Doom

Doom, the 2016 id Software reboot, remains a demanding benchmark for modern hardware, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER produces a compelling dataset. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings place this combination in the 90th percentile of all tested combos, ranking 293rd out of 2930. This indicates a system that is firmly in the upper echelon of gaming performance, capable of delivering high refresh rate experiences at mainstream resolutions while maintaining playability at 4K. The data shows a clear and consistent hierarchy, with the GPU emerging as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance enabling exceptionally high frame rates at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The overall rank of 293 out of 2930 tested combos puts this system in the top 10% of all configurations tested. This is a strong result, reflecting a balanced pairing that can handle the game’s demands without a clear, crippling bottleneck. The CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, performs exceptionally well in synthetic benchmarks, with an average benchmark score of 46062, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, Intel Core i9-13900HX, AMD EPYC 4364P, and AMD EPYC 7303, with score deltas of just 0.1%, -0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.2% respectively. This places the Ultra 5 235 in a performance tier where differences are marginal, confirming its capability as a top-tier gaming processor.

On the graphics side, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER holds an average benchmark score of 31087, which places it in the 76th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M5000, GRID M60-1Q, RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell, and TITAN RTX. The negative deltaPct values against the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (-0.4%, -0.4%, -1.4%, and -1.9%) indicate that these rival cards score slightly higher in the aggregate, but the differences are small, staying within a 2% margin. This suggests that the GPU is a very strong performer, though perhaps not as categorically dominant as the CPU is within its own field. The combination of a top-10% CPU and a high-70th-percentile GPU results in a system that is well-suited for Doom’s intense action, with the CPU providing the headroom for the GPU to work at its full potential.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the settings presets affect performance. At 4K (3840x2160), the choice of settings has a significant impact on the experience. The Low preset achieves an average of 130 FPS, while Medium drops to 113 FPS, High to 96 FPS, and Ultra to 78 FPS. For a fast-paced FPS, a 4K experience at 96 FPS on the High preset is excellent, offering a significant visual upgrade over Medium while still maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset, while visually the richest, drops to 78 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 19% performance reduction from High. For the smoothest 4K experience, High is the optimal setting, balancing visual fidelity with a comfortable performance margin.

At 1440p (2560x1440), the system truly shines, and the recommendation shifts towards higher fidelity. The Low preset achieves a maximum of 240 FPS, which appears to be a cap, as the Medium preset also reports a max of 240 FPS. The average FPS for Low and Medium are 240 and 209, respectively. High delivers a robust 177 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 144 FPS. Given that the game can push past 144 FPS on High, and the Ultra preset still delivers a very smooth 144 FPS, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice for 1440p gaming. It provides the highest visual quality while still hitting the 144Hz refresh rate target that many monitors offer.

At 1080p (1920x1080), the system is entirely GPU-limited, with the CPU providing massive headroom. The Low preset reaches an average of 371 FPS, Medium hits 323 FPS, and High achieves 273 FPS. The Ultra preset still manages a very high 223 FPS. All presets provide frame rates that far exceed the refresh rate of all but the most extreme gaming monitors. The recommendation here is to simply select the Ultra preset, as the 223 FPS average is more than sufficient for any display, and the visual benefits are maximized. The data indicates that even at the highest settings, the game remains exceptionally fluid, making the choice of preset purely a visual one at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the role of each component. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 273 at 1080p to 177 at 1440p, and then to 96 at 4K. This represents a 35% decrease in performance from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46% decrease from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario; as the resolution increases, the pixel count and shading workload grow, placing a heavier load on the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. The CPU’s performance is less of a factor here, as the frame rates are high enough that the GPU is the limiting component.

The pattern is consistent across other settings. On the Ultra preset, the frame rate falls from 223 FPS at 1080p to 144 FPS at 1440p, and then to 78 FPS at 4K. The scaling factor from 1440p to 4K is nearly identical to the High preset, reinforcing that the GPU is the primary constraint. The 1080p results, with frame rates exceeding 370 FPS on Low, highlight the CPU’s exceptional single-threaded power. At such high frame rates, the CPU must process a massive number of draw calls and game logic updates, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 235’s 5.00 GHz boost clock and strong IPC are critical to avoiding a CPU bottleneck. The data shows that this pairing allows the GPU to be fully utilized at 1080p, with the CPU able to keep up with the GPU’s output.

