Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it carries a TDP of 125 W. This CPU sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 93,785, placing it in the same performance tier as the Intel Xeon 6520P (which scores 93,786, a 0% delta) and just ahead of the AMD EPYC 4564P (95,183, -1.5% delta). In Doom, this processor’s role is somewhat secondary; the game’s measured frame rates are far more constrained by the graphics card, but the CPU’s high single-thread and multi-thread scores—such as 2,439 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 44,253 in multi-core—ensure that it is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested. The data shows that even at 1080p with Low settings, where the GPU load is lightest, the average frame rate reaches only 92 FPS, which is well below what this CPU could theoretically deliver, confirming that the processor has ample headroom and is never the limiting factor in this pairing.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus provides 24 cores and 24 threads, operating with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It features a 36 MB shared L3 cache, with 3 MB of L2 per core and 192 KB of L1 per core. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU demonstrates strong performance: a PassMark single-thread score of 5,068 and a multi-thread score of 68,574, alongside a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,253. These figures place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, making it a high-end part that is statistically equivalent to the Intel Xeon 6520P (0% delta) and only slightly behind the AMD EPYC 4564P (-1.5% delta). For Doom, a title from 2016, the game’s engine does not heavily utilize the 24 available threads; instead, it benefits most from the processor’s strong single-core performance, which is more than sufficient to feed the GPU.

The measured FPS data shows that the CPU’s capability is never fully taxed. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system averages 92 FPS, and at Ultra settings, it drops to 56 FPS. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rates to remain relatively flat across different resolutions when settings are held constant. However, the data reveals a different pattern: at High settings, the average FPS drops from 68 at 1080p to 44 at 1440p and further to 24 at 4K. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint, as the rendering load increases with resolution. The CPU’s high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that even single-threaded game logic, which is common in older FPS titles, is processed quickly, allowing the Radeon RX 570 to operate as the bottleneck without being starved by the processor.

Furthermore, the CPU’s memory support includes DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, which is ample for this game’s data demands. The processor also has 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes, providing a fast interface for the GPU, although the Radeon RX 570 itself uses PCIe 3.0 x16. The benchmark results indicate that the Ultra 7 270K Plus is a future-proof part, but in this specific configuration with Doom, its role is to provide a stable, high-performance foundation that does not interfere with the GPU’s output. The combo’s rank of 2,812 out of 2,930 combinations (the 4th percentile) suggests that this pairing is heavily imbalanced, with the CPU vastly outperforming the GPU in this game’s context. In essence, the CPU’s specifications are irrelevant to the frame rate ceiling in Doom; the data shows it is purely a supporting component that ensures the GPU is the only thing holding back performance.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this CPU and GPU combo in Doom?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 92 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. At the same resolution with Ultra settings, the average drops to 56 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus compare to its closest rival in raw CPU performance?

A: The CPU scores 93,785 on average, which is statistically identical to the Intel Xeon 6520P at 93,786 (0% delta). It is 1.5% behind the AMD EPYC 4564P and 1.9% behind the AMD EPYC 9175F, indicating it sits in a very tight performance cluster among high-end server and desktop parts.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor when playing Doom at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The data shows an average of 52 FPS at 1440p Medium, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. Since the frame rate scales down significantly from 1080p (80 FPS at Medium) to 1440p, the GPU is the limiting factor; the CPU’s performance is far above what is needed to sustain these frame rates.

Q: What is the average frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rate is 32 FPS on Low settings and 19 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a 13 FPS drop (approximately 40% lower) when moving from the lowest to the highest preset, highlighting the GPU’s inability to handle high-quality rendering at 4K.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX 570’s memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s affect its performance in Doom?

A: The GPU has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In the benchmark data, the frame rates at 4K (24 FPS on High) suggest that the memory bandwidth and capacity are sufficient for the game’s textures at this resolution, but the overall GPU compute power (5.095 TFLOPS FP32) is the primary bottleneck, as seen in the steep FPS drops with increased settings.

Q: How does the GPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28,766, which is 0.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28,874) and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28,580). It is also 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28,996), indicating it performs nearly identically to its immediate predecessor and successor in synthetic tests.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Doom reveals a clear and consistent pattern of frame rate decline as resolution increases, which is the hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. At High settings, the average frame rate starts at 68 FPS at 1920x1080, falls to 44 FPS at 2560x1440, and bottoms out at 24 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 45% drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, which is typical for a GPU that is struggling to fill pixels at higher resolutions. The Radeon RX 570, with its 32 ROPs and a pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s, is simply overwhelmed by the 4K pixel count, leading to the low 24 FPS average.

Looking at the Low settings, the same trend is visible: 92 FPS at 1080p, 60 FPS at 1440p, and 32 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 35%, and from 1440p to 4K is about 47%. This consistency across settings indicates that the resolution scaling is independent of the graphical preset, further confirming that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rates at 1080p to be much higher and the drop to 1440p to be less severe, as the CPU’s workload (game logic, draw calls) does not increase with resolution. Instead, the data shows that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the constraint.

