Doom

This combo pairing the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile delivers exceptional performance in Doom, ranking in the top quarter of all tested configurations. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings, yet still provides massive headroom at lower presets, making it a versatile choice for both high-refresh-rate competitive play and visually demanding single-player experiences.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile achieves a combo rank of 823 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom. This places the system comfortably within the top 22% of all configurations benchmarked, a strong result for a mobile platform. The ranking reflects the synergy between a high-end GPU and a capable desktop-class CPU, though the data suggests the GPU is the primary driver of these results.

Examining the individual components, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile sits at the 84th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43667. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA RTX A6000, which scores 44075 (0.9% higher), and the NVIDIA Quadro M6000, which scores 43301 (0.8% lower). This positions the 4090 Mobile as a top-tier mobile graphics solution, just a hair behind professional workstation cards in raw compute. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX, meanwhile, sits at the 91st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 52073. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i9-13900F (51730, 0.7% slower) and the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (51947, 0.2% slower), indicating the CPU is also a high-performing part in its own right.

However, the measured FPS data in Doom reveals that the CPU's considerable power is not the bottleneck. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 232 FPS, while at 4K High it drops to 81 FPS. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the CPU has ample headroom to feed the graphics card. The fact that the system ranks 823rd rather than higher is likely due to the specific combination of mobile components, where thermal and power constraints can impact sustained performance compared to desktop equivalents, but the absolute numbers remain impressive for a laptop platform.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is the undisputed powerhouse in this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the measured frame rates. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a substantial 576.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is crucial for Doom's texture-heavy environments, especially at higher resolutions where memory pressure increases. The base clock of 1335 MHz and boost clock of 1695 MHz, combined with 9728 shading units, allow the card to process geometry and pixel data at a remarkable rate, evidenced by its 32.98 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power.

The GPU's memory subsystem and compute capabilities are the primary determinants of performance in this title. At 4K Ultra settings, the combo drops to 67 FPS, a 40% reduction from the 111 FPS seen at 4K Low. This steep drop-off is a direct consequence of the increased shading and texture work demanded by the Ultra preset, which stresses the GPU's 304 TMUs and 112 ROPs. The 189.8 GPixel/s pixel rate and 515.3 GTexel/s texture rate provide the raw throughput needed to sustain high frame rates, but the data shows that even this powerful GPU begins to strain under maximum settings at 4K.

Interestingly, the GPU's 16 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient for all tested scenarios, as there is no evidence of a sudden frame rate collapse that would indicate memory exhaustion. The transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a consistent 46% drop in FPS (from 150 to 81), which is more attributable to the increased pixel count (2.25x more pixels at 4K) than to VRAM limitations. The 4090 Mobile's memory bandwidth of 576.0 GB/s is likely the limiting factor at 4K, as it must feed more pixels and textures per frame, but it remains sufficient to avoid severe stuttering.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, delivering an average of 96 FPS with a minimum of 82 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, while the High preset at 81 FPS is also viable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 4K, with an average of 67 FPS, is playable but may dip below 60 FPS in intense combat, making it a less consistent choice.

At 1440p, the High preset is the standout recommendation, producing 150 FPS average. This is high enough to take advantage of 144Hz displays, providing a fluid experience for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 178 FPS is even faster, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often noticeable in Doom's atmospheric lighting and particle effects. For competitive play at 1440p, the Low preset at 204 FPS offers a significant advantage, though it sacrifices visual quality for speed.

At 1080p, the data suggests that the CPU is no longer a limiting factor, and the GPU has substantial headroom. The High preset delivers 232 FPS, which is excellent for 240Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 275 FPS and the Low preset at 316 FPS push into extreme territory, suitable for 300Hz+ displays. However, the visual compromise at Low may not be worth it for most players, as the High preset still provides a very responsive experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p, yielding 190 FPS, is the best choice for those prioritizing visual quality without sacrificing high refresh rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across a matrix of resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the system is exceptionally fast, with the Low preset achieving an average of 316 FPS, the Medium preset at 275 FPS (with a minimum of 234 FPS and maximum of 316 FPS), the High preset at 232 FPS, and the Ultra preset at 190 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each step up in settings costs roughly 15-20% of performance, reflecting the GPU's ability to handle the increased workload.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain impressive but show a distinct step down. The Low preset averages 204 FPS, while Medium drops to 178 FPS (with a minimum of 151 FPS and maximum of 205 FPS). High settings yield 150 FPS, and Ultra produces 123 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent at roughly 35% lower FPS across all settings, which aligns with the increased pixel count (1.78x more pixels at 1440p).

At 4K, the performance becomes more demanding, but the combo still delivers playable results. The Low preset averages 111 FPS, Medium drops to 96 FPS (with a minimum of 82 FPS and maximum of 111 FPS), High yields 81 FPS, and Ultra falls to 67 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 40%, which is the largest relative difference across all resolutions, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional effects (likely including enhanced shadows and post-processing) disproportionately stress the GPU at higher pixel counts.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling behavior from 1080p to 4K reveals critical insights into which component is the limiting factor. At High settings, the FPS drops from 232 at 1080p to 150 at 1440p (a 35% reduction) and then to 81 at 4K (a 46% reduction from 1440p). This non-linear scaling suggests that while the GPU is the primary bottleneck, its memory bandwidth becomes increasingly strained at 4K, where the pixel count quadruples from 1080p.

Examining the Low preset, the scaling is more linear: 316 FPS at 1080p, 204 FPS at 1440p (35% lower), and 111 FPS at 4K (46% lower from 1440p). This pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating that the GPU's compute and memory resources are being taxed in a predictable manner as resolution increases. The CPU, with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz and 14 cores, is clearly not the limiting factor, as even at 1080p Low (316 FPS), there is no evidence of a CPU bottleneck that would cap the frame rate.

The data strongly suggests that the RTX 4090 Mobile is the sole performance limiter in this configuration. The 576.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is the most likely constraint at 4K, as it must deliver texture data for the increased pixel count. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 32.98 TFLOPS, while massive, is also pushed to its limits at Ultra settings and 4K resolution, resulting in the 67 FPS average. This makes the combo's performance predictable: if you want higher FPS at 4K, you must reduce settings; if you want maximum visual fidelity, you must accept lower frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: The data shows that the Medium preset at 3840x2160 provides the best balance, with an average of 96 FPS and a minimum of 82 FPS. The High preset at 81 FPS is also viable, while Ultra at 67 FPS may dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Doom?

A: The benchmark results indicate the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is the limiting factor. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX has ample headroom, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling across resolutions that aligns with GPU workload rather than CPU capability.

Q: Can this combo achieve 240 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, the High preset at 1920x1080 delivers an average of 232 FPS, which is close to 240 FPS. For a guaranteed 240 FPS experience, the Medium preset at 275 FPS or Low preset at 316 FPS would be more reliable choices.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 Mobile compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43667 on average, which is 0.9% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (44075) and 0.8% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (43301). It also outperforms the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (43268) by 0.9%.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1440p High and 4K High?

A: At 2560x1440 High, the combo averages 150 FPS, while at 3840x2160 High, it averages 81 FPS. This represents a 46% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1440p to 4K.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using at any resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra yields 190 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 123 FPS, still smooth for most monitors. At 4K, Ultra at 67 FPS is the weakest option, making Medium a better choice for that resolution.