Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers a strong showing in Doom, ranking 895th out of 3,712 tested combos, placing it in the top quarter of all configurations. This combination produces triple-digit frame rates at every resolution tested, with the 1080p Low preset exceeding 300 FPS, indicating that the pairing is well-balanced for this title. Benchmark results show a clear progression of performance that scales predictably with both resolution and settings, making this combo a reliable choice for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p and entry-level 4K gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s position at 895th out of 3,712 tested combinations places it comfortably within the upper echelon of Doom configurations. This rank reflects the combined capabilities of the CPU and GPU, both of which contribute meaningfully to the final frame rates. The CPU itself holds a 94th percentile ranking against all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70,879, while the GPU sits at a more modest 55th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,543. The disparity between these percentiles suggests that the processor is overqualified relative to the graphics card, but in practice, the measured frame rates indicate that the GPU is still the primary driver of performance in this game.

When examining the CPU’s nearest rivals, the data shows that the Core Ultra 7 265K is essentially tied with the Intel Xeon 6511P, trailing by just 0.2% in average score. It also sits within 1% of the Intel Core i7-14700KF, which posts a 1% higher average score, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, which is 1.3% ahead. These small deltas indicate that the CPU’s processing power is not a bottleneck in this configuration; even a slightly faster processor would yield negligible gains in Doom’s frame rates. The GPU’s nearest rivals tell a different story, as the RX 9070 XT is nearly identical in average score to the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (0.1% ahead) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (0.2% ahead). This clustering of scores suggests that the GPU’s raw benchmark average does not fully capture its gaming performance, since the measured FPS data for this combo shows far more separation from lower-tier cards than the synthetic averages imply.

The rank of 895 out of 3,712 is particularly noteworthy because Doom is a fast-paced FPS where high frame rates directly translate to smoother gameplay. A combo in the top 24% of all tested configurations ensures that users will experience minimal frame pacing issues and responsive controls. The data also shows that this rank is achieved without relying on upscaling technologies, as all measured FPS values are native render resolutions. This makes the 895th position even more impressive, as it represents raw hardware capability rather than software-assisted performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K brings 20 cores and 20 threads to this pairing, operating at a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This Arrow Lake-S architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC, provides substantial multi-threaded headroom that benefits modern game engines. In Doom, which is known for its id Tech engine that scales well across multiple cores, the 20-thread configuration ensures that background tasks, physics calculations, and AI processing do not interfere with frame rendering. The CPU’s L3 cache of 30 MB shared across the chip, combined with 3 MB of L2 cache per core, allows for rapid data access that keeps the GPU fed with draw calls and geometry data.

Benchmark scores for the CPU highlight its strong single-thread performance, which is critical for Doom’s main game loop. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,020 places it well above average, while the Geekbench single-core score of 2,713 confirms this capability. Multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,850 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 23,085. These numbers indicate that the CPU can handle both the primary rendering thread and auxiliary worker threads without becoming a limiting factor. The PassMark multi-thread score of 58,594 and single-thread score of 4,928 further substantiate this, showing balanced performance across both metrics.

In Doom specifically, the CPU’s role is to maintain a consistent frame delivery rate, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU has spare capacity. At 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the combo achieves 314 FPS average, which suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding frames at rates exceeding 300 per second. The 5.50 GHz boost clock is instrumental here, as higher clocks reduce the time needed to process each frame’s command list. The CPU’s 125 W TDP indicates that it is not power-constrained during gaming workloads, allowing sustained boost clocks over extended sessions. The 20 cores also provide future-proofing for games that increasingly utilize multi-threading, though in Doom’s case, the 2016 release date means the engine’s threading model is well-understood and effectively utilized.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, fabricated on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth. For Doom, this memory configuration is more than sufficient, as the game’s textures and geometry fit comfortably within the 16 GB frame buffer even at 4K Ultra settings. The GPU’s boost clock of 2,970 MHz and game clock of 2,400 MHz allow for high fill rates, with a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 760.3 GTexel/s. These specifications translate into 48.66 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is ample for a 2016-era title that was designed for hardware a fraction of this power.

The GPU’s benchmark scores, while only placing it in the 55th percentile against all GPUs, show strong DirectX performance. The PassMark G3D score of 26,795 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 65,879 indicate robust API handling, which is directly relevant to Doom’s Vulkan renderer. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 7,260 further confirms the GPU’s capability in modern graphics APIs. The 16 GB VRAM capacity ensures that even with Ultra settings at 4K, the GPU does not resort to memory swapping, which would cause frame hitches. The 128 ROPs and 256 TMUs provide ample pixel and texture throughput, respectively, ensuring that the GPU can sustain high frame rates without bottlenecking its own shading units.

