Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data indicates a system that is exceptionally well-balanced for this 2016 title, offering high refresh rate capabilities at mainstream resolutions while maintaining playable frame rates at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic resolution scaling curve that transitions from CPU-bound at 1080p to GPU-bound at 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 228 FPS, which drops to 198 FPS at Medium, 167 FPS at High, and 137 FPS at Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 91 FPS, indicating that the GPU has substantial headroom even at maximum settings. Moving to 1440p, the same settings progression yields 147 FPS, 128 FPS, 108 FPS, and 89 FPS respectively, showing a more compressed range of 58 FPS between Low and Ultra. At 4K, the range narrows further to 32 FPS, with Low hitting 80 FPS, Medium at 70 FPS, High at 59 FPS, and Ultra dropping to 48 FPS.

The scaling pattern from 1080p to 1440p shows approximately 35-36% performance reduction across all settings, which is consistent with the 77% increase in pixel count. This near-linear scaling suggests the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1440p. However, the jump from 1440p to 4K presents a more dramatic 45-46% reduction in frame rates, indicating that the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus become increasingly stressed at 4K. The fact that Ultra settings at 4K drop to 48 FPS while Low settings maintain 80 FPS demonstrates that the GPU's compute throughput, not memory bandwidth alone, is the constraint at this resolution.

The data shows that this combination is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where even Ultra settings maintain frame rates above 137 FPS at 1080p and 89 FPS at 1440p. At 4K, the system crosses below the 60 FPS threshold at High settings, making 4K gaming viable only at Low or Medium settings. The 4K Medium result of 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS suggests that this is the practical ceiling for smooth 4K gameplay with this hardware pairing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 features 10 cores and 10 threads, which is notable for a desktop processor without hyper-threading. The base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, which is critical for Doom's Vulkan-based engine. The processor's Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC, delivers strong IPC improvements that benefit this game's draw call processing and physics calculations.

Benchmark results place this CPU in the 85th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 36938. The nearest rival comparisons show it performing essentially identically to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with a deltaPct of 0%, while edging out the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D by 0.2% and the Intel Core i9-12900T by 0.5%. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 indicate strong multi-threaded and excellent single-threaded capabilities, both of which are relevant for maintaining high frame rates in Doom's fast-paced action sequences.

The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 cache per core provide adequate memory hierarchy for the game's assets and AI routines. The dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the CPU never starves the GPU of data. In this game, the CPU's role becomes evident at 1080p Low settings, where the 228 FPS result suggests the processor is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond typical refresh rates. The data shows that at 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra only reduces frame rates by 40%, indicating that the CPU maintains consistent performance across settings while the GPU workload increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and boost clock of 2460 MHz, with 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings.

The GPU's 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores provide modern feature support, though Doom's release predates widespread ray tracing adoption. The 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for this title's visual effects and particle systems. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 19545 places it in the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals show it performing within 0.2-0.7% of the AMD Radeon HD 7790, AMD Radeon 780M, and AMD Radeon Pro 560, which is surprising given the generational differences but reflects the benchmark database's scoring methodology.

The 4K scaling pattern reveals the GPU's limitations. At 4K Low, the 80 FPS result indicates the GPU can handle the raw pixel throughput, but the drop to 48 FPS at Ultra settings shows the shader complexity and memory pressure compounding. The 8 GB memory capacity is sufficient for this game at 4K, as evidenced by the playable frame rates, but the 128-bit bus width creates bandwidth constraints that become apparent in the 45% performance penalty between 1440p and 4K. At 1080p, the GPU's performance is more than adequate, with the 167 FPS High setting result showing headroom for higher refresh rate displays.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1540th out of 2930 tested combinations in Doom, placing it in the 47th percentile overall. This mid-pack ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's 85th percentile performance and the GPU's 61st percentile performance, with the GPU being the weaker component in this pairing.

The ranking suggests that while this combo delivers excellent frame rates in absolute terms, many other tested combinations achieve higher performance in this game. The CPU's nearest rivals all score within 0.5% of each other, indicating that the processor is not a differentiating factor at this performance tier. The GPU's ranking, however, shows it competing with significantly older hardware like the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which suggests the RTX 4060's value proposition in this specific game is more about efficiency and feature support than raw frame rate dominance.

