Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile delivers a measured 43 FPS at 4K High in Doom, and 101 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This combination ranks 2974th of 3712 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower 20% of the tested pool. The following sections break down the scaling, component roles, and measured results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a consistent drop as resolution increases, which is the signature of a GPU-bound configuration. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS falls by roughly 35% across all settings; from 1440p to 4K, it falls by roughly 45% more. For example, at High settings, the average FPS is 123 at 1080p, 80 at 1440p, and 43 at 4K. At Low settings, the progression is 167 → 108 → 59. At Medium, it is 146 → 94 → 51, and at Ultra it is 101 → 65 → 35.

This near-linear scaling with pixel count indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU's 16 cores, 22 threads, and boost clock up to 5.10 GHz are unlikely to be a bottleneck at these resolutions, because the FPS drops exactly when the render load increases. The GPU's 8 GB GDDR7 memory and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this 2016 title, as the memory footprint does not appear to cause any sudden frame-time spikes at higher resolutions.

The min/max data for Medium settings provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the FPS ranges from 124 to 168, a spread of 44 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it ranges from 80 to 108, and at 4K Medium, from 43 to 59. The narrowing range at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is being pushed to its limit, while the CPU still has headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination's rank of 2974 out of 3712 means that 2973 other combos performed better in Doom, while only 738 performed worse. This places the system in the bottom 20% of the tested pool. The CPU itself holds an 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, and the GPU an 83rd percentile among all GPUs, yet the in-game result is much lower. This discrepancy suggests that the game's performance is more sensitive to GPU architecture or driver behavior than to raw component averages.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 35670 is within 0.7% of its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 scores 35719 (delta -0.1%), Intel Core 7 250H scores 35728 (-0.2%), AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 scores 35802 (-0.4%), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700X scores 35909 (-0.7%). The GPU's average score of 43268 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262, delta 0%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER (43223, delta 0.1%). Despite these close averages, the Doom result places the combo in a low percentile, indicating that the game's engine favors different component characteristics.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H has 16 cores and 22 threads, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The L3 cache is 24 MB shared, and the L2 cache is 2 MB per core. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 17984.5, while the single-core score is 1810.5. These numbers reflect a strong multi-threaded and single-threaded capability.

In Doom, the CPU's performance is more than sufficient. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 167 FPS, which is close to the 168 FPS maximum seen at 1080p Medium. The CPU's boost clock of 5.10 GHz likely helps maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The CPU's average benchmark score is 35670, which is within 0.7% of its nearest rivals, so it is not a limiting factor in this game.

The CPU's 16-core design may be overkill for Doom, which is a 2016 title that typically uses fewer threads. However, the high single-core performance and the low TDP of 45 W suggest that the processor can sustain its boost clock without thermal throttling, allowing the GPU to be fully utilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is presented below.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|-------------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 43 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 59 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 51 | 43 | 59 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 35 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 80 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 108 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 94 | 80 | 108 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 65 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 123 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 167 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 146 | 124 | 168 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 101 | - | - |

At 1080p, all settings produce an average FPS above 100, with Low hitting 167 and Medium at 146. The Ultra preset still manages 101 FPS, so 1080p is fully playable even at maximum settings. At 1440p, the average FPS ranges from 65 (Ultra) to 108 (Low). The Medium preset yields 94 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold, but Ultra drops to 65, which is still above 60. At 4K, only Low manages 59 FPS, while Medium, High, and Ultra fall to 51, 43, and 35 respectively. The min/max data for Medium at each resolution shows a steady frame delivery: 124–168 at 1080p, 80–108 at 1440p, and 43–59 at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. It has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1020 MHz and the boost clock is 1500 MHz. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and it has 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores. The GPU's average benchmark score is 43268, with a percentile rank of 83 among all GPUs.

In Doom, the GPU is clearly the limiting component at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS is well below the 1080p Low result of 167 FPS, a 79% reduction. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 384 GB/s is sufficient for a game that launched in 2016, and the 8 GB VRAM is more than enough for the textures used. The measured performance at 1080p shows that the GPU can handle the game at high frame rates, but the 4K results indicate that the chip's compute capacity is not enough for 4K gaming at high quality.

The GPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262, delta 0%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER (43223, delta 0.1%). Despite these close scores, the RTX 5050 Mobile's power envelope of 50 W is much lower, which explains its performance in a demanding title like Doom at high resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with the Ultra preset?

A: The average FPS is 101.

Q: Does this combo achieve smooth frame rates at 1440p?

A: At 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 94, and at High it is 80. Ultra drops to 65 FPS, so the Medium or High presets are the best for 1440p.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H has an average score of 35670, which is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 (35719) and within 0.7% of the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (35909).

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes. The FPS drops from 59 at Low to 35 at Ultra at 4K, while the CPU's performance remains constant. The scaling across resolutions shows the GPU is the primary limit.

Q: What is the 3DMark Steel Nomad score for the RTX 5050 Mobile?

A: The GPU scores 2365 in 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12).

Q: How many combinations outrank this one in Doom?

A: This combo ranks 2974th out of 3712, meaning 2973 combinations performed better.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the best experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset is viable with an average of 101 FPS, while Medium offers 146 FPS and Low 167 FPS. For players who prioritize image quality, 1080p Ultra is a strong choice, but Medium provides a significant FPS boost with a minor visual trade-off.

At 1440p, the Medium preset yields 94 FPS, which is smooth and still visually detailed. The High preset gives 80 FPS, and Ultra drops to 65 FPS. For a balance between fidelity and frame rate, Medium is the recommended setting. At 4K, only the Low preset reaches 59 FPS, but the Medium, High, and Ultra presets fall to 51, 43, and 35 FPS respectively, so 4K is not recommended for this combination.

For the best overall experience, the 1080p Medium preset offers 146 FPS average, with a min of 124 and max of 168, providing both high quality and a large safety margin. If the user prefers a more stable frame rate at a higher resolution, 1440p Medium at 94 FPS is the sweet spot.