Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K reveal a clear picture of how this Intel Core Ultra 9 185H + RTX 4060 Mobile combination scales with resolution in Doom. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 149 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440, that figure drops to 97 FPS — a 35% reduction in frame rate. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 52 FPS, which is 65% below the 1080p result.

This scaling pattern is remarkably consistent across all four quality presets. The Low preset shows 203 FPS at 1080p, 131 FPS at 1440p, and 71 FPS at 4K. Medium settings produce 177, 114, and 62 FPS respectively. Ultra settings yield 122, 79, and 43 FPS. In every case, the jump from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 35-40% of the frame rate, while the jump from 1440p to 4K costs another 45-50%.

The data indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. The frame rate drops proportionally with the pixel count increase — 4K has four times the pixels of 1080p, and the measured performance at 4K is roughly one-third to one-half of the 1080p result depending on settings. This is classic GPU-bound behavior. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 22 threads, is not showing signs of bottlenecking at any resolution, as evidenced by the smooth scaling pattern.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the spread between Low (203 FPS) and Ultra (122 FPS) is 81 FPS. At 1440p, that spread narrows to 52 FPS (131 vs 79). At 4K, it narrows further to 28 FPS (71 vs 43). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even dropping to Low settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel count penalty.

For players targeting 60 FPS or higher, the data shows that 4K is only viable with Low settings (71 FPS) or Medium settings (62 FPS). High and Ultra at 4K fall below the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, all presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra still managing 79 FPS. At 1080p, every preset clears 120 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate displays.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. The chip contains 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. Its base clock runs at 1545 MHz with a boost clock of 1890 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, yielding 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Doom, the GPU's role is decisive. The benchmark results show that at 1080p, the RTX 4060 Mobile has ample headroom — even Ultra settings produce 122 FPS. The GPU's 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs are sufficient to push frame rates well beyond what most displays can show at this resolution. The pixel rate of 90.72 GPixel/s and texture rate of 181.4 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed for Doom's fast-paced rendering.

The memory subsystem becomes more relevant at higher resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for Doom's texture requirements at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale predictably with pixel count rather than crashing due to memory overflow. The 256.0 GB/s bandwidth, however, appears to be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the average drops to 43 FPS. The 128-bit bus width is narrow by modern standards, and the data suggests this constrains performance when the GPU is pushing maximum pixels and quality settings simultaneously.

Comparing to the GPU's nearest rivals in the overall benchmark database, the RTX 4060 Mobile scores an average of 22729. This places it 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895) and 1.3% behind the Intel Arc B580 (23021), while running 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (22549) and 1.3% ahead of the RTX 5060 Mobile (22435). The GPU's percentile rank of 67 among all GPUs indicates it sits in the upper-midrange tier, which aligns with the measured Doom performance — capable of high refresh rates at 1080p, solid 1440p performance, but only modest 4K capabilities.

The GPU's FP32 compute of 11.61 TFLOPS and FP16 of 11.61 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio) are modest figures, but Doom's id Tech 6 engine is not exceptionally compute-heavy. The 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present but largely unused in this title, which launched in 2016 before ray tracing became a standard feature. This means the RTX 4060 Mobile's rasterization performance is what matters here, and the measured results show it handles Doom's traditional rendering pipeline efficiently.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3712 tested CPU + GPU combinations in the database, this Intel Core Ultra 9 185H + RTX 4060 Mobile pairing holds rank 2270 in Doom. This places it in the bottom 39% of all tested combos for this specific game, which is noteworthy given the components' individual rankings.

The CPU alone ranks in the 85th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 35670. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35719, 0.1% higher), Intel Core 7 250H (35728, 0.2% higher), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, 0.4% higher), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (35909, 0.7% higher). The GPU ranks in the 67th percentile among all GPUs. Yet the combination ranks relatively low for Doom specifically.

This discrepancy suggests that Doom's performance is heavily influenced by factors beyond raw compute capability. The game's engine, released in 2016, may not fully utilize the modern architecture features of either component. The CPU's 16 cores and 22 threads are far more than Doom needs — the game was designed for an era of 4-core processors. Similarly, the GPU's modern features like DLSS and ray tracing are irrelevant to this title.

The rank of 2270 out of 3712 means that roughly 1500 other combinations perform better in Doom. This is likely because many desktop combinations with older but higher-clocked GPUs can match or exceed the RTX 4060 Mobile's performance in a game that doesn't stress modern GPU features. The mobile form factor's thermal constraints, reflected in the 115 W TDP, may also limit sustained performance compared to desktop equivalents.

However, the data shows that this combo is not a poor performer — it delivers playable frame rates at all tested resolutions and settings. The rank simply reflects how many other combinations in the database achieve higher FPS in Doom specifically. In more modern, demanding titles, this pairing's relative position might be different, but the measured data only covers Doom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a comprehensive view of performance across resolutions and settings. The data was directly measured rather than estimated, lending confidence to the results.

1920x1080: The Low preset delivers 203 FPS average. Medium settings reduce this to 177 FPS, with a minimum of 150 FPS and maximum of 203 FPS documented. High settings produce 149 FPS. Ultra settings yield 122 FPS. All four presets at 1080p exceed 120 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming.

2560x1440: At this resolution, Low settings produce 131 FPS. Medium settings yield 114 FPS, with minimum and maximum readings of 97 and 132 FPS respectively. High settings deliver 97 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 79 FPS. Every preset at 1440p stays above 75 FPS, comfortably exceeding the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay.