The 1540th rank out of 2930 combos means this pairing sits almost exactly in the middle of the database. This is consistent with the measured frame rates, which show excellent 1080p performance but less impressive 4K results. The combination's strength lies in its consistency across settings at 1080p and 1440p, rather than in pushing the absolute highest frame rates at any single resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1080p, the Low setting produces 228 FPS average, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings at 1080p yield 198 FPS with a minimum of 168 FPS and maximum of 228 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. High settings produce 167 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 137 FPS. The 1080p results show a consistent 30-31 FPS difference between consecutive settings levels, indicating predictable scaling.

At 1440p, the Low setting achieves 147 FPS, which is still well above standard 144Hz refresh rates. Medium settings produce 128 FPS with a minimum of 109 FPS and maximum of 148 FPS. High settings deliver 108 FPS, and Ultra settings maintain 89 FPS. The 1440p data shows a 19-20 FPS difference between settings levels, demonstrating that the GPU is beginning to feel the increased pixel load but still has sufficient headroom for high refresh rate gaming.

At 4K, the Low setting produces 80 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. Medium settings achieve 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and maximum of 80 FPS, showing some frame time variance at this resolution. High settings drop to 59 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 48 FPS. The 4K results show a 10-11 FPS difference between settings levels, indicating that the GPU is heavily loaded and each additional visual feature has a significant impact on performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination maintain 60 FPS at 4K in Doom?

A: Yes, but only at Low and Medium settings. The measured data shows 80 FPS at Low and 70 FPS at Medium settings for 3840x2160 resolution. High settings produce 59 FPS, which falls just below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra settings drop to 48 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming with this combo?

A: 1080p is the clear choice for maximum frame rates. The data shows 137 FPS at Ultra settings and 228 FPS at Low settings for 1920x1080. At 1440p, Ultra settings still achieve 89 FPS, which is suitable for 90Hz or lower refresh rate displays.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36938 on average, which is essentially identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36945 with a 0% deltaPct. It beats the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D by 0.2% and the Intel Core i9-12900T by 0.5% in average benchmark scores.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory sufficient for Doom at all settings?

A: The measured data indicates yes. Even at 4K Ultra settings, the game runs at 48 FPS, which confirms the 8 GB memory capacity is not causing a hard limitation. The performance drops are attributable to compute and bandwidth constraints rather than memory capacity issues.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows 108 FPS average at 2560x1440 with High settings. This provides a smooth experience on 100Hz or 120Hz displays, with no minimum frame rate recorded below this threshold.

Q: How does this combination rank among all tested systems for Doom?

A: The combo ranks 1540th out of 2930 tested combinations. This places it in the 47th percentile, which is below the median ranking but still results in playable frame rates across all tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays with 144Hz or 165Hz refresh rates, the High setting at 167 FPS provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, exceeding the refresh rate of most displays. For those with 240Hz displays, the Medium setting at 198 FPS is the recommended choice, as it remains above 240 FPS only at Low settings, which sacrifices too much visual fidelity for marginal gains.

At 1440p, the High setting at 108 FPS is the best choice for 100Hz or 120Hz displays, providing a smooth experience while maintaining good visual quality. For 60Hz displays, the Ultra setting at 89 FPS offers the best visual experience without any risk of dropping below 60 FPS, as the minimum frame rate is well above this threshold. The Medium setting at 128 FPS is recommended for 120Hz displays, offering a significant visual upgrade over Low settings while maintaining frame rates above the refresh rate.

For 4K displays, the Medium setting at 70 FPS is the recommended choice, as it is the highest setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The minimum frame rate of 59 FPS at this setting means brief dips below 60 FPS are possible, but the overall experience will be smooth. The Low setting at 80 FPS is the alternative for those who prioritize consistent frame rates over visual quality, while High and Ultra settings should be avoided for 4K gaming due to frame rates at or below 59 FPS. The data clearly shows that this combination is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where even Ultra settings provide excellent performance.