Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a deeply unbalanced configuration for id Software’s 2016 Doom. The data shows a CPU that ranks in the 93rd percentile against all processors, paired with a GPU that sits in the 5th percentile. This 88-percentile gap defines every benchmark result in the FACT PACK. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings tell a consistent story: the Arc B370 is the limiting component, and no amount of CPU headroom can compensate for its modest graphics throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how performance degrades as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combo delivers 58 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Ultra drops that to 37 FPS, a reduction of 21 FPS or roughly 36 percent. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average falls to 20 FPS, which is 38 FPS below the 1080p Ultra result. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is saturated well before the CPU becomes a constraint.

Looking at Low settings provides a clearer view of the scaling curve. At 1920x1080 Low, the average FPS is 96. At 2560x1440 Low, it drops to 62 FPS, a 34 FPS decline. At 3840x2160 Low, the average is 34 FPS, which is 62 FPS below the 1080p Low figure. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35.4 percent, and from 1440p to 4K it is 45.2 percent. These are steep declines that point to pixel throughput as the bottleneck.

The Medium preset shows similar behavior. At 1080p Medium, the average is 84 FPS, with a minimum of 71 and a maximum of 96. At 1440p Medium, the average is 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62. At 4K Medium, the average is 29 FPS, with a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 34. The 4K Medium result is only 5 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra result, suggesting that even at lower settings, the GPU is running out of fill rate or shading capacity.

The data indicates that this is not a CPU-limited scenario at any resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS across resolutions, since the same CPU workload would be present. Instead, the FPS scales inversely with pixel count, which is the classic signature of GPU limitation. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265, with its 20 cores and 20 threads, is clearly capable of feeding frames at much higher rates than the Arc B370 can render.

At 1080p, the combo can approach playable frame rates on Low and Medium settings, with 96 and 84 FPS respectively. But at 4K, even Low settings yield only 34 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The resolution scaling data suggests that users targeting 1440p should expect to use Low settings to stay above 60 FPS, while 1080p users have more flexibility with Medium settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the dominant factor in these results. Its benchmark data shows a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, which places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are telling: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186 (0.2 percent higher), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5 percent higher), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7 percent higher). Only the AMD FirePro M2000 scores lower, at 1168, which is 1.4 percent below the Arc B370. This places the Arc B370 in the company of integrated and legacy mobile graphics solutions from over a decade ago.

The GPU specifications confirm its limited capacity. The Arc B370 has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation units. Its boost clock is 2400 MHz, with a base clock of 300 MHz. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s. Floating point performance is 6.144 TFLOPS for FP32 and 12.29 TFLOPS for FP16. These are numbers that would have been competitive in a midrange desktop GPU circa 2012, but they are far below what modern Doom requires for high settings at high resolutions.

The memory configuration is a critical limitation. The Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. The memory bus width is listed as System Shared, and the bandwidth is System Dependent. This is an integrated graphics solution (IGP), with a 25 W TDP and no power connectors. The bus interface is IGP, which means it relies on the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated GDDR6 or GDDR6X. This shared memory architecture can cause additional performance penalties, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU needs to access larger textures and buffers.

The GPU's API support is modern, with DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. However, software support does not compensate for hardware throughput. The 3DMark score of 1184 is the only GPU benchmark in the FACT PACK, and it places the Arc B370 below nearly every discrete GPU ever tested in the database. For Doom, which is a demanding FPS title, this GPU is out of its depth at anything above 1080p Medium settings.

The measured FPS data aligns with the GPU's low ranking. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 20, which is unplayable. At 4K High, it is 25 FPS, still unplayable. Even at 4K Low, the average is 34 FPS, which is marginal for a fast-paced shooter. The GPU's low fill rate and texture rate are the primary constraints, as Doom's visual effects require substantial pixel shading and texture sampling.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a high-end desktop processor that is completely underutilized in this pairing. It has 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3. It belongs to the Core Ultra Series 2, based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. The CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive. In Cinebench R23, it scores 42216 in multicore and 5960 in single-core. In Cinebench R20, it scores 6268 multicore and 884 single-core. The PassMark multithread score is 49682, with a single-thread score of 4689. The average benchmark score is 64640, which places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P (avg score 64823, 0.3 percent lower), the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (avg score 64438, 0.3 percent higher), and the AMD EPYC 7343 (avg score 64202, 0.7 percent higher). These are server-class and high-end desktop processors, confirming the Ultra 7 265's position at the top of the CPU hierarchy.

