Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination delivers a robust 1080p experience in Doom, but the data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution climbs. The measured FPS across the three resolutions shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns tied directly to the GPU's workload. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 243 FPS, according to the measured data. Crank the resolution to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, and that figure drops to 157 FPS. Moving to 4K at 3840x2160 Low yields 85 FPS. This trajectory, a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 46% drop from 1440p to 4K, points to the RTX 5060 becoming the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

The scaling pattern is even more revealing when examining the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the system hits 146 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 95 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it bottoms out at 51 FPS. This is a loss of 65% of the 1080p performance by the time 4K is reached. The data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions, as the frame rates scale almost linearly with pixel count, but the GPU's rendering capacity is clearly saturated as resolution increases. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is also telling: 85 FPS versus 51 FPS, a 40% performance gap that indicates the GPU is struggling to maintain high frame rates under maximum graphical load at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling, how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Doom shows a clear and consistent decline as resolution increases, but the rate of decline varies significantly depending on the settings preset. For the Low preset, the transition from 1080p to 1440p sees FPS drop from 243 to 157, a reduction of 86 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K is steeper in percentage terms, with the average falling from 157 to 85 FPS, a loss of 72 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being taxed more heavily at 4K, even with Low settings.

The Medium preset follows a similar pattern. At 1080p, the average is 211 FPS, which drops to 137 FPS at 1440p and then to 74 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is 74 FPS, while the delta between 1440p and 4K is 63 FPS. The High preset shows 179 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, starting at 146 FPS at 1080p and falling to 95 FPS at 1440p and 51 FPS at 4K. The pattern is consistent: the percentage loss from 1080p to 4K is approximately 65% for Low, 65% for Medium, 65% for High, and 65% for Ultra. This uniformity suggests a GPU-bound scenario where the rendering pipeline is the limiting component, regardless of the graphical complexity.

The data also shows that the minimum FPS values, when recorded, align closely with the averages. For example, at 4K Medium, the average is 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 137 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 211 FPS with a minimum of 180 FPS. This tight gap between average and minimum FPS indicates stable frame pacing, with no significant stutter or hitches, which is characteristic of a system where the GPU is consistently delivering frames without CPU-induced bottlenecks.

The implications are clear: the RTX 5060 is the primary limiting component at 1440p and 4K. The CPU, with its high single-thread performance, is capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, but the GPU's 8 GB of memory and 128-bit bus width become constraints at higher resolutions. The data does not show any signs of CPU limitation, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution, which would not be the case if the CPU were struggling to keep up with the GPU's demands.

GPU Role, VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The base clock is 2280 MHz, with a boost clock of 2497 MHz. The memory clock is listed as 1750 MHz, which translates to 28 Gbps effective. These specifications are critical to understanding the performance degradation at 4K. Doom, being a 2016 title, is not particularly demanding on VRAM capacity, but the data shows that the GPU's raw compute power is the deciding factor.

The GPU's FP32 performance is 19.18 TFLOPS, and it has 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The texture rate is 299.6 GTexel/s, and the pixel rate is 119.9 GPixel/s. These numbers explain why the performance scales down so predictably. At 1080p, the GPU has enough throughput to render frames quickly, but at 4K, the pixel count quadruples, and the GPU's pixel rate and texture rate become insufficient to maintain the same frame rates. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 51, which is just above the 50 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, but the GPU is clearly working near its limits.

The boost clock of 2497 MHz is relatively modest, and the GPU's TDP is 145 W, which is a low power draw for a discrete graphics card. This suggests that the RTX 5060 is designed for efficiency, but it also means that there is limited headroom for higher clock speeds under load. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Doom, even at 4K, as the game does not require large texture pools, but the 128-bit memory bus could be a bottleneck when moving large amounts of data across the memory interface. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the memory subsystem is likely to be a secondary constraint alongside the GPU cores.

The data indicates that the GPU is the deciding factor in performance, as the frame rates are directly proportional to the resolution and settings. The RTX 5060's nearest rivals, according to the benchmark data, include the AMD Radeon 860M and the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, with deltaPct values of -0.3% and -0.3%, respectively. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary is 0.8% slower, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is 1.2% faster. These comparisons highlight that the RTX 5060 sits in a specific performance tier, and its behavior in Doom is consistent with its overall benchmark scores.