The CPU’s performance, as measured by its 96th percentile ranking, is far beyond what is needed for Doom. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU has the least work to do, the system only achieves 92 FPS, which is a modest result given the CPU’s capabilities. This suggests that the game’s frame rate is capped by the GPU’s ability to render frames, not by the CPU’s ability to process them. The combo’s overall rank of 2,812 out of 2,930 (the 4th percentile) underscores this imbalance: in this pairing, the CPU is a top-tier part while the GPU is a mid-range part from an older generation, leading to a situation where the GPU drags down the entire system’s performance in a demanding 3D application like Doom.

In summary, the resolution scaling data shows a steep and consistent FPS drop from 1080p to 4K, which is a direct indicator that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the limiting component. The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus provides a robust foundation, but its power is untapped in this game, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rates are solely governed by the GPU’s rendering speed. For a user seeking higher frame rates, lowering the resolution provides the most significant benefit, as seen in the jump from 24 FPS at 4K High to 68 FPS at 1080p High.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how this CPU-GPU combo performs across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. On Low settings, the average frame rate is 92 FPS, which is the highest figure recorded for this combo. Medium settings yield an average of 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. High settings produce an average of 68 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to an average of 56 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 36 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s performance scales significantly with the quality preset.

Moving up to 2560x1440, the frame rates take a noticeable hit. Low settings still manage an average of 60 FPS, which is playable, but Medium settings fall to 52 FPS (with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS). High settings average 44 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 36 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 24 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, showing that the GPU is running out of headroom as the resolution increases. The minimum frame rate of 44 FPS at Medium settings suggests that there are occasional dips that could be noticeable in fast-paced gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance is marginal at best. Low settings average 32 FPS, Medium settings average 28 FPS (with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 32 FPS), High settings average 24 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 19 FPS. None of these frame rates are ideal for a smooth experience, and the data suggests that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Doom. The minimum frame rate of 24 FPS at Medium settings indicates that the GPU is consistently struggling to maintain playable performance. Across all settings, the pattern is clear: as resolution increases, the average FPS drops by roughly 35-45% per step, and the settings preset has a smaller impact at higher resolutions, confirming the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is a Polaris 20 chip built on a 14 nm process, featuring 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its base clock is 1,168 MHz, with a boost clock of 1,244 MHz, and it has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory running at 1,750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) on a 256-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This configuration yields a FP32 compute performance of 5.095 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s. In the benchmark data, the GPU has an average score of 28,766, placing it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28,874, -0.4% delta), followed by the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28,580, 0.7% delta), showing that the RX 570 performs on par with a mobile high-end part and its own predecessor.

In Doom, the GPU’s role is decisive. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game’s textures at 1080p and 1440p, but the data shows that the compute power is the limiting factor. At 1080p, the GPU can deliver 92 FPS on Low, but this drops to 56 FPS on Ultra, a 39% reduction. This is directly related to the GPU’s shading units and clock speed: as the settings increase, the shader workload increases, and the 2,048 shading units at 1,244 MHz are not enough to maintain high frame rates. The 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is also a consideration, but in Doom, the texture data fits within 4 GB, so the bandwidth is not the primary constraint; instead, it is the pixel and texture fill rates.

The GPU’s performance at 4K is particularly telling. With only 32 ROPs, the pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s is insufficient to fill a 3840x2160 buffer at acceptable speeds, resulting in an average of 24 FPS on High and 19 FPS on Ultra. This aligns with the GPU’s benchmark percentile (74th), which indicates it is a mid-range part that is not designed for high-resolution gaming. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s clocks and memory bandwidth are fixed, and the only way to improve performance is to reduce the rendering resolution or lower the settings preset. The GPU’s end-of-life production status and its release date of April 2017 (a year after Doom’s release) suggest it is an older part that was competent for 1080p gaming at the time, but it struggles with the demands of higher resolutions and more demanding presets in this title.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset for this combo depends heavily on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 80 FPS and a minimum of 68 FPS. This provides a smooth, playable experience for a fast-paced FPS like Doom, and the 80 FPS average is close to the Low preset’s 92 FPS, but with significantly better visual quality. The High preset at 68 FPS is also playable, but the drop from 80 FPS to 68 FPS may be noticeable to some users, and the Ultra preset at 56 FPS is on the lower end of what is typically considered smooth for a competitive shooter. Therefore, Medium at 1080p is the recommended preset, as it maintains a high frame rate while offering better visuals than Low.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. The Low preset achieves an average of 60 FPS, which is exactly at the threshold for smooth gameplay, but the Medium preset drops to 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS, which could result in stuttering during intense action sequences. The data suggests that Low is the only viable preset for a consistently smooth experience at 1440p, as it avoids the dips below 50 FPS that are seen with Medium. The High and Ultra presets (44 FPS and 36 FPS, respectively) are not recommended for a game that requires quick reflexes, as the frame rates are too low. Thus, for 1440p, Low is the best choice, sacrificing visual fidelity for playable performance.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets deliver acceptable performance. The Low preset averages 32 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, and the Medium preset averages 28 FPS with a minimum of 24 FPS. The High and Ultra presets (24 FPS and 19 FPS) are unplayable. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Doom, and users should avoid it entirely. If forced to play at 4K, Low settings would provide the least poor experience, but the frame rates are still too low for a competitive FPS. The overall recommendation is to play at 1080p with Medium settings, which delivers the best combination of frame rate (80 FPS average) and visual quality, as the measured data shows this preset provides a 28 FPS improvement over Ultra at the same resolution while maintaining a minimum frame rate of 68 FPS.