Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a highly playable Doom experience across all tested resolutions, with the data clearly showing a shift from CPU-bound limits at 1080p to GPU-bound limits at 4K. This combination ranks in the 60th percentile of all tested combos, and the benchmark results indicate that the Ultra preset is the most balanced choice for maintaining high frame rates, though the Low preset unlocks the highest refresh rates for competitive play.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, a pattern that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At 1080p, the combo is exceptionally fast: the Low preset produces an average of 203 FPS, which is a massive 67% higher than the 122 FPS seen on the Ultra preset. This wide gap suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than the graphics card can render at the highest settings, meaning the processor has headroom to spare.

Moving to 1440p, the average frame rates drop by roughly 35-40% across all settings compared to 1080p. The Low preset goes from 203 FPS down to 131 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls from 122 FPS to 79 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU is now taking on a heavier workload, but the system still maintains excellent playability. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, but the resulting frame rates remain high enough for smooth gameplay on any modern display.

The jump to 4K (3840x2160) is the most punishing. The Ultra preset falls to a 43 FPS average, which is a 45% reduction from the 1440p Ultra result. The High preset manages 52 FPS, while Medium achieves 62 FPS. Interestingly, the Low preset still delivers a very playable 71 FPS at 4K. The fact that the Low preset at 4K (71 FPS) is higher than the Ultra preset at 1440p (79 FPS) by a small margin highlights that the GPU's fill rate and shading power are the dominant constraints at 4K. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient for this game, but the raw compute of the RTX 4060 is what sets the ceiling.

The scaling between Medium and High settings is also telling. At every resolution, the frame rate difference between Medium and High is roughly 15-17%, while the jump from High to Ultra is a more punishing 18-19% drop. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces a disproportionately heavy load, likely from advanced shading or post-processing effects that hammer the GPU's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. In summary, the data shows a well-balanced combo that is GPU-limited at all resolutions, with the CPU never becoming a bottleneck, even at 1080p Low where it pushes 203 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and RTX 4060 combination holds the 1755th position out of 2930 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the 60th percentile of all systems. This rank is respectable, but it does not place the combo in the top tier of performers. The data suggests that while this system is more than capable of delivering high frame rates, it is not among the elite setups that dominate the leaderboard.

To contextualize the CPU's contribution, the Core Ultra 9 185H has an average benchmark score of 35670, which places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmark suite include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (avg score 35719, delta -0.1%), Intel Core 7 250H (35728, -0.2%), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, -0.4%), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (35909, -0.7%). These deltas are negligible, ranging from -0.1% to -0.7%, meaning the Core Ultra 9 185H is essentially performance-equivalent to these alternatives in raw compute.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, -0.2%), AMD Radeon 780M (17588, +0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, +0.5%), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509, +0.7%). Again, the deltas are minuscule, showing that the RTX 4060 sits in a very tightly contested performance band.

The combo ranking of 1755 out of 2930 suggests that the pairing of a mid-85th-percentile CPU and a mid-61st-percentile GPU yields a system that is better than the majority of tested combos, but it is not optimized for the absolute maximum frame rates. Since the CPU and GPU individually rank well above the 50th percentile, the combo rank being near the 60th percentile indicates that Doom is not particularly sensitive to the specific strengths of this hardware pairing. The game’s performance is more reliant on the GPU, and the RTX 4060's 61st percentile standing is the primary determinant of the combo's overall position.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice for the best visual quality, but it is only suitable for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1080p, the Ultra preset achieves a 122 FPS average, which is above the 120 FPS threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 79 FPS, which is still smooth but not ideal for 144Hz displays. At 4K, the Ultra preset produces only 43 FPS, which is borderline playable but will feel stuttery to most users.

For the best balance of visual fidelity and high frame rates, the High preset is the sweet spot. At 1080p, High delivers 149 FPS, which is 22% faster than Ultra and still looks excellent. At 1440p, High achieves 97 FPS, which is a 23% improvement over Ultra and is ideal for 144Hz or 165Hz monitors. At 4K, High drops to 52 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay but not ideal for fast twitch shooting.