3840x2160: The 4K results show more variation. Low settings achieve 71 FPS. Medium settings produce 62 FPS, with minimum and maximum readings of 53 and 71 FPS. High settings drop to 52 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 43 FPS. Only Low and Medium presets at 4K reach or exceed 60 FPS.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 150-203 FPS, a spread of 53 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 97-132 FPS, a spread of 35 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 53-71 FPS, a spread of 18 FPS. This narrowing range at higher resolutions further confirms GPU-bound behavior — when the GPU is the bottleneck, frame times are more consistent because the workload is more uniform.

The performance deltas between presets are also telling. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium costs 26 FPS (203 to 177), from Medium to High costs 28 FPS (177 to 149), and from High to Ultra costs 27 FPS (149 to 122). These are remarkably consistent steps, suggesting each quality tier imposes a similar computational cost. At 4K, the steps are 9 FPS (71 to 62), 10 FPS (62 to 52), and 9 FPS (52 to 43) — again consistent, but with much smaller absolute differences due to the GPU being saturated.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 7 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and boosts up to 5.10 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's TDP is 45 W, appropriate for a mobile part.

In Doom, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, as the resolution scaling analysis demonstrates. The game was released in 2016, when mainstream CPUs had 4-8 threads, so the Ultra 9 185H's 22 threads are vastly more than the game can utilize. The single-thread performance, however, matters more for Doom's game logic and physics. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1810.5 and Geekbench single-core score of 1794 indicate strong per-thread performance, which benefits Doom's frame pacing.

The CPU's benchmark scores show it is a capable processor by modern standards. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 17984.5 and Geekbench multi-core score of 11657 place it well above average. The PassMark multi-thread score of 29376 and single-thread score of 3697 confirm balanced performance across both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads. The PassMark physics score of 1956 is particularly relevant for gaming, as physics calculations often become CPU-bound in FPS titles.

However, the data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Doom at any tested resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to plateau across resolutions or show inconsistent scaling. Instead, the frame rates drop steadily as resolution increases, which is the signature of GPU-bound rendering. The CPU's 24 MB of L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient to feed the GPU without stalling.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database — AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (0.1% faster), Intel Core 7 250H (0.2% faster), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (0.4% faster), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (0.7% faster) — are all within 1% of the Ultra 9 185H's average score. In Doom, where the CPU is not the bottleneck, these differences would be imperceptible. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all processors confirms it is a high-end mobile part, but its gaming performance in this title is constrained by the GPU, not its own capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rate data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. The data shows that each preset offers a distinct trade-off between visual quality and performance.

For 4K displays: Low settings (71 FPS) or Medium settings (62 FPS) are the only viable options if 60 FPS is the target. Medium provides better visual quality while still clearing 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K. High (52 FPS) and Ultra (43 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold and would introduce noticeable stuttering on standard 60 Hz displays.

For 1440p displays: All presets exceed 75 FPS, giving players full freedom. Ultra settings at 79 FPS are recommended for maximum visual fidelity, as the frame rate remains well above 60 FPS. If a 144 Hz display is in use, High settings (97 FPS) or Medium (114 FPS) would be better choices to take advantage of the higher refresh rate.

For 1080p displays: Every preset exceeds 120 FPS, with Low reaching 203 FPS. This is the resolution where the RTX 4060 Mobile can fully stretch its legs. For competitive play, Low or Medium (177 FPS) would maximize frame rate. For visual quality, Ultra at 122 FPS still provides an excellent experience that exceeds most 120 Hz displays' capabilities.

The Medium preset deserves special attention because it has the most complete data — including minimum and maximum frame times. At 1080p Medium, the 150-203 FPS range shows solid consistency. At 1440p Medium, the 97-132 FPS range remains tight. At 4K Medium, the 53-71 FPS range has a 18 FPS spread, which is acceptable but indicates some frame time variance at the higher resolution.

The data suggests that Medium settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p and 1440p, Medium provides frame rates that are only 13-17% below Low settings while offering noticeably better visuals. At 4K, Medium is the only preset that combines acceptable frame rates (62 FPS) with meaningful quality improvements over Low.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K with smooth frame rates?

A: Yes, but only with lower settings. The measured data shows 71 FPS at 4K Low and 62 FPS at 4K Medium. High settings drop to 52 FPS and Ultra to 43 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this Intel Core Ultra 9 185H + RTX 4060 Mobile combination in Doom?

A: Based on the data, 1440p offers the best balance. All four presets exceed 75 FPS at this resolution, with Ultra still managing 79 FPS. At 1080p, every preset exceeds 120 FPS, but the GPU has more headroom than most displays can use. At 4K, only Low and Medium reach 60 FPS or higher.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 Mobile compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 22729. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 by 0.7% and the Intel Arc B580 by 1.3%, while leading the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT by 0.8% and the RTX 5060 Mobile by 1.3%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Doom?

A: The data clearly shows the GPU is the limiting factor. Frame rates scale predictably with resolution — dropping 35-40% from 1080p to 1440p and another 45-50% from 1440p to 4K. This is the signature of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's 16 cores and 22 threads far exceed Doom's requirements.

Q: What settings should I use for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 1080p, all presets exceed 120 FPS, with Medium (177 FPS) and High (149 FPS) providing good visual quality. At 1440p, only Low (131 FPS) and Medium (114 FPS) approach 144 FPS; High (97 FPS) and Ultra (79 FPS) would not fully utilize a 144 Hz display.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Doom?

A: This pairing ranks 2270 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier for this specific game. This is notably lower than the individual component rankings — the CPU is in the 85th percentile and the GPU in the 67th percentile — indicating Doom's engine does not fully leverage these components' modern capabilities.