Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for this Doom configuration show a predictable but informative decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 312 at 1080p to 202 at 1440p, then to 109 at 4K. That represents a 35% reduction moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46% reduction moving from 1440p to 4K. These are substantial percentage drops, indicating that the rendering workload scales heavily with pixel count.

Looking at the High preset, the pattern is similar but with slightly different magnitudes. The 1080p result is 230 FPS average, falling to 149 FPS at 1440p (a 35% drop), and then to 81 FPS at 4K (a 46% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage reductions across Low and High presets suggests that the limiting factor scales uniformly with resolution — this is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where the graphics card's throughput is the primary constraint.

The Medium preset tells a more nuanced story. At 1080p, the average is 272 FPS with a minimum of 231 and maximum of 313. At 1440p, the average falls to 176 FPS with a minimum of 150 and maximum of 202. At 4K, the average is 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 and maximum of 110. The spread between minimum and maximum FPS narrows as resolution increases: 82 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. This narrowing range indicates that at higher resolutions, the frame delivery becomes more consistent, likely because the GPU is more consistently saturated.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest resolution scaling. Average FPS goes from 188 at 1080p, to 122 at 1440p (a 35% drop), to 66 at 4K (a 46% drop from 1440p). The percentage drops are nearly identical across all presets, which is a strong indicator that the scaling behavior is dominated by the GPU's pixel processing capability rather than any particular settings configuration.

At 1080p, even the Ultra preset achieves 188 FPS average, which is well above typical display refresh rates. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 312 FPS, suggesting that at this resolution the configuration has significant headroom. However, the scaling curve shows diminishing returns: the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 124 FPS, while at 4K the same comparison yields only a 43 FPS difference. This compression at higher resolutions reinforces that the RTX 3080 Ti becomes the binding constraint as pixel count increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the dominant component in this configuration's Doom performance, as evidenced by the resolution scaling analysis. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Doom's texture and geometry demands at all tested settings. The memory operates at 1188 MHz, translating to 19 Gbps effective, and this bandwidth appears sufficient even at 4K Ultra where the average FPS remains at 66.

The GPU's clock behavior shows a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. In a game like Doom, which is known for its Vulkan and OpenGL performance characteristics, the boost clock is likely sustained for extended periods given the GPU's thermal and power headroom — the 350 W TDP with a suggested 750 W PSU provides adequate margin. The 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs are the key execution resources that determine raw fill rate and shader throughput, with a pixel rate of 186.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 532.8 GTexel/s.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41187. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (average score 40870, deltaPct 0.8%), the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB (41707, deltaPct -1.2%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (40377, deltaPct 2%). This puts the RTX 3080 Ti in a competitive position, though the deltaPct values are all within 2% of these rivals, indicating a tightly clustered performance tier.

The measured FPS data shows that at 4K Medium, the GPU delivers 95 FPS average with a minimum of 81 FPS. The min FPS being only 14 FPS below the average suggests stable frame pacing. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 66 FPS, which is still playable but approaches the threshold where some users might prefer lower settings. The GPU's 34.10 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the theoretical ceiling for shader work, and Doom's id Tech 6 engine appears to utilize this effectively given the high frame rates achieved.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this configuration at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers the highest measured average at 312 FPS, followed by Medium at 272 FPS, High at 230 FPS, and Ultra at 188 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Low?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 66, while at 1920x1080 Low it is 312. This represents a 79% reduction in average FPS when moving from the lowest settings at 1080p to the highest settings at 4K.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti the limiting factor at 4K?

A: Yes. The resolution scaling analysis shows consistent percentage drops across all presets when moving from 1440p to 4K, around 46%, which indicates the GPU's pixel throughput is the binding constraint. The CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid becoming the bottleneck at these higher resolutions.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for Doom?

A: This combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 716th out of 2930 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the top 24.4% of all configurations.

Q: Does the Medium preset offer more consistent frame times than other presets?

A: The data shows that at Medium settings, the minimum FPS is relatively close to the average: 231 min vs 272 avg at 1080p, 150 min vs 176 avg at 1440p, and 81 min vs 95 avg at 4K. This consistency is notable and suggests good frame pacing at Medium settings.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its nearest rival in the database?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41187, which is 0.8% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (40870) and 2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (40377). It trails the NVIDIA Tesla M40 24 GB by 1.2% (41707).

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti achieves a rank of 716 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom. This places the configuration in the upper quartile of all tested systems, specifically at the 75.6th percentile — meaning roughly three-quarters of tested combos perform worse in this game. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, and the measured data suggests this pairing is well-suited to Doom's engine.

To contextualize this rank, consider that the database contains 2930 distinct combinations of CPUs and GPUs tested in Doom. Being at 716 means there are 2214 configurations that rank lower, which is a substantial majority. However, there are also 715 configurations that outperform this combo, indicating room for improvement if higher frame rates are desired.

