Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER produces a specific performance profile in Doom that is defined by the GPU’s legacy architecture and the CPU’s modern multi-core design. The data places this combination at rank 2056 out of 2930 tested combos, which puts it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects a system that can run the game smoothly at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, especially with the Ultra preset. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, the roles of each component, and what the numbers indicate about the system’s behavior in this 2016 FPS title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2056 out of 2930 tested combinations places this pairing in the 70th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 30% of tested combos perform worse and about 70% perform better. This is a mid-to-low ranking, which is expected given the RTX 2060 SUPER’s age relative to newer GPUs. The CPU, however, is a strong point, with a percentileVsAllCpus of 93, indicating it outperforms 93% of all tested CPUs. The GPU’s percentileVsAllGpus is 62, meaning it beats 62% of all tested GPUs but trails a significant portion. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU creates a bottleneck that shows up clearly in the resolution scaling data. In this game, the rank suggests that while the system handles lower resolutions well, it is not competitive with high-end combos at 4K. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 64640 places it near several server-class chips, such as the AMD EPYC 4464P with a score of 64823 and a deltaPct of -0.3, meaning the Intel chip is 0.3% slower. It is also 0.3% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, which scores 64438, and 0.7% faster than the AMD EPYC 7343 at 64202. These rivals are all within a narrow band, showing the CPU’s performance is consistent with other high-core-count processors. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 18093 is close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile at 18159 (deltaPct -0.4), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 at 18189 (deltaPct -0.5). This indicates the RTX 2060 SUPER is competitive with these alternatives in synthetic tests, but in Doom, the measured FPS tells a more nuanced story about real-world gaming performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with the TU106 chip, manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It has 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. The GPU’s memory configuration is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz. The memory clock is 1750 MHz, with an effective data rate of 14 Gbps. These specs define the GPU’s capacity to process Doom’s graphics, which is a fast-paced FPS that benefits from high frame rates. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game at the tested settings, as the measured FPS data shows no signs of memory-related stuttering. The GPU’s fp32 performance is 7.181 TFLOPS, which is modest by modern standards but adequate for a 2016 title. In Doom, the GPU’s role is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU can push high frame rates, but as resolution increases, the rendering load grows, and the FPS drops accordingly. The pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s are the key metrics that determine how quickly the GPU can fill the screen and apply textures. At 4K, the pixel fill rate becomes a bottleneck, which is reflected in the lower average FPS numbers. The GPU’s Turing architecture includes 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, but Doom does not use ray tracing or DLSS, so these features have no impact on the measured results. The GPU’s directx 12 support (12 Ultimate with 12_2) ensures compatibility with modern APIs, but the game’s performance is more dependent on raw shading and rasterization throughput. The data shows that at 1080p Ultra, the GPU achieves 115 FPS, which is playable, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 40 FPS, indicating the GPU is overwhelmed. The GPU’s end-of-life production status and 2019 release date are relevant context, as newer GPUs offer better performance per watt, but the measured data is what matters for this analysis.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 192, which is very high and indicates the game is well within the GPU’s capabilities. At 1440p Low, the average FPS drops to 124, a 35% reduction from 1080p. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 67, which is a 65% reduction from 1080p. This steep drop at 4K suggests that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, as the CPU has ample headroom. Looking at High settings, 1080p averages 141 FPS, 1440p averages 91 FPS (a 35% drop), and 4K averages 50 FPS (a 65% drop from 1080p). The percentage drops are consistent across settings, which points to a resolution-bound scenario where the GPU is the bottleneck. At Medium settings, the pattern holds: 1080p averages 167 FPS, 1440p averages 108 FPS, and 4K averages 59 FPS. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 1080p averages 115 FPS, 1440p averages 75 FPS, and 4K averages 40 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 4K is 75 FPS, which is a 65% drop. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU’s performance does not change with resolution. The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (192 FPS) and Ultra (115 FPS) is 77 FPS. At 4K, the difference is only 27 FPS (67 vs 40). This suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so constrained that changing settings has less impact on FPS. The limiting component is clearly the GPU, as the CPU has 20 cores and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, which is more than enough for Doom’s single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. The resolution scaling analysis leads to the conclusion that for the best experience, users should prioritize lower resolutions or adjust settings to match their target frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers an average of 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This preset offers a good balance between visual quality and performance, as the average FPS is 52 FPS higher than Ultra’s 115 FPS. The Low preset achieves 192 FPS, but the visual fidelity is reduced, making Medium the better choice for most users. At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS, which is still smooth and playable. The High preset averages 91 FPS, which is also acceptable, but Medium offers a 17 FPS advantage with only a minor visual compromise. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 75 FPS, which is below the 90 FPS target for competitive play, so Medium or High are recommended. At 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset averages 67 FPS, which is just above 60 FPS, making it the only preset that provides a consistently playable experience. Medium averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS, which may dip below 60 FPS during intense scenes. High averages 50 FPS, and Ultra averages 40 FPS, both of which are below the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the recommended choice if frame rate is the priority. However, if visual quality is more important than frame rate, Medium at 4K provides a 59 FPS average, which is borderline playable. The data indicates that the best experience per the measured rows is achieved with Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p, where the average FPS is high enough to avoid screen tearing and input lag. At 4K, users must accept Low settings to maintain a playable frame rate. The measured FPS for Medium at 1440p (108 FPS) and Medium at 1080p (167 FPS) are the strongest combinations of visual quality and performance in the dataset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of the system’s performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 192 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 167 FPS, with a minimum of 142 FPS and a maximum of 192 FPS, showing a stable frame rate range. The High preset averages 141 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 115 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system can easily handle Doom at any preset, with even Ultra providing a frame rate well above 100 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 124 FPS, which is a significant drop from 1080p but still smooth. The Medium preset averages 108 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS. The High preset averages 91 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 75 FPS. At 1440p, the Ultra preset is the only one that falls below 90 FPS, but it remains playable. The minimum FPS for Medium at 1440p is 92, indicating that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays above 90. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 67 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 67 FPS, showing a wider variance. The High preset averages 50 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 40 FPS. The 4K data reveals that the system is not capable of maintaining 60 FPS at Medium or higher settings, and only Low settings provide a consistently playable experience. The difference between 1080p and 4K is stark: at Low settings, the FPS drops from 192 to 67, a 65% reduction. At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 115 to 40, a 65% reduction as well. This consistent percentage drop across settings confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor. The measured FPS for Medium at 4K (59 FPS) is just below the 60 FPS mark, so users with a 60 Hz monitor may notice occasional dips. The data also shows that the minimum FPS values are only reported for Medium settings, where they are 142 at 1080p, 92 at 1440p, and 50 at 4K. These minimums provide insight into frame time consistency, with 4K showing the most variance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU’s cache configuration includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. The TDP is 65 W, and it supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. The CPU’s integrated graphics are Arc Xe-LPG with 32 execution units, but these are not used for gaming when a discrete GPU is present. The CPU’s benchmarks show a strong multi-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. The PassMark multi-thread score is 49682, and the single-thread score is 4689. These scores indicate that the CPU is more than capable of handling Doom’s CPU demands. In Doom, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls, which are typically single-threaded or lightly threaded. The CPU’s single-core performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5960, is strong, ensuring that the game’s main thread does not become a bottleneck. The multi-core performance, with a Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 6268 and a PassMark physics score of 2923, is also sufficient for any background tasks. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo, as the FPS drops are consistent with GPU-bound behavior. The CPU’s 20 threads are far more than Doom requires, and the high boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures fast single-threaded execution. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 4464P with an average score of 64823, are server-class chips, but the Intel CPU’s score of 64640 is within 0.3% of that, showing that the desktop CPU is competitive with server parts in synthetic benchmarks. The CPU’s percentileVsAllCpus of 93 confirms that it is a high-end processor, and in this game, it provides ample headroom for the GPU to be the performance limiter. The measured FPS data supports this, as the resolution scaling shows the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s is also sufficient for Doom, as the game does not require high memory throughput. Overall, the CPU’s role is to provide a stable platform for the GPU, and the data shows it does so without introducing any frame rate limitations.

FAQ

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

A: The combo ranks 2056 out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database, with about 70% of tested combos performing better.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU has an average benchmark score of 18093, which is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18159) and 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189). It is also 1.5% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18373) and 1.6% lower than the Intel Arc A770M (18383).

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming based on the measured data?

A: For 1440p, the Medium preset provides the best balance, with an average FPS of 108 and a minimum of 92 FPS. The High preset averages 91 FPS, and Ultra averages 75 FPS, so Medium offers the highest frame rate while maintaining good visual quality.

Q: At 4K, which preset achieves an average FPS above 60?

A: Only the Low preset at 3840x2160 achieves an average FPS above 60, with a measured average of 67 FPS. The Medium preset averages 59 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 141 at 1080p to 50 at 4K, a reduction of 91 FPS, which is a 65% decrease. This indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all tested CPUs, and how does it affect gameplay?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has a percentileVsAllCpus of 93, meaning it outperforms 93% of all tested CPUs. This high ranking ensures the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU in Doom, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops that are tied to resolution rather than CPU load.