Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers an exceptional experience in Doom, with the data showing frame rates that far exceed display refresh rate capabilities at every tested setting. The measurements reveal a combination where the GPU's immense power is the primary driver, yet the CPU's performance ensures no bottleneck, even at high frame rates.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this CPU and GPU combination in Doom?*

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 444 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates the combo's ability to push frame rates to extreme levels when graphical load is minimized.

Q: How does the combo's ranking compare to other tested configurations in this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 76th out of 2,930 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top percentile of all configurations.

Q: What is the performance difference between the CPU and its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235's average benchmark score is 46,062, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX, indicating near-identical performance among these processors.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 94 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is still a highly playable frame rate for a fast-paced FPS.

Q: What are the frame rate ranges for the Medium settings preset across the tested resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 387 with a range of 329 to 445. At 2560x1440, the average is 250 FPS with a range of 213 to 288. At 3840x2160, the average is 136 FPS with a range of 115 to 156.

Q: Does the GPU's memory bandwidth play a significant role in this game's performance?

A: The RTX 4090 features a 384-bit memory bus and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This substantial bandwidth ensures that the GPU can handle the game's texture data efficiently, contributing to the consistently high frame rates observed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the benchmark results. The GPU is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation pipelines. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and base clock of 2235 MHz allow it to process the game's geometry and effects rapidly. The sheer compute power is evident in its 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which translates directly to the high frame rates seen in the measured data.

The GPU's memory subsystem is equally impressive, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus. This configuration provides a massive 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth, which is critical for a game like Doom that features fast-paced movement and dense environmental details. The data shows that even at 4K resolution with High settings, the combo maintains an average of 115 FPS. This suggests the GPU has ample resources to handle the game's demands without being constrained by memory throughput. The RTX 4090's production status is end-of-life, and its launch MSRP was $1,599 USD.

The benchmark scores for the RTX 4090 further contextualize its performance. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 38,194 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 271,631. In the database, the RTX 4090's average benchmark score is 60,347, which is notably higher than its nearest rivals in the database. For instance, it holds a 2.5% lead over the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M and a 2.9% lead over the AMD Radeon PRO V710. This data indicates that the GPU is not just powerful in theory; its real-world performance in Doom aligns with its top-tier benchmark status.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 76 out of 2,930 tested combos in Doom. This places the configuration in the top 2.6% of all tested systems, a signal of the hardware's capability. This high ranking is expected given the components involved, but the data shows it is not just about having top-tier parts; the synergy between the CPU and GPU is effective in this specific title.

The CPU's own percentile ranking of 89 versus all CPUs indicates it is a high-performing processor, but its combined rank with the RTX 4090 shows how the GPU boosts the overall system. The data suggests that the RTX 4090 is the primary contributor to this high rank, as the GPU's performance is less likely to be a limiting factor in Doom. The CPU's role is to feed the GPU with enough data to prevent it from idling, and the benchmark results show no signs of a CPU-induced bottleneck at any resolution.

This rank of 76 is particularly impressive when considering the vast number of possible combinations in the database. It signifies that this pairing is not just average or good, but outstanding for this game. The data implies that users with this hardware can expect a top-tier experience, with frame rates that are consistently at the upper echelon of what is achievable in Doom.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for Doom provides clear guidance on the optimal settings for this hardware combination. The primary goal for a high-refresh-rate monitor is to maximize visual quality while maintaining frame rates that match or exceed the display's refresh rate. The data shows that the Ultra preset, while visually demanding, still delivers excellent performance.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 267 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate display. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset drops to an average of 173 FPS, still an excellent result. Even at 4K, the Ultra preset maintains an average of 94 FPS, which is playable but might be below the refresh rate of some high-end monitors.

The High preset offers a better balance for 4K gaming. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 115 FPS. This is a significant improvement over the Ultra preset and hits the target for a 120Hz display. For users with a 144Hz or 165Hz 4K monitor, the Medium preset, which averages 136 FPS, is the recommended choice. The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for 4K, providing a substantial jump in frame rate over High with a likely minimal visual difference.

For 2560x1440 and 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is clearly the best choice. The frame rates are so high that the visual fidelity is the only relevant factor. The data shows that the combo is powerful enough to run the game at maximum settings without sacrificing the high frame rates that make Doom's fast-paced action smooth and responsive.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear hierarchy of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers staggering performance. The Low preset yields an average of 444 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 387 FPS with a range of 329 to 445. The High preset averages 327 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 267 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are working in perfect harmony, with the GPU having plenty of headroom to render the game at extremely high speeds.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains incredibly high. The Low preset averages 287 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 250 FPS with a range of 213 to 288. The High preset averages 211 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 173 FPS. The data shows a consistent drop from 1080p, but the frame rates are still far beyond what most displays can show.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show signs of working harder. The Low preset averages 156 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 136 FPS with a range of 115 to 156. The High preset averages 115 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 94 FPS. This breakdown shows that the RTX 4090 is powerful enough to handle 4K with high settings, but the Ultra preset pushes it to its limits. The data across all resolutions confirms that the combo is exceptionally well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming, with even the most demanding settings producing playable frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 plays a crucial, albeit supporting, role in this configuration. This processor, part of the Core Ultra Series 2, features 14 cores and 14 threads. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU's architecture is Arrow Lake, built on a 3 nm process node. Its cache configuration includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 24 MB of L3 cache.

In Doom, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls, ensuring the GPU is fed with a constant stream of data. The benchmark results show that the Ultra 5 235 is more than capable of this task. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 444 FPS, a frame rate so high that it often exposes CPU limitations in other systems. The fact that this combo reaches these numbers indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck, even in this demanding scenario.

The CPU's benchmark scores corroborate this. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 14,769 and single-core score is 2,085. Its Passmark single-thread score is 4,516, and its multi-thread score is 37,816. The CPU's average benchmark score is 46,062, which places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX, have nearly identical average scores, with deltas of 0.1% and -0.1% respectively. This data shows that the Ultra 5 235 is a high-performing processor that provides the necessary throughput for the RTX 4090 to operate at its full potential in Doom.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a predictable and clear scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo achieves 327 FPS. Dropping to 2560x1440 reduces the average to 211 FPS, a 35% decrease. Moving to 3840x2160 further reduces the average to 115 FPS, a 45% decrease from the 1440p figure and a 65% decrease from the 1080p figure. This trend is consistent across all settings presets.

This scaling behavior reveals the limiting component. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p (a 1.78x increase in pixel count) is substantial, and the drop from 1440p to 4K (a 2.25x increase in pixel count) is even more pronounced. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. As the resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows significantly, and its performance becomes the limiting factor. The CPU's performance remains constant, so it is not the bottleneck here.

The data suggests that the RTX 4090 is the limiting component at higher resolutions. At 4K, the GPU's raw power is still immense, but the demands of rendering more pixels begin to show. The fact that the frame rates remain playable at 4K even on Ultra settings confirms the GPU's strength. However, the scaling pattern indicates that for users seeking the highest possible frame rates, lower resolutions are where the combo truly shines, allowing the CPU's high single-thread performance to help push frame rates to their absolute maximum.