Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Doom with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 176 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings drops that to 114 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 62 FPS, which is 65% below the 1080p Low result. This scaling curve strongly indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 6600 becomes the limiting component at higher resolutions, with the GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth being the primary constraints.

The pattern holds across every settings tier. At High settings, 1080p produces 129 FPS, 1440p produces 84 FPS, and 4K produces 45 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at High is 45 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 39 FPS. This relatively consistent drop-off suggests the GPU is being saturated progressively as pixel count rises, with the 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB VRAM capacity becoming increasingly strained. The Ultra preset tells a similar story: 106 FPS at 1080p, 68 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K.

What is particularly revealing is the delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, the spread is 70 FPS (176 vs 106). At 1440p, the spread narrows to 46 FPS (114 vs 68). At 4K, the spread compresses to just 25 FPS (62 vs 37). This compression at higher resolutions is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. When the pixel workload rises, the CPU's headroom becomes irrelevant, and the difference between graphics presets shrinks because the GPU is already at its limit. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is clearly not the bottleneck here; the Radeon RX 6600's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs are what dictate the frame rate at 1440p and above.

The data also shows that 4K is only marginally playable on this combo. The best 4K result is 62 FPS at Low settings, which is technically above 60 FPS but leaves no room for fluctuation. At Medium settings, 4K drops to 54 FPS average with a minimum of 46 FPS. At High and Ultra, 4K falls to 45 and 37 FPS respectively. For a fast-paced FPS like Doom, these lower 4K numbers would likely feel sluggish. The 1440p results are far more comfortable, with all presets except Ultra staying above 84 FPS. At 1080p, every preset including Ultra clears 100 FPS, making that resolution the sweet spot for this hardware combination.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 153 FPS average with a minimum of 130 FPS and maximum of 176 FPS. This is an excellent experience for a fast FPS, providing a wide margin above typical 144 Hz refresh rates. The Ultra preset at 1080p still produces 106 FPS average, which is also playable, but the 47 FPS gap between Medium and Ultra suggests diminishing returns for the extra visual fidelity. For competitive play, Low at 1080p offers 176 FPS, which maximizes frame pacing but sacrifices visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the clear winner. It produces 99 FPS average with a minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 114 FPS. This keeps the experience above 60 FPS at all times and typically above 84 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. The High preset at 1440p drops to 84 FPS average, which is still acceptable but offers less headroom. Ultra at 1440p falls to 68 FPS, which is borderline for a game that benefits from high frame rates. The Low preset at 1440p hits 114 FPS, but the visual downgrade is substantial compared to Medium.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset is the only option that stays at or above 60 FPS, hitting 62 FPS average. Medium drops to 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS, which is the threshold of playability but risks noticeable stutter. High and Ultra at 4K are not recommended for smooth gameplay, as they produce 45 and 37 FPS respectively. For 4K owners, the data suggests either accepting Low settings or dropping to 1440p and using Medium or High for a much better experience.

The overall recommendation is Medium at 1080p or 1440p. The Medium preset consistently offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, with measured averages of 153 FPS at 1080p and 99 FPS at 1440p. The minimum FPS values at Medium (130 at 1080p, 84 at 1440p) are both well above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring a stable experience. High is a viable alternative at 1080p (129 FPS) and 1440p (84 FPS) if visual fidelity is prioritized, but Ultra should only be used at 1080p (106 FPS) where it remains smooth.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 2255 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom. This places the combination in the lower 23% of all tested setups, which is a notable position for a CPU that performs in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs. The discrepancy highlights the GPU's role as the limiting factor in this pairing. The Radeon RX 6600 sits in the 63rd percentile against all GPUs, and its 8 GB VRAM capacity is modest by current standards.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the Radeon RX 6600's average benchmark score of 19036 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030, deltaPct 0), the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, deltaPct -0.1), and the RTX 2000 Ada Generation (18954, deltaPct 0.4). This grouping around the 19000 benchmark score suggests the RX 6600 is a mid-tier performer in the broader GPU landscape, which aligns with its 63rd percentile placement.

The CPU's nearest rivals tell a different story. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 scores 64640 on average, with the AMD EPYC 4464P posting 64823 (-0.3% delta), the Core Ultra 7 265F posting 64438 (0.3% delta), and the EPYC 7343 posting 64202 (0.7% delta). These are all server-class or high-end desktop processors, and the Core Ultra 7 265 holds its own among them. This CPU is clearly not the weak link in this combo; the Radeon RX 6600 is what drags the overall rank down to 2255.

