Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a compelling performance profile in Doom, placing it in the 52.6th percentile of tested configurations. This pairing demonstrates a clear division of labor, with the GPU dominating at higher resolutions and the CPU providing a robust foundation at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable yet instructive decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 228 FPS, establishing a high ceiling. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops the average to 147 FPS, a 35.5% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 80 FPS, representing a 64.9% decrease from the 1080p Low figure. This scaling pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the system has substantial headroom, but the rendering load grows rapidly with pixel count.

The scaling behavior across presets is consistent. At Medium settings, the averages are 198 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows 167 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1440p, and 59 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates, ranging from 137 FPS at 1080p down to 48 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution climbs: at 1080p, Ultra is 39.9% slower than Low, but at 4K, the difference shrinks to 40.0%, showing that resolution scaling remains the dominant factor across all quality levels.

The data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the frame rates scale almost linearly with the pixel count. At 4K, the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become significant constraints, particularly at Ultra settings where the average drops below 60 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings (108 to 59 FPS, a 45.4% drop) is steeper than the transition from 1080p to 1440p (167 to 108 FPS, a 35.3% drop), indicating that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are increasingly taxed at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture processor, built on a 3 nm process, provides ample computational power for Doom's engine. The CPU's L3 cache is 24 MB shared, which helps maintain consistent frame pacing in fast-paced scenes.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 32924 in multi-core and 4648 in single-core tests. The PassMark multi-thread score is 38706, with a single-thread score of 4394. These figures place the processor at the 90th percentile among all CPUs, indicating strong performance headroom for gaming workloads.

In Doom, the CPU's role becomes evident at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is less burdened. At 1080p Low, the 228 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently without becoming a bottleneck. The processor's 5.10 GHz boost clock is particularly beneficial for single-threaded game logic, which Doom's id Tech 6 engine utilizes effectively. The 14 threads ensure that background tasks and draw call submission do not introduce stutter, even when frame rates exceed 200 FPS.

However, the data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint in most scenarios. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are proportionally larger than what would be expected if the CPU were limiting performance. This indicates that the RTX 4060 is the limiting component across all tested resolutions, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom to avoid bottlenecking except possibly at the very highest frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 achieves a rank of 1540 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all configurations, with 1390 combos performing better and 1539 performing worse. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component severely limits the other.

The CPU itself, when compared to nearest rivals, shows competitive performance. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G has an average score of 49196, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel chip's 48995 average. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228, 0.5% ahead. On the other side, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, which is 0.6% behind, and the Intel Core i5-14600K scores 48618, 0.8% behind. This tight clustering indicates that the Core Ultra 5 245 is well-matched against its direct competitors in general compute tasks.

For the GPU, the RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 17639, placing it at the 61st percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, 0.2% ahead), the AMD Radeon 780M (17588, 0.3% behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, 0.5% behind). The close margins suggest the RTX 4060 sits at a performance plateau where small architectural differences determine rankings.

The combo's overall rank of 1540 suggests that while each component is individually competitive, the pairing does not push into the top tier for Doom specifically. This is likely due to the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity, which becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings where the average FPS dips to 48.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 and Core Ultra 5 245 deliver high frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 228 FPS, with Medium at 198 FPS (minimum 168, maximum 228), High at 167 FPS, and Ultra at 137 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 91 FPS, showing that quality settings have a substantial impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages decrease notably. Low settings yield 147 FPS, Medium averages 128 FPS (minimum 109, maximum 148), High averages 108 FPS, and Ultra averages 89 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium (109) still exceeds the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that 1440p is well within the system's comfort zone for most presets.

At 3840x2160, the system begins to struggle. Low settings average 80 FPS, Medium averages 70 FPS (minimum 59, maximum 80), High averages 59 FPS, and Ultra averages 48 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 59 dips just below the 60 FPS mark, while High and Ultra presets cannot maintain a consistent 60 FPS average. The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS represents a 64.9% reduction from the 1080p Low result, highlighting the GPU's limitations at this resolution.

The data shows a consistent pattern where each resolution step reduces frame rates by roughly 35-45%, regardless of preset. This uniformity indicates that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the primary bottleneck, with the CPU not introducing additional constraints.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: At 4K, the system averages 59 FPS on High settings and 48 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS. Low settings average 80 FPS. So, 4K is playable at Medium or lower, but High and Ultra will not consistently hit 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: At 2560x1440, all presets average above 89 FPS, with Ultra at 89 FPS and Low at 147 FPS. This resolution offers a strong balance between visual quality and performance, as even the most demanding preset stays well above 60 FPS.

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

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

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the system achieves 228 FPS, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. The fact that frame rates drop significantly at higher resolutions indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor, but at 1080p, the RTX 4060 is not severely constrained.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, the difference is 91 FPS (228 vs 137). At 1440p, the difference is 58 FPS (147 vs 89). At 4K, the difference is 32 FPS (80 vs 48). The absolute gap narrows at higher resolutions, but the percentage difference remains consistent around 40%.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1540 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the upper-middle tier, with approximately 52.6% of tested combos performing worse.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to 2560x1440 as the optimal resolution. At this resolution, even Ultra settings average 89 FPS, providing a smooth and visually rich experience. The High preset at 1440p averages 108 FPS, giving additional headroom for demanding scenes. For players prioritizing frame rate, 1440p Low at 147 FPS offers excellent responsiveness without sacrificing too much visual fidelity.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings average 137 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset at 198 FPS (minimum 168) is also a strong choice, offering a significant boost over Ultra with minimal visual compromise. The 1080p Low preset at 228 FPS is suitable for competitive play where maximum frame rates are essential.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 70 FPS (minimum 59) is the highest quality setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. Players targeting 4K should use Medium settings to avoid the sub-60 FPS averages seen at High (59 FPS) and Ultra (48 FPS). The Low preset at 80 FPS provides a margin of safety but sacrifices visual detail.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance across all resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers 198 FPS; at 1440p, 128 FPS; and at 4K, 70 FPS. This consistency makes Medium the recommended starting point, with adjustments based on resolution preference.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, features 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units. Its boost clock is 2460 MHz, with a base clock of 1830 MHz. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's memory configuration is a critical factor in Doom's performance. The 8 GB VRAM capacity and 128-bit bus width become limiting at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings where the average FPS drops to 48. The texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results show the GPU's compute throughput is strained.

The RTX 4060's FP32 performance is 15.11 TFLOPS, with matching FP16 output. This compute capacity handles Doom's lighting and particle effects well at lower resolutions. The GPU's 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores provide additional capabilities, though Doom's 2016 engine does not heavily utilize ray tracing.

The benchmark scores for the GPU place it at the 61st percentile among all GPUs. Its PassMark G3D score is 19545, with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 48643 and OpenCL score of 95057. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 reflects modern API performance. These scores indicate the GPU is a solid mid-range performer, though its nearest rivals (AMD Radeon HD 7790, Radeon 780M, Radeon Pro 560) all sit within 0.7% of its average score, highlighting the competitive density at this performance level.

The GPU's 115 W TDP and dual-slot design make it efficient, but the 8 GB VRAM is the primary constraint at 4K. The measured data shows that at 4K Ultra, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS, and even at 4K High, the average is exactly 59 FPS. This indicates that for 4K gaming, the RTX 4060 is at the edge of its capability, and users should expect to use Medium settings or lower to achieve smooth frame rates.