Doom

# Doom Performance Analysis: Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 delivers a playable but constrained experience in Doom, with the GPU acting as the clear bottleneck across all tested resolutions. The data shows a system that manages 1080p gaming at respectable frame rates but falls below 60 FPS at higher resolutions, and the GPU's 40th percentile ranking among all GPUs starkly contrasts with the CPU's 90th percentile position. This pairing produces a combo rank of 2833 out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 3.3% of all tested system configurations for this title, which is a direct consequence of the GTX 1650's limitations rather than any deficiency in the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, confirming that the GTX 1650 is the limiting component in this system. At 1080p with High settings, the average frame rate sits at 68 FPS, which drops to 44 FPS at 1440p and further to 24 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35.3% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 64.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the GPU's rendering throughput is exhausted well before the CPU's capabilities become relevant.

Looking at Low settings, the frame rate progression from 92 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p and 32 FPS at 4K shows a similar trajectory. The 4K result at Low settings is only 8 FPS higher than the 1080p High result, which suggests that even at minimal graphical loads, the GPU cannot maintain acceptable performance at 4K. The Medium settings row provides the only complete min/max data: at 1080p, the range spans 68 to 92 FPS with an average of 80; at 1440p, the range narrows to 44 to 60 FPS with an average of 52; and at 4K, the range compresses to 24 to 32 FPS with an average of 28. This progressive narrowing of the frame time distribution at higher resolutions indicates the GPU is operating at full utilization, leaving no headroom for variance.

The 1440p results merit particular attention. At High settings, the 44 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS threshold commonly associated with smooth gameplay, while Low settings achieve 59 FPS — barely shy of that mark. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields only 36 FPS, which is a 47.1% drop from the 1080p Ultra result of 55 FPS. The data suggests that 1440p is only viable at Low settings, and even then, the system is right at the edge of acceptable performance. The 4K results are uniformly below 35 FPS across all settings, making this resolution impractical for anything other than static screenshots or turn-based interactions.

Analyzing the scaling efficiency, the 1080p to 1440p performance drop averages around 37% across settings, while the 1440p to 4K drop averages around 50%. This non-linear scaling is characteristic of a GPU hitting memory bandwidth or fill-rate limits. The GTX 1650's 128-bit memory bus and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth appear insufficient for the pixel throughput demanded at 4K, regardless of the graphical preset selected. The CPU's role in this scaling pattern is minimal, as its 14 cores and 5.10 GHz boost clock provide ample processing headroom that remains untapped at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The data supports a clear recommendation: the High preset at 1080p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, delivering 68 FPS average which comfortably exceeds the playability threshold for a fast-paced FPS like Doom. This represents a 76.5% improvement over the Ultra preset at the same resolution, which manages only 55 FPS. The gap between High and Medium at 1080p is 12 FPS (68 versus 80), suggesting that High provides substantial visual benefits for a modest frame rate cost compared to Medium.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p achieves 92 FPS, which is 35.3% higher than High and 67.3% higher than Ultra. However, the visual compromise inherent in Low settings for a game like Doom — with its fast-moving environments and demanding lighting effects — makes High the more sensible default choice. The Medium preset at 1080p, with its 80 FPS average and observed range of 68 to 92 FPS, offers a middle ground that maintains smooth performance while providing more visual fidelity than Low.

At 1440p, the situation changes dramatically. The Low preset's 59 FPS is the only setting that approaches acceptable performance, and even this is borderline. The High preset at 1440p drops to 44 FPS, which is 35.3% below the 1080p High result. Users with 1440p displays should either accept Low settings or consider reducing their resolution to 1080p for a better experience. The Ultra preset at any resolution above 1080p is not recommended — the 4K Ultra result of 19 FPS and 1440p Ultra of 36 FPS both fall well below playable thresholds.

The 4K resolution is effectively unsupported by this combination. Even the best 4K result — 32 FPS at Low settings — is 50% below the 60 FPS target. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this GPU would require substantial settings reductions that would compromise the visual experience to an unacceptable degree. The measured 19 FPS at 4K Ultra confirms that this configuration is not viable for 4K gaming under any circumstances.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive factor in this system's performance profile, and the benchmark data underscores its limitations. The GPU's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory, 896 shading units, and 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute represent entry-level specifications that constrain performance across all tested resolutions. The 1665 MHz boost clock and 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of high-resolution rendering, as evidenced by the steep frame rate declines at 1440p and 4K.

The GTX 1650's percentile ranking of 40 among all GPUs places it below the median, and its nearest rivals — the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (0.3% faster), Intel UHD Graphics 750 (0.4% faster), and AMD Radeon R7 350 (0.6% faster) — are all similarly positioned at the lower end of the performance spectrum. The only rival that the GTX 1650 outperforms is the Intel Arc A310, which trails by 1%. This clustering of scores in the 7400-7550 range for the 3DMark and PassMark benchmarks indicates that the GTX 1650 is firmly entrenched in the entry-level GPU segment.

