Doom

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 sits at rank 215 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the top 5.8% of all configurations. This is a strong result, though not the absolute top tier. The data indicates this combo is positioned for high-refresh-rate 1440p play and very capable 4K performance, rather than being an extreme enthusiast outlier.

The CPU itself holds the 94th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 70879. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the Intel Xeon 6511P scores 71051 (just 0.2% higher), the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 scores 71370 (0.7% higher), while the Intel Core i7-14700KF trails by 1% at 70163 and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is 1.3% behind at 69996. This means the 265K is essentially at parity with the fastest Xeon server chips in raw CPU workloads, but for gaming, the combination with the RTX 4080 matters more.

The GPU sits at the 86th percentile of all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is only 0.1% ahead at 54209 — effectively identical. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% ahead at 54828, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S are 2.6% and 2.7% ahead respectively, though those scores come from different benchmark suites. For Doom specifically, the measured FPS data shows this combo delivers the kind of headroom that keeps frame rates high even at Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: Medium settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium produces 350 FPS average, which is only 12.7% lower than Low's 401 FPS but delivers substantially better visual fidelity. At 1440p, Medium hits 226 FPS average, a 13.1% drop from Low's 260 FPS, yet still far above any display refresh rate you would realistically use. Even at 4K, Medium achieves 123 FPS average, which is 20.1% above the 4K High result of 104 FPS and only 14.6% below 4K Low's 141 FPS.

Ultra settings are viable but show the cost of maxing out. At 1080p, Ultra drops to 241 FPS average, a 31.1% reduction from Medium. At 1440p, Ultra falls to 156 FPS, down 31% from Medium's 226. At 4K, Ultra produces 85 FPS average, which is a 30.9% drop from Medium's 123. The consistency of this ~31% penalty across resolutions suggests it is more about the GPU workload than CPU limitations.

For competitive play, Low settings at 1080p (401 FPS) or 1440p (260 FPS) would maximize frame rates, but the data suggests Medium is the sweet spot. The measured minimum FPS values for Medium are 297 at 1080p, 192 at 1440p, and 104 at 4K — all well above 60 FPS, and the 1080p and 1440p minimums are high enough to keep even 240Hz monitors fully fed. If you want the best experience without chasing esports-level frame rates, Medium is the recommendation.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals how this combo scales with resolution. At Medium settings, 1080p produces 350 FPS, 1440p produces 226 FPS, and 4K produces 123 FPS. That is a 35.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45.6% drop from 1440p to 4K. The overall scaling from 1080p to 4K is a 64.9% reduction in frame rate.

This scaling pattern indicates the RTX 4080 is the limiting factor as resolution increases. The 265K with 20 cores and 20 threads has no trouble feeding frames at lower resolutions — the jump from 1080p to 1440p is relatively modest, suggesting the CPU can handle the draw calls at high frame rates. But the steep drop to 4K points to the GPU's raw pixel throughput becoming the constraint. The RTX 4080's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth are strong, but at 4K Ultra the 85 FPS average shows the card working hard.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar: 401 FPS at 1080p, 260 FPS at 1440p, and 141 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is interesting — it is only 14.6% below 4K Medium, which suggests that at 4K the GPU is so heavily loaded that reducing settings from Medium to Low yields diminishing returns. Conversely, at 1080p, Low to Medium only costs 12.7%, and Low to Ultra costs 39.9%, indicating the CPU can still push high frame rates even with more GPU work.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 401 FPS average
• Medium: 350 FPS average, with minimum 297 and maximum 402
• High: 295 FPS average
• Ultra: 241 FPS average

At 1080p, Low settings push past 400 FPS, which is beyond any current display's refresh rate. Medium stays above 350 FPS, and even Ultra clears 240 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 39.9%, a significant penalty but still leaving enormous headroom. The measured minimum at Medium (297 FPS) shows that even in demanding scenes, frame rates stay extremely high.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 260 FPS average
• Medium: 226 FPS average, with minimum 192 and maximum 260
• High: 191 FPS average
• Ultra: 156 FPS average

