Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers exceptional performance in Doom (2016), a game known for its scalability and high frame rates. This combination ranks first out of 2,930 tested combos in this title, with measured data showing triple-digit averages even at 4K Ultra settings. The analysis below breaks down the CPU and GPU contributions, measured FPS across resolutions and settings, and provides practical guidance based on the benchmark rows.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo in Doom?*

A: This combination ranks first overall, holding the top spot out of 2,930 tested combinations. The data indicates it is the best-performing setup for this game in the database.

Q: How many cores and threads does the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus have?

A: The CPU features 24 cores and 24 threads. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This is a high-core-count desktop processor from the Arrow Lake Refresh generation.

Q: What is the memory configuration of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D?

A: The GPU comes with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. The base clock is 2017 MHz, with a boost clock of 2407 MHz.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 357. This indicates the game runs far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors at this resolution.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more likely to limit performance at 4K Ultra?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 102. The data shows a steady decline in FPS as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which indicates the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU maintains enough headroom.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p Low and 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low setting averages 485 FPS, while 4K Ultra averages 102 FPS. This represents a drop of 383 FPS, or roughly 79% lower performance, when moving to the highest resolution and preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this configuration, and the Doom benchmark results highlight its strengths. Built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB202 chip, the GPU has 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus yields a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s, which is more than sufficient for Doom’s texture-heavy environments. The clock speeds are 2017 MHz base and 2407 MHz boost, and the pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s.

The 32 GB VRAM is a clear overprovision for Doom, which was released in 2016 and does not require such capacity at any settings. The practical implication is that VRAM will never be a bottleneck in this game, even at 4K with Ultra presets and potential future mods or texture packs. The memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s supports high fill rates, allowing the GPU to maintain consistent frame pacing.

Benchmark results place the GPU in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, scores 76,904, putting the RTX 5090 D just 1.1% ahead. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940, which is 1.6% higher, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396 (2.1% higher) and the 16 GB version scores 79,605 (2.4% higher). These delta values indicate that while the RTX 5090 D is a top-tier consumer card, its raw compute scores are closely matched by some workstation and mobile parts. However, in Doom specifically, the measured FPS data shows the GPU delivering outstanding results, with 4K Ultra averaging 102 FPS.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,915 further reinforce the GPU’s capability. For Doom, which uses the id Tech 6 engine and scales well with GPU throughput, the RTX 5090 D’s raw rasterization power is the key factor. The FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS allows for high shader complexity without frame drops. The data shows that the GPU handles all settings presets with ease, from Low (170 FPS at 4K) to Ultra (102 FPS at 4K), confirming that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus provides the computational foundation for this system, and its specifications align well with Doom’s requirements. The CPU has 24 cores and 24 threads, a base clock of 3.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It is built on a 3 nm process with 17,800 million transistors and a die size of 243 mm². The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s.

In Doom, which is not heavily multi-threaded compared to modern titles, the CPU’s high boost clock of 5.50 GHz is more relevant than its core count. The game engine benefits from strong single-thread performance, and the CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,439 and Passmark single-thread score of 5,068 indicate robust capability. The multi-core scores are also high, with Cinebench R23 multi-core at 44,253 and Passmark multi-thread at 68,574, but these are less critical for Doom’s frame rate.

The CPU holds a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 93,785. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Xeon 6520P with a score of 93,786 (0% delta), the AMD EPYC 4564P at 95,183 (-1.5%), the AMD EPYC 9175F at 95,615 (-1.9%), and the AMD EPYC 4565P at 95,764 (-2.1%). These narrow deltas show that the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is competitive with enterprise-class server processors in synthetic benchmarks, though those chips are not optimized for gaming.

For Doom, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with enough data to avoid bottlenecking. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 485, which indicates that the CPU can handle high input rates. The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 359, and the maximum is 486, showing that the CPU maintains stable frame times. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 102 FPS, but the CPU is not the limiting factor here; the GPU’s workload increases with resolution, while the CPU’s load remains relatively constant. The data suggests that the CPU has ample headroom, as the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K follows the GPU’s expected performance curve.

The CPU’s 24 threads may provide future-proofing for games that utilize more cores, but for Doom, the high clock speed is the primary asset. The boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that the game’s main thread runs at maximum speed, reducing latency and improving frame consistency. The measured FPS values across all settings and resolutions confirm that the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU in any scenario tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra). Each entry provides an average FPS, with some entries also listing minimum and maximum values.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: Average FPS is 485.
• Medium: Average FPS is 422, with a minimum of 359 and a maximum of 486.
• High: Average FPS is 357.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 292.

