Doom

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor built on the Arrow Lake architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The chip carries 30 MB of shared L3 cache, alongside 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 per core. This configuration places it in the 94th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70,879.

In Doom's measured FPS data, the CPU's role becomes clear when examining the scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 368 FPS average, which drops to 238 FPS at 1440p Low and 129 FPS at 4K Low. The fact that the frame rate drops by roughly 35% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 46% from 1440p to 4K, indicates that the GPU is progressively becoming the bottleneck as resolution increases, rather than the CPU limiting performance at lower resolutions.

The processor's multi-threaded capabilities — evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,850 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 23,085 — suggest it can handle the game's engine overhead without becoming a limiting factor. The single-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,020 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,713, is also robust. In a fast-paced FPS like Doom, where frame pacing and draw call submission are critical, the 265K's high boost clock and modern architecture provide ample headroom; the data shows that at 1080p Ultra the combo still delivers 221 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate displays.

The chip's performance relative to its nearest rivals reinforces its capability. It sits within 1.3% of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (which has a score of 69,996) and is 1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700KF (score 70,163). The 265K trails the Intel Xeon 6511P by just 0.2% (score 71,051) and the Xeon Platinum 8270 by 0.7% (score 71,370). These margins are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios, meaning the CPU is not the differentiator in Doom's frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti achieves a rank of 461 out of 3,712 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the top 12.4% of all combinations tested, which is a strong showing for a mid-to-high-end pairing. The rank reflects the synergy between the two components: the CPU's high single-thread performance ensures that it does not bottleneck the GPU, while the GPU's substantial compute power delivers the high frame rates observed.

Breaking down the rank, it's clear that the RTX 4070 Ti is the primary driver of gaming performance here. The GPU sits in the 84th percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44,795. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 Mobile (score 45,152, delta -0.8%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (score 45,384, delta -1.3%), and the RTX A6000 (score 44,075, delta +1.6%). The margins are tight, indicating that the 4070 Ti's performance class is well-established.

The combo's rank of 461 out of 3,712 is consistent with the data: the system delivers 368 FPS at 1080p Low, which is near the top of what any current setup can achieve in this game. At 4K Ultra, it still manages 78 FPS, which is playable but not exceptional. The rank reflects a balanced system that excels at high refresh rates on 1440p and 1080p displays, while remaining competent at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 368, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the peak of the measured rows.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with maximum settings?

A: At 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings, the combo delivers an average of 78 FPS. This is the lowest average FPS recorded across all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is still the primary limiter at 1080p, though the CPU provides enough headroom. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 368 FPS, but this drops to 221 FPS at 1080p Ultra, showing that the GPU is constrained by the increasing graphical load.

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

A: At 2560x1440 resolution, Medium settings yield an average of 208 FPS, while Ultra settings yield 143 FPS. This represents a 31% reduction in average FPS when moving from Medium to Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti compare to its closest rival in terms of benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 44,795, which is 0.8% lower than the RTX 5090 Mobile (score 45,152) and 1.3% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (score 45,384). It is 1.6% higher than the RTX A6000 (score 44,075).

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at all tested resolutions and settings?

A: Yes, the lowest average FPS recorded is 78 at 4K Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for playability. All other settings and resolutions yield averages above 95 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions (3840x2160, 2560x1440, 1920x1080) and four settings levels (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). Each row provides an average FPS, with some rows also including min and max values.

At 4K (3840x2160), the combo delivers an average of 129 FPS on Low settings, 112 FPS on Medium, 95 FPS on High, and 78 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a min FPS of 96 and a max of 129, indicating a tight frame pacing range. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 51 FPS, a 39.5% reduction in performance when maxing out settings.

Moving to 1440p (2560x1440), the average FPS improves significantly: 238 FPS on Low, 208 FPS on Medium, 175 FPS on High, and 143 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting again provides min/max values (176 min, 239 max), showing a 63 FPS spread. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 95 FPS, a 39.9% reduction.

