Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a highly capable 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, though 4K Ultra settings push the GPU to its limits. The measured data shows a combination that prioritizes high refresh rates at mainstream resolutions, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the graphics card as the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, revealing a classic GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 194 fps at 1920x1080 to 126 fps at 2560x1440, a 35% reduction, and then further down to 68 fps at 3840x2160, a 46% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is typical for a game like Doom, where the rendering load increases dramatically with pixel count.

The Low settings row tells an even more revealing story. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 264 fps, which climbs to 171 fps at 1440p and 93 fps at 4K. The fact that 1080p Low approaches the 264 fps mark while 4K Low only manages 93 fps indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions; the GPU is simply overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels at 4K. The 171 fps at 1440p Low shows there is substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors at that resolution.

Medium settings provide the only rows with min and max FPS data, offering insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 230 fps with a min of 196 and max of 265, a tight range that suggests stable performance. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 149 fps with min/max of 127/171, showing a similar relative spread. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 81 fps with a min of 69 and max of 93, indicating that even the dips remain playable.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution penalty. The 159 fps at 1080p Ultra drops to 103 fps at 1440p Ultra and then collapses to 56 fps at 4K Ultra. That 4K Ultra result is the only measured point below 60 fps, and it sits right at the edge of playability. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings represents a 45% performance loss, which is consistent with the pixel count increase and confirms the GPU is the sole bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific CPU-GPU pair ranks 1054th out of 2930 tested combinations for Doom. That places it in the 64th percentile of all combos, meaning it outperforms roughly two-thirds of the systems tested in this game. The rank reflects a strong mid-to-upper tier position, though it is not near the top of the leaderboard where flagship GPUs dominate.

The CPU itself sits in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 with an average score of 46030, a delta of 0.1%, and the Intel Core i9-13900HX at 46098, a delta of -0.1%. The AMD EPYC 4364P and EPYC 7303 are also within 0.2% of the Ultra 5 235's score. This clustering shows the CPU is in a highly competitive performance band where differences are negligible.

The GPU, meanwhile, sits in the 67th percentile against all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 22549. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile at 22435 (0.5% faster), the RTX 4060 Mobile at 22729 (0.8% slower), the RTX 2080 at 22895 (1.5% slower), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 at 22170 (1.7% faster). The RX 7700 XT is bracketed by these cards, indicating that its raw compute performance is competitive with last-generation desktop flagships and current mobile parts.

Given the CPU's near-tie with several high-end processors and the GPU's mid-pack position, the combo's 1054th rank out of 2930 makes sense. The system is not held back by the processor in Doom, which is a relatively light CPU load at high resolutions. The rank is largely determined by the GPU's capability, and the 7700 XT places this combo in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for Doom at all tested settings, as the game's texture requirements are modest by modern standards.

Clock speeds are notable for this card. The base clock is 1435 MHz, but the boost clock reaches 2544 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2171 MHz. The memory runs at 2250 MHz, which translates to 18 Gbps effective. These clocks allow the GPU to reach a pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 549.5 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute is rated at 35.17 TFLOPS, which is substantial for a mid-range card.

The 7700 XT's 96 ROPs and 216 TMUs are well-balanced for a game like Doom, which relies heavily on fill rate and texture throughput. The 3456 shading units handle the game's lighting and particle effects efficiently. The card's 67th percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average score of 22549, places it just ahead of the RTX 5060 Mobile and just behind the RTX 4060 Mobile, indicating that its real-world performance aligns with its spec sheet.

In Doom specifically, the GPU's role is decisive. At 1080p, the card has enough headroom to push well beyond 200 fps on most settings, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 56 fps. The 12 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor here, as the game does not require more than that at any tested setting. The bottleneck is pure compute and memory bandwidth, which is evidenced by the linear scaling of FPS with resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 264 fps, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 230 fps with a min of 196 and max of 265. High settings average 194 fps, and Ultra settings average 159 fps. All 1080p results are well above the 144 Hz refresh rate that most gaming monitors offer, and even the Ultra preset maintains a comfortable margin above 144 fps.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent. Low settings average 171 fps, which is still sufficient for high-refresh displays. Medium settings average 149 fps with a min of 127 and max of 171. High settings average 126 fps, and Ultra settings drop to 103 fps. The 1440p results show that this combo is capable of driving a 1440p/144Hz monitor on High settings without issue, and even Ultra stays above 100 fps.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. Low settings average 93 fps, which is playable but no longer high-refresh territory. Medium settings average 81 fps with a min of 69 and max of 93, maintaining a playable frame rate throughout. High settings average 68 fps, which is just above the 60 fps threshold. Ultra settings average 56 fps, which is below 60 fps and represents the only unplayable result in the dataset.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with min/max data, and they show consistent frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the spread from min to max is 69 fps, which is tight given the 230 fps average. At 1440p Medium, the spread is 44 fps, and at 4K Medium, it is 24 fps. The narrower spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is working closer to its limit, reducing the variance between frames.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K 60 fps?

A: At High settings, the average is 68 fps, which is above 60 fps, but at Ultra settings it drops to 56 fps. Medium settings average 81 fps. So 4K 60 fps is achievable on Medium or High, but not on Ultra.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings average 126 fps and Ultra averages 103 fps, both below 144 Hz. At 1920x1080, all settings exceed 144 Hz, with Ultra at 159 fps and Low at 264 fps. For a 144 Hz display, 1080p is the recommended resolution.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested systems in Doom?

A: It ranks 1054th out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the 64th percentile of all combos. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier position.

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

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 264 fps, but at 4K Low it drops to 93 fps, indicating the CPU has ample headroom and the GPU is overwhelmed by pixel count.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates on Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the min is 196 fps. At 1440p Medium, the min is 127 fps. At 4K Medium, the min is 69 fps. These are the only settings with min/max data in the measured results.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 7700 XT has an average score of 22549, which is 0.5% slower than the RTX 5060 Mobile, 0.8% faster than the RTX 4060 Mobile, 1.5% faster than the RTX 2080, and 1.7% slower than the RX 5700.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium settings as the optimal balance for this combo across all resolutions. At 4K, Medium delivers an average of 81 fps with a min of 69 fps, keeping the experience above 60 fps while providing better visual quality than Low. High settings at 4K average 68 fps, which is technically playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1440p, Medium settings provide 149 fps average with a min of 127 fps, which is ideal for high-refresh monitors. High settings at 126 fps are also viable, but Ultra at 103 fps sacrifices some smoothness. For the best experience at 1440p, Medium or High are both excellent choices, with the choice depending on whether visual fidelity or frame rate consistency is prioritized.

At 1080p, the situation is reversed. All settings are playable, but Ultra at 159 fps is the best choice for visual quality without compromising refresh rate. Low at 264 fps is only useful for competitive play where maximum frame rate matters more than graphics. Medium at 230 fps and High at 194 fps are also excellent, but Ultra provides the best visual experience while still exceeding 144 Hz.

The dataset's min/max values on Medium settings show consistent frame pacing, which is important for a fast-paced FPS like Doom. The 196 fps minimum at 1080p Medium and 127 fps minimum at 1440p Medium indicate that frame drops are rare and minor. This consistency makes Medium the safest recommendation for players who want smooth gameplay without worrying about stutters.

For players with a 144 Hz monitor, the recommendation is clear: 1080p Ultra for the best visuals at high refresh, or 1440p Medium/High for a sharper image with slightly lower frame rates. For 4K displays, Medium is the sweet spot, as it maintains 60+ fps while offering better visual fidelity than Low. The Ultra preset at 4K should be avoided, as it dips below 60 fps and does not provide a consistent experience.