Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a dominant performance profile in Doom, showcasing a combination that scales effectively across resolutions. The data indicates that this pairing is capable of exceptional frame rates, positioning it firmly in the upper echelon of tested configurations. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the balance between CPU and GPU workload, and the practical implications for gamers seeking the optimal experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo reveals a predictable yet significant drop in performance as resolution increases, a classic indicator of the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080, the system is heavily CPU-bound, with the RTX 4080 SUPER's immense power being held back by the processor's instruction throughput. The average FPS at 1080p with Low settings reaches 399, which is exceptionally high. Moving to Medium settings at the same resolution yields an average of 348 FPS, and High settings produce 294 FPS. Even at Ultra, the system maintains an impressive 240 FPS average.

When scaling to 2560x1440, the workload shifts more toward the GPU, but the frame rates remain extraordinarily high. The average FPS at 1440p Low is 259, which drops to 225 on Medium and 190 on High. The Ultra preset at 1440p still manages a robust 155 FPS average. The performance delta between 1080p and 1440p is substantial, with the Low preset seeing a 140 FPS drop (from 399 to 259), indicating that the GPU is starting to take on a more significant role, though the CPU is still feeding it enough data to maintain high performance.

The most dramatic scaling occurs when moving to 3840x2160 (4K). Here, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting component. The average FPS at 4K Low is 140, which is a significant drop from the 259 FPS seen at 1440p Low. The Medium preset at 4K yields an average of 122 FPS, with a minimum of 104 and a maximum of 140. High settings at 4K produce an average of 103 FPS, while the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, brings the average down to 84 FPS. This scaling pattern is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario; the CPU's role diminishes as pixel count increases, and the raw fill-rate and shading power of the RTX 4080 SUPER becomes the deciding factor.

The data shows that for high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p gaming, the CPU is the limiting factor, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. However, at 4K, the balance shifts, and the system behaves in a more traditional GPU-bound fashion. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 65% for the Low preset (from 399 to 140 FPS), which is a substantial reduction but still leaves the system in a very playable state at high settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark results for this specific combination of components in Doom place it at rank 182 out of 2930 tested combos. This places it in the top 6.2% of all configurations, a strong showing that reflects the high-end nature of both the CPU and GPU. This percentile position reflects the balanced, high-performance capability of the pairing, though it is important to note that many other combinations, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve higher frame rates.

To contextualize this ranking, we can look at the individual component performance. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, -0.4% delta), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, -0.5% delta), and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, 0.6% delta). This indicates that the CPU's overall compute capability is on par with these other high-end processors.

Similarly, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 (54247, -0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828, -1.1% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698, -2.7% delta). The data shows a very tight cluster at this performance tier, with the RTX 4080 SUPER essentially matching the performance of the standard RTX 4080 and trailing the other rivals by only a few percentage points in synthetic benchmarks.

While the synthetic benchmarks suggest the CPU is a slight outlier in performance relative to its avgScore, the in-game rank of 182/2930 is a direct measurement of this specific pairing's capability in Doom. The high rank is a result of the CPU's strong single and multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 scores (32924 multi-core, 4648 single-core), combined with the GPU's massive rendering power.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combo in Doom?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 182nd out of 2930 tested combinations for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995. It is nearly identical in performance to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228), with deltas of -0.4% and -0.5% respectively. It is also very close to the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698), which is 0.6% slower.

Q: What is the best average FPS achievable at 4K resolution?

A: The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is achieved with the Low settings preset, which yields an average of 140 FPS. The Ultra preset at the same resolution produces an average of 84 FPS.

Q: Does the system become CPU-bound or GPU-bound at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the system is heavily CPU-bound. The frame rates are exceptionally high (up to 399 FPS on Low), but the GPU is not being fully utilized, as evidenced by the significant performance gains that would be expected from a more powerful CPU.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the GPU in this combo?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s.

Q: What are the core counts for the CPU in this test?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset leads with an average of 399 FPS. The Medium preset follows with 348 FPS, showing a 51 FPS reduction for increased visual quality. High settings produce an average of 294 FPS, and the Ultra preset, while the most demanding, still achieves an impressive 240 FPS average. The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset is 296, with a maximum of 400.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 259 FPS, while the Medium preset delivers 225 FPS, with a minimum of 191 and a maximum of 259. The High preset produces an average of 190 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p maintains a strong average of 155 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p results in a performance drop of approximately 35% for the Low preset (399 to 259 FPS).