The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly revealing. The performance drop of roughly 45-46% is substantial and confirms that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the definitive bottleneck at 4K. This is not a criticism; rather, it is an expected outcome for a high-end card at the most demanding resolution. The system’s ability to maintain an average of 96 FPS on High settings at 4K confirms its overall strength, but the frame rate scaling shows that for maximum performance, 1440p is the sweet spot where the CPU and GPU are best balanced.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset yields an average of 78 FPS. The High preset delivers a more comfortable 96 FPS average. The Medium preset shows an average of 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 and a maximum of 130 FPS. The Low preset pushes performance to an average of 130 FPS. These figures show a linear step-down in performance as settings increase, with the delta between each preset being consistent.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are substantially higher. The Ultra preset averages 144 FPS. High settings produce a 177 FPS average. The Medium preset reports an average of 209 FPS, with a minimum of 178 and a maximum of 240 FPS. The Low preset hits an average of 240 FPS. The 240 FPS maximum on both Low and Medium suggests a frame rate cap is in effect at this resolution, likely to prevent the game engine from running at absurdly high speeds. The Ultra preset's 144 FPS is a perfect match for a 144Hz monitor.

At 1920x1080, the system's performance is outstanding. The Ultra preset averages 223 FPS. High settings reach an average of 273 FPS. The Medium preset averages 323 FPS, with a minimum of 275 and a maximum of 372 FPS. The Low preset achieves an average of 371 FPS. These frame rates are exceptionally high, indicating that the system is capable of handling the game at its highest settings with massive headroom for future, more demanding titles. The data shows that the 1080p results are only limited by the GPU's raw output, as even the most demanding preset never drops below the 200 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary driver of performance in Doom. Its role becomes more pronounced as the resolution increases. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 672.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for the game's textures and assets, even at 4K with the High preset. The data shows no signs of a memory capacity or bandwidth bottleneck, as frame rates scale consistently with resolution. The GPU's high pixel rate of 250.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 689.0 GTexel/s are key to its ability to maintain high frame rates at 4K, where fill-rate demands are extreme.

The GPU's clocks are also a factor. With a base clock of 2340 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER runs at high frequencies, allowing it to process the game's graphics workload efficiently. The Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process, is highly efficient, allowing the card to deliver high performance within its 285 W TDP. The benchmark results, such as a strong 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5569 and a Passmark G3D score of 31811, confirm the GPU's capability. In Doom, the GPU is the clear bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops at higher resolutions, but its performance is so robust that it still delivers an excellent experience at all tested settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Doom?

A: The data suggests 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At this resolution, the system achieves an average of 144 FPS on the Ultra preset, providing a perfect experience for high-refresh-rate monitors while maintaining the highest visual quality.

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

A: Yes, it can. At 3840x2160, the system averages 96 FPS on the High preset and 78 FPS on Ultra. While not as high as 1440p, these frame rates are well within the playable range for a fast-paced FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is statistically tied with its nearest rivals. Its average benchmark score of 46062 is within 0.2% of the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303, and within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX.

Q: Is the GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data indicates that at 1080p, the system is mainly GPU-limited, but the CPU provides enough headroom to allow for very high frame rates. For instance, on the Low preset, the system reaches an average of 371 FPS, showing the CPU is not a limiting factor.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM capacity become an issue in this game?

A: No. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is more than sufficient for Doom. The consistent frame rate scaling across resolutions and settings shows no evidence of a VRAM capacity or bandwidth bottleneck.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 96 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 78 FPS. This represents a performance drop of 18 FPS, or about 19%, for the visual upgrade that Ultra provides.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 plays a crucial role in enabling the high frame rates seen in this benchmark. Its 14 cores and 14 threads are more than adequate for the game's multi-threaded tasks, but its single-threaded performance is the key differentiator. With a boost clock of 5.00 GHz and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085, the CPU is exceptionally fast at processing the game's main logic and draw calls. This is particularly important at 1080p, where the CPU must feed the GPU with enough data to maintain frame rates above 370 FPS, a task it handles without becoming the bottleneck.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is nearly identical, with the deltaPct values against its nearest rivals all being under 0.2%. This indicates that the Ultra 5 235 is perfectly positioned in the high-end desktop market. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth ensure that data can be fed to the cores quickly. In Doom, the CPU's role is to ensure that the GPU is never starved for tasks. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution, as frame rates scale consistently with the GPU's workload. The high frame rates at 1080p are a direct testament to the CPU's strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for achieving maximum performance in high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.