Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a commanding performance profile in Doom, with frame rates that remain highly playable even at the most demanding settings. Across the measured resolutions, the combination exhibits a predictable scaling pattern that shifts the performance bottleneck from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU as pixel count increases.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data from the measured rows shows a clear and consistent decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 231 at 1080p to 150 at 1440p, representing a 35% reduction, and then further to 81 at 4K, which is a 46% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the rendering load on the graphics card grows exponentially with pixel count.

Examining the Ultra preset reveals the same trend with even more pronounced scaling. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 189, which falls to 122 at 1440p (a 35% decrease) and then to 66 at 4K (a 46% decrease from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings strongly indicates that the RTX 4070's rendering throughput is the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs. The CPU's role diminishes at 4K, as the data shows the GPU is working near its capacity to maintain even the 66 FPS average at Ultra settings.

The Low preset provides the clearest view of the CPU's capability ceiling. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 314 FPS, a figure that suggests the game is heavily CPU-bound at this point, as the graphics card is not being fully utilized. Moving to 1440p Low yields 203 FPS, and 4K Low produces 110 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (a 35% drop) is identical to the High preset's scaling, but the absolute numbers are much higher, indicating that the GPU still has headroom at lower settings. However, the 4K Low figure of 110 FPS being significantly lower than the 1440p Low figure shows that even at minimal graphical fidelity, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K. This data suggests that for users targeting 4K, the RTX 4070 is the definitive bottleneck, while at 1080p, the Core Ultra 7 265K's processing power is what keeps frame rates in the triple digits.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its benchmark results place it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70879. This places it in close competition with the Intel Xeon 6511P, which trails by merely 0.2%, and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270, which is 0.7% behind. Conversely, it holds a 1% lead over the Intel Core i7-14700KF and a 1.3% lead over the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F.

In the context of Doom, the CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 2713 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2020, is crucial for achieving the extremely high frame rates seen at 1080p. The 314 FPS average at 1080p Low is a direct testament to the processor's ability to feed the GPU with data quickly enough to avoid becoming a bottleneck. The 20 cores and 20 threads also provide ample processing power for the game's engine logic and any background tasks, but the data suggests that Doom at this resolution is primarily dependent on raw clock speed and single-core efficiency rather than sheer core count.

The CPU's cache configuration, with 30 MB of shared L3 cache, contributes to its responsiveness. Its performance in the Passmark single-thread test (4928) and multi-thread test (58594) further solidifies its position as a high-end desktop processor. While the GPU takes over as the limiting factor at 4K, the CPU's strength at lower resolutions ensures that the combo can deliver exceptionally smooth gameplay, making it a balanced partner for the RTX 4070 in this title. The data shows that the processor's 3 nm process node and TSMC foundry production contribute to its efficiency, but in this game, the raw performance numbers are what matter most.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, is the other half of this pairing. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its boost clock is listed at 2475 MHz, and it contains 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. The GPU's benchmark performance places it in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (0.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.4% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (1.3% behind).

The GPU's role in Doom is clearly defined by the resolution scaling data. At 4K, the RTX 4070 is the definitive limiting component. The drop from 110 FPS at Low settings to 66 FPS at Ultra settings at 3840x2160 shows how sensitive the card is to graphical fidelity at this high pixel count. The 12 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the game's textures at these settings, but the raw compute power of the AD104 chip is what determines the frame rates. The 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is taxed heavily at 4K, as evidenced by the sub-100 FPS averages across all presets except Low.

At 1440p, the GPU's performance is more comfortable, with averages ranging from 122 FPS at Ultra to 203 FPS at Low. This indicates a good balance between CPU and GPU at this resolution, where neither component is completely saturated. The RTX 4070's 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores are not heavily utilized in Doom's non-ray-traced rendering path, but its traditional rasterization performance, reflected in its Passmark G3D score of 26927, is what drives these results. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s is also a factor, as Doom's fast-paced environments require rapid texture streaming. The data suggests that the RTX 4070 is a capable 1440p performer for this title, but its limits are exposed at 4K Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver excellent performance. The Ultra preset, with an average of 189 FPS, is the best choice for maximum visual fidelity, as it still provides a frame rate well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on high-end monitors. If a player has a 240 Hz display, the High preset at 231 FPS or even the Medium preset at 273 FPS would be more appropriate, sacrificing some visual quality for a smoother experience.

