Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a highly constrained gaming experience in Doom, with performance metrics that place this combination in the lower tier of tested configurations. The data indicates a system where the integrated graphics solution is the overwhelming bottleneck, struggling to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions while showing significant headroom in the CPU. This analysis breaks down the measured results across resolutions, settings, and component roles to provide a clear picture of what this combo can and cannot do.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 78 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 51 FPS, a reduction of 27 FPS or roughly 35%. The jump to 3840x2160 at High yields only 28 FPS average, which is a further 23 FPS decline from 1440p and a 50 FPS drop from 1080p. This steep scaling curve indicates that pixel throughput is the limiting factor; as resolution increases, the Arc B390's rendering capabilities are quickly overwhelmed.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For Low settings, the averages move from 107 FPS at 1080p to 69 FPS at 1440p and finally 37 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 93 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings produce the most dramatic falloff, starting at 64 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 41 FPS at 1440p, and collapsing to 22 FPS at 4K. The consistent proportional drops across all presets reinforce that the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity, not CPU or memory bandwidth, are dictating performance.

The fact that 4K performance sits in the 22-37 FPS range regardless of settings suggests that even the lowest graphical load cannot compensate for the sheer number of pixels being processed. The Arc B390's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are simply insufficient for 4K workloads in this title. Conversely, the 1080p results, particularly the 107 FPS at Low, show that the combo can deliver acceptable performance when the resolution is more modest. The scaling behavior points to a component that is best suited for 1080p gaming, with diminishing returns at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for Doom is 2580 out of 2930 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems evaluated, a position that underscores the severe performance limitations of the integrated GPU. The percentile ranking for the GPU alone is 9, meaning it outperforms only 9% of all graphics cards in the database. This low percentile is the primary driver of the combo's poor overall standing.

The CPU, by contrast, is a much stronger component. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 holds an 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, indicating it is a high-performing processor. This creates a significant imbalance: a top-tier CPU paired with a bottom-tier GPU. The combo rank of 2580 reflects this mismatch, as the system's gaming capability is entirely hamstrung by the graphics solution. In a game like Doom, which is known for being well-optimized, the 2930-combo pool shows that most other pairings outperform this specific configuration.

When looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the data shows it is only slightly faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, with a delta of 1.3%, and the GeForce 800M, at 1.5%. It also edges out the GT 625 OEM by 2.5% and the GT 710 by 2.7%. These are all legacy or entry-level discrete GPUs from several generations ago, which contextualizes the Arc B390's performance tier. The integrated solution is competitive with these older parts but cannot approach modern discrete graphics cards. The combo's rank is therefore expected, given the GPU's position in the overall hierarchy.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its clock speeds are listed with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz. The boost clock is the more relevant figure for sustained gaming, and even at that frequency, the GPU's compute resources are limited. It has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. These specifications directly correlate with the measured performance: the 24 ROPs are particularly low, which explains the poor high-resolution scaling, as rasterization throughput is a key constraint at higher pixel counts.

The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning the GPU uses a portion of the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which is a critical caveat. In a dual-channel DDR5 configuration like the one supported by this CPU, the memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is shared between the CPU and GPU. This shared bandwidth can become a bottleneck in memory-intensive scenes, though the frame rate data suggests that raw compute and pixel throughput are the primary limits rather than memory starvation. The lack of dedicated VRAM also means that texture loading and frame buffering compete with the OS and applications for the same memory pool.

The GPU's FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, which is modest by modern standards. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 1482 confirms its low standing. The nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark are all NVIDIA parts from the GT 700 and 800M series, with the Arc B390 holding a slight edge. The 12 ray tracing cores are present, but given the overall performance level, ray-traced workloads are unlikely to be viable at playable frame rates. In Doom, which does not rely heavily on ray tracing, the GPU's traditional rasterization performance is what matters, and it is found wanting at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete matrix of average frame rates across four resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 107 FPS, which is the highest recorded value for this combo. Medium drops to 93 FPS, High to 78 FPS, and Ultra to 64 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 43 FPS, showing that the GPU has some headroom at 1080p but that Ultra settings exact a significant toll. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS, indicating that frame times are relatively stable within that range.

