Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 570 combination delivers a playable but heavily GPU-bound experience in Doom, with the data showing that the 4 GB Polaris card is the definitive limiting factor across all tested resolutions. The combo ranks in the bottom 5% of tested configurations, and while the CPU's strong single-thread performance prevents it from being a bottleneck, the GPU's age and memory capacity cap the frame rates well below what the processor could otherwise support.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the sole performance constraint in this pairing. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 92 FPS, which drops to 60 FPS at 1440p and further to 32 FPS at 4K. This scaling pattern—a 35% loss from 1080p to 1440p and another 47% loss from 1440p to 4K—is characteristic of a GPU that is completely saturated at higher pixel counts.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings shows a drop from 68 FPS to 44 FPS, a 35% reduction that aligns almost perfectly with the pixel count increase of 78%, indicating the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being taxed linearly. At 4K High, the average falls to 24 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions: at 1080p, the difference between Low (92 FPS) and Ultra (56 FPS) is 36 FPS, but at 4K, the same setting range only spans from 32 FPS to 19 FPS. This compression of frame rates at 4K is a classic sign that the GPU is no longer able to differentiate between quality levels because it is bottlenecked by raw throughput rather than shader complexity.

Interestingly, the data shows that the CPU is not contributing to these frame rate drops. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, maintains a PassMark single-thread score of 4412, which places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the system reaches 92 FPS, a figure that would be much lower if the processor were struggling to feed the graphics card. The frame time consistency at 1080p Medium (min 68, max 93) suggests that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output without introducing stutter, but the GPU's limits are exposed as resolution climbs.

The 4K Ultra result of 19 FPS is particularly telling. This is a 79% reduction from the 1080p Low score, and it represents the absolute worst-case scenario for this combo. The RX 570's 4 GB GDDR5 memory, operating on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, is insufficient for the texture and geometry demands of 4K, and the 2048 shading units simply cannot process the pixel load. The data suggests that this combo is only viable at 1080p and marginally acceptable at 1440p, with 4K being reserved for static scenes or greatly reduced settings.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and playable frame rates, the data points to Medium settings at 1080p as the optimal configuration for this combo. The measured 80 FPS average at 1080p Medium, with a minimum of 68 FPS, provides a smooth experience that stays well above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered playable. The jump from Low to Medium costs only 12 FPS (from 92 to 80), which is a reasonable trade for the visual improvements that Medium typically offers over Low in a 2016 FPS title.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more constrained. The Medium preset delivers 52 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The High preset at 1440p drops to 44 FPS, and while this might be acceptable for slower games, Doom's frenetic combat benefits from higher frame rates. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 36 FPS, which is generally considered the lower bound for acceptable gameplay, but the 4 GB VRAM limitation makes this setting risky for texture-heavy scenes. The data shows that 1440p Medium is the highest resolution and quality combination that maintains a consistent frame rate, though users seeking 60 FPS should stick to 1080p.

The High preset at 1080p, yielding 68 FPS, is another strong candidate. It offers a 12 FPS improvement over Ultra (56 FPS) while presumably retaining most of the visual fidelity that matters in a fast-paced shooter. However, the Medium preset's min FPS of 68 FPS versus High's unspecified minimum suggests that Medium provides better frame pacing, as the Medium row shows a 68-93 FPS range that indicates less variance. For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p (92 FPS) is the clear choice, but it sacrifices too much visual detail for most users. The recommendation is to use 1080p Medium for the best overall experience, with 1080p Low reserved for those who prioritize maximum frame rates and 1440p Medium for users who value resolution over smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 2812 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the bottom 4% of all configurations. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, which sits in the 74th percentile of all GPUs but is paired with a CPU that ranks in the 85th percentile. The mismatch between the two components' relative performance is stark: the CPU's average benchmark score of 36938 places it nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta), while the GPU's score of 28766 is just 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28580) and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28996).

The combo's rank is not surprising given the GPU's age. The RX 570, released in 2017, is based on the Polaris 20 chip with a 14 nm process, and its 4 GB VRAM is a severe limitation for modern game workloads. The CPU, by contrast, is a 2025 Arrow Lake-S part with a 3 nm process, 10 cores, and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This pairing creates a scenario where the CPU's potential is largely untapped in Doom, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck at every resolution above 1080p Low. The data shows that even at 1080p, the combo's performance is capped by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, not the CPU's processing power.