For Doom, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw call submissions. With 20 cores and 20 threads, the Ultra 7 265 has far more parallelism than any current game can utilize. Doom, released in 2016, is optimized for 4-8 threads at most. The CPU's single-core performance, as evidenced by the 5960 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is more than sufficient to maintain high frame rates. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures low latency for the main game thread.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck. If it were, we would see FPS plateau at a similar level across all resolutions, because the CPU would be the limiting factor regardless of pixel count. Instead, the FPS scales with resolution, indicating that the GPU is the constraint. The CPU's power is evident in the fact that even at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 96 FPS, which is likely close to the maximum the GPU can produce. The CPU could easily push 200+ FPS in Doom at 1080p with a more capable GPU, but the Arc B370 cannot deliver that.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is shared with the GPU, since the Arc B370 uses system memory. This could cause contention, but the CPU's workload in Doom is light enough that it likely does not compete significantly with the GPU for memory access. The CPU's 30 MB of L3 cache helps reduce memory traffic, further mitigating any potential bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this configuration in Doom is 2696 out of 2930 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 8 percent of all CPU-GPU pairings tested in the database. The rank reflects the GPU's severe limitation, as the CPU's high percentile ranking cannot overcome the GPU's low throughput.

To contextualize this rank, consider that the GPU alone is in the 5th percentile, while the CPU is in the 93rd percentile. The combo rank of 2696 out of 2930 is consistent with a system where the GPU is the dominant constraint. In the database, combos are ranked by their measured performance in each game, and this pairing lands near the bottom because the GPU cannot deliver playable frame rates at most settings.

The nearest CPU rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 4464P, Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, and AMD EPYC 7343, all have similar average benchmark scores within 0.7 percent of the Ultra 7 265. However, when paired with the Arc B370, their performance in Doom would be nearly identical, because the GPU is the limiting factor. The combo rank would not change meaningfully with a different high-end CPU, since the GPU is the same.

The rank also indicates that the vast majority of tested combos outperform this pairing. The 234 combos ranked below this one likely include even weaker GPUs or older CPUs. For a user with a high-end CPU like the Ultra 7 265, this GPU choice severely restricts the system's gaming capability. The data shows that the combo is only suitable for low-resolution, low-settings gaming or for esports titles that are less demanding than Doom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured FPS shows a clear progression across settings. Low settings average 96 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 84 FPS, with a minimum of 71 and a maximum of 96. High settings average 71 FPS. Ultra settings average 58 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 38 FPS, indicating that the GPU is sensitive to graphical quality changes at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop significantly. Low settings average 62 FPS, which is 34 FPS lower than 1080p Low. Medium settings average 54 FPS, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 62. High settings average 46 FPS. Ultra settings average 37 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 25 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more constrained by resolution than by settings.

At 3840x2160, the averages are marginal to unplayable. Low settings average 34 FPS, which is 28 FPS lower than 1440p Low. Medium settings average 29 FPS, with a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 34. High settings average 25 FPS. Ultra settings average 20 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is only 14 FPS, indicating that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that changing settings has diminishing returns.

The Medium preset data includes min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 71 and the maximum is 96, showing a 25 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 46 and the maximum is 62, a 16 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 25 and the maximum is 34, a 9 FPS variance. The shrinking variance at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor, as there is less headroom for frame rate fluctuations when the GPU is fully loaded.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. For a smooth experience, the data suggests aiming for at least 60 FPS average, which is the minimum threshold for fast-paced FPS gameplay.

At 1920x1080, Low settings provide 96 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS target. Medium settings provide 84 FPS average, also above the target, with a minimum of 71 FPS that keeps the experience smooth. High settings drop to 71 FPS average, which is still playable but may experience occasional dips below 60 FPS in heavy scenes. Ultra settings at 58 FPS average are below the 60 FPS target, so they are not recommended for competitive play. The best experience at 1080p is Medium settings, which offers 84 FPS average and a minimum of 71 FPS, balancing visual quality with performance.

At 2560x1440, Low settings provide 62 FPS average, which is just above the 60 FPS target. Medium settings drop to 54 FPS average, which is below the target and may feel sluggish. High settings at 46 FPS and Ultra at 37 FPS are not recommended for smooth gameplay. The data shows that 1440p Low is the only settings level that achieves 60 FPS average, so users targeting 1440p should use Low settings. The visual fidelity will be reduced, but the frame rate will be playable.

At 3840x2160, no settings level reaches 60 FPS. Low settings average 34 FPS, Medium averages 29 FPS, High averages 25 FPS, and Ultra averages 20 FPS. All of these are below playable thresholds for a shooter. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Doom. Users with a 4K display should lower the resolution to 1440p or 1080p to achieve playable frame rates.

The settings recommendations are further informed by the GPU's low percentile ranking. The Arc B370 is not designed for high-resolution gaming, and the data reflects that. For the best experience, users should prioritize frame rate over visual quality, using Low or Medium settings at 1080p. The CPU's power does not change this recommendation, as the GPU is the bottleneck. The data shows that the combo can deliver 96 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest measured result, and 84 FPS at 1080p Medium, which offers a better visual experience while maintaining smooth performance.