Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Doom that is fundamentally limited by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor provides ample headroom for extreme frame rates at 1080p. The measured data shows a clear progression of performance scaling that shifts the bottleneck from the GPU to the CPU as resolution decreases.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the Radeon RX 7900 XT is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate falls from 203 FPS at 1920x1080 to 132 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 71 FPS, and then further to 71 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a total drop of 132 FPS from 1080p to 4K. This pattern of roughly halving performance from 1440p to 4K is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where pixel throughput becomes the dominant constraint.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more revealing. The average frame rate at 1080p is 338 FPS, which drops to 219 FPS at 1440p and 119 FPS at 4K. The absolute deltas here are larger—a 119 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K—yet the relative drop from 1440p to 4K is still about 46%, suggesting that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU cannot maintain 4K performance above the 120 FPS threshold that the lower resolutions achieve. Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is 48 FPS (119 vs 71), while at 1080p it is 135 FPS (338 vs 203). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is saturated long before the CPU becomes a factor.

The 1440p results show a balanced midpoint. High settings produce 161 FPS, which is 88 FPS lower than the 1080p High result of 249 FPS, but still comfortably above 144 Hz refresh rates. The Medium setting at 1440p yields 191 FPS, with a minimum of 162 FPS and a maximum of 219 FPS, indicating that the frame time variance remains tight. The data suggests that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo if targeting triple-digit frame rates at high visual fidelity, while 1080p offers headroom for maximum refresh rates that exceed 300 FPS at Low settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its benchmark data shows strong single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4394. These figures place the processor in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 48995 is within 0.8% of the Intel Core i5-14600K, a rival with an average score of 48618. This close parity indicates that the Ultra 5 245 is well-equipped to feed a high-end GPU in a game like Doom, which relies heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and draw call submission.

The multi-threaded results are equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a Passmark multithread score of 38706. While Doom is not heavily multi-threaded compared to modern titles, the 14 cores ensure that background tasks and operating system overhead do not interfere with frame pacing. The processor's L3 cache is 24 MB shared, which provides sufficient capacity for the game's working set without causing cache thrashing. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p Low, where the average frame rate reaches 338 FPS, because the GPU is still able to push frames at that rate. However, at 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 203 FPS, and the gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution (135 FPS) is larger than at 4K (48 FPS), suggesting that the CPU begins to exert some influence on maximum achievable frame rates, though it remains secondary to the GPU.

The processor's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR5 bus is adequate for this workload, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across different settings. The Passmark physics score of 2569 and data compression score of 400942 further indicate that the CPU handles computational tasks without introducing stutter. In summary, the Ultra 5 245 provides more than enough processing power for Doom, and its performance relative to rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (deltaPct of -0.5%) confirms it is in the upper echelon of desktop CPUs.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the dominant factor in this combo's performance, as evidenced by the resolution scaling analysis. This GPU features 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2394 MHz, with a game clock of 2025 MHz, and the chip is built on a 5 nm process with 57,700 million transistors. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 29009 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5623 indicate strong raw performance, though its percentile rank against all GPUs is only 55, which is surprisingly modest for a high-end card, likely reflecting the inclusion of many integrated and older discrete parts in the database.

The VRAM capacity of 20 GB is far more than Doom requires, even at 4K Ultra, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The memory bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s, however, plays a critical role in the 4K performance. At 3840x2160, the GPU must fill four times as many pixels as at 1080p, and the measured frame rates drop accordingly: 119 FPS at Low, 103 FPS at Medium, 87 FPS at High, and 71 FPS at Ultra. These numbers show a predictable degradation as settings increase, with the pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s being the likely constraint. At 1080p, the GPU is so fast that it outputs 338 FPS at Low settings, which is likely close to the CPU's limit for frame generation, but the GPU still has headroom, as evidenced by the 203 FPS at Ultra.

The RX 7900 XT's FP32 performance of 51.48 TFLOPS is substantial, and its 84 ray tracing cores are present, though Doom (2016) does not use ray tracing, so these are idle. The texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s ensures that texture filtering is not a bottleneck at any resolution. The GPU's end-of-life production status and its predecessor Navi II architecture suggest it is a mature part, but the data shows it remains highly capable for this title. In comparison to its nearest rivals, the RX 7900 XT's average benchmark score of 13745 is only 1.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (score of 13543), which is a newer card, indicating that the 7900 XT still holds its own in synthetic tests.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 338 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 295 FPS at 1080p with Medium settings, and 249 FPS at 1080p with High settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196), 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228), 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698), and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K (48618).

