Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, with performance scaling predictably as resolution and settings increase. The data indicates that this combination is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, though 4K Ultra settings push the GPU to its limits.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear hierarchy across presets, with the most significant performance gains occurring between Low and Medium settings rather than from High to Ultra. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate moves from 227 FPS on Low to 198 FPS on Medium, a drop of 29 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 31 FPS, landing at 167 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still produces a highly playable 137 FPS average at this resolution.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The data shows 128 FPS average at Medium, with minimums recorded at 109 FPS and maximums at 148 FPS. This keeps frame pacing well above the 100 FPS threshold for competitive play. High settings at 1440p yield 108 FPS average, which is still smooth, but the additional visual gains from Medium to High come at a measurable cost. Ultra at 1440p drops to 89 FPS average, which begins to sacrifice the responsiveness that Doom benefits from in fast-paced encounters.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The Medium preset averages 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS. High settings at 4K drop to 59 FPS average, which is borderline for a smooth experience. Low settings at 4K produce 80 FPS average, which is playable but visually compromised. Ultra at 4K falls to 48 FPS average, which is below the threshold for comfortable play.

The optimal experience across all resolutions is the Medium preset. It provides the highest average frame rate that remains within a reasonable visual quality envelope, and it is the only preset at 4K that keeps the average above 60 FPS. For users prioritizing frame rate over fidelity, Low settings at 1440p deliver 147 FPS average, but the visual downgrade is substantial. The benchmark results indicate that Medium is the sweet spot for this GPU and CPU combination in Doom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1920 MHz and boosts to 2475 MHz. Its 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs are supported by 184 texture mapping units. The GPU’s 200 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a power-efficient implementation of the Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm process.

The memory configuration is directly relevant to Doom’s performance across resolutions. At 1080p and 1440p, the 12 GB frame buffer is more than sufficient, as evidenced by the high average frame rates even at Ultra settings. The data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of performance scaling from 1080p to 4K. The transition from 2560x1440 High (108 FPS) to 3840x2160 High (59 FPS) represents a 45% reduction in average frame rate, which is consistent with a GPU-bound workload where pixel count increases by 2.25 times.

The GPU’s raw compute capabilities are reflected in its benchmark scores. Its PassMark G3D score of 26927 places it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3854 further quantifies its DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for Doom’s Vulkan-based rendering. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which scores 1.3% higher, and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 0.4% lower. This positioning suggests the RTX 4070 is a solid mid-range performer in synthetic benchmarks, though the measured game data shows it excels at 1440p.

The clock speeds of 1920 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost are typical for the 40-series, and the data implies the GPU sustains high clocks under load in Doom, given the frame rates achieved at 1440p. The pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s provide theoretical ceilings that align with the measured performance.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals the limiting component. At Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 198 FPS at 1920x1080 to 128 FPS at 2560x1440, a 35% reduction, and then to 69 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 46% reduction from 1440p. This progression indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s contribution becomes less significant when pixel fill rate dominates.

At Low settings, the scaling is more pronounced. The average frame rate drops from 227 FPS at 1080p to 147 FPS at 1440p, a 35% reduction, and then to 80 FPS at 4K, a 46% reduction from 1440p. This pattern suggests that even at Low settings, where the CPU has more headroom, the GPU still limits performance at 4K. The fact that 1080p Low achieves 227 FPS while 4K Low achieves 80 FPS indicates a 65% performance reduction across the resolution range.

The data reveals that the scaling is not perfectly linear with pixel count. From 1080p to 1440p, the pixel count increases by 1.78 times, but the frame rate drops by roughly 35% at most settings. From 1440p to 4K, the pixel count increases by 2.25 times, and the frame rate drops by roughly 46% at most settings. This non-linear behavior suggests that memory bandwidth and cache efficiency play a role, as the RTX 4070’s 504.2 GB/s bandwidth becomes more stressed at 4K.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. At 1080p, the CPU’s 24 cores and 24 threads can feed the GPU adequately, as seen in the 227 FPS Low result. At 4K, the GPU’s shading units and memory bandwidth are saturated, as evidenced by the 48 FPS Ultra result. The CPU’s high single-core performance, reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2204, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking even at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of presets delivers high frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 227 FPS, Medium produces 198 FPS with a minimum of 168 FPS and a maximum of 228 FPS, High produces 167 FPS, and Ultra produces 137 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 90 FPS, indicating that Doom is highly scalable at this resolution. The minimum frame rate of 168 FPS at Medium suggests consistent frame pacing.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 147 FPS for Low, 128 FPS for Medium with a minimum of 109 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS, 108 FPS for High, and 89 FPS for Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 58 FPS, showing that the GPU becomes more of a factor. The minimum of 109 FPS at Medium is still well above 60 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 80 FPS for Low, 69 FPS for Medium with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS, 59 FPS for High, and 48 FPS for Ultra. The minimum of 59 FPS at Medium is just below 60 FPS, indicating that frame drops can occur in demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 48 FPS average is below the threshold for smooth play, and even High at 59 FPS is borderline.

