Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 pairing sits near the bottom of the performance hierarchy for Doom, holding the 2255th position out of 2930 tested combinations. This places it in the 23rd percentile of all tested combos, meaning roughly three-quarters of the systems in the database deliver higher frame rates in this title. The ranking reflects a fundamental imbalance: the GPU is a mid-range part from a previous generation, while the CPU is a current-generation mainstream processor. For a game as well-optimized as Doom, this combination leaves significant performance on the table, though the measured data shows it remains playable at most settings below 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2255 out of 2930 is a clear signal that this is not a high-performance pairing for Doom. With the Radeon RX 6600 sitting at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, and the Core Ultra 5 235 at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, the system is held back by the graphics card in nearly every scenario. The CPU is clearly capable of far more, as evidenced by its average benchmark score of 46062, which places it within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and just 0.1% behind the Intel Core i9-13900HX. The GPU, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 19036, which is statistically tied with the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 and only 0.1% ahead of the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile.

This disparity becomes obvious when examining the FPS data. At 1080p, the combo delivers 106 FPS on Ultra settings, which drops to 68 FPS at 1440p and 37 FPS at 4K. The scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for Doom’s engine. The rank suggests that most users with this combo will need to compromise on resolution or settings to achieve high refresh rates. The data shows that the system is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can exceed 100 FPS on High and Medium presets, but it struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K, where even Low settings only yield 62 FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the decisive component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the observed performance ceiling. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. Its clock speeds are notable: a base of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. The 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 8.928 TFLOPS. These figures place the card firmly in the mid-range segment, and the benchmark data confirms this positioning.

In Doom, the GPU’s role is paramount. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 37 FPS, which is a demanding scenario for an 8 GB card. The memory capacity becomes a potential constraint, though the game’s engine is efficient. The measured FPS at 4K Medium shows a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, indicating that the card can handle moderate settings at this resolution but with noticeable frame dips. The GPU’s 63rd percentile ranking among all GPUs means it outperforms a significant portion of the market, yet it still trails the fastest cards by a wide margin. The nearest rivals in the database are older professional cards like the Quadro K6000 and Tesla K20m, which have similar average scores but lack the modern feature set of the RX 6600, including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 support.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K with acceptable performance?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The data shows 62 FPS at 4K Low and 54 FPS at 4K Medium, but this drops to 45 FPS on High and 37 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium preset shows a minimum of 46 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The measured data indicates 1080p is the sweet spot. At 1080p, the combo delivers 129 FPS on High, 153 FPS on Medium, and 176 FPS on Low, all of which are well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, High settings yield 84 FPS, which is also playable, but 4K requires significant compromises.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Doom?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, are more than sufficient for this game. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors, especially at higher resolutions and settings.

Q: How does this combo compare to others in the database?

A: It ranks 2255th out of 2930 tested combos. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 19036 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K6000, while the CPU’s score of 46062 is comparable to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which is only 0.1% faster.

Q: What frame rates can I expect on Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo averages 106 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, this drops to 68 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 37 FPS. The 1080p result is the only one that provides a consistently smooth experience on the highest preset.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM cause issues at 4K?

A: The data suggests it may contribute to performance drops, but the game still runs. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 37, which is low, but the card’s 8 GB memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to render the frames, albeit at reduced quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results: 176 FPS on Low, 153 FPS on Medium, 129 FPS on High, and 106 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 130 FPS and a maximum of 176 FPS, indicating tight frame pacing. The Ultra preset does not report min/max values, but the average of 106 FPS suggests a capable experience for most monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance scales down as expected. Low settings produce 114 FPS, Medium averages 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS, High drops to 84 FPS, and Ultra falls to 68 FPS. The 1440p results are all above 60 FPS, which is playable, but the gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, representing a 40% reduction in frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. Low settings yield 62 FPS, Medium averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, High drops to 45 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS. The 4K results highlight the GPU’s limitations, with only Low settings providing a consistent 60 FPS experience. The data shows a clear pattern: each step up in resolution reduces performance by roughly 30-40%, while each step up in settings within a resolution reduces performance by 15-25%.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. For 1080p, the High preset at 129 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it is only 24 FPS slower than Medium but provides a significant visual upgrade. The Ultra preset at 106 FPS is also viable for users who prioritize image quality, as it remains well above the 60 FPS threshold. For competitive play, the Low preset at 176 FPS provides the highest frame rates, but the visual fidelity is notably reduced.

At 1440p, the High preset at 84 FPS is the recommended choice, as it delivers smooth gameplay while maintaining good visual detail. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is playable but may exhibit occasional dips in demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 99 FPS offers a faster experience, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often noticeable in Doom’s environments. Users with 144Hz monitors may prefer Medium for the higher frame rate.

At 4K, the Low preset at 62 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 46 FPS that could cause perceptible stuttering. High and Ultra are not recommended at this resolution, as the 45 FPS and 37 FPS averages, respectively, fall below acceptable thresholds for an FPS game. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant compromises, and users are better served by dropping to 1440p for a better experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a powerful processor that is largely underutilized in this pairing. It features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The processor is built on a 3 nm process with 17,800 million transistors, and it supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. Its benchmark scores are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 37816 and a single-thread score of 4516.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with data, and it does so without breaking a sweat. The game is not heavily multi-threaded, but the 14 cores provide ample headroom. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors, and its average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the same league as the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution, as the FPS drops are consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The processor’s integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 24EU is irrelevant for this game, as the discrete GPU handles all rendering.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound profile. At Ultra settings, the combo delivers 106 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and processing power are increasingly strained at higher resolutions.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but with higher absolute values: 176 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K. The relative drops are 35% and 46%, respectively, which suggests that the GPU is consistently the bottleneck regardless of settings. The 4K Low result of 62 FPS is particularly telling, as it shows that even with minimal graphical demands, the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at this resolution due to the sheer pixel count.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data, with min/max values at all resolutions. At 1080p, the average is 153 FPS with a range of 130-176 FPS. At 1440p, the average is 99 FPS with a range of 84-114 FPS. At 4K, the average is 54 FPS with a range of 46-62 FPS. The frame pacing remains consistent, but the overall performance drops significantly. The data indicates that the GPU’s 224.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB memory are insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay, and users should target 1080p or 1440p for the best experience.