The rank of 2255 out of 2930 means that roughly 675 tested combos perform worse than this pairing in Doom. Given that the RX 6600 is an end-of-life product from 2021, this ranking is unsurprising. The combo's performance is adequate for 1080p gaming and acceptable for 1440p at medium settings, but it does not compete with modern high-end configurations. The data suggests that users with this combo should target 1080p or 1440p for the best experience, as the 4K results are below the standards expected for a smooth FPS experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of this combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings tiers. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 176 FPS, Medium averages 153 FPS with a minimum of 130 and maximum of 176, High averages 129 FPS, and Ultra averages 106 FPS. All 1080p presets are well above 100 FPS, making this resolution the most comfortable for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset's minimum of 130 FPS is particularly strong, indicating consistent frame delivery even during intense scenes.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 114 FPS, Medium at 99 FPS (minimum 84, maximum 114), High at 84 FPS, and Ultra at 68 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 84 FPS ensures that the frame rate never drops below the 60 FPS threshold, which is critical for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 84 FPS average is also playable but offers less headroom for sudden frame time spikes. Ultra at 68 FPS is borderline, and the data suggests that this preset is best avoided at 1440p for a consistently smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 62 FPS, Medium at 54 FPS (minimum 46, maximum 62), High at 45 FPS, and Ultra at 37 FPS. Only the Low preset at 4K achieves an average above 60 FPS, and even that result is marginal. The Medium preset's minimum of 46 FPS represents a significant drop from the average, which could cause noticeable hitches in fast-paced combat. High and Ultra at 4K are not recommended for serious play, as their averages fall well below the 60 FPS target.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Medium offers the best balance of performance and visual fidelity, while Low provides the highest frame rates for competitive play. The minimum FPS values are only measured for Medium settings, but the available data shows that the gap between average and minimum is roughly 15-23% at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 130 vs the average of 153 (a 15% drop). At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 84 vs the average of 99 (a 15% drop). At 4K Medium, the minimum is 46 vs the average of 54 (a 15% drop). This consistent ratio suggests the GPU's frame pacing is stable across resolutions, with the absolute performance scaling as expected.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 plays the decisive role in this combo's Doom performance. The GPU's 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a significant constraint at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings shrinking from 70 FPS at 1080p to 25 FPS at 4K. This is the classic behavior of a GPU that is saturated by pixel workload.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable: a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. These clocks are respectable for a 7 nm RDNA 2.0 chip, but the 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs limit the raw throughput. The GPU's FP32 performance of 8.928 TFLOPS is adequate for 1080p gaming but struggles with the 4K workload, as evidenced by the 37 FPS average at Ultra 4K.

The GPU's VRAM capacity of 8 GB is a critical factor. Doom is a 2016 title, so it does not have the massive VRAM requirements of modern games, but the 4K Ultra preset still pushes the GPU to its limits. The data shows that 4K is only playable at Low settings (62 FPS), which suggests that the 8 GB buffer is insufficient for high-quality textures at 4K on this GPU. At 1440p, the GPU handles all presets reasonably well, with the worst case being 68 FPS at Ultra. At 1080p, the GPU has ample headroom, with even Ultra delivering 106 FPS.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its mid-tier position. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492 is modest, and its Passmark G3D score of 15096 places it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are all within 0.4% of its average benchmark score of 19036, indicating that the RX 6600 is a well-established mid-range performer. For Doom specifically, the GPU's RDNA 2.0 architecture with DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) provides the necessary feature set for the game's Vulkan and OpenGL paths, but the hardware limitations cap the experience at 1080p/1440p quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Doom?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the strongest resolution, with all presets exceeding 100 FPS average. At 2560x1440, Medium delivers 99 FPS average, which is also excellent. 4K is only playable at Low settings, hitting 62 FPS average.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Doom?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves 62 FPS average. Medium drops to 54 FPS, High to 45 FPS, and Ultra to 37 FPS. For smooth 4K gameplay, the Low preset is the only viable option, and even that is marginal.

Q: Which settings preset should I use at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides 99 FPS average with a minimum of 84 FPS, offering the best balance. High at 84 FPS average is also playable. Ultra at 68 FPS is borderline, while Low at 114 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality.

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

A: The combo ranks 2255 out of 2930 tested combinations in Doom, placing it in the lower 23% of all setups. This low rank is driven by the GPU, as the CPU performs in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs.

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

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting component. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, and the gap between Low and Ultra narrows from 70 FPS at 1080p to 25 FPS at 4K. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has 20 cores and a 5.30 GHz boost clock, providing ample headroom.

Q: What is the minimum FPS I can expect at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 130. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 84. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 46. These minimums are all approximately 15% below the average FPS at each resolution.