The data shows a consistent pattern: Medium settings provide the highest average frame rate that remains above 60 FPS at 4K, while at 1440p and 1080p, all presets are playable. The minimum and maximum values at Medium settings across all resolutions show a consistent spread, with the 4K result having a 21 FPS range, the 1440p result having a 39 FPS range, and the 1080p result having a 60 FPS range. This suggests that the GPU handles higher resolutions with more consistent frame times.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Doom?*

A: The benchmark results indicate 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At Medium settings, the average frame rate is 128 FPS with a minimum of 109 FPS, providing both high visual fidelity and smooth gameplay. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 69 FPS, which is playable but closer to the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 108 FPS, while Ultra averages 89 FPS. The 19 FPS difference represents a 18% performance hit for the highest visual quality. The data shows that Ultra is still playable but sacrifices significant frame rate for marginal visual gains.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s high single-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 score of 2204, is sufficient to drive frame rates above 200 FPS. The GPU’s shading units and texture rate become the bottleneck, as seen in the 90 FPS spread between Low and Ultra presets.

Q: What minimum frame rate can be expected at 4K Medium?

A: The measured minimum frame rate at 3840x2160 Medium is 59 FPS, with an average of 69 FPS and a maximum of 80 FPS. This indicates that frame drops to just below 60 FPS can occur in intensive scenes, but the overall experience remains smooth.

*Q: How does this combo rank among tested systems for Doom?*

A: The combo ranks 1554 out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the 47th percentile. This is a mid-pack ranking, suggesting that while the system performs well, many other configurations achieve higher frame rates in this game.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM cause any limitations at 4K?

A: The 12 GB GDDR6X memory with 504.2 GB/s bandwidth does not appear to cause a hard limitation at 4K in Doom. The average frame rates at 4K Medium (69 FPS) and High (59 FPS) indicate that the GPU’s compute performance, not its memory capacity, is the primary constraint.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates at a base clock of 2.70 GHz and boosts to 5.40 GHz. The CPU has a 36 MB shared L3 cache, with 3 MB of L2 cache per core and 192 KB of L1 cache per core. Its dual-channel DDR5 memory support provides 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth.

The CPU’s benchmark scores demonstrate strong multi-core and single-core performance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35589 and single-core score of 2204 place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The Geekbench multi-core score of 20795 and single-core score of 2458 further confirm its capabilities. The PassMark multithread score of 55759 and single-thread score of 4713 indicate balanced performance across different workload types.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. At 1080p, where the GPU is less stressed, the CPU’s high single-core performance allows frame rates to reach 227 FPS at Low settings. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz is critical for this game’s single-threaded game logic, and the 24 cores ensure that background tasks do not interfere with frame rendering.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon w5-3525, which scores 0.3% lower, and the AMD EPYC 4484PX, which scores 0.5% lower in average benchmark scores. This positioning indicates that the Ultra 9 275HX is competitive with workstation-class processors, though its mobile market segment and 55 W TDP suggest it is designed for high-performance laptops.

The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck in Doom at any resolution. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a GPU-bound pattern, with the CPU’s performance remaining sufficient to maintain high frame rates. The CPU’s 24 threads provide ample headroom for the game’s engine, and its high boost clock ensures responsive single-threaded performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 1554 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all tested systems. This mid-pack ranking indicates that while this combo delivers solid performance, many other configurations achieve higher frame rates in this specific game.

The GPU’s individual ranking is in the 81st percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The combo’s lower ranking relative to its component percentiles suggests that Doom is more sensitive to GPU performance than CPU performance. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which scores 1.3% higher, and the NVIDIA Tesla P4, which scores 0.1% higher.

The measured frame rates support this ranking. At 1440p Medium, the combo achieves 128 FPS average, which is competitive but not top-tier. At 4K Medium, the 69 FPS average is adequate but below the performance of higher-end GPUs. The combo’s rank of 1554 out of 2930 indicates that it outperforms just over half of tested systems, which is consistent with the RTX 4070 being a mid-range GPU in the 40-series lineup.

The CPU’s high percentile ranking does not translate to a top-tier game ranking, as Doom is heavily GPU-bound. The 24-core CPU provides more than enough processing power for the game, but the GPU’s 5888 shading units and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors. The combo’s performance is best described as capable and well-balanced, offering high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, with playable performance at 4K on Medium settings.