The CPU component, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, holds the 89th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, deltaPct 0.1%), the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, deltaPct -0.1%), the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970, deltaPct 0.2%), and the AMD EPYC 7303 (45960, deltaPct 0.2%). These rivals are all within 0.2% of the Ultra 5 235's average score, making the CPU performance tier extremely tight.

The GPU, the RTX 3080 Ti, holds the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41187. Its performance relative to rivals is similarly tight, with all nearest rivals within 2% of its score. The combination of a top-quartile CPU and a top-quartile GPU results in a top-quartile Doom performance rank, which is consistent with expectations given the component-level benchmarks.

The rank of 716 suggests that while this combo is strong, there are higher-performing configurations that likely pair the RTX 3080 Ti with newer or higher-end CPUs, or pair the Ultra 5 235 with faster GPUs. The data indicates that Doom's performance is primarily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, so configurations with more powerful GPUs would rank higher regardless of CPU choice.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 272 with a minimum of 231, which provides substantial headroom above 144 FPS for high-refresh-rate displays. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 176 FPS with a minimum of 150, which still comfortably exceeds 144 Hz. At 4K Medium, the average is 95 FPS with a minimum of 81, which is playable and smooth even on standard 60 Hz displays.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. At 1080p Ultra, the average of 188 FPS is still excellent, but at 1440p Ultra the average falls to 122 FPS, which is below 144 Hz. At 4K Ultra, the average of 66 FPS may be acceptable for some, but the drop below 60 FPS in minimum scenarios could cause noticeable stutter.

The High preset provides a middle ground. At 1080p High, the average of 230 FPS is strong. At 1440p High, the average of 149 FPS is just above 144 Hz. At 4K High, the average of 81 FPS is better than Ultra but still below the 95 FPS achieved at Medium. The High preset at 4K offers a 15 FPS improvement over Ultra, which is meaningful for smoothness.

The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rates are essential. At 1080p Low, the 312 FPS average is the highest measured. At 1440p Low, 202 FPS average is excellent. At 4K Low, 109 FPS average is the best 4K result. However, the visual quality trade-off is significant, and for most users, Medium provides a better balance of visual fidelity and performance.

Given the data, Medium is the recommended preset for most users, as it delivers the most consistent frame times (as evidenced by the narrow min-max spread) while maintaining high average FPS at all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 312 FPS average
• Medium: 272 FPS average, 231 FPS minimum, 313 FPS maximum
• High: 230 FPS average
• Ultra: 188 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 202 FPS average
• Medium: 176 FPS average, 150 FPS minimum, 202 FPS maximum
• High: 149 FPS average
• Ultra: 122 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 109 FPS average
• Medium: 95 FPS average, 81 FPS minimum, 110 FPS maximum
• High: 81 FPS average
• Ultra: 66 FPS average

The data reveals several key patterns. First, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is most pronounced at 1080p, where the gap is 124 FPS (312 vs 188). At 1440p, the gap narrows to 80 FPS (202 vs 122), and at 4K it narrows further to 43 FPS (109 vs 66). This confirms that settings have a larger relative impact at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

Second, the Medium preset shows the only minimum and maximum FPS measurements in the dataset. The minimum FPS values are 231 at 1080p, 150 at 1440p, and 81 at 4K. These minima are notably close to the averages, suggesting that Medium settings produce fewer frame-time spikes than other presets.

Third, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p consistently reduces FPS by approximately 35% across all presets, and the scaling from 1440p to 4K consistently reduces FPS by approximately 46% across all presets. This uniformity indicates a well-behaved rendering pipeline where the GPU's workload scales predictably with pixel count.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 plays a supporting role in Doom's performance, as the resolution scaling analysis indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. However, the CPU must be capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates, and the data suggests it performs this task admirably.

The CPU features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This configuration, based on the Arrow Lake architecture on a 3 nm process node from TSMC, provides strong single-threaded performance that is crucial for game logic. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency for frequently accessed game data. The dual-channel DDR5 memory support provides 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for Doom's memory access patterns.

In CPU benchmark tests, the Ultra 5 235 achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085. The PassMark multithread score is 37816, with a single-thread score of 4516. These scores place the CPU in the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. The nearest rivals are all within 0.2% of this score, indicating a highly competitive performance tier.

The CPU's 14 threads are notable because Doom's engine scales well with multiple threads for rendering tasks, but the game's primary thread still benefits from high single-core performance. The 5.00 GHz boost clock provides the necessary single-threaded throughput, while the 14 cores ensure that background tasks and multi-threaded rendering features do not starve the main game thread.

The 65 W TDP is modest for a desktop CPU, and the 3 nm process node contributes to efficiency. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, which provides ample bandwidth for the RTX 3080 Ti's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 24EU is present but not relevant for gaming performance with a discrete GPU installed.

Given that the measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 312 FPS, the CPU is clearly not a limiting factor at lower resolutions. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the constraint, so the CPU's performance headroom is even more apparent. The data suggests that this CPU-GPU pairing is well-balanced for Doom, with the CPU providing sufficient throughput to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at any tested resolution or settings level.