At 2560x1440, performance falls into a range that is playable for less demanding titles but marginal for a fast-paced FPS. Low settings produce an average of 69 FPS, Medium 60 FPS, High 51 FPS, and Ultra 41 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum is 51 FPS and maximum is 69 FPS. None of these averages reach the 60 FPS threshold except for Low, and even that is borderline. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs between 23 and 27 FPS depending on the preset, which is a significant penalty for a resolution that is becoming standard for modern gaming.

The 3840x2160 results are uniformly below playable thresholds. Low settings average 37 FPS, Medium 33 FPS, High 28 FPS, and Ultra 22 FPS. The Medium preset has a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS. These numbers are all below the 30 FPS console-style target, except for Low which barely exceeds it. The 4K results confirm that this combo is not viable for 4K gaming in Doom. The data shows a steep cliff between 1440p and 4K, where even the lowest settings fail to provide a smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This configuration yields an average of 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS. The 93 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay, and the minimum of 79 FPS ensures that there are no significant drops below the refresh rate of most standard monitors. The Medium preset strikes a balance between visual fidelity and performance, offering a meaningful improvement over Low settings without the steep cost of High or Ultra.

At 1080p High, the average of 78 FPS is still playable, but the 15 FPS drop from Medium suggests that the additional graphical features are taxing the GPU. Ultra at 64 FPS is technically above 60 FPS, but the margin is thin, and any demanding scene could push it below that threshold. The Low preset at 107 FPS is the fastest, but it sacrifices visual quality for a frame rate that exceeds what most displays can show. For a fluid experience with reasonable visuals, Medium at 1080p is the clear choice.

For users with 1440p displays, the data suggests that only Low settings are viable, with an average of 69 FPS. Medium at 60 FPS is at the exact threshold, but the minimum of 51 FPS indicates potential stutter. High and Ultra at 51 and 41 FPS respectively are not recommended for a shooter where reaction time matters. The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely, as all presets fall below 40 FPS average. The recommendation is to prioritize resolution over settings: 1080p Medium is the sweet spot, offering the best combination of smoothness and visual quality per the measured data.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Doom?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Medium settings provides the best experience, with an average of 93 FPS, a minimum of 79 FPS, and a maximum of 107 FPS.

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

A: No. The highest average at 3840x2160 is 37 FPS on Low settings, with Medium at 33 FPS, High at 28 FPS, and Ultra at 22 FPS. None of these are consistently playable.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its closest rivals?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark, the Arc B390 scores 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GT 710.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 69 FPS while Ultra settings average 41 FPS, a difference of 28 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this configuration?

A: No. The CPU has an 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the GPU has a 9th percentile ranking. The GPU is the clear limiting factor in gaming performance.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems?

A: This Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2580 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU has a 24 MB shared L3 cache and a per-core L2 cache of 3 MB. These specifications are more than sufficient for gaming, and the benchmark data confirms its strong performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 14769 in multi-core and 2085 in single-core tests. The PassMark multi-thread score is 37816, with a single-thread score of 4516. These numbers place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, showing that it is a high-end part.

In the context of Doom, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The 14 cores and 14 threads are more than enough for this title, which is not particularly CPU-intensive on modern hardware. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which has an average score of 46030, and the Intel Core i9-13900HX at 46098. The Ultra 5 235's average benchmark score is 46062, placing it between these two with a delta of 0.1% and -0.1% respectively. This indicates that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class.

The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 107 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would stress a weaker CPU. The fact that frame rates scale down consistently with resolution increases points to GPU-bound performance. The CPU's ability to maintain high scores in synthetic benchmarks, such as the 14769 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, suggests it is not the bottleneck. The system's poor gaming performance is entirely attributable to the Arc B390's limited graphics capabilities, not the processing power of the Ultra 5 235.