intel Arc B390's low benchmark scores, as the CPU's high percentile (87th) cannot compensate for the GPU's low percentile (9th). This is a clear example of how a powerful processor can be paired with a weak graphics card, resulting in a system that performs poorly in GPU-intensive tasks like gaming.

The combo's rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's "System Shared" memory and low compute power. The measured FPS data confirms this, as the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710, are all low-end parts from previous generations, and the Arc B390's performance is in line with these. This ranking effectively communicates that the system is not designed for high-end gaming, and its performance in _Doom_ is reflective of its entry-level GPU component.

In summary, the data shows that this combo ranks poorly due to the GPU's limitations. The high-end CPU has no positive impact on the game's performance, as the GPU is the sole bottleneck. The rank of 2580 out of 2930 is a quantitative measure of this imbalance, indicating that users with this configuration will need to significantly lower resolution and settings to achieve a smooth experience in _Doom_. The system's overall performance is defined by its weakest link, which is unequivocally the Intel Arc B390.