For 2560x1440, the High preset at 150 FPS is the sweet spot for most users, offering a great balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 122 FPS is still very playable and provides the best image quality, but the 28 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the visual gains for competitive players. The Medium preset at 177 FPS is an excellent option for those prioritizing high refresh rates, while the Low preset at 203 FPS is only recommended for esports-style play where every millisecond counts.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The Ultra preset averages just 66 FPS, which is playable on a 60 Hz display but will not satisfy users with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors. The High preset at 81 FPS is the best recommendation for 4K, as it provides a solidly playable experience without the visual compromises of the Medium preset (96 FPS) or the stark reduction in detail seen at the Low preset (110 FPS). For 4K gaming, the data suggests that High settings provide the best overall experience, as the jump from High to Ultra results in an 18.5% performance penalty for what is often a marginal visual improvement in fast-paced action. The Medium preset is a viable alternative for those who want to push frame rates closer to 100 FPS at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and RTX 4070 combo at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 189 FPS.

Q: How does the performance drop when moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 High settings, the combo achieves 150 FPS, but at 3840x2160 High settings, the average drops to 81 FPS, representing a 46% reduction in frame rate.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: The 314 FPS average at 1080p Low suggests the CPU is the primary limiting factor, as the graphics card is not being fully utilized at this low resolution and settings combination.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS in the measured data is 66 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

*Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Doom?*

A: This combination ranks 860th out of 3712 total tested combos, placing it in the top 23.2% of all configurations for this game.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the Medium and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 177 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 122 FPS, a difference of 55 FPS or approximately 31% higher performance on Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is detailed below, organized by resolution and settings preset.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 314 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 273 FPS, with a minimum of 232 FPS and a maximum of 314 FPS. The High preset produces an average of 231 FPS, while the Ultra preset, despite being the most demanding, still maintains a robust average of 189 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected decline. The Low preset averages 203 FPS. The Medium preset averages 177 FPS, with a minimum of 150 FPS and a maximum of 204 FPS. The High preset delivers 150 FPS on average, and the Ultra preset settles at 122 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly, reflecting the GPU's workload. The Low preset is the only one to break the 100 FPS barrier, averaging 110 FPS. The Medium preset averages 96 FPS, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. The High preset averages 81 FPS, and the Ultra preset is the most demanding, achieving an average of just 66 FPS.

These numbers reveal a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 125 FPS (314 vs 189), at 1440p it is 81 FPS (203 vs 122), and at 4K it narrows to 44 FPS (110 vs 66). This narrowing gap at 4K further confirms that the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU's performance headroom at lower settings cannot compensate for the GPU's rendering limits.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global ranking of tested hardware combinations for Doom, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a rank of 860 out of 3712 total combos. This places the pairing in the upper quartile of all configurations, specifically within the top 23.2% of tested systems. This ranking reflects the strong performance of both components, but it also indicates that there are 859 other combinations that deliver higher frame rates in this title.

Given that the CPU ranks in the 94th percentile among all processors and the GPU ranks in the 81st percentile among all graphics cards, the combo's overall rank of 860 is slightly lower than what the individual component percentiles might suggest. This discrepancy is likely due to the GPU being the limiting factor at higher resolutions, where the RTX 4070's performance, while strong, is outclassed by higher-tier graphics cards that other top-ranked combos likely employ. The CPU's high percentile ranking ensures that it is not holding back the system, but the GPU's 81st percentile ranking means that there are many faster graphics cards that, when paired with similarly powerful CPUs, would push the combo higher up the list.

The data shows that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, as well as solid 4K performance at High settings. Its rank of 860 out of 3712 confirms its overall capability, but users seeking the absolute highest frame rates in Doom would need to consider a more powerful GPU to climb higher in the rankings. The balanced nature of this pairing, with neither component severely bottlenecking the other at typical gaming resolutions, makes it a reliable choice, but not an extreme performance leader.