Doom

# Doom Performance Analysis: Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

The combination of Intel's Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, with the data showing this pairing ranks 651st out of 2,930 tested combos for this title. The measured frame rates reveal a system that excels at high refresh rates at mainstream resolutions, while 4K performance remains playable but demands settings adjustments to maintain smooth gameplay. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, component roles, and practical recommendations based solely on the benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about which component is the limiting factor in this pairing. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 314 FPS at 1920x1080 to 203 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 111 FPS, and then to 110 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 65% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial and indicates the GPU is increasingly becoming the bottleneck as resolution climbs. At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 189 FPS at 1080p drops to 122 FPS at 1440p and then to 66 FPS at 4K, a 65% reduction from the lowest to highest resolution tested.

The pattern across all settings shows that the RTX 4070's rendering workload grows disproportionately with pixel count. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU enough data to reach 314 FPS at Low settings, suggesting the processor is capable of very high frame rates when the GPU isn't saturated. However, the gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 125 FPS (314 vs 189), while at 4K that same gap narrows to 44 FPS (110 vs 66). This compression of the settings delta at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint at 4K, whereas at 1080p both components contribute more evenly to the final frame rate.

Interestingly, the scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a steeper drop than from 1080p to 1440p across all settings. For Medium settings, 177 FPS at 1440p falls to 96 FPS at 4K, a 46% reduction, compared to a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p (273 to 177). This non-linear scaling suggests the RTX 4070's memory bandwidth or compute resources become significantly more strained as the pixel count approaches 4K, which is typical for a GPU with a 192-bit memory bus and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 651 out of 2,930 tested configurations places this pairing in the top 22% of all tested combos for Doom. This is a strong showing, though not elite, and reflects a balance between the CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 81st percentile among all graphics cards. The rank suggests that while neither component is at the absolute top of its class, their combination works well for this specific title.

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals provides context for its contribution to this rank. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46,062, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46,030, a 0.1% delta), the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46,098, a -0.1% delta), and the AMD EPYC 4364P (45,970, a 0.2% delta). This clustering indicates the CPU is performing right at the expected level for its class, with no significant outlier behavior that would skew the combo rank.

For the GPU, the RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37,648 places it close to the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37,628, a 0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507, a 0.4% delta), while trailing the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135, a -1.3% delta). The GPU's 81st percentile ranking underscores that it is a capable mid-to-high-tier card, but the combo rank of 651 suggests that Doom's specific demands don't fully leverage the GPU's strengths, or that the CPU's 14-core configuration doesn't provide a meaningful advantage in this game's workload.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is a central factor in how this GPU handles Doom's rendering demands. At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS of 66 indicates the GPU is working near its limits, likely due to both memory bandwidth constraints and the compute load from the Ada Lovelace architecture's 5,888 shading units. The boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz provide the raw speed needed to drive high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the data shows diminishing returns as pixel count increases.

The GPU's pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s are particularly relevant for Doom, a fast-paced FPS that relies heavily on texture fill and pixel throughput. At 1080p Low settings, 314 FPS suggests the GPU is far from saturated, with the CPU likely becoming the limiting factor. However, at 4K Ultra, the 66 FPS result indicates the GPU is fully utilized, and the 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, while present, don't appear to provide a measurable advantage in this non-ray-traced title.

The 200 W TDP of the RTX 4070 and its dual-slot design suggest it's a power-efficient card for its performance class, but the benchmark data doesn't reveal any thermal throttling behavior. The 81st percentile GPU ranking versus the 89th percentile CPU ranking is interesting, as it implies the CPU is comparatively stronger than the GPU in general benchmarks, yet the combo rank of 651 is driven by how these components interact in Doom specifically. The measured FPS at 4K Medium (96 FPS) versus 4K High (81 FPS) shows a 15 FPS difference, indicating that the GPU's performance scales predictably with settings changes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a wide spread across settings: Low delivers 314 FPS average, Medium 273 FPS (with a minimum of 232 and maximum of 314), High 231 FPS, and Ultra 189 FPS. The Medium setting's minimum of 232 FPS indicates some frame-time variance, but the average remains far above any typical refresh rate threshold. The drop from Low to Ultra is 125 FPS, a 40% reduction, which is significant but still leaves Ultra comfortably above 144 Hz for most displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show more sensitivity to settings. Low achieves 203 FPS, Medium 177 FPS (min 150, max 204), High 150 FPS, and Ultra 122 FPS. The Medium minimum of 150 FPS is notable because it suggests that even in demanding scenes, the system maintains a frame rate that matches the average of High settings at this resolution. The spread from Low to Ultra is 81 FPS, a 40% reduction, consistent with the 1080p scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low delivers 110 FPS, Medium 96 FPS (min 81, max 110), High 81 FPS, and Ultra 66 FPS. The Medium setting's minimum of 81 FPS and maximum of 110 FPS bracket the averages of High and Low respectively, showing that Medium at 4K provides a similar experience to High at 4K but with more headroom. The Ultra setting at 66 FPS is the only measured result that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, though it remains playable. The data shows that 4K Ultra is the most demanding configuration tested, with the 66 FPS average representing a 79% reduction from 1080p Low.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo maintain 144 FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: Yes, the measured average at 2560x1440 High is 150 FPS, which exceeds 144 FPS. The Medium setting at this resolution averages 177 FPS with a minimum of 150 FPS, so High is the highest setting that reliably stays above 144 FPS.