The 4 GB VRAM capacity is a particular concern for modern gaming. While Doom's 2016 release date means it predates many of the VRAM-hungry titles of subsequent years, the measured performance at 4K — where texture memory demands are highest — shows the GPU struggling to maintain even 30 FPS. The memory bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s appears to be the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops are proportionally larger than what would be expected from compute limitations alone.

The GPU's DirectX 12 score of 35 and Vulkan score of 33042 in Geekbench provide additional context. The DirectX 12 result is particularly low, suggesting that the GPU's architecture, while nominally supporting DirectX 12 (12_1), does not implement the feature set efficiently for this API. The PassMark G3D score of 7880 and G2D score of 561 further confirm the GPU's entry-level positioning, with the compute score of 3048 indicating limited general-purpose processing capability.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K?

A: No. The best 4K result measured is 32 FPS at Low settings, which is far below playable thresholds. The Ultra preset at 4K produces only 19 FPS, and all 4K results are below 35 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system?

A: The data shows 1080p at High settings delivering 68 FPS as the optimal balance. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 92 FPS if maximum frame rates are desired, but High provides substantially better visual quality for a 24 FPS cost.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rivals in this title?

A: The GTX 1650's average benchmark score of 7472 places it within 1% of the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (7447), Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441), and AMD Radeon R7 350 (7425). It outperforms the Intel Arc A310 by 1%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The GTX 1650 ranks in the 40th percentile among all GPUs, while the Core Ultra 5 245 ranks in the 90th percentile among all CPUs. The frame rate scaling across resolutions confirms the GPU is limiting performance.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 1440p achieves 59 FPS, which is the only playable option. Medium produces 52 FPS, High produces 44 FPS, and Ultra produces 36 FPS. Users should stick to Low settings at 1440p or drop to 1080p for better performance.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 2833 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the bottom 3.3% of all tested system configurations. The ranking reflects the GPU's entry-level performance rather than any CPU limitation.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2833 out of 2930 tested combinations places this system in the bottom 3.3% of all configurations evaluated for Doom. This is a remarkably low ranking that directly contradicts the CPU's strong individual performance. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs — with an average benchmark score of 48995 — suggests a processor capable of much higher frame rates than what this system delivers. The disparity between the CPU's capability and the system's actual performance is a textbook example of GPU-limited gaming.

The GPU's 40th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 7472 place it in the lower half of all GPUs, and the measured frame rates confirm this positioning. The 1080p High result of 68 FPS is respectable for an entry-level GPU, but the combo ranking reflects the inability to maintain acceptable performance at higher resolutions. The 2930 tested combos include configurations with more balanced pairings, and this system's placement at 2833 indicates that nearly all alternative combinations tested deliver better Doom performance.

The nearest rival CPUs — the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (0.4% faster), AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (0.5% faster), Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (0.6% slower), and Intel Core i5-14600K (0.8% slower) — all fall within 1% of the Ultra 5 245's average score. This tight clustering suggests that swapping the CPU for any of these alternatives would produce nearly identical gaming results when paired with the GTX 1650, reinforcing the GPU as the sole determinant of this combo's low ranking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is substantially overqualified for this pairing, and the benchmark data shows a processor operating far below its potential. The CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads, combined with a 3.50 GHz base clock and 5.10 GHz boost clock, provide computing resources that are largely untapped by the GTX 1650's limited rendering output. The 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995, positions this processor in the upper echelon of desktop CPUs.

The CPU's Cinebench results — 32924 in R23 multi-core and 4648 in R23 single-core — demonstrate strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The PassMark multi-thread score of 38706 and single-thread score of 4394 further confirm this capability. These scores indicate that the CPU can handle demanding workloads, but in Doom, the GPU's 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient to feed the CPU's processing capacity at higher resolutions.

The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth provide ample data throughput for game logic and physics processing. The CPU's dual-channel DDR5 memory support ensures that memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor in this configuration. The measured frame rates at 1080p — 92 FPS at Low settings — show that the CPU can direct the GPU to produce high frame rates when the graphical load is light, but the GPU's fill-rate and memory bandwidth limits cap performance well below what the CPU could theoretically support.

The CPU's nearest rivals all score within 1% of its average benchmark, indicating that no meaningful CPU upgrade would improve Doom performance when paired with the GTX 1650. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU, and the data suggests that users would need to upgrade the graphics card to see any significant frame rate improvements in this title. The CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads — notably, a 1:1 core-to-thread ratio without hyperthreading — provide solid gaming performance, but this configuration's 2833rd place ranking out of 2930 combos makes it clear that the processor's capabilities are wasted in this pairing.