Doom

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor built on Intel's 7 nm Meteor Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz can boost up to 5.00 GHz, and it carries 24 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 2 MB of L2 per core and 112 KB of L1 per core. The processor's 28 W TDP places it in the efficient mobile segment, but the measured frame rates in Doom suggest that this CPU is rarely the constraint.

In the context of Doom's 2016 engine, which is known for being heavily GPU-bound at higher settings, the CPU's single-thread performance is the primary factor for frame pacing. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1759 and PassMark single-thread score of 3509 indicate solid per-core performance. Multi-threaded capabilities are strong too, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14551 and a PassMark multithread score of 25933. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 195 FPS average; even at 1080p Ultra, it holds 117 FPS. These numbers indicate the CPU can feed the GPU adequately across all tested configurations.

The processor's percentile ranking of 84 versus all CPUs places it in the upper tier of tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 34083. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, scores 33989 — a mere 0.3% difference. The AMD EPYC 4244P and AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 both score 34220 and 34222 respectively, each trailing this chip by 0.4%. The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X sits at 34260, a 0.5% gap. These margins are negligible, meaning the 165H's compute headroom is not a differentiator in this game's results.

The 22 threads and 16 cores are more than sufficient for Doom's rendering workload. The PassMark physics score of 1806 and integer math score of 89415 suggest robust general processing, but the game's frame rates scale more with resolution and GPU load than with CPU throughput. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 41, while at 1080p Low it reaches 195 — a pattern consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The CPU's role here is to maintain a stable floor, and the data indicates it does so effectively.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7800M is a mobile GPU based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, codenamed Wheat Nas, using the Navi 32 chip on a 5 nm TSMC process. It packs 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1295 MHz, with a boost clock of 2335 MHz and a game clock of 2145 MHz. It contains 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with 60 ray tracing cores. The 180 W TDP is substantial for a mobile part, and its FP32 throughput of 35.87 TFLOPS is a key indicator of raw rasterization power.

The GPU's memory configuration is critical for Doom's higher settings. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for all tested resolutions, including 4K Ultra, where the game still renders without memory-related stutters. The 432.0 GB/s bandwidth supports the texture streaming demands at high resolutions. The pixel rate of 224.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 560.4 GTexel/s are strong figures that align with the measured performance.

The RX 7800M's benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 17613 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 126668. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2994. These numbers place it in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27883. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, scores 27839 — a 0.2% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500X scores 27973, trailing by 0.3%, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 28020, a 0.5% gap. The AMD FirePro S7150 scores 28117, 0.8% higher. These tight margins indicate the RX 7800M sits in a competitive mid-high tier.

In Doom, the GPU's role becomes dominant as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the 195 FPS average shows the GPU can push far beyond typical refresh rates. At 4K Ultra, the 41 FPS average reflects the GPU's limits under maximum load. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at the same settings shows a clear GPU-bound trend, with the CPU maintaining its position as a non-limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and AMD Radeon RX 7800M ranks 1938 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the overall distribution, which is notable given the individual components' respectable percentile rankings. The CPU's 84th percentile and GPU's 73rd percentile do not translate into a top-tier combo ranking, suggesting that this pairing may not be optimally balanced for this specific game.

The rank of 1938 out of 2930 means roughly 66% of tested combos perform better in Doom. This is a significant finding because both components are relatively modern and capable. The data suggests that while each part performs well in isolation, the combination may be limited by factors beyond raw compute — possibly thermal constraints in a mobile chassis or driver-level inefficiencies in this title. The measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (117 FPS) is respectable, but many combos likely exceed this, pushing the rank down.

The gap between component percentiles and combo rank indicates that Doom's optimization favors certain hardware pairings over others. The CPU's 0.3-0.5% differences from its nearest rivals are trivial, and the GPU's 0.2-0.8% margins are equally small. Yet the combo rank suggests that the system-level performance is more sensitive to other variables, such as memory bandwidth allocation or power delivery. The 89.6 GB/s CPU memory bandwidth and the GPU's 432.0 GB/s are both adequate, but their interplay may not be optimal for this title's engine.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings levels (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1080p, the combo delivers its strongest results: 195 FPS on Low, 170 FPS on Medium, 144 FPS on High, and 117 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting includes a min/max range of 145-196 FPS, showing consistent frame delivery. The High and Ultra settings lack min/max data, but the averages are solid.

