Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 570 pairing presents a distinct profile in Doom, where the GPU is the clear performance gatekeeper. The data shows a system that can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p but struggles significantly as resolution increases. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, focusing on how the components interact with the game’s engine and what settings users should prioritize.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 68 FPS at 1080p to 44 FPS at 1440p, a 35% reduction. The jump to 4K is far more punishing, with the average falling to 24 FPS—a 65% loss compared to the 1080p result. This pattern of diminishing returns at higher resolutions is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario.

Examining the Low settings preset provides a clearer picture of the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 92 FPS. At 1440p Low, the average is 60 FPS, and at 4K Low, it drops to 32 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is a 47% performance hit, which is substantial. This consistent, significant drop at 4K across all settings presets confirms that the AMD Radeon RX 570's rendering capabilities are the primary limiting factor. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is not the constraint here; otherwise, we would see less variation between resolutions at the same settings.

The Ultra preset illustrates the extreme end of this bottleneck. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 56 FPS, which is playable, but at 1440p Ultra it falls to 36 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 19 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution is also telling. At 1080p, the difference is 36 FPS (92 vs. 56), while at 4K, the difference is only 13 FPS (32 vs. 19). This compression of performance at higher resolutions further indicates that the GPU is saturated, and the game is no longer able to leverage additional graphical features without a catastrophic frame rate hit. The data strongly suggests that 4K is not a viable target for this combination, regardless of settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this hardware is found at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This configuration yields an average of 80 FPS with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. This provides a smooth, responsive experience that is well-suited for a fast-paced FPS like Doom. The minimum frame rate of 68 FPS indicates that the system can maintain a consistent performance level without significant stutters.

While the Low preset at 1080p offers a higher average of 92 FPS, the visual quality trade-off is often substantial. The Medium preset provides a better balance of visual fidelity and performance for a game of this era. The High preset at 1080p, with an average of 68 FPS, is also viable, but the Medium preset's higher average and minimum frame rates make it the safer choice for maintaining a high refresh rate experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p, with an average of 56 FPS, is playable but misses the 60 FPS target that is generally preferred for competitive shooters.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the only sensible option, delivering an average of 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS. This is a playable experience, but it may not be ideal for fast-twitch gameplay. The Low preset at this resolution achieves 60 FPS, which is a target, but again, it sacrifices visual quality. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p (44 FPS and 36 FPS, respectively) are too inconsistent for a smooth experience. For 3840x2160, no preset provides a playable experience. The Low preset's 32 FPS average is the highest of the group, but it is still below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. The data clearly points to 1080p Medium as the "sweet spot" for this combination.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the decisive component in this system's Doom performance. Its specifications—a 4 GB GDDR5 memory pool on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth—are a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The 4 GB frame buffer is particularly constraining at 4K, where the game's textures and geometry can easily exceed this capacity. The performance collapse at 4K, where even the Low preset only manages 32 FPS, is a strong indicator that memory bandwidth and capacity are being exhausted.

The GPU's clocks, with a base of 1168 MHz and a boost of 1244 MHz, are modest by modern standards. Its compute capabilities are defined by its 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, yielding a FP32 performance of 5.095 TFLOPS. The benchmark results place this GPU in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28766. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (with a deltaPct of -0.4) and the AMD Radeon RX 470 (with a deltaPct of -0.8), show that it is performing in line with its expected tier. The data shows that the RX 570 is a capable 1080p card, but its architecture (GCN 4.0) and memory subsystem are not designed for the demands of 4K gaming.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K shows a classic GPU-bound curve. At 1080p Low, the 92 FPS average suggests the GPU has some headroom, but this is quickly consumed as resolution increases. The fact that the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings shrinks as resolution climbs reinforces that the GPU is the sole bottleneck. In this game, the RX 570's role is to provide a solid 1080p experience; its performance at higher resolutions is inadequate for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The measured performance of this Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 570 combination places it at rank 2812 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom. This is a very low ranking, indicating that in the context of other possible hardware pairings, this system is on the lower end of the performance spectrum. The percentile ranking of the individual components does not translate into a high in-game rank, which underscores the fact that the GPU is a severe bottleneck. While the CPU is a high-performing part (93rd percentile), the GPU's 74th percentile ranking is not sufficient for this game's demands at higher resolutions.

This low combo rank is a direct consequence of the RX 570's limitations. The CPU's potential is left untapped because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize it. The data shows that this pairing is heavily imbalanced for Doom, with the GPU holding back the overall experience. For users with this combination, the performance is defined by the GPU's capabilities, not the CPU's. The rank serves as a warning that while the system may excel in other tasks, it is not a high-performing gaming rig for this title.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's nearest rivals show a tight grouping, with the RX 570 performing within 1% of the RX 6800M and RX 470. This suggests that the in-game performance would be similar to those cards. However, the combo rank places this system in the bottom 5% of all tested configurations, which is a clear indication of its overall gaming performance ceiling. The system's performance is not competitive with modern gaming setups, and the data supports that it is best suited for 1080p gaming at medium settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a high-end desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It features 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its cache configuration includes a 30 MB shared L3 cache. The processor's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. It is placed in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640.

In the context of Doom, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. The frame rate differences between settings at a given resolution are consistent with GPU load changes, not CPU limitations. For instance, at 1080p, the CPU can easily handle the frame rates produced by the GPU, whether it's 56 FPS on Ultra or 92 FPS on Low. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a frame rate ceiling across different settings, which is not present in the data.

The processor's performance relative to its nearest rivals indicates it is a top-tier part. It is within 0.7% of the AMD EPYC 7343 and 0.3% of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F. However, this processing power is largely irrelevant for this game's performance with this GPU. The measured FPS numbers are far below what the CPU is capable of supporting. This is a classic example of a high-end CPU being paired with a mid-range GPU, resulting in a system where the GPU's performance defines the gaming experience. The CPU is ready for a more powerful GPU, but with the RX 570, its potential in Doom is unrealized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

This section provides the exact measured FPS values for all tested configurations.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 92 FPS.
• Medium: Average 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS.
• High: Average 68 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 56 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 60 FPS.
• Medium: Average 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS.
• High: Average 44 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 36 FPS.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 32 FPS.
• Medium: Average 28 FPS, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 32 FPS.
• High: Average 24 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 19 FPS.

The data shows a clear hierarchy. At 1080p, the system can achieve playable frame rates on all presets, with Medium offering the best balance. At 1440p, the performance drops, and only Low and Medium presets are viable. At 4K, all presets fall below playable thresholds, with the Ultra preset reaching a low of 19 FPS. The minimum FPS data for the Medium preset at each resolution (68 at 1080p, 44 at 1440p, and 24 at 4K) shows that the frame pacing also degrades significantly at higher resolutions, leading to a less stable experience. These numbers confirm that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the definitive performance limiter in this system for Doom.