When compared to other combos in the database, the 2812 rank reflects that most tested configurations use more modern or higher-tier GPUs. The RX 570's nearest rivals in the benchmark database—the RX 6800M, R9 M295X, RX 470, and Quadro RTX 8000—all have similar average scores, but none of them are designed for 4K gaming. The combination's rank would likely improve significantly if paired with a more capable GPU, but as tested, it is a low-end configuration that struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p and above. The CPU's high percentile ranking suggests that users could upgrade the GPU without needing to replace the processor, but the current combo's in-game results are firmly in the bottom tier.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 60 FPS. At Low settings, it achieves 92 FPS, at Medium 80 FPS, and at High 68 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low preset reaches 60 FPS, while Medium and High drop to 52 FPS and 44 FPS respectively.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Doom?

A: No, the measured 4K results are all below 32 FPS. At Low settings, the average is 32 FPS, which is borderline playable, but at Medium it drops to 28 FPS and at Ultra it falls to 19 FPS. The 4 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth of the RX 570 are insufficient for 4K workloads.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has a PassMark single-thread score of 4412 and ranks in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, while the RX 570 ranks in the 74th percentile. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows the GPU's performance curve, not the CPU's capabilities.

Q: What preset provides the smoothest experience?

A: The 1080p Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 80 FPS and a minimum of 68 FPS. This is the highest quality setting that maintains a minimum frame rate above 60 FPS, ensuring consistent smoothness during fast-paced action.

Q: How does this combo compare to similar configurations?

A: It ranks 2812 out of 2930 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 4%. The GPU's average benchmark score of 28766 is nearly identical to the RX 6800M (28874, -0.4% delta) and RX 470 (28996, -0.8% delta), while the CPU's score of 36938 matches the Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta).

Q: Is the 4 GB VRAM of the RX 570 a limitation in Doom?

A: Yes, the measured frame rates at 4K and the significant drops between settings indicate that VRAM capacity and bandwidth are limiting factors. At 4K Ultra, the average is 19 FPS, and even at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 36 FPS, suggesting the GPU cannot store and process the required textures efficiently.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the defining component in this combo's Doom performance, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, operating at a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory runs at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications, while respectable for 2017, are simply inadequate for the demands of Doom at higher resolutions and settings.

The 4 GB VRAM is the most critical limitation. The data shows that at 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 36 FPS (92 vs 56), but at 4K, the same setting range only produces a 13 FPS difference (32 vs 19). This compression suggests that beyond 1080p, the GPU is not limited by shader complexity but by memory capacity and bandwidth. The 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient to feed the 2048 shading units at high resolutions, resulting in the observed frame rate drops. The pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s also contribute to the 4K bottleneck, as the GPU cannot fill pixels fast enough to maintain playable frame rates.

The RX 570's FP32 performance of 5.095 TFLOPS is the theoretical ceiling for compute workloads, but in Doom, the memory subsystem is the primary constraint. The GPU's 74th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its mid-tier status, and its nearest rivals in the benchmark database—the RX 6800M (28874, -0.4%), R9 M295X (28580, 0.7%), RX 470 (28996, -0.8%), and Quadro RTX 8000 (28421, 1.2%)—all exhibit similar average scores, confirming that the RX 570 is a fixed performance point that cannot be overcome by the CPU. The GPU's end-of-life production status and 14 nm process node further underscore its age, and the data indicates that any upgrade path would require a more modern GPU with greater memory capacity and bandwidth to unlock the CPU's potential.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 provides ample processing headroom for Doom, but its contribution to the measured frame rates is masked by the GPU's limitations. The CPU features 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its PassMark single-thread score of 4412 and multi-thread score of 30459 place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong performance for both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide sufficient data locality for game logic, and the DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the CPU can feed data to the GPU without stalling.

In Doom, the CPU's role is primarily to handle game logic, physics, and draw call submission. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the combo achieves 92 FPS, which is a frame rate that many older CPUs could not sustain. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 demonstrate its capability to handle the game's thread utilization, and the 10-core configuration ensures that background tasks do not interfere with game performance. The CPU's nearest rivals—the Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0%), Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018, -0.2%), Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.4%), and Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.5%)—all have nearly identical average scores, indicating that the Ultra 5 225 is a mid-range processor that is more than capable for this game.

The lack of frame rate improvement when lowering resolution from 1440p to 1080p at the same settings provides indirect evidence that the CPU is not a bottleneck. At High settings, the move from 1440p (44 FPS) to 1080p (68 FPS) yields a 24 FPS increase, which is entirely attributable to the GPU's reduced workload. If the CPU were limiting, this increase would be smaller or non-existent. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 3 nm process node also indicate that it is a modern, efficient part, and its launch MSRP of $246 positions it as a mainstream processor that pairs naturally with mid-range GPUs. However, in this specific combo, the CPU is significantly overqualified for the GPU, and the data suggests that users could achieve much higher frame rates in Doom by upgrading the graphics card while keeping the same processor.