At 1440p, the performance drops but remains playable: 126 FPS on Low, 110 FPS on Medium (with a min/max of 94-127), 93 FPS on High, and 76 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p results show a 35-40% reduction from 1080p across settings, which is typical for a GPU-bound workload. The Medium setting's minimum of 94 FPS indicates that even under load, the combo stays above 60 FPS.

At 4K, the results become more demanding: 68 FPS on Low, 60 FPS on Medium (with a min/max of 51-69), 50 FPS on High, and 41 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low setting is the only configuration that maintains 60+ FPS, while 4K Ultra drops to 41 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold for fast-paced FPS gameplay. The Medium setting's minimum of 51 FPS suggests occasional dips that could be noticeable during intense scenes.

The progression across settings at each resolution is consistent: Low to Medium adds roughly 15-20% performance, Medium to High adds another 10-15%, and High to Ultra costs 15-20% performance. This pattern holds across all three resolutions, indicating the game's settings scale predictably with the GPU's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 195 at 1080p to 126 at 1440p (a 35.4% decrease) and then to 68 at 4K (a 46.0% decrease from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the progression is 117 to 76 to 41, representing a 35.0% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 46.1% drop from 1440p to 4K. These percentages are nearly identical across settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario.

The consistency of the scaling pattern strongly indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were the constraint, the FPS would plateau at lower resolutions, showing diminishing returns as resolution decreases. Instead, the FPS scales almost linearly with the number of pixels rendered, which is the hallmark of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p Low, the 195 FPS average is likely approaching the CPU's maximum frame delivery capability, but the sharp drop at 1440p and 4K confirms the GPU is the dominant bottleneck.

The 4K Medium result of 60 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 69 FPS shows that the GPU can handle 4K but with limited headroom. The gap between 4K Low (68 FPS) and 4K Medium (60 FPS) is just 8 FPS, while the gap between 4K Medium and 4K High (50 FPS) is 10 FPS. This tightening of margins at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are being fully utilized.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS in Doom?

A: At 1440p, all settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) maintain averages above 76 FPS, with Medium at 110 FPS and High at 93 FPS. At 4K, only Low (68 FPS) and Medium (60 FPS) achieve 60+ FPS averages, while High drops to 50 FPS and Ultra to 41 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083. Its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, scores 33989, which is 0.3% lower. The AMD EPYC 4244P and AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 both score 34220 and 34222 respectively, each 0.4% higher. The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X scores 34260, 0.5% higher.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking and how does it compare to similar GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800M is in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27883. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20, scores 27839 (0.2% lower), while the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X scores 27973 (0.3% higher). The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti scores 28020 (0.5% higher), and the AMD FirePro S7150 scores 28117 (0.8% higher).

Q: Does the combo maintain smooth frame rates at 1080p Ultra?

A: Yes, the 1080p Ultra setting produces an average FPS of 117, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 1080p Medium setting delivers 170 FPS with a minimum of 145 FPS, ensuring consistent frame delivery.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 1938 out of 2930 tested combinations for Doom. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the distribution, despite the CPU's 84th percentile and GPU's 73rd percentile individual rankings.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and is it sufficient for 4K gaming?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The measured 4K results, including 41 FPS on Ultra and 50 FPS on High, confirm that the VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game at 4K, as the performance is limited by compute rather than memory capacity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 117 FPS average is the best experience, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while maintaining well above 60 FPS. If a higher refresh rate display (144Hz or above) is used, the Medium preset at 170 FPS is the better choice, offering 53 more FPS at a modest visual cost.

At 1440p, the High preset at 93 FPS is the recommended balance, as it stays comfortably above 60 FPS while providing strong visual quality. The Ultra preset at 76 FPS is also viable for players who prioritize image quality over frame rate, but the 17 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the visual gains. The Medium preset at 110 FPS is ideal for competitive play, where higher frame rates are paramount.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 60 FPS is the only setting that achieves a 60 FPS average, with a minimum of 51 FPS. This makes it the recommended preset for 4K gameplay, as the Low preset at 68 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for only 8 FPS more. The High and Ultra presets at 50 FPS and 41 FPS respectively fall below the smoothness threshold and should be avoided unless the player accepts lower frame rates.

For the best overall experience, the data suggests using 1440p High or 1080p Ultra. The 1440p High preset delivers 93 FPS, which is a strong balance of resolution, visual fidelity, and frame rate. The 1080p Ultra preset at 117 FPS is the choice for players who prioritize maximum visual settings without resolution compromises. The 4K Medium preset is the only acceptable 4K option, but it comes with a lower minimum frame rate that may cause occasional stutter in demanding scenes.