Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a profoundly GPU-limited experience in Doom, with frame rates that scale directly with pixel count and settings presets. This combination ranks near the bottom of the database, at 2580 out of 2930 tested combos, placing it in the 12th percentile overall. The data reveals a system where a high-end 12-core processor is effectively neutralized by an integrated-class GPU, making resolution and quality settings the sole determinants of playability.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent penalty as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 78 FPS at 1080p to 51 FPS at 1440p, then collapses to 28 FPS at 4K. That represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

This pattern intensifies at higher quality presets. With Ultra settings, the 1080p average of 64 FPS falls to 41 FPS at 1440p and bottoms out at 22 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions: at 1080p, Low delivers 107 FPS versus 64 FPS for Ultra (a 43 FPS spread), but at 4K, Low manages 37 FPS while Ultra drops to 22 FPS (a 15 FPS spread). The absolute delta narrows at 4K because both presets are already scraping the bottom of the performance envelope.

The limiting component is unambiguous. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is nowhere near saturation in a 2016-era FPS title. Instead, the Intel Arc B390 — an integrated GPU with a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs — becomes the bottleneck at every resolution tested. The fact that 4K Ultra produces just 22 FPS, while 4K Low produces 37 FPS, indicates that the GPU's compute and memory resources are exhausted regardless of settings. The delta between presets shrinks at 4K precisely because the GPU is already at its ceiling.

The resolution scaling data also reveals that this combo is not viable for 4K gaming in any realistic sense. Even at Low settings, the 37 FPS average at 3840x2160 falls short of smooth gameplay thresholds. The 1440p results are marginally better, with Low hitting 69 FPS and Medium reaching 60 FPS, but High and Ultra dip to 51 and 41 FPS respectively. Only at 1080p does the combo achieve consistently playable frame rates across all presets.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a desktop-class processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process from TSMC. It features 12 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The CPU has 64 MB of L3 cache, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 80 KB of L1 per core. It supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth, and its 120 W TDP places it firmly in the high-performance desktop segment.

In Doom, this CPU's role is almost entirely preparatory. The game's engine, released in 2016, does not scale meaningfully beyond a handful of threads, and the 9900X's 24 threads are vastly more than required. The benchmark data shows no evidence of CPU limitation: frame rates drop proportionally with resolution and settings, which would not happen if the processor were the bottleneck. A CPU-bound scenario would show flat FPS across resolutions or settings changes; instead, the FPS varies widely, confirming the GPU is the sole constraint.

The 9900X's raw compute capability is substantial. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32172 and single-core score of 2253 place it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. Its 3DMark scores scale from 1286 single-thread to 13929 max-threads, showing excellent multi-threaded scaling. In synthetic tests, it sits within 1.4% of the Intel Core i9-14900 and within 0.2% of the AMD EPYC 7313, indicating it is a top-tier processor by any measure.

However, these strengths are irrelevant to Doom's frame rate in this configuration. The CPU's 5.60 GHz boost clock and 12 Zen 5 cores are far more capable than what the game requires, and the integrated GPU cannot generate enough frames to ever stress the processor. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would theoretically have the most headroom to matter, the 107 FPS average is still GPU-limited given the Arc B390's modest specifications.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture (Panther Lake), fabricated on Intel's 3 nm process. It operates with base and boost clocks of 300 MHz and 2500 MHz respectively. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its memory configuration is entirely system-shared, with no dedicated VRAM, relying on the host's DDR5 memory bandwidth which is system-dependent.

This GPU's performance profile is extremely limited. Its only benchmark score is 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy entry-level discrete cards: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (scoring 1463, 1.3% slower), the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and the GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). The Arc B390 is marginally faster than these, but the comparison underscores how far it sits from any modern gaming-capable GPU.

The GPU's compute throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS FP16, with pixel and texture rates of 60.00 GPixel/s and 120.0 GTexel/s. These figures are modest for a 2026-era part, and the system-shared memory means bandwidth is dependent on the CPU's DDR5 implementation rather than a dedicated high-speed VRAM bus. The 80 W TDP reflects its integrated nature, but the performance data shows that power efficiency cannot compensate for raw capability.

In Doom, the Arc B390's limitations are exposed at every turn. The 4K Ultra result of 22 FPS is consistent with a GPU that has only 24 ROPs and relies on shared memory. The 1080p Low result of 107 FPS is the only frame rate that approaches what might be considered comfortable, and it still falls short of the 120+ FPS that competitive players would seek. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking is accurately reflected in these results; it performs like a very old entry-level discrete card, not a modern gaming solution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2580 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems in the database. This ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU's 92nd percentile standing cannot compensate for a GPU that sits in the 9th percentile.