At 2560x1440:

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

At 3840x2160:

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

The data shows a clear pattern: for each resolution, the average FPS decreases as settings increase from Low to Ultra. The differences are substantial. At 1080p, Low (485 FPS) is 66% faster than Ultra (292 FPS). At 1440p, Low (314 FPS) is 66% faster than Ultra (189 FPS). At 4K, Low (170 FPS) is 67% faster than Ultra (102 FPS). This consistent ratio suggests that the settings presets impose similar relative GPU loads across resolutions.

The minimum FPS values are only available for Medium settings: 359 at 1080p, 232 at 1440p, and 126 at 4K. The maximum FPS values mirror the averages, with 486 at 1080p, 314 at 1440p, and 170 at 4K. These minimums indicate that even the lowest frame dips remain well above 60 FPS at all resolutions, making the gameplay smooth. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 126 FPS is still high enough for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors.

The average FPS at 4K Ultra, 102 FPS, is particularly notable because it exceeds the 100 FPS threshold, meaning that a 4K 120 Hz display could be fully utilized with this combo. At 1440p, all presets exceed 180 FPS, which is suitable for 240 Hz monitors. At 1080p, even Ultra settings produce 292 FPS, which can drive 300 Hz or higher refresh rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions provides insight into which component limits performance. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by a factor of approximately 1.3 to 1.5 across settings. For example, at High settings, 357 FPS at 1080p drops to 231 FPS at 1440p, a 35% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is larger: at High settings, 231 FPS drops to 125 FPS, a 46% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is 292 FPS to 189 FPS (35%) from 1080p to 1440p, and 189 FPS to 102 FPS (46%) from 1440p to 4K.

This pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. As resolution increases, the number of pixels to render scales quadratically, and the GPU’s fill rate and bandwidth become the bottleneck. The CPU’s workload does not scale with resolution, so its performance remains constant. The fact that the FPS drops are consistent with pixel count increases (1080p to 1440p is a 1.78x pixel increase, and 1440p to 4K is a 2.25x increase) confirms that the GPU is saturated.

At 1080p Low, the average FPS of 485 suggests that the CPU may be approaching its limit, but the fact that it still achieves nearly 500 FPS means the CPU is not a significant constraint. The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 359, which is higher than the 4K Ultra average, showing that the CPU can maintain high frame rates even when the GPU is under lighter load.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution also reveals the GPU’s headroom. At 4K, Low (170 FPS) versus Ultra (102 FPS) shows a 67% performance cost for the higher preset. This cost is similar at 1080p (485 vs 292, 66%) and 1440p (314 vs 189, 66%). The consistent percentage suggests that the settings presets affect the GPU uniformly, regardless of resolution. The limiting component at all resolutions is the GPU, as the CPU’s performance does not vary with resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target display resolution and refresh rate. For a 1080p monitor with a 144 Hz or 240 Hz refresh rate, any preset from Low to Ultra will exceed the refresh rate. Ultra at 1080p averages 292 FPS, which is more than enough for even the fastest gaming displays. The minimum FPS is not provided for Ultra, but the average is so high that frame drops are unlikely to be noticeable. High settings at 1080p (357 FPS) and Medium (422 FPS) offer even more headroom, but Ultra provides the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

For a 1440p monitor, the choice is between High and Ultra. Ultra averages 189 FPS, which is sufficient for a 144 Hz or 165 Hz display. High averages 231 FPS, which supports 240 Hz monitors. The difference in visual fidelity between High and Ultra is often subtle in Doom, but the 42 FPS gap (189 vs 231) is significant for high-refresh-rate gaming. If the monitor refresh rate is 144 Hz, Ultra is the better choice, as it still provides a 45 FPS margin above the refresh rate. For 240 Hz displays, High is recommended to stay above the refresh threshold.

For a 4K monitor, the data shows that Ultra averages 102 FPS, which is just above 100 FPS. This is playable on a 120 Hz or 144 Hz 4K display, though it may not fully saturate a 144 Hz panel. High settings average 125 FPS, which is better suited for 120 Hz displays and provides a 25 FPS margin. Medium averages 148 FPS, which is ideal for 144 Hz 4K monitors, while Low averages 170 FPS, which exceeds most 4K refresh rates. For 4K, Medium or High offers the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, as Ultra’s 102 FPS may lead to occasional dips below 100 FPS in demanding scenes.

The measured minimum FPS values, available only for Medium settings, provide additional guidance. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 126 FPS, which is above the 120 Hz threshold. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 232 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, it is 359 FPS. These minimums indicate that Medium settings deliver consistent frame pacing with no dramatic drops. For users who prioritize stability over peak visual quality, Medium is a safe choice across all resolutions. The data suggests that the RTX 5090 D is powerful enough that even at 4K Ultra, the game runs at an average of 102 FPS, but the recommended preset for a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate 4K displays is Medium or High, depending on the refresh rate.