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The Low preset yields an average of 140 FPS. The Medium preset achieves 122 FPS, with a minimum of 104 and a maximum of 140. High settings produce an average of 103 FPS. The Ultra preset, representing the maximum visual load, delivers an average of 84 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset drops below the 100 FPS mark, indicating that 4K Ultra is the most demanding scenario for this combo.

The data shows a consistent performance hierarchy across all resolutions, with Low > Medium > High > Ultra in terms of average FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases, from a 159 FPS difference at 1080p to a 56 FPS difference at 4K, further confirming the shift to a GPU-bound state at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, especially at higher resolutions. Its architecture, Ada Lovelace, is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC and features a massive 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. The GPU is equipped with 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operation pipelines. It also includes 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, which are crucial for ray tracing and DLSS features, though their specific impact on Doom is not directly measured in this data.

The GPU's clock speeds are significant, with a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz. This high boost clock, combined with the sheer number of cores, allows for a theoretical FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS. The memory subsystem is also a key strength, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory running on a 256-bit bus. The memory clock is 1438 MHz, which translates to 23 Gbps effective and provides a total bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This high bandwidth is essential for feeding the GPU's many cores, particularly at 4K resolution where data demands are highest.

The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 219065. These scores place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the standard RTX 4080 (54247, -0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828, -1.1% delta), indicating that the SUPER variant is a marginal improvement over its predecessor but remains competitive with other high-end offerings.

In Doom, the GPU's role is to render the frame. At 1080p, the GPU is often waiting for the CPU, leading to high but not maximum frame rates. At 4K, the GPU is fully saturated, and its raw compute power becomes the deciding factor in the final FPS. The 84 FPS average at 4K Ultra is a direct result of the GPU's rendering capabilities under maximum load.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 serves as the orchestrator, preparing the game world and issuing draw calls to the GPU. This CPU, part of the Core Ultra Series 2 (Arrow Lake), has 14 cores and 14 threads. It operates at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boosts up to 5.10 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for single-threaded performance, which is often the primary driver in game physics and logic.

The CPU's cache hierarchy is substantial, with a 192 KB L1 cache per core, a 3 MB L2 cache per core, and a shared 24 MB L3 cache. This large cache helps reduce latency when accessing frequently used data. The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with a dual-channel bus provides a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, which is sufficient to keep the GPU fed with data, though it is far lower than the GPU's own memory bandwidth.

Synthetic benchmarks show the CPU's capability. Its Cinebench R23 score is 32924 for multi-core and 4648 for single-core. These scores place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 48995, which is nearly identical to its rivals, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, both with a delta of less than -0.5%. This indicates that the CPU's overall compute power is well-balanced.

In Doom, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of generating even more frames than the CPU can request. The data shows a significant FPS increase from 1080p High (294 FPS) to 1080p Low (399 FPS), which is a 105 FPS difference. This large delta is primarily due to the reduced workload on the CPU at lower settings, allowing it to issue draw calls more quickly. At 4K, the CPU's relative importance diminishes, as the GPU's rendering time per frame increases, giving the CPU ample time to prepare the next frame.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's resolution and refresh rate priorities. For players with a 3840x2160 display, the High preset offers an average of 103 FPS, which is an excellent balance between visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset, while more visually demanding, drops to 84 FPS, which may be less desirable for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 4K provides a solid 122 FPS average and is a viable option for those prioritizing higher frame rates over maximum visual quality.

For 2560x1440 displays, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. It achieves an average of 155 FPS, which is well above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset offers even higher performance at 190 FPS, but the visual improvements from Ultra may be worth the 35 FPS reduction for many users. The Low and Medium presets at 1440p, while offering 259 and 225 FPS respectively, are likely to be unnecessary for most users, as the system can handle higher settings without compromising smoothness.

At 1920x1080, the system has more than enough horsepower to run the Ultra preset at an average of 240 FPS. This is the recommended setting for 1080p users, as it provides the best visual experience while still delivering frame rates that far exceed the refresh rate of most monitors. The High preset at 294 FPS is an alternative for those seeking even higher frame rates, but the visual downgrade from Ultra is often noticeable. The Low preset, at 399 FPS, is only recommended for competitive players who prioritize raw frame rate above all else, as the visual quality is significantly reduced.

In summary, the data suggests that this combo is overkill for 1080p, where the CPU becomes the bottleneck. For 1440p, the Ultra preset provides a perfect balance of high visual quality and high performance. For 4K, the High or Medium presets are the sweet spots, offering a smooth experience without sacrificing too much visual detail. The Ultra preset at 4K is playable, but the frame rate drop to 84 FPS may be a deciding factor for some.