The asymmetry is stark. The CPU alone outperforms 92% of all processors, while the GPU outperforms only 9% of all GPUs. When paired, the system's net performance is dragged down to the 12th percentile of all combos. This is a textbook example of a bottlenecked configuration, where the strongest component is rendered irrelevant by the weakest.

Compared to other combos in the database, this system would be outclassed by virtually any pairing that includes a discrete GPU from the past decade. The Arc B390's nearest rivals — all from the early 2010s — indicate that even a modest discrete solution from that era would match or exceed this integrated part. The 9900X's synthetic scores, such as its Passmark multithread score of 54643 and Geekbench multicore of 22174, are wasted in this configuration.

The ranking data also suggests that the combination is poorly matched for the game. Doom is a fast-paced FPS that benefits from high frame rates, and the measured averages of 22-107 FPS across the resolution/settings matrix place it in the lower quartile of the database. For context, a combo ranked in the top half of the database would be expected to deliver 2-3 times the frame rates seen here at equivalent settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all presets achieve playable frame rates, with Low at 107 FPS, Medium at 93 FPS, High at 78 FPS, and Ultra at 64 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low (69 FPS) and Medium (60 FPS) remain borderline playable. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 40 FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% faster than the GeForce GT 710 (1443). Its performance is effectively equivalent to these legacy parts.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The 9900X has 12 cores, 24 threads, and a 5.60 GHz boost clock, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. The frame rates scale directly with resolution and settings, which indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32172 shows it is far more capable than Doom requires.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 60 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. This is the only 1440p preset that maintains a consistent 60 FPS average, though it dips below that threshold in demanding scenes.

Q: How does the combo's overall ranking reflect its gaming capability?

A: The combo ranks 2580 out of 2930 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of the database. This is consistent with the GPU's 9th percentile ranking, which dominates the system's gaming performance despite the CPU's 92nd percentile standing.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1080p for this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, Low delivers the highest average at 107 FPS, followed by Medium at 93 FPS, High at 78 FPS, and Ultra at 64 FPS. Low provides the most headroom above the minimum playable threshold, while Ultra remains smooth at 64 FPS but offers no competitive advantage given the GPU's limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 107 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all configurations. Medium settings average 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, showing a tight band. High settings average 78 FPS, and Ultra settings average 64 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 43 FPS, indicating that quality settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 69 FPS, Medium averages 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS, High averages 51 FPS, and Ultra averages 41 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra narrows to 28 FPS, suggesting the GPU is becoming more saturated. The Medium preset's minimum of 51 FPS indicates that even this mid-tier setting can dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles across the board. Low settings average 37 FPS, Medium averages 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 FPS and maximum of 37 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is just 15 FPS, showing that the GPU is fully constrained and settings changes yield diminishing returns. No preset at 4K achieves an average above 37 FPS, making this resolution impractical for smooth gameplay.

The Medium preset is the only one for which minimum and maximum values are recorded at all three resolutions. At 1080p, it ranges from 79 to 107 FPS; at 1440p, from 51 to 69 FPS; and at 4K, from 28 to 37 FPS. These ranges show that the game's frame time variance is consistent across resolutions, with the minimum approximately 74% of the average in each case.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where this combo can deliver a consistently smooth experience across all presets. At this resolution, the Low preset's 107 FPS average provides the largest margin above the 60 FPS threshold, making it the safest choice for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset's 93 FPS average is also excellent, and its recorded minimum of 79 FPS means it never drops below 60 FPS, offering a better visual experience with no practical downside.

At 2560x1440, the choice narrows to Low or Medium. The Low preset's 69 FPS average is playable, but the Medium preset's 60 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum means it will occasionally drop below 60 FPS in heavy scenes. For players who prioritize visual fidelity over absolute smoothness, Medium at 1440p is the best compromise, but Low is recommended if frame rate consistency is paramount. High and Ultra at 1440p produce 51 and 41 FPS averages respectively, which are below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended.

At 3840x2160, no preset is recommended. Even the Low preset's 37 FPS average falls well short of acceptable gameplay smoothness, and the Ultra preset's 22 FPS average is effectively unplayable. The data shows that this combo should be restricted to 1080p for any serious gaming session, with 1440p Low as a secondary option for less demanding scenarios.

The best experience per the measured rows is 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This preset delivers a 93 FPS average, a 79 FPS minimum, and a 107 FPS maximum, providing a smooth and visually enhanced experience without the frame rate risks of High or Ultra. Players seeking maximum frame rates can use Low for 107 FPS, but the Medium preset's visual improvements come at a negligible 14 FPS cost.