Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the AMD Radeon 880M represents a mobile configuration where the CPU’s capabilities vastly outstrip what the integrated graphics can deliver in Doom. The processor is a 16-core, 32-thread Zen 4 part based on the Dragon Range architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its 64 MB of L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth provide the kind of headroom that would suit a discrete GPU, but in this combo, the Radeon 880M is the limiting factor. The CPU’s benchmark scores are dominant—its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 places it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and its PassMark multithread score of 51405 confirms heavy lifting capacity. For a 2016 FPS like Doom, the CPU is never the bottleneck; the game’s engine simply cannot stress 16 Zen 4 cores, and the single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6030, is more than sufficient to feed the GPU. The data suggests that the processor’s role here is to provide a stable platform, but its potential is unrealized because the frame rate is dictated entirely by the integrated graphics solution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture: the best experience in Doom with this hardware is achieved at 1080p with Low settings, where the average frame rate reaches 90 FPS. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset that crosses the 90 FPS threshold, and it does so with a margin that suggests a playable, smooth experience for a fast-paced shooter. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 78 FPS, which is still respectable, but the drop from Low to Medium is 12 FPS, indicating that the Radeon 880M’s shading units and ROPs (768 and 16, respectively) are sensitive to the additional rendering work. High settings at 1080p produce 66 FPS, and Ultra falls to 54 FPS, which is the minimum recommended for playability but lacks the headroom for demanding scenes. Given that Doom is an FPS where reaction time matters, the 90 FPS Low setting is the pragmatic choice; it offers a 36 FPS advantage over Ultra at the same resolution, which is a 66.7% improvement in frame rate. The Medium preset at 1080p, with a measured range of 66 to 90 FPS, could be considered if visual fidelity is prioritized over the absolute highest frame rate, but the data leans toward Low for competitive integrity. At higher resolutions, no preset achieves a playable average above 60 FPS, so the recommendation is unequivocally 1080p Low for this combo.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a stark dependency on the integrated GPU’s fill rate. At 1080p Low, the average is 90 FPS; at 1440p Low, it falls to 58 FPS, a reduction of 35.6%. Moving to 4K Low yields 31 FPS, which is a 65.6% drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is limited by its pixel throughput—the Radeon 880M has a pixel rate of 46.40 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 139.2 GTexel/s, which are modest figures for handling 8.3 million pixels at 4K. The data shows that the transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly one-third of the frame rate, while the jump to 4K halves it again. For Medium settings, the pattern holds: 78 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. The limiting component is clearly the GPU, as the CPU’s benchmark scores show no such degradation; the Ryzen 9 8945HX’s PassMark single-thread score of 3907 and multi-thread score of 51405 are unaffected by resolution, but the Radeon 880M’s PassMark G3D score of 7615 places it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, which is inadequate for high-resolution gaming. The measured minimum and maximum FPS for Medium settings at each resolution (66-90 at 1080p, 43-58 at 1440p, 23-31 at 4K) confirm that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the variance scales with the pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Doom, this configuration ranks 2858 out of 2930, placing it in the bottom 2.5% of all tested systems. This is a low rank, but it is expected given the hardware pairing. The combo’s performance is dictated almost entirely by the Radeon 880M’s capabilities, which are comparable to entry-level discrete GPUs from over a decade ago. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (0.1% faster), NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (0.3% slower), and AMD Radeon HD 8870M (0.3% slower), all of which are outdated mobile parts. The CPU, by contrast, ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals like the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (0.1% faster) and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (0.6% faster). This disparity means the combo’s rank of 2858 is a reflection of the GPU’s weakness, not the CPU’s. In a game like Doom, which is well-optimized and can run on modest hardware, this combo still manages to achieve playable frame rates at 1080p Low, but it cannot compete with systems that have even a mid-range discrete GPU. The rank suggests that users of this combo are limited to low settings and lower resolutions, and the data confirms that the CPU is not the reason for the low standing—the integrated graphics are.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon 880M is an integrated GPU based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process with 34,000 million transistors. Its performance characteristics are modest: a base clock of 400 MHz and a boost clock of 2900 MHz, with 768 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 16 ROPs. The memory is system-shared, which means bandwidth is dependent on the CPU’s DDR5 memory and is listed as "System Dependent" in the specifications—this is a significant limitation for a game like Doom, which benefits from fast memory access. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 4.454 TFLOPS, which is low by modern standards but sufficient for 1080p gaming at reduced settings. In Doom, the GPU’s role is clear: it is the sole determinant of frame rates, and the measured data shows that it struggles beyond 1080p. At 4K, even Low settings only produce 31 FPS, which is unplayable for an FPS. The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect this: a PassMark G3D score of 7615 places it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, and its DirectX 12 score of 32 is particularly weak, though Doom’s Vulkan and OpenGL support (the GPU supports Vulkan 1.4 and OpenGL 4.6) may help mitigate this. The 880M’s nearest rivals, such as the GTX 675MX and MX330, have similar performance, confirming that this is an entry-level part. The GPU’s memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent, is likely a bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the data shows a steep FPS drop when pixel count increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s capabilities across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 90 on Low to 54 on Ultra. The Medium preset has an average of 78 FPS, with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 90, indicating some scene-to-scene variance. High settings yield 66 FPS, and Ultra drops to 54 FPS. At 2560x1440, the averages are 58 FPS on Low, 51 FPS on Medium (with a range of 43 to 58), 43 FPS on High, and 35 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 31 FPS on Low, 27 FPS on Medium (with a range of 23 to 31), 23 FPS on High, and 19 FPS on Ultra. The pattern is consistent: each resolution step down from 1080p reduces frame rates by roughly one-third to one-half, and each settings increase at a given resolution costs about 10-15 FPS. The only configuration that achieves a consistent 60+ FPS experience is 1080p Low, which is the clear sweet spot. The 1080p Medium setting, with its 78 FPS average, is also acceptable, but the 90 FPS Low setting provides better headroom. The 1440p Low setting at 58 FPS is borderline, and anything above that is not recommended for a smooth experience. The data shows no scenario where 4K is playable, as even Low settings fail to reach 32 FPS, which is below the threshold for an action game.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for this combo in Doom?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings achieves an average of 90 FPS, which is the highest frame rate in the dataset. This is the only configuration that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76212, which is 0.1% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (76155) and 0.6% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (75779). It is 0.4% slower than the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P (76492) and the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX (76513).

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so significantly from 1080p to 4K?

A: The frame rate drop is due to the integrated GPU’s limited pixel throughput. At 1080p Low, the average is 90 FPS, but at 4K Low it falls to 31 FPS, a 65.6% decrease. The Radeon 880M’s pixel rate of 46.40 GPixel/s and system-shared memory bandwidth are insufficient for the 8.3 million pixels at 4K.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in Doom?

A: This combo ranks 2858 out of 2930 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom 2.5%. The low rank is attributable to the integrated GPU, as the CPU ranks in the 95th percentile of all CPUs.

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

A: The AMD Radeon 880M has an average benchmark score of 8436, which is 0.1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (8427) and 1.3% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 M375X (8325). It is 0.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce MX330 (8458) and the AMD Radeon HD 8870M (8462).

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and PassMark single-thread score of 3907 are more than adequate for Doom, while the GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 7615 and the measured FPS scaling with resolution confirm that the integrated graphics cannot keep up.