Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT delivers a smooth, highly playable Doom experience across the board, with the GPU acting as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combination produces exceptional frame rates that push well past the 100 FPS mark at every settings level, demonstrating a well-balanced pairing where the 14-core processor provides ample headroom. The data indicates that this combo lands in the 71st percentile of all tested configurations, ranking 2080 out of 2930 combos, which places it firmly in the upper tier for this title. The measured results show a system that scales predictably with resolution, though the performance drop from 1440p to 4K reveals where the mid-range GPU begins to struggle with the workload.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions tells a clear story about the limiting component in this system. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 141 to 91, a substantial 35% reduction that still leaves the game comfortably playable. The jump to 3840x2160 at High settings brings the average down to 49 FPS, which represents another 46% decline from the 1440p figure. This steep drop-off pattern indicates that the RX 6600 XT's 8 GB of VRAM and 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are being saturated at 4K, with the GPU becoming the definitive bottleneck.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more revealing. The 1080p Low result of 192 FPS drops to 124 FPS at 1440p (a 35% reduction), and then to 67 FPS at 4K (a 46% reduction from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the resolution scaling is primarily a function of pixel throughput rather than texture or shading complexity. The Medium settings data, which includes min and max frame measurements, shows the same pattern: 167 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1440p, and 59 FPS at 4K.

Ultra settings produce the most demanding scenario, with the 4K average falling to 40 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire dataset that dips below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The 1080p Ultra result of 115 FPS and 1440p Ultra result of 75 FPS confirm that the GPU is the limiting factor at the highest quality preset. Because the CPU's performance headroom is sufficient to drive frame rates well above 190 FPS at 1080p Low, the diminishing returns at higher resolutions are almost entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering capabilities.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Doom at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: At High settings, the combo achieves an average of 49 FPS at 3840x2160, which is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. Lowering to Medium settings improves the average to 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS, while Low settings reach 67 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K produce just 40 FPS, making 4K playable only with reduced quality presets.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to its nearest GPU rivals in this context?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 24442 places it 0.7% above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 and 0.8% above the GTX 780 Ti, while sitting 0.8% below the Intel Arc A350M and 1.1% below the RTX 2080 SUPER. These are marginal differences, indicating the RX 6600 XT performs in a tight competitive band around these cards.

Q: What frame rates can players expect at 1440p with this setup?

A: At 2560x1440, the combo delivers 124 FPS on Low, 108 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 92 FPS), 91 FPS on High, and 75 FPS on Ultra settings. All four presets exceed 60 FPS, making 1440p a strong resolution for this pairing.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any point in this game?

A: No bottleneck is evident in the data. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 192 FPS, and the Core Ultra 5 235's multi-threaded benchmark score of 14769 in Cinebench R23 indicates strong processing capability. The consistent frame rate scaling with resolution changes confirms the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1080p high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: High settings at 1920x1080 produce 141 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 115 FPS. Both comfortably exceed 100 FPS, so players can use Ultra settings for maximum visual quality while still maintaining high frame rates. Low settings reach 192 FPS for those seeking maximum responsiveness.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Doom?

A: The combo ranks 2080 out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the 71st percentile. This means it outperforms roughly 71% of all tested CPU-GPU pairings for this specific game, indicating a solid mid-to-upper tier result.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to the pairing, operating with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture chip, built on a 3 nm TSMC process, demonstrates strong computational capabilities that serve the game well. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14769 and single-core score of 2085 indicate a processor that can handle both the game's main thread and background tasks without becoming a limiting factor.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and per-core L2 cache of 3 MB provide ample data storage for game assets, while the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures the GPU receives data quickly. The processor's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062, places it nearly neck-and-neck with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, 0.1% difference) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, -0.1% difference).

In Doom specifically, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with geometry and game state data. The fact that the combo reaches 192 FPS at 1080p Low settings demonstrates that the CPU can drive frame rates far beyond what the GPU can render at higher resolutions. The 14 threads provide enough parallelism for the game's engine, and the high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures snappy single-threaded performance. The processor's passmark single-thread score of 4516 corroborates its strong per-core performance, which is critical for games that rely heavily on one primary thread.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 2080 out of 2930 tested combos, this Intel-AMD pairing sits in the 71st percentile for Doom performance. This ranking places it well above the median, indicating that the combination of the Core Ultra 5 235 and RX 6600 XT delivers a better-than-average experience compared to all other CPU-GPU pairings tested in this game. The 850-combo gap between this system and the bottom of the rankings shows that a substantial portion of tested configurations perform worse.

The ranking reflects the balanced nature of this pairing. While neither component is top-tier in its respective category (the CPU ranks in the 89th percentile and the GPU in the 70th percentile), their combined performance in Doom is synergistic. The GPU's 70th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24442, positions it slightly above the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (24277, 0.7% higher) and just below the Intel Arc A350M (24647, -0.8% lower).

This combo's rank suggests that Doom is well-optimized for mid-range hardware, as the system achieves frame rates that would be expected from more expensive configurations. The 2080th rank out of 2930 means that 850 combos perform better, but the majority of tested systems (roughly 71%) fall below this pairing. For a GPU that is now end-of-life and a CPU from the Core Ultra Series 2, this represents a strong result that defies the components' mid-range positioning.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, serves as the primary determinant of visual fidelity and resolution scaling in this pairing. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes strained at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 2589 MHz and game clock of 2359 MHz represent the high end of the RX 6000 series, delivering 10.60 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU's 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units provide the raw throughput needed for Doom's fast-paced rendering. Its 32 ray-tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate ensure modern feature compatibility, though the game's performance profile suggests traditional rasterization is the primary workload. The 70th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24442, places it in a competitive position relative to its nearest rivals.

The measured frame rates highlight the GPU's strengths and limitations. At 1080p, the GPU delivers 192 FPS on Low settings and 115 FPS on Ultra, demonstrating excellent headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 75 FPS, still playable but showing the GPU working harder. The 4K results, ranging from 40 FPS on Ultra to 67 FPS on Low, clearly indicate that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for consistent high-quality 4K gameplay. The 16 Gbps effective memory speed helps mitigate some of the bandwidth limitations, but the 128-bit bus width remains a constraint at very high resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its strongest results across all settings. Low settings achieve 192 FPS average, Medium settings deliver 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 FPS and maximum of 192 FPS, High settings reach 141 FPS, and Ultra settings still manage 115 FPS. All four presets exceed the 100 FPS threshold, making 1080p an excellent resolution for this pairing regardless of quality preference.

The 2560x1440 results show a predictable step down. Low settings produce 124 FPS, Medium settings average 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS and maximum of 124 FPS, High settings reach 91 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 75 FPS. Every setting at 1440p maintains an average above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even at maximum quality. The Medium settings minimum of 92 FPS indicates that frame pacing remains consistent even during demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limitations. Low settings achieve 67 FPS, which is playable but barely above the 60 FPS standard. Medium settings produce 59 FPS average with a minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 67 FPS, showing more variance. High settings drop to 49 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 40 FPS. The 4K Medium settings range of 50-67 FPS demonstrates that even with reduced quality, the system struggles to maintain consistent frame rates at this resolution.

The progression from 1080p to 4K at each settings level follows a consistent pattern: roughly a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This consistent scaling suggests that the game's rendering load scales predictably with pixel count, and the GPU's performance ceiling is the primary variable. For players prioritizing frame rate, 1080p Ultra at 115 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. For those wanting higher resolution, 1440p High at 91 FPS provides a strong compromise, while 4K should be reserved for Low settings at 67 FPS where playability is maintained.