Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a commanding performance profile in Doom, with measured frame rates that consistently favor high-refresh-rate displays. The data indicates a system capable of handling the game’s most demanding settings at 4K, while at lower resolutions the CPU becomes a more prominent factor in the final frame output. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the component roles, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the provided benchmark data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the performance drop tells a significant story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 212 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces the average to 137 FPS, a drop of 75 FPS. Scaling further to 4K High brings the average down to 74 FPS, which is a 63 FPS reduction from the 1440p result. This pattern shows that the transition from 1080p to 1440p is the most punishing, representing a 35% decrease in frame rate, while the step from 1440p to 4K results in a 46% decrease. The absolute FPS numbers remain high, but the relative losses indicate that the GPU is being progressively saturated.

A closer look at the Low settings results reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 288 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 186 FPS, and at 4K Low, it settles at 101 FPS. The gap between the 1080p and 1440p Low results is 102 FPS, which is larger than the gap seen at High settings for the same resolution step. This suggests that at lower graphical loads, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with frames at a very high rate, but the GPU’s rendering capabilities become the limiting factor as resolution climbs. The fact that 4K Low (101 FPS) is slower than 1080p High (212 FPS) demonstrates that pixel throughput is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, regardless of the quality preset.

The scaling from Medium to Ultra settings at each resolution provides another layer of insight. At 4K, Medium produces 88 FPS, while Ultra drops to 61 FPS — a 27 FPS difference. At 1440p, the same settings comparison shows a 50 FPS gap (162 FPS vs 112 FPS). At 1080p, the gap widens to 78 FPS (251 FPS vs 173 FPS). This increasing spread at lower resolutions indicates that while the GPU is still the main driver of performance, the CPU has enough headroom to let the GPU’s settings-based workload variations become more apparent. The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is not fully GPU-bound at lower settings, allowing the Ultra preset to expose more of the GPU’s raw compute limits.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 61 FPS, which is the lowest recorded average across all tested configurations.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Low?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 288, while at 4K Low it is 101. This represents a 187 FPS advantage for the 1080p configuration, or roughly 2.85 times higher performance.

Q: Which settings preset at 1440p provides the highest minimum FPS?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 138, which is the only min FPS value recorded at that resolution. The High and Ultra presets do not have min FPS data available.

Q: Is the 4K High preset playable according to the data?

A: The 4K High preset yields an average of 74 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth. The data does not provide min FPS for this preset, but the average suggests a consistently responsive experience.

Q: What is the maximum FPS recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The highest max FPS value is 289, observed at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This is slightly higher than the average FPS of 288 at 1080p Low.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top third of all tested systems for Doom?

A: Yes, the comboRankInGame is 910 out of 2930 combos, placing it in the 69th percentile of all tested configurations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing for Doom, as evidenced by the FPS scaling patterns. The GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for the game’s textures and assets at all tested resolutions. The VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios, as the FPS drops are more closely tied to the GPU’s compute and pixel throughput rather than memory capacity.

The clock speeds of the RTX 4080 are listed as a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz. The boost clock is the relevant figure for sustained gaming loads, and the data shows that the GPU can maintain high frame rates even at 4K. At 4K High, the average of 74 FPS indicates that the GPU’s shader units (9728 shading units) and texture units (304 TMUs) are being heavily utilized. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K (74 FPS to 61 FPS) represents a 17.5% performance penalty, which aligns with the added computational load from higher-quality effects.

The GPU’s benchmark scores provide context for its standing. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 6567, and the Geekbench Vulkan score is 263779. The Passmark G3D score is 34457, placing the GPU in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which has an average score only 0.1% higher, making the performance difference negligible in synthetic tests. The RTX 4080’s FP32 compute of 48.74 TFLOPS is a strong indicator of its raw throughput capabilities, which directly translate to the high FPS numbers seen in Doom.