The Medium preset is the fallback for 4K gaming. It delivers a 62 FPS average at 4K, which is a 19% improvement over High and a 44% improvement over Ultra. For users with a 4K display, the Medium preset is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience above 60 FPS. At 1080p and 1440p, Medium is also very fast, hitting 177 FPS and 114 FPS respectively, but the visual downgrade from High is not worth the extra frames on those resolutions.

The Low preset is only recommended for maximum competitive performance. It achieves 203 FPS at 1080p and 131 FPS at 1440p, which are excellent numbers for esports-level play. However, the visual degradation is severe, and the 71 FPS at 4K on Low is actually lower than the 79 FPS on Ultra at 1440p, so there is no reason to use Low on a 4K screen. For most users, the High preset at 1080p or 1440p, or the Medium preset at 4K, offers the best experience per the measured rows.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows its peak performance. The Low preset averages 203 FPS, with the Medium preset reaching 177 FPS (min 150, max 203). The High preset achieves 149 FPS, and the Ultra preset hits 122 FPS. The gap between Ultra and High is 27 FPS, while the gap between High and Medium is 28 FPS, and the gap between Medium and Low is 26 FPS. This shows a linear scaling with each preset step costing roughly the same percentage of performance.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still high but noticeably lower. Low delivers 131 FPS, Medium hits 114 FPS (min 97, max 132), High achieves 97 FPS, and Ultra drops to 79 FPS. The scaling here is steeper, with the difference between Low and Ultra being 52 FPS, a 40% reduction. The Medium preset's minimum of 97 FPS ensures there are no significant frame dips, which is crucial for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly stressed. Low produces 71 FPS, Medium averages 62 FPS (min 53, max 71), High drops to 52 FPS, and Ultra falls to 43 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 53 FPS suggests some frame time spikes, but the average remains above the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K results show that this combo is not designed for maxed-out 4K gaming, but it can handle the game at Medium settings with playable results.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K with a stable 60 FPS?

A: Only at Medium settings, which yields a 62 FPS average with a minimum of 53 FPS. The High preset drops to 52 FPS, and Ultra drops to 43 FPS. For a locked 60 FPS, you would need to use Medium or lower.

Q: What is the best setting for a 144Hz 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset at 1440p delivers 97 FPS, which is below 144 FPS. The Low preset achieves 131 FPS, which is closer to the 144 FPS target. For a balance of visuals and speed, High (97 FPS) is good, but for full refresh rate utilization, Low (131 FPS) is better.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 203 FPS, which is a very high frame rate, suggesting the CPU (16 cores, 22 threads, 5.10 GHz boost) has ample headroom. The frame rates scale down proportionally with resolution, confirming the GPU's limits.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest competitor in this system?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, which is essentially identical to the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, -0.2%). It is also within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509). In real-world Doom performance, this means you can expect near-identical frame rates to these GPUs.

Q: What is the maximum FPS achievable in Doom with this setup?

A: The highest measured average is 203 FPS at 1080p with the Low preset. The Medium preset at 1080p reaches 177 FPS, and the Ultra preset at 1080p caps out at 122 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: At 1080p, the Ultra preset (122 FPS) is 27 FPS slower than High (149 FPS), which is an 18% drop. At 1440p, the drop is 18 FPS (79 vs 97). The visual improvement from High to Ultra is not quantified here, but the frame rate cost is significant, making High the better choice for most users.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on a 7 nm process node. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 24 MB shared L3 cache and a 45 W TDP. In Doom, a game that is heavily GPU-bound, this processor provides more than enough compute headroom.

The benchmark results show that the CPU never becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, where the GPU workload is lightest, the system still manages to push 203 FPS. This indicates that the CPU's single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1810.5 and Geekbench single-core score of 1794, is sufficient to feed the GPU at extremely high frame rates. The CPU's multi-core strength, shown in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5, is not critical for Doom, which typically scales well on only a few cores.

The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35670, confirms that it is a high-end mobile processor. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, is only 0.7% faster in synthetic benchmarks, meaning the Core Ultra 9 185H offers desktop-class performance in a mobile package. The 22 threads and high boost clock ensure that even in the most demanding scenes, the CPU will not cause frame drops. In this specific combo, the CPU's role is to stay out of the way, and the data shows it does so effectively, allowing the RTX 4060 to be the sole determinant of frame rate.