Q: Is 4K Ultra playable with this hardware?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 71 FPS. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, but it is significantly lower than the 132 FPS achieved at 1440p Ultra, indicating that 4K Ultra is only viable on lower refresh rate displays.

*Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and does it impact Doom performance?*

A: The GPU has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus with 800.0 GB/s bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for Doom at any resolution or setting, and the high bandwidth supports the observed frame rates at 4K.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 533rd out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the top 18% of all tested systems for Doom.

Q: What is the frame time variance at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average frame rate is 191 FPS, with a minimum of 162 FPS and a maximum of 219 FPS. This shows a variance of 57 FPS, which is acceptable but indicates some frame pacing fluctuations.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Doom, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT occupies the 533rd position out of 2930 total entries. This places the combo in the 82nd percentile of all tested systems, meaning that 82% of all combinations perform worse, while 18% perform better. Given that the GPU has a modest 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs, the combo's high overall rank suggests that the CPU's strong 90th percentile standing compensates significantly for the GPU's lower relative position.

The rank of 533 out of 2930 is notable because it indicates that this combo outperforms the majority of systems tested, which likely include many with higher-end GPUs but weaker processors. The data suggests that the balanced nature of this pairing—where neither component is a severe bottleneck in Doom—contributes to its strong relative standing. Systems ranked above this combo likely feature top-tier GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX, which would push 4K frame rates higher, but the 533rd rank confirms that the Ultra 5 245 does not hold back the RX 7900 XT in any meaningful way. For context, the CPU's rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, has a nearly identical average benchmark score (48618 vs 48995), so a system with that CPU and the same GPU would likely rank similarly, highlighting the consistency of this performance tier.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are recommended for the best visual experience, as the average frame rate of 203 FPS is still above 144 Hz, and the drop from High (249 FPS) to Ultra (203 FPS) is acceptable for the graphical fidelity gain. For players with 240 Hz monitors, High settings at 1080p provide 249 FPS, which is closer to the refresh ceiling, while Medium offers 295 FPS for those who prioritize raw speed over visuals.

At 2560x1440, High settings are the sweet spot, delivering 161 FPS with a good balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra at this resolution drops to 132 FPS, which is still above 120 Hz, but the 29 FPS penalty may not justify the marginal visual improvement. Medium at 1440p yields 191 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate gaming, and the minimum of 162 FPS ensures that frame drops are rare. Low settings at 1440p produce 219 FPS, which is only useful for competitive play where every frame counts.

For 3840x2160, the choice is more constrained. High settings average 87 FPS, which is suitable for 60 Hz displays but not for 120 Hz panels. Medium settings improve this to 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming on a 100 Hz display. Ultra at 4K drops to 71 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Low settings at 4K offer 119 FPS, which is the only way to approach 120 Hz at this resolution, but the visual degradation is significant. Overall, the data suggests that 1440p High is the best overall experience, balancing frame rate and fidelity, while 4K Medium is the highest resolution setting that maintains a stable 100+ FPS average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates is as follows:

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 338 FPS average
• Medium: 295 FPS average, with a minimum of 251 FPS and a maximum of 339 FPS
• High: 249 FPS average
• Ultra: 203 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 219 FPS average
• Medium: 191 FPS average, with a minimum of 162 FPS and a maximum of 219 FPS
• High: 161 FPS average
• Ultra: 132 FPS average

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 119 FPS average
• Medium: 103 FPS average, with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS
• High: 87 FPS average
• Ultra: 71 FPS average

These figures show a consistent scaling pattern across all settings. The difference between Low and Ultra at each resolution is 135 FPS at 1080p, 87 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. This decreasing spread as resolution increases is a classic sign of GPU saturation. The minimum frame rates are only recorded for Medium settings, where 1080p shows a minimum of 251 FPS (vs 295 average), 1440p shows 162 FPS (vs 191 average), and 4K shows 88 FPS (vs 103 average). The maximum frame rates for Medium are 339 FPS at 1080p, 219 FPS at 1440p, and 119 FPS at 4K, indicating that the frame time variance is consistent across resolutions, with the 4K maximum matching the Low setting average of 119 FPS, further confirming the GPU limit at that resolution.