The data suggests that the RTX 4080 is well-suited for 1440p and 4K gaming in Doom, with the 4K Ultra preset being the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS average threshold. The GPU’s 112 ROPs and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for the render targets at these resolutions, and the measured FPS at 1080p indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor at that resolution when settings are lowered.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset averages 288 FPS, while Medium averages 251 FPS with a minimum of 213 FPS and a maximum of 289 FPS. High settings produce 212 FPS, and Ultra drops to 173 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 115 FPS, showing that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution. The Medium preset’s max FPS of 289 is the highest recorded value in the entire dataset, suggesting that the CPU is capable of pushing frame rates beyond the GPU’s ability to render at lower settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but starts to show the GPU’s workload. Low settings average 186 FPS, Medium averages 162 FPS with a minimum of 138 FPS and a maximum of 187 FPS. High settings produce 137 FPS, and Ultra averages 112 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is 24 FPS, while the step from Medium to High is 25 FPS, and from High to Ultra is another 25 FPS. This linear degradation indicates a consistent scaling of GPU workload with each preset tier.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the primary constraint. Low settings average 101 FPS, Medium averages 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS. High settings produce 74 FPS, and Ultra averages 61 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 40 FPS, which is proportionally larger than at 1440p (74 FPS difference) or 1080p (115 FPS difference). This confirms that the GPU’s pixel processing capabilities are the limiting factor at 4K, and the settings-based FPS penalties become more pronounced as resolution increases.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the min FPS is 213 and max is 289, giving a range of 76 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 49 FPS (138 to 187). At 4K, the range is 26 FPS (75 to 101). This tightening range at higher resolutions indicates that the frame time variance decreases as the GPU becomes more consistently saturated, which is a typical sign of a GPU-bound scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame places this specific CPU-GPU pairing at 910 out of 2930 tested combinations, which puts it in the top 31% of all systems. This ranking is notable because it shows that despite the high absolute FPS numbers, there are many other configurations that deliver even higher performance in Doom. The rank is a relative measure that accounts for the entire system, not just the GPU or CPU in isolation.

The CPU’s own benchmark percentile is 93rd among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 63173. Its nearest rival is the Intel Core i7-13790F, which scores 0.1% higher. The GPU’s percentile is 86th among all GPUs, with an average score of 54247. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a high-end GPU results in a system that ranks well, but the 910th position indicates that there are many combinations with faster GPUs or more balanced pairings for this specific game.

The ranking suggests that Doom is a title that can benefit from even more powerful GPUs than the RTX 4080, as the game’s engine is well-optimized and can scale with additional GPU resources. The fact that the combo ranks in the 69th percentile (910/2930) rather than higher is likely due to the presence of many systems with RTX 4090-class GPUs or multiple GPU configurations that push the FPS envelope further. The data indicates that this combo is more than capable for mainstream gaming, but it is not at the absolute pinnacle of performance for Doom.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 251 FPS with a minimum of 213 FPS, which is well above any refresh rate typically found on gaming monitors. At 1440p Medium, the average is 162 FPS with a minimum of 138 FPS, providing a smooth experience for 144Hz displays. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS, which is still comfortably playable on 60Hz displays and even some 75Hz panels.

For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors (240Hz or higher), the Low preset at 288 FPS average is the best choice, as it maximizes frame throughput without introducing any perceptible stutter. The Ultra preset at 1080p (173 FPS) is also viable for 144Hz and 165Hz displays, offering higher visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate above the refresh threshold.

At 1440p, the High preset (137 FPS) is the sweet spot for 144Hz monitors, providing a good balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset (112 FPS) is acceptable for 120Hz displays but may not fully saturate a 144Hz panel. The Low preset (186 FPS) is overkill for most displays but could be used for competitive play where maximum frame rate is prioritized over visuals.

At 4K, the High preset (74 FPS) is recommended for users with 60Hz displays, as it provides the best visual quality while staying above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset (88 FPS) offers a higher safety margin and is better suited for displays with a 75Hz refresh rate. The Ultra preset (61 FPS) is playable but leaves little headroom for frame time spikes, so it is only recommended for users who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over smoothness. The Low preset (101 FPS) is suitable for 100Hz 4K displays, but the visual compromises are significant compared to the High preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX plays a supporting role in this Doom configuration, but its capabilities are essential for achieving the highest frame rates at lower resolutions. The CPU features 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for gaming, as Doom’s engine benefits from strong single-thread performance. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5737 and multi-core score of 40642 demonstrate its strength in both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads.

The CPU’s 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache are ample for the game’s data requirements. The Passmark single-thread score of 4500 places the CPU in the 93rd percentile overall, indicating that it is one of the faster processors for single-threaded tasks. In Doom, this translates to the ability to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 288 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame generation capability for this game.

The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s via dual-channel DDR5 is sufficient to feed the GPU with data, and the 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes provide adequate bandwidth for the GPU to communicate with the system. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13790F (0.1% higher score) and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G (0.2% lower score), showing that the 265HX is competitively positioned in the mobile CPU market. However, as a mobile part with a 55W TDP, it may not sustain its boost clock indefinitely under heavy loads, which could explain why the FPS at 1080p, while high, does not reach the levels seen with desktop flagship CPUs. The CPU’s role becomes less critical at 4K, where the GPU’s workload dominates, but it is still sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck in any of the measured scenarios.