Settings Recommendations, which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. At 1080p, all presets deliver playable frame rates, with Low at 243 FPS, Medium at 211 FPS, High at 179 FPS, and Ultra at 146 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is 33 FPS, which is a 19% performance loss for the visual upgrade. For a game like Doom, where fast-paced action benefits from high frame rates, the High preset at 1080p appears to be the sweet spot, as it offers 179 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most gaming monitors.

At 1440p, the choice becomes more nuanced. The Low preset provides 157 FPS, Medium provides 137 FPS, High provides 116 FPS, and Ultra drops to 95 FPS. The High preset at 116 FPS is still very smooth and likely the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 95 FPS is also playable, but the 18% drop from High might not be worth the visual gains. For players with 144 Hz monitors, the High preset is preferable, as it stays within the refresh rate window for the majority of the time.

At 4K, the data shows a more precarious situation. The Low preset yields 85 FPS, Medium yields 74 FPS, High yields 63 FPS, and Ultra drops to 51 FPS. The Ultra preset is technically playable, but the average FPS is just above 50, which could lead to noticeable dips in frame rate during intense combat. The High preset at 63 FPS is a safer choice, providing a more consistent experience. The Medium preset at 74 FPS is also viable, but the visual quality is significantly reduced. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it maintains a stable frame rate while preserving the game's graphical integrity.

How This Combo Ranks, use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 ranks 1259 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the 57th percentile of all tested configurations. The data indicates that this combo is not at the top of the heap, but it is also not near the bottom. The ranking suggests that there are 1258 combos that perform better, and 1671 combos that perform worse.

This ranking is somewhat surprising given the CPU's strong performance in synthetic benchmarks. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which has an average score of 46030 with a deltaPct of 0.1%, and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, which has an average score of 46098 with a deltaPct of -0.1%. The CPU is clearly capable, but the combo's ranking in Doom is dragged down by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

The GPU, on the other hand, has an average benchmark score of 26331, which places it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M and the NVIDIA GeForce MX550, both with deltaPct values of -0.3%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which is 1.2% faster. The GPU's performance is adequate for 1080p gaming, but it falls short of what is needed for high-end 4K gaming. The combo's rank of 1259 out of 2930 reflects this balance, as it is a mid-pack performer that excels at lower resolutions but struggles at 4K.

CPU Role, cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. It has 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. The CPU's single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2085, and its multi-core score of 14769. The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in Doom, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes.

Doom is a game that is known to be heavily GPU-dependent, and the measured FPS data confirms this. At 1080p, where the CPU is more likely to be a limiting factor, the combo still achieves 243 FPS on Low settings, which indicates that the CPU is capable of handling the game's physics and AI calculations without issue. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.00 GHz is particularly beneficial for maintaining high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios, but the data shows that even at 1080p, the GPU is still the primary constraint.

The CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for Doom, which is a title that typically utilizes only a few cores. The Passmark single-thread score of 4516 is impressive, and the Passmark multi-thread score of 37816 shows that the CPU has ample headroom for other tasks. The data does not show any signs of CPU throttling or bottlenecking, as the frame rates are consistent and predictable across all settings and resolutions. The CPU's role in this combo is to provide a stable platform for the GPU to operate, and it does so effectively.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 179 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is 1.2% faster than the RTX 5060 in average benchmark score, according to the deltaPct data.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 51, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as frame rates drop significantly with resolution, while the CPU's performance appears sufficient.

Q: What is the combo's ranking in Doom?

A: The combo ranks 1259 out of 2930 tested combinations.

Q: What is the maximum FPS recorded at 1080p?

A: The maximum FPS recorded is 243, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown, resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following table presents the exact measured FPS data for each resolution and settings preset.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 63 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 85 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 74 | 63 | 85 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 51 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 116 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 157 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 137 | 116 | 157 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 95 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 179 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 243 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 211 | 180 | 243 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 146 | - | - |

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p provides the highest frame rates, with the Low preset at 243 FPS being the absolute maximum. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a minimum of 180 FPS and a maximum of 243 FPS, indicating a wide range of performance. At 1440p, the Low preset delivers 157 FPS, and the Medium preset has a min of 116 and a max of 157. At 4K, the Low preset achieves 85 FPS, and the Medium preset has a min of 63 and a max of 85. The Ultra preset consistently delivers the lowest FPS at each resolution, with 146 at 1080p, 95 at 1440p, and 51 at 4K. These numbers paint a comprehensive picture of the combo's capabilities, showing that it is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but requires careful settings management for a smooth 4K experience.