Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile delivers a robust 1080p experience in Doom, but the data reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combination produces an average of 227 FPS. This figure drops to 198 FPS at Medium settings and 167 FPS at High, before settling at 137 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a substantial 90 FPS, indicating that the GPU is being fed ample data by the processor. However, the frame rate at 1080p Low is so high that it suggests the CPU is nearing its practical limit for this game engine, as the GPU is unlikely to be the constraint at that performance level.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 147 FPS on Low, 128 FPS on Medium, 108 FPS on High, and 89 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra here is 58 FPS. At 4K (3840x2160), the pattern becomes more pronounced. The average FPS falls to 80 on Low, 69 on Medium, 59 on High, and 48 on Ultra. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 32 FPS. This narrowing delta at higher resolutions is a classic indicator of a growing GPU bottleneck. As the pixel count increases, the rendering workload expands, and the RTX 4070 Mobile's compute capacity becomes the primary factor limiting performance, rather than the CPU's ability to prepare frames.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the performance cost of each settings tier is not linear. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 29 FPS, from Medium to High costs 31 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 30 FPS. At 1440p, the costs are 19, 20, and 19 FPS respectively. At 4K, the costs are 11, 10, and 11 FPS. This indicates that the absolute performance penalty for increasing settings shrinks as resolution rises, because the GPU is already working closer to its maximum capacity. The frame rate at 4K Ultra, 48 FPS, is just below the 60 FPS threshold often considered ideal for smooth gameplay, while 4K High, at 59 FPS, essentially hits that target.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its configuration is unusual for a modern chip, as it lacks hyper-threading, meaning the 14 cores correspond directly to 14 threads. The base clock is 2.90 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This combination of a high boost clock and a moderate core count is well-suited for a game like Doom, which was released in 2016 and is known for its highly optimized id Tech engine that generally favors strong single-core performance.

The CPU's benchmark scores support this assessment. In Cinebench R23, it scores 4903 points in the single-core test and 34731 points in the multi-core test. The single-core score is particularly relevant for gaming, as it reflects the processor's ability to handle the primary game thread. The processor's Passmark single-thread score is 4683, which is a strong result. Its overall average benchmark score is 52073, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rivals in this benchmark are the AMD EPYC 8124P, which is 0.1% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which is 0.2% ahead. This placement indicates that the Ultra 5 235HX provides desktop-class processing power in a mobile form factor.

The data suggests that the CPU's role in Doom is less about raw core count and more about clock speed and single-thread efficiency. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 227 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate. The fact that the frame rate does not scale linearly with resolution at this setting suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU more frames than the GPU can render. However, the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions; the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The 14 cores and 24 MB of shared L3 cache provide ample headroom for the game's background tasks and system overhead, ensuring that frame pacing remains stable, as evidenced by the min and max FPS data for Medium settings showing a tight range.

Settings Recommendations

For players using a 1080p display, the benchmark data shows that the RTX 4070 Mobile can handle Ultra settings with an average of 137 FPS. This is well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors and provides a fluid experience. However, the step down to High settings yields a significant jump to 167 FPS. For competitive play where higher frame rates are advantageous, the High preset offers a strong balance, sacrificing some visual fidelity for a 30 FPS improvement. The Low preset at 227 FPS is suitable for maximum responsiveness, but the visual compromise is substantial.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 89 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 108 FPS is a better choice for a 144Hz monitor, offering a good balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 128 FPS is also a viable option, particularly for gamers who prioritize frame rate over graphical detail. The data indicates that the High preset provides the best overall experience at 1440p, as it delivers a frame rate that exceeds 100 FPS while maintaining a high level of visual quality.

For 4K gaming, the situation is more constrained. The Ultra preset averages 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The High preset achieves 59 FPS, essentially hitting the 60 FPS mark. This is the recommended preset for 4K, as it provides a playable frame rate without the visual downgrade of the Medium preset. The Medium preset at 69 FPS and the Low preset at 80 FPS offer higher frame rates, but the reduction in graphical settings is noticeable at this resolution. The data clearly shows that High is the optimal choice for 4K, as it is the only preset that provides a near-60 FPS average while retaining a reasonable level of visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this CPU/GPU combo in Doom?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 227 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but with limitations. The data shows an average of 59 FPS at 4K with High settings, and 48 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the CPU performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX has an average benchmark score of 52073. This is 0.1% lower than the AMD EPYC 8124P and 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 147 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 89 FPS. This represents a 58 FPS difference between the two settings.

Q: Does the GPU performance in this system match its closest competitors?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 27435. This is exactly 0% different from the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, which scores 27425.

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

A: The lowest average frame rate is 48 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features the AD106 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has 4608 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output pipelines. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1395 MHz and a boost clock of 1695 MHz. It is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, which provides a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a critical factor in the GPU's performance at higher resolutions, as the limited bus width can become a constraint when rendering large amounts of pixel data.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with a FP32 performance of 15.62 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 244.1 GTexel/s. It also has 36 ray tracing cores and 144 tensor cores, though Doom, being a 2016 title, does not utilize these features. The GPU's Passmark G3D score is 19587, and its overall average benchmark score is 27435, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival in the benchmark database is the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, which has a score of 27425, a 0% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 is 0.5% higher in score, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20 is 1.5% lower.

The benchmark results in Doom indicate that the RTX 4070 Mobile is the primary performance limiter at 4K resolution. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is significant, with the High preset falling from 167 FPS to 59 FPS. This 108 FPS reduction demonstrates the GPU's workload scaling with pixel count. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game, as the texture requirements are not extreme by modern standards, and the data shows no signs of memory-related stuttering. The boost clock of 1695 MHz helps maintain consistent performance, but the GPU's thermal and power envelope of 115 W is a limiting factor in sustained workloads, as evidenced by the frame rates at 4K Ultra, which fall to 48 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile combination in Doom.

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

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

| 3840x2160 | High | 59 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 80 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 69 | 59 | 80 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 48 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 108 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 147 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 128 | 109 | 148 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 89 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 167 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 227 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 198 | 168 | 228 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 137 | - | - |

The data shows a clear progression of performance. At 1080p, the system is capable of producing very high frame rates, with the Low preset exceeding 200 FPS. The Medium preset shows a min FPS of 168 and a max FPS of 228, indicating some variance but generally stable performance. At 1440p, the frame rates remain high, but the scaling is more pronounced, with the Ultra preset falling to 89 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a min FPS of 109 and a max FPS of 148, demonstrating a 39 FPS variance. At 4K, the system struggles to maintain 60 FPS on the higher settings, with only the Low and Medium presets exceeding that threshold. The Medium preset at 4K shows a min FPS of 59 and a max FPS of 80, which is a 21 FPS variance, indicating that the GPU is working harder to maintain frame pacing.

The overall ranking for this CPU/GPU combination in Doom is 2033 out of 3712 tested combinations. This middle-of-the-pack ranking suggests that while the system is capable, there are many other configurations that perform better in this specific title. The data is measured, not estimated, providing a reliable reference point for performance expectations.