At 1080p (1920x1080), the combo produces its highest frame rates: 368 FPS on Low, 321 FPS on Medium, 271 FPS on High, and 221 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting shows a min of 273 and max of 369, a 96 FPS range. The reduction from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 147 FPS, a 39.9% drop.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Ultra settings cost roughly 40% of the average FPS compared to Low settings. This is a predictable scaling behavior, indicating that the game's graphical settings have a proportional impact on performance regardless of resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process, with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. It features 7,680 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, along with 60 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2,310 MHz and a boost clock of 2,610 MHz, with memory running at 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective).

The GPU is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for Doom at all tested resolutions, as the game's requirements are well within the 12 GB capacity. The 4070 Ti's FP32 performance is rated at 40.09 TFLOPS, with a texture rate of 626.4 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 208.8 GPixel/s.

The GPU's 84th percentile ranking among all tested GPUs is reflected in its gaming performance. In Doom, the RTX 4070 Ti drives the combo to 368 FPS at 1080p Low, demonstrating its raw rasterization power. The GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions, where its memory bandwidth and compute resources are fully utilized. At 4K Ultra, the 78 FPS average shows that the GPU is nearing its limits, but it still maintains a playable experience.

The RTX 4070 Ti's launch MSRP is 799 USD, and it was released on 2023-01-02. It is now marked as end-of-life, with the GeForce 50 series as its successor. Despite its status, the benchmark data shows it remains a capable performer in Doom, particularly at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings balance depends on the target display resolution and refresh rate.

For 1080p displays, all settings levels deliver high frame rates. The Low setting yields 368 FPS, which is excessive for most monitors, while the Ultra setting still delivers 221 FPS. The High setting at 271 FPS provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. Given that even Ultra exceeds 200 FPS, players with 144Hz or 240Hz monitors can comfortably use High or Ultra without sacrificing frame rate.

For 1440p displays, the Medium setting at 208 FPS is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, while High at 175 FPS is also excellent. The Ultra setting at 143 FPS is still suitable for 144Hz displays, but the 31% drop from Medium to Ultra may not justify the visual gains for competitive play. The Low setting at 238 FPS offers the highest frame rate, but the visual compromise is significant.

For 4K displays, the Medium setting at 112 FPS is the best option for smooth gameplay, as it maintains an average above 100 FPS. The High setting at 95 FPS is also playable, but the Ultra setting at 78 FPS dips below the 100 FPS threshold that many players prefer. The Low setting at 129 FPS offers the highest frame rate but sacrifices visual fidelity.

The data indicates that Medium settings provide the most balanced experience across all resolutions, with the min FPS values (96 at 4K, 176 at 1440p, 273 at 1080p) remaining well above playable thresholds. For players prioritizing frame rate over visuals, Low settings are viable, while those seeking maximum quality can use Ultra with the understanding that frame rates will drop by approximately 40%.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how the system's components interact with increasing pixel count. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 368 at 1080p to 238 at 1440p (a 35.3% reduction) and then to 129 at 4K (a 45.8% reduction from 1440p). At Ultra settings, the progression is from 221 FPS at 1080p to 143 FPS at 1440p (a 35.3% reduction) and then to 78 FPS at 4K (a 45.5% reduction from 1440p).

The consistency of these percentages — roughly 35% for the 1080p to 1440p step and 46% for the 1440p to 4K step — indicates that the performance scaling is primarily driven by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The 4K resolution has approximately 2.25 times the pixel count of 1440p, and the observed FPS reduction of 45-46% aligns with this increase in pixel load.

This scaling behavior confirms that the GPU is the limiting component in this combo. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K provides sufficient CPU performance to avoid bottlenecking at any resolution, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS drops are proportional to pixel count rather than reflecting a CPU constraint. At 1080p Low, the 368 FPS average is close to what the GPU can deliver when unconstrained by resolution, and the CPU's high single-thread performance ensures that draw calls are processed without delay.

The data also shows that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s is adequate for Doom's engine at 4K, as the frame rates remain playable even at Ultra settings. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor, as the game's texture requirements at 4K Ultra are within this allocation. Overall, the resolution scaling analysis shows a well-balanced system where the GPU dictates the performance ceiling, and the CPU provides ample headroom for future titles or higher refresh rate demands.