In Doom, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the GPU is underutilized, with the CPU likely providing the ceiling for performance. However, as settings rise to Ultra and resolution climbs to 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, as evidenced by the frame rate drops discussed later. The GPU’s 304 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU requirement indicate that it is a power-hungry component, but this power draw is justified by the performance delivered. The dual-slot cooler and 2x 8-pin power connectors suggest that proper thermal management is necessary, though the measured FPS data shows consistent performance across all tested scenarios, implying that thermal throttling is not a concern in this configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its highest frame rates across the board. The Low preset delivers an average of 314 FPS, which is exceptional for competitive play. Medium settings see a drop to 273 FPS, with a minimum of 232 FPS and a maximum of 314 FPS, indicating tight frame pacing. High settings reduce the average to 231 FPS, while Ultra settings bring it down to 189 FPS. These numbers show that even at the most demanding 1080p preset, the combo maintains frame rates well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, which typically cap at 240 Hz or 360 Hz.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain highly playable. Low settings produce an average of 203 FPS, which is identical to the maximum FPS recorded at this resolution, suggesting that the GPU is not fully saturated. Medium settings yield 177 FPS average, with a minimum of 150 FPS and a maximum of 203 FPS, showing a wider variance that indicates some scenes are more demanding. High settings drop to 149 FPS average, while Ultra settings settle at 122 FPS. The 122 FPS at 1440p Ultra is notable because it exceeds the 120 Hz refresh rate common on many 1440p monitors, ensuring a smooth experience for most users. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1440p shows a 40% reduction in frame rate, from 203 FPS to 122 FPS, which is a moderate cost for the visual quality improvements.

At 3840x2160, the combo still delivers playable frame rates, though the gap between settings narrows. Low settings average 110 FPS, which is sufficient for 4K gaming on standard 60 Hz displays and even some 120 Hz panels. Medium settings average 96 FPS, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS, indicating that frame times can vary significantly in demanding scenes. High settings reduce the average to 81 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 66 FPS. The 66 FPS at 4K Ultra is just above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a playable experience, though users with high refresh rate 4K monitors will need to lower settings to take full advantage of their display. The variance at 4K Medium, spanning 81 to 110 FPS, suggests that the GPU is nearing its limits, and users seeking consistent frame rates may prefer High settings, which offer a more stable experience despite a lower average.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the balance between CPU and GPU limitations. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 314 FPS, while at 1440p Low, it drops to 203 FPS, a reduction of 35.4%. Moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 110 FPS, a further reduction of 45.8%. This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming progressively more stressed as resolution increases, while the CPU’s contribution remains relatively constant. The fact that 1080p Low produces 314 FPS, which is higher than the 203 FPS at 1440p Low, suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 1080p; rather, the GPU is already the limiting factor even at the lowest settings.

Comparing High settings across resolutions provides additional insight. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 231 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 149 FPS, a 35.5% reduction; and at 4K High, it falls to 81 FPS, a 45.6% reduction from 1440p. The consistent percentage drops across Low and High settings indicate that the scaling is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. This means that the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are the key constraints, not the CPU’s ability to process draw calls or physics. The 16 GB VRAM is not a factor at any resolution, as even 4K Ultra with its largest texture sets stays within the frame buffer.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings shows a reduction from 273 FPS to 177 FPS, a 35.2% drop, while from 1440p to 4K Medium, the reduction is 45.8%, from 177 FPS to 96 FPS. Ultra settings follow a similar trend: 1080p Ultra yields 189 FPS, 1440p Ultra yields 122 FPS (35.4% drop), and 4K Ultra yields 66 FPS (45.9% drop). These consistent percentages across all settings strongly indicate that the GPU is the limiting component at every resolution above 1080p. At 1080p, the CPU may still have some headroom, as evidenced by the 314 FPS Low result, but the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached quickly as resolution increases. This analysis suggests that users who prioritize high refresh rates should play at 1080p or 1440p, while 4K gaming is viable for 60-100 FPS depending on settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Doom?

A: The highest average FPS is 314, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 66, which exceeds the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K has an average benchmark score of 70,879, which is 0.2% lower than the Intel Xeon 6511P’s score of 71,051, making them nearly identical in performance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 203 FPS, while Ultra settings average 122 FPS, representing a 40% reduction in frame rate.

Q: Does the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM cause any limitations in Doom?

A: No, the 16 GB VRAM is sufficient for all tested settings and resolutions, as the highest resolution (3840x2160) and highest settings (Ultra) still deliver playable frame rates without memory-related stuttering.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combinations for Doom?

A: The combo ranks 895th out of 3,712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 24% of all configurations tested for this game.