Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 produces a top-tier result in Doom, securing the 614th position out of 2,930 tested combos. This places the configuration in the top 21% of all tested systems, a strong showing for a mobile CPU paired with a flagship desktop GPU. The ranking reflects a combination where the GPU is the undisputed bottleneck at lower resolutions, while the CPU’s high single-thread performance ensures it never holds the frame rate back at higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 614 out of 2,930, this system sits comfortably in the upper tier of the benchmark database. The data indicates that 2,316 other combinations perform worse, while 613 perform better, placing this build in the 79th percentile of all tested configurations. This is a notable achievement for a laptop-derived processor, as the Core Ultra 9 275HX is a mobile part by design, yet it is capable of driving the RTX 4090 to near its potential in this title.

The CPU itself holds a percentile rank of 94 against all processors, meaning it outperforms 94% of CPUs in general benchmark suites. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the Intel Xeon w5-3525 and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5955WX, with the Core Ultra 9 275HX trailing by only 0.3% to 0.6% in average score. This suggests that in compute-heavy tasks, the 275HX is on par with high-end workstation chips, which is remarkable given its 55W TDP. The GPU, meanwhile, holds an 88th percentile rank against all GPUs, trailing the Intel Arc Pro A60 by 0% and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M by 2.5% in average score, though these are synthetic benchmarks that do not reflect gaming performance.

In Doom specifically, the measured FPS data shows this combo is not only playable but exceptionally smooth across all presets. The fact that it reaches 316 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the frame rate ceiling is extremely high, and the system is unlikely to be the limiting factor for any modern display, including high-refresh-rate monitors.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to the High preset at 1440p as the sweet spot, delivering an average of 150 FPS. This balances visual fidelity with a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. At 1080p, the High preset pushes 232 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play or 240Hz displays, while the Ultra preset at 1080p still provides a very playable 190 FPS.

If maximizing visual quality is the priority, the Ultra preset at 1440p yields 123 FPS, which remains fluid on most displays. However, at 4K, the Ultra preset drops to 67 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold but begins to show the GPU’s limits. The Medium preset at 4K provides 96 FPS, a better balance for 4K users who want high settings without sacrificing smoothness. The Low preset is only recommended for extreme frame rate chasing, such as 1080p at 316 FPS, which is overkill for most scenarios.

The data suggests that the High preset is the most efficient choice across all resolutions. It offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium while only costing a modest FPS reduction, and it avoids the steep performance hit seen when moving to Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario, particularly at higher settings. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 232 FPS at 1080p to 150 FPS at 1440p, a 35% reduction, and then to 81 FPS at 4K, a 65% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4090 is the primary performance limiter as resolution increases, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed the GPU.

At the Low preset, the scaling is even more telling. The frame rate goes from 316 FPS at 1080p, to 204 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 111 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop is 35%, but the 1440p to 4K drop is 46%, showing that the GPU is increasingly stressed as pixel count grows. The fact that the 1080p Low result does not exceed the 1080p Medium result by a larger margin suggests that the CPU’s single-thread performance is becoming a secondary factor, but the overall trend shows the GPU is the dominant constraint.

The Medium preset data, which includes min and max FPS, provides additional insight. The min FPS at 1080p is 234, at 1440p it is 151, and at 4K it is 82. These min frame rates scale similarly to the averages, confirming that there are no sudden CPU-related stutters or frame hitches. The system maintains a consistent frame pacing, with the min FPS never falling below 71% of the average FPS at any resolution. This indicates a stable experience, with the limiting component being the GPU’s raw rendering throughput rather than any CPU bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 316 FPS, with the Medium preset slightly lower at 275 FPS (min 234, max 316). The High preset averages 232 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 190 FPS. All of these results exceed the refresh rate of standard 144Hz monitors, making the system ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent. The Low preset averages 204 FPS, the Medium preset 178 FPS (min 151, max 205), and the High preset 150 FPS. The Ultra preset still manages 123 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios. This resolution is the sweet spot for the combo, offering a balance between visual fidelity and frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s workload increases significantly. The Low preset averages 111 FPS, the Medium preset 96 FPS (min 82, max 111), and the High preset 81 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 67 FPS, which is the only setting that dips below the 70 FPS mark. Even at 4K Ultra, the system remains playable, but users seeking higher frame rates at this resolution should opt for the High or Medium presets.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in settings costs roughly 15-20% in frame rate, while each step up in resolution (1080p to 1440p) costs about 35%, and (1440p to 4K) costs another 45-50%. This non-linear scaling is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, where the pixel count increases geometrically.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the star of this configuration, and its specifications explain the measured results. The GPU features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is crucial for Doom, which is a fast-paced FPS with high-resolution textures. The high memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming is never a bottleneck, even at 4K Ultra settings.

The Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process, includes 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. This raw compute power translates to an FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS, which is more than sufficient to handle the Vulkan-rendered environments of Doom. The boost clock of 2520 MHz allows the GPU to sustain high performance under load, and the measured frame rates confirm that it is being fully utilized at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s 88th percentile rank against all GPUs is reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223. While its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are professional workstation cards, the RTX 4090’s gaming performance is in a league of its own, as demonstrated by the Doom results. The GPU’s 450W TDP and triple-slot cooler are not relevant to the frame rates, but they indicate that this is a high-power, high-performance part designed for desktop use.

The VRAM capacity of 24 GB is more than enough for Doom, which was released in 2016 and does not have extreme VRAM requirements. Even at 4K Ultra, the game is unlikely to use more than 8 GB, leaving the RTX 4090 with ample headroom. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, but this is due to its rasterization throughput rather than any memory limitation.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on High settings provides an average of 150 FPS, striking a strong balance between visual quality and performance. At 1080p, the system can push over 300 FPS on Low, but this is excessive for most displays.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any settings?

A: The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates a GPU-bound scenario, especially at higher settings. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 316 FPS, which suggests the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU, but the GPU becomes the primary limit as resolution increases.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 4090’s synthetic benchmark score is within 2.9% of the AMD Radeon PRO V710 and within 2.5% of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M. However, in Doom, the RTX 4090 delivers frame rates well above 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating its gaming-specific strength.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 4K?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 67 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. However, the High preset at 81 FPS offers a better experience for those with 4K displays.

Q: What is the minimum FPS observed at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 234 at 1080p, 151 at 1440p, and 82 at 4K. These minimums are relatively close to the averages, indicating consistent frame pacing without major stutters.

*Q: How does the CPU’s core count affect Doom performance?*

A: The Core Ultra 9 275HX has 24 cores and 24 threads, but Doom is not heavily multi-threaded. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2,458, is more important for this game, allowing it to maintain high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, despite being a mobile processor, plays a critical supporting role in this configuration. With 24 cores and 24 threads, it offers substantial multi-threading capability, but Doom is a title that relies more on single-thread performance. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz, combined with its Arrow Lake architecture, ensures that it can handle the game’s primary game logic thread without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU’s benchmark scores illustrate its strength. A Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,589 and a single-core score of 2,204 place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. In single-threaded tasks, it outperforms many desktop processors, which is essential for maintaining high frame rates in Doom at lower resolutions. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,713 confirms this, showing that the 275HX is capable of processing the game’s instructions quickly.

The CPU’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache is another factor in its favor. Fast access to frequently used data reduces latency and helps maintain consistent frame times. The 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth, while dual-channel, is sufficient to feed the GPU without causing data stalls, especially given the game’s age and modest memory requirements.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p Low, where the system achieves 316 FPS. This high frame rate is only possible if the CPU can issue draw calls faster than the GPU can render them. The fact that the 1080p Medium setting yields a maximum of 316 FPS, identical to the Low preset’s average, suggests that the CPU is hitting a performance ceiling around this frame rate. This is not a limitation but rather evidence of the CPU’s capability, as 316 FPS far exceeds the refresh rate of any mainstream monitor.

The CPU’s 55W TDP is low for a processor with this level of performance, but it does not impact the gaming results. The data shows that the combo ranks 614th out of 2,930, which is an excellent result for a mobile CPU. The nearest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks, such as the Intel Xeon w5-3525 and AMD EPYC 4484PX, are workstation parts with higher power envelopes, yet the 275HX trades blows with them in raw compute. In Doom, the CPU’s high clock speed and efficient architecture ensure that it never holds back the RTX 4090, making this a well-balanced combination for high-refresh-rate gaming.