Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination delivers exceptional performance in Doom, securing the top rank among 2,930 tested combos. The data reveals a system where the GPU is the clear scaling bottleneck, yet the CPU provides ample headroom to maintain high frame rates even at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title like Doom. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 357 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops the average to 231 FPS, a 35% reduction. The jump to 4K further reduces performance to 125 FPS, which is a 46% drop from the 1440p figure and a 65% drop from 1080p. This pattern strongly indicates that the rendering load is scaling directly with pixel count, placing the burden squarely on the graphics processor.

The scaling curve becomes even more telling when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system produces 485 FPS. This high ceiling suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at an extremely fast rate. At 1440p Low, the average is 314 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 170 FPS. The fact that the frame rate drops by more than half from 1080p to 4K even on Low settings suggests that the GPU’s raw fillrate and shading capabilities are the limiting factors, not the CPU's ability to prepare frames.

The performance gap between settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (485 FPS) and Ultra (292 FPS) is 193 FPS. At 4K, the gap between Low (170 FPS) and Ultra (102 FPS) is only 68 FPS. This compression of the settings-based performance delta at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is saturated. When the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel workload, the additional cost of higher visual fidelity settings has a relatively smaller impact on the final frame rate because the shader units are already the primary constraint.

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 scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35,850 and a single-core score of 2,020. The data shows this is a high-end CPU, sitting in the 94th percentile of all tested processors. Its closest rival in average benchmark score is the Intel Xeon 6511P, which is only 0.2% faster, indicating the 265K is at the very top of the performance hierarchy in general compute.

In the context of Doom, the CPU's role appears to be one of enabling rather than limiting. The fact that the system can reach 485 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates that the 20 cores and high boost clocks are sufficient to handle the game's simulation and draw-call overhead. Even at 1080p Ultra, the system still produces 292 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most displays. The CPU's performance headroom is so vast that it does not become a bottleneck until the GPU is pushed to its absolute limits at 4K.

The 20 threads are likely more than enough for Doom, a game from 2016 that was designed to scale well on multi-core processors but does not require a massive core count. The single-core performance, as evidenced by the Geekbench single-core score of 2,713, is also critical for maintaining high frame times in a fast-paced FPS. The data implies that the CPU's high frequency and modern architecture ensure that frame pacing remains consistent, even when the GPU is producing hundreds of frames per second. The processor's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth further support this high-throughput environment.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing. It is a massive GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Its architecture is Blackwell 2.0, built on a 5 nm process. The GPU's specifications are staggering, with 21,760 shading units and a boost clock of 2,407 MHz. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326 and Passmark G3D score of 44,065 place it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 77,712.

The GPU's role in Doom is to render the game's fast-paced action at high resolutions and settings. The data shows it performs admirably, but the resolution scaling analysis confirms it is the primary limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, the GPU produces 102 FPS, which is a playable frame rate but shows the strain of rendering the game at its highest fidelity on a 4K panel. The GPU's immense memory bandwidth and 32 GB VRAM are more than sufficient for Doom, which is not a VRAM-intensive title by modern standards, but the sheer compute load of 4K rendering still caps performance.

The RTX 5090 D's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are mobile GPUs like the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which is 1.6% faster, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB, which is 2.1% faster. This is an unusual comparison, as the 5090 D is a desktop flagship, but the benchmark data suggests that in synthetic tests, its score is closely matched by other high-end parts. In the specific context of Doom, however, the 5090 D's performance is clearly in a league of its own, as evidenced by the combo's rank of 1 out of 2,930. The GPU's high pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are directly relevant to a game like Doom, which features complex textures and fast camera movements.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combo ranks first overall in Doom, out of a total of 2,930 tested combinations. This top-tier ranking indicates that this specific pairing of CPU and GPU is the best-performing configuration in the database for this game. The data shows that no other tested combination of processor and graphics card can match the frame rates achieved by this pairing.

This ranking confirms the balance of power between the two components. While the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, the CPU is powerful enough to never hold it back. If the CPU were weaker, the 1080p frame rates would likely be lower, as the processor would struggle to keep up with the GPU's output. Conversely, if the GPU were weaker, the 4K performance would suffer more significantly. The fact that this combo achieves 485 FPS at 1080p Low and 102 FPS at 4K Ultra shows a system that is well-matched across the entire resolution spectrum.