1440p is where this combo truly shines. Low settings deliver 260 FPS, which is ideal for 240Hz monitors. Medium stays above 220 FPS, and High still clears 190 FPS. Ultra drops to 156 FPS, which is still smooth for 144Hz displays. The scaling from Low to Ultra is 40% at 1440p, nearly identical to the 1080p penalty, suggesting the GPU is becoming more relevant but the CPU still has headroom.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 141 FPS average
• Medium: 123 FPS average, with minimum 104 and maximum 141
• High: 104 FPS average
• Ultra: 85 FPS average

4K is where the RTX 4080 starts to show its limits. Low settings produce 141 FPS, which is playable on high-refresh 4K displays, but Medium drops to 123 FPS and High to 104 FPS. Ultra falls to 85 FPS, which is still smooth for 60Hz displays but not ideal for competitive play. The minimum at Medium (104 FPS) is close to the High average, indicating some scene complexity spikes. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 39.7%, consistent with other resolutions, but the absolute numbers are lower due to the pixel workload.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming at above 60 FPS in Doom?

A: Yes, all measured 4K settings exceed 60 FPS. Low averages 141 FPS, Medium 123 FPS, High 104 FPS, and even Ultra maintains 85 FPS average. The minimum at Medium is 104 FPS, so frame drops stay well above 60 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU can push 401 FPS on Low settings, but at 4K Ultra the frame rate drops to 85 FPS, indicating the RTX 4080's pixel throughput is the constraint. The 265K's 20 cores and 5.50 GHz boost clock provide ample headroom.

Q: What settings should I use for a 240Hz monitor?

A: For 1080p, Low (401 FPS) or Medium (350 FPS) both exceed 240 FPS. For 1440p, Low (260 FPS) clears 240 FPS, but Medium (226 FPS) does not. If you have a 1440p 240Hz display, Low settings are required to fully saturate it.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical: 54247 for the RTX 4080 and 54209 for the RTX 4080 SUPER, a 0.1% difference. In practice, this means the two cards perform the same in Doom, and the 265K combo would rank similarly with either GPU.

Q: Does the 265K's lack of hyperthreading hurt gaming performance?

A: The 265K has 20 cores and 20 threads, so no hyperthreading. However, its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35850 and single-core score of 2020 indicate strong performance. The measured FPS data shows no CPU-related frame drops at 1080p, where the CPU is most stressed, so the thread configuration is sufficient for Doom.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Doom?

A: The sweet spot is 1440p. At Medium settings it delivers 226 FPS average, which is high enough for competitive play while offering better visual quality than 1080p. At 4K, Medium still produces 123 FPS, but the 1440p experience is where the combo's strengths are most visible.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC with 17,800 million transistors. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 125W TDP. The cache configuration includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3. This CPU supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth, plus PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes.

In Doom, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data, and the 265K performs admirably. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35850 and single-core score of 2020 show a balanced design. The Geekbench scores of 23085 multi-core and 2713 single-core reinforce this. The Passmark multi-thread score of 58594 and single-thread score of 4928 indicate the CPU can handle both heavily threaded workloads and the single-thread-heavy tasks that older game engines often use.

Doom's 2016 engine is known for scaling well with multi-core CPUs, and the 265K's 20 cores provide plenty of parallel processing. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 401 FPS, which would be impossible if the CPU were a bottleneck. Even with the GPU pushed hard at 4K Ultra (85 FPS), the CPU is not limiting the frame rate — the RTX 4080's 48.74 TFLOPS of compute and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are the constraints.

The 265K's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in synthetic benchmarks. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6511P, scores 71051, a 0.2% difference, while the i7-14700KF is 1% slower. This puts the 265K in elite company for CPU performance, and the combo's 215th rank out of 3712 tested configurations reflects a well-balanced pairing. If you were to pair this CPU with a faster GPU, the 4K Ultra numbers would likely improve, but for Doom specifically, the RTX 4080 is the component that determines the high-resolution experience.