Doom

The pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT produces a fascinating dataset in Doom, revealing a system where the graphics card is clearly the primary constraint at higher resolutions, yet the processor’s immense headroom allows for impressive frame rates at 1080p. The measured results, captured across four settings presets and three resolutions, offer a clear picture of where this combination excels and where it struggles, particularly when pushing towards 4K Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The data shows a dramatic and predictable decline in frame rates as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline tells a critical story about system balance. At the High preset, moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 sees average FPS drop from 138 to 89, a reduction of 49 frames per second (a 35.5% decrease). Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields only 48 FPS average, which is a 65.2% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario; the RX 5700 XT is working progressively harder to fill the additional pixels, while the CPU sits relatively idle.

The scaling behavior at the Low preset is even more revealing. Here, the 1080p average of 188 FPS drops to 121 FPS at 1440p (a 35.6% decrease) and then to 66 FPS at 4K (a 64.9% decrease from 1080p). Even at the lowest graphical load, the frame rate is nearly halved when jumping from 1440p to 4K. This indicates that even with minimal graphical settings, the RX 5700 XT’s rendering throughput, specifically its pixel fillrate and memory bandwidth, is the limiting factor at 4K. The CPU is not the bottleneck; if it were, we would see a much flatter curve across resolutions, as the processor’s workload remains largely constant.

Comparing the Ultra preset across resolutions solidifies this conclusion. At 1080p, the Ultra preset yields 113 FPS average, which is still a very playable number. However, at 1440p this falls to 73 FPS, and at 4K it collapses to a 40 FPS average. The 64.6% drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings mirrors the drops seen at other presets, confirming that the scaling penalty is primarily a function of resolution, not settings complexity. The data implies that for this specific combo, the CPU’s 24 cores and high boost clock are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at any resolution, and the RX 5700 XT’s 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the decisive factors in the final frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

Out of a pool of 3,712 tested processor and graphics card combinations in Doom, this specific pairing of the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the RX 5700 XT lands at rank 2,758. This places it in the 74th percentile of all combos tested, meaning that roughly a quarter of the tested systems performed worse, and a substantial majority performed better. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU’s age and tier; the Core Ultra 9 is a top-tier processor, but it is being held back by a mid-range graphics card from the RDNA 1.0 era.

The rank suggests that while this system is far from the bottom of the barrel, it is not competitive with modern high-end configurations in this specific title. The benchmark scores for the individual components highlight the discrepancy. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 84,003 puts it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (scoring 83,807, a 0.2% difference) and the AMD EPYC 4584PX (83,090, a 1.1% difference). In stark contrast, the GPU’s average benchmark score of 16,361 places it in only the 59th percentile of all GPUs, with rivals like the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16,351, a 0.1% difference) and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16,408, a -0.3% difference).

This performance gap is the core issue. The data indicates that the combo’s ranking is almost entirely dictated by the GPU’s modest standing. If one were to look only at the CPU’s performance, one would expect this system to rank much higher. The fact that it sits near the bottom quartile of combos implies that the processor’s potential is largely untapped in Doom, and that the system’s overall capability is capped by the graphics adapter. The ranking is a quantitative measure of this imbalance.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is the defining component in this system’s gaming performance, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured FPS. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. In a fast-paced title like Doom, this bandwidth is crucial for streaming textures and geometry, and the data shows that it becomes a limiting factor at 4K, where the average FPS at High settings drops to 48. The GPU’s boost clock of 1905 MHz and game clock of 1755 MHz are relatively high for its generation, but the underlying RDNA 1.0 architecture and 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are what ultimately determine its throughput.

The GPU’s benchmark scores provide context for its gaming behavior. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,134 and Passmark G3D score of 16,277 are modest figures that align with its 59th percentile standing. The data shows a clear hierarchy in Doom’s settings presets: at 1080p, the Ultra preset achieves 113 FPS average, while the High preset achieves 138 FPS, Medium 164 FPS, and Low 188 FPS. This 75 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p demonstrates that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the game’s rendering demands at lower resolutions, but the rendering complexity of the Ultra preset still takes a significant toll.

At 4K, the GPU’s limitations are stark. The average FPS drops to 40 at Ultra, 48 at High, 57 at Medium, and 66 at Low. The fact that even the Low preset cannot break 70 FPS at 4K suggests that the pixel fillrate and memory bandwidth are saturated. The GPU’s 64 ROPs and 160 TMUs, while capable at 1080p, are insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K, regardless of the graphical feature set. The data implies that the RX 5700 XT is a 1080p-class card for modern titles, and while it can handle 1440p with adjustments, 4K gaming requires significant compromises to settings.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 4K resolution, and at which settings?