The delta between this combo and the rest of the field is not directly provided in the data, but its rank of 1 implies that it outperforms all other 2,929 combinations. This is a significant achievement, as it suggests that for Doom, there is no faster pairing of CPU and GPU available in the benchmark database. The data indicates that users seeking the absolute maximum performance in this game would need to replicate this exact hardware setup.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 485 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: At 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra preset, the combo achieves an average of 102 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p, as the frame rate drops significantly with higher settings (357 FPS on High vs 485 FPS on Low). The CPU is powerful enough to support these high frame rates.

*Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems in Doom?*

A: The combo ranks first, out of a total of 2,930 tested combinations.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 resolution with the Medium preset, the combo achieves an average of 273 FPS, with a minimum of 232 FPS and a maximum of 314 FPS.

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

A: The 1080p Low result (485 FPS) is roughly 4.75 times faster than the 4K Ultra result (102 FPS).

Settings Recommendations

According to the measured FPS data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the user's display resolution and refresh rate.

For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the best choice. The combo delivers 292 FPS on Ultra, which is high enough to take full advantage of even the fastest 240Hz or 360Hz monitors. While the Low preset (485 FPS) provides a higher frame rate, the visual fidelity loss is not worth the extra frames when the Ultra preset already exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all consumer displays. The Medium preset at 422 FPS is also a viable option, but Ultra offers the best balance of visual quality and performance.

For 1440p displays, the Ultra preset is also recommended. The 189 FPS average on Ultra is sufficient for high-refresh-rate gaming and provides the best visual experience. The High preset (231 FPS) is a good alternative for users with 240Hz monitors who prioritize frame rate over maximum visual detail, but the difference in quality between High and Ultra is often noticeable. The Medium preset at 273 FPS is for competitive players who want the highest possible frame rate, but it sacrifices some visual fidelity.

For 4K displays, the High preset is the sweet spot. The 125 FPS average on High is a smooth experience for most games and is well-suited for 120Hz displays. The Ultra preset drops to 102 FPS, which is still playable but might not be ideal for a fast-paced FPS where frame pacing is critical. The Medium preset (148 FPS) provides a higher frame rate but with lower visual quality. Given that the jump from High to Ultra costs 23 FPS, the High preset offers the best combination of visual quality and performance at 4K. The Low preset at 170 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it significantly degrades the visual experience for a marginal frame rate gain over Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table and analysis present the exact measured FPS data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Doom.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average 485 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded at any resolution.
• Medium: Average 422 FPS, with a minimum of 359 FPS and a maximum of 486 FPS.
• High: Average 357 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 292 FPS.

The 1080p results show a clear scaling pattern. The difference between Low and Medium is 63 FPS, between Medium and High is 65 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 65 FPS. This linear scaling suggests that the GPU is not fully saturated at this resolution and that each settings tier adds a consistent computational load.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average 314 FPS.
• Medium: Average 273 FPS, with a minimum of 232 FPS and a maximum of 314 FPS.
• High: Average 231 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 189 FPS.

At 1440p, the frame rates drop by approximately 35% compared to 1080p for each settings tier. The scaling between settings remains consistent, with a difference of 41 FPS between Low and Medium, 42 FPS between Medium and High, and 42 FPS between High and Ultra. The minimum FPS on Medium (232 FPS) is still higher than the average FPS on Ultra (189 FPS), indicating that the Medium preset provides a more stable and higher-performing experience.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average 170 FPS.
• Medium: Average 148 FPS, with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 170 FPS.
• High: Average 125 FPS.
• Ultra: Average 102 FPS.

The 4K results show the largest impact of resolution scaling. The drop from 1440p to 4K is roughly 46% across all settings. The scaling between settings also becomes less linear, with a difference of 22 FPS between Low and Medium, 23 FPS between Medium and High, and 23 FPS between High and Ultra. The minimum FPS on Medium (126 FPS) is only slightly above the average FPS on Ultra (102 FPS), highlighting the performance cost of the Ultra preset at this resolution.