Q: Is 4K Ultra playable with this configuration?

A: The measured average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 66 FPS, which is above 60 FPS and playable. However, it's the lowest average across all tested settings and resolutions, so users seeking higher frame rates should consider Medium (96 FPS) or High (81 FPS) at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37,648 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37,628, 0.1% delta) and AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507, 0.4% delta). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135, -1.3% delta) by a small margin.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 314 FPS while Ultra averages 189 FPS, a difference of 125 FPS or a 40% reduction. This shows the GPU's performance scaling with settings is consistent at this resolution.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU plays a larger role at 1080p, as the GPU can reach 314 FPS at Low settings, which is well above typical display refresh rates. The CPU's average benchmark score of 46,062 places it in the 89th percentile, indicating it's strong enough to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

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

A: This pairing ranks 651st out of 2,930 tested combos, placing it in the top 22% of all configurations tested for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This configuration, built on Intel's Arrow Lake architecture at a 3 nm process node, delivers strong single-threaded performance as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,085 and multi-core score of 14,769. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data locality for game workloads, while the 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth on DDR5 support ensures the CPU can feed the GPU without bottlenecking.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all processors is reflected in its Passmark multi-thread score of 37,816 and single-thread score of 4,516. These numbers indicate a processor that excels in both lightly-threaded tasks, which are common in game logic, and more heavily-threaded workloads. However, Doom's engine appears to benefit more from raw clock speed and single-core performance than from the 14-core count, as evidenced by the fact that the combo rank (651st) is lower than the CPU's individual percentile ranking would suggest.

The nearest rival comparisons show the Core Ultra 5 235 is virtually identical in average benchmark score to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (0.1% delta), Intel Core i9-13900HX (-0.1% delta), and AMD EPYC 4364P (0.2% delta). This tight clustering suggests that any performance differences in Doom are unlikely to stem from CPU capability alone, and the GPU's role becomes more dominant at higher resolutions. The CPU's TDP of 65 W and unlocked multiplier (false) indicate it's a power-efficient, non-overclockable part, which may appeal to users seeking stable, predictable performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, all settings deliver playable frame rates, but Ultra at 189 FPS is the best choice for users with 144 Hz or 165 Hz displays, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while staying well above refresh rate thresholds. For 240 Hz displays, High at 231 FPS is the recommended choice, as it balances visual quality with the headroom needed to stay above 240 FPS, while Medium at 273 FPS offers even more margin but with reduced visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, High settings at 150 FPS are ideal for 144 Hz monitors, offering a good balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra at 122 FPS is viable for 120 Hz displays but may cause occasional dips below the refresh rate. Medium at 177 FPS is the best option for users prioritizing consistent high frame rates, as its minimum of 150 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. Low at 203 FPS is only recommended for competitive players seeking maximum frame rates at the cost of visual quality.

At 3840x2160, Medium settings at 96 FPS (min 81, max 110) provide the best experience for 60 Hz displays, offering a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining reasonable visual quality. High at 81 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz panels but leaves less headroom for frame-time spikes. Ultra at 66 FPS is playable but sits close to the 60 FPS threshold, making it risky for scenes with heavy action. Low at 110 FPS is unnecessary at this resolution unless the user has a high-refresh 4K display, in which case it's the only setting that approaches 120 FPS. The data clearly shows that Medium at 4K offers the best balance of performance and visual fidelity for most users.