A: The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 66, which is achieved at the Low settings preset. At the other presets, the averages are 57 at Medium, 48 at High, and 40 at Ultra.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance ranking compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84,003, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K’s score of 83,807. This places the 290K Plus in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the system achieve its highest average frame rate?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 188, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. The Medium preset at 1080p achieves 164 FPS, and the High preset achieves 138 FPS.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440 with the Medium preset, the system recorded a minimum FPS of 90 and a maximum FPS of 122, with an average of 106 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU’s average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT has an average benchmark score of 16,361, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M’s score of 16,351. The RX 5700 XT sits in the 59th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the total number of combos this system is ranked against in Doom?

A: The combo is ranked 2,758 out of a total of 3,712 tested combos in the game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the overall distribution.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Analyzing the measured FPS rows, the data suggests that the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 164 FPS with a minimum of 139 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without any noticeable dips. This is a 26 FPS improvement over the High preset’s 138 FPS average, while still providing a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset’s 188 FPS. The 1080p Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot, offering high refresh-rate performance with only a minor reduction in visual fidelity compared to High.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again stands out. It achieves an average of 106 FPS with a minimum of 90 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. The High preset at 1440p drops to an 89 FPS average, which is still playable, but the Medium preset’s 17 FPS advantage makes it the safer choice for maintaining consistent frame times. At 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Medium preset yields a 57 FPS average with a minimum of 49 FPS, which is borderline for a fluid experience. The Low preset at 4K achieves a 66 FPS average, making it the only 4K preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS.

Therefore, the data recommends the Medium preset as the primary choice for this system. At 1080p and 1440p, it provides the best combination of high average FPS and a high minimum FPS, reducing the risk of stutter. If the user prioritizes visual quality over frame rate, the High preset is viable at 1080p and 1440p, but the Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions, as it incurs a substantial FPS penalty (e.g., 113 FPS at 1080p and 40 FPS at 4K) without a proportional visual benefit in the data. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only option that guarantees a consistently high frame rate.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a powerhouse processor that, in this dataset, appears to be vastly underutilized. With 24 cores and 24 threads, a base clock of 3.70 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, it has more than enough computational power to handle Doom’s game logic, physics, and AI routines. The CPU’s benchmark scores are exceptional: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303, alongside a Passmark multithread score of 60,860. These figures place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, confirming its top-tier status.

However, the measured FPS data shows that this CPU power is not the limiting factor in this combo. The frame rates are almost entirely dictated by the GPU, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when moving from 1080p to 4K. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the CPU’s workload does not scale with resolution. Instead, we see a 64.9% drop in FPS from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation.

The CPU’s high clock speeds and 36 MB of shared L3 cache contribute to excellent minimum FPS figures in some scenarios. For instance, the Medium preset at 1080p shows a minimum FPS of 139, which is quite high and suggests that the CPU is able to feed the GPU consistently without frame pacing issues. The processor’s 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and support for DDR5 also help to ensure that data is delivered to the GPU without stalling. In essence, the Core Ultra 9 is providing a stable, high-performance platform, but the RX 5700 XT is unable to translate that CPU headroom into higher frame rates at higher resolutions. The data implies that this CPU is ready for a much more powerful GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080: At this resolution, the system performs admirably across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 188 FPS. The Medium preset averages 164 FPS, with a minimum of 139 FPS and a maximum of 188 FPS. The High preset averages 138 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 113 FPS. All presets at 1080p are well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this is the native resolution for this combo.

2560x1440: Performance remains strong at 1440p, but the GPU workload begins to show. The Low preset averages 121 FPS. The Medium preset averages 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 FPS and a maximum of 122 FPS. The High preset averages 89 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 73 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 90 FPS ensures a smooth experience, while the Ultra preset’s 73 FPS average is still playable but approaches the edge of high-refresh-rate territory.

3840x2160: 4K resolution is a significant challenge for this graphics card. The Low preset is the only one to break 60 FPS, achieving an average of 66 FPS. The Medium preset averages 57 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and a maximum of 66 FPS. The High preset averages 48 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 40 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming requires a substantial compromise in settings, and even at Low, the frame rate is barely above 60 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the clear bottleneck at this resolution.