Doom

The benchmark data for Doom, paired with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, presents a clear picture of a system tuned for high-refresh-rate gameplay. The measurements across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal the balance between the CPU's processing headroom and the GPU's rendering limits. This analysis walks through the FPS data to determine where the bottleneck lies, how the components contribute, and which settings deliver the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a classic shift in system bottleneck. At 1080p, the average frame rates are exceptionally high, with the Low preset hitting 292 FPS and High reaching 215 FPS. These numbers suggest the CPU is feeding the GPU enough data to maintain very high output, but the GPU is not yet saturated. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to 189 FPS on Low and 139 FPS on High, a reduction of about 35% from the 1080p figures. This scaling is largely linear, indicating that the GPU is beginning to take on more of the workload, though the CPU still has considerable headroom.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. The Low preset averages 102 FPS, which is a 46% drop from the 1440p result. The High preset falls to 75 FPS, a 46% drop from its 1440p counterpart. This disproportionate decline points to the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the frame rate does not quarter; instead, it falls to roughly a third of the 1080p value for High settings. This indicates that while the RX 6800 XT is powerful, the sheer rendering load at 4K overwhelms it, preventing the CPU from stretching its legs.

The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the spread between Low (292 FPS) and Ultra (176 FPS) is 116 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 75 FPS (189 vs 114). At 4K, it narrows further to 40 FPS (102 vs 62). This compression of the FPS range at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU limitation. When the GPU is the bottleneck, changing graphical settings has a smaller relative impact on frame rate because the renderer is already working at maximum capacity. Conversely, at 1080p, the system is more CPU-bound, and lowering settings allows the GPU to complete frames faster, revealing the CPU's capability to push even higher frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. In the context of Doom, which is a title that typically scales well with high clock speeds and multiple cores, this CPU provides a robust foundation. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as evidenced by the high frame rates that exceed 290 FPS on Low settings. The processor's ability to maintain a high boost clock likely ensures that the game's main thread has ample single-core performance.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 96 among all CPUs places it in the top tier. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, score within 0.2% of the 290K Plus in synthetic benchmarks. This indicates that the 290K Plus is not a massive leap over its predecessor, but its performance is sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck in Doom, even at 1440p. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes further, as the frame rates are largely dictated by the GPU's rendering throughput. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 62 is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, which suggests that the CPU is keeping up with the GPU's output demands without causing stutter or frame dips.

The cache hierarchy, with 36 MB of shared L3 cache, likely helps in maintaining low latency for the game's engine. The benchmarks for data compression and encryption (698346 and 52563 in Passmark) show high throughput, but these are not directly relevant to gaming. The key takeaway is that the CPU's raw performance is more than adequate for this game, and the measured FPS differences across resolutions are almost entirely attributable to the GPU's workload.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 215. This is a high value that indicates the system is well-suited for smooth gameplay at this resolution and setting.

Q: How does the frame rate drop from 1440p to 4K on Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the average FPS is 165, while at 3840x2160 Medium, it drops to 89. This is a reduction of 76 FPS, or approximately 46%, which shows the significant rendering load increase at 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is less likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p because the frame rates are extremely high, reaching up to 292 FPS on Low. This indicates the GPU is still able to finish frames quickly, and the CPU is capable of feeding it data at that pace.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded in the data set?

A: The lowest average is 62 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is still a playable frame rate, but it is the most demanding configuration tested.

Q: Does the system provide a stable frame rate at 1440p Ultra?

A: The average FPS at 1440p Ultra is 114. While the minimum FPS is not listed for this preset, the average is high enough to suggest a consistent experience, though it is not as high as the Medium or High presets.

Q: How does the 4K High preset compare to the 4K Ultra preset?

A: The 4K High preset averages 75 FPS, which is 13 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra preset's 62 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset's additional graphical features come at a notable performance cost.

Measured FPS Breakdown

This section details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination.

1920x1080 (1080p): The Low preset delivers the highest average at 292 FPS. Medium settings follow at 254 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 216 FPS and a maximum of 292 FPS. High settings average 215 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 176 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the Ultra preset being 116 FPS slower than Low.

2560x1440 (1440p): At this resolution, Low settings average 189 FPS. Medium settings average 165 FPS, with a minimum of 140 FPS and a maximum of 189 FPS. High settings produce an average of 139 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 114 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 75 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p.

3840x2160 (4K): The Low preset averages 102 FPS. Medium settings average 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 103 FPS. High settings average 75 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 40 FPS, which is the smallest spread across all resolutions, further confirming the GPU bottleneck at 4K.

The data shows a consistent pattern: every resolution step down from 1080p to 4K results in a substantial FPS reduction for the same settings. For instance, the High preset loses 76 FPS going from 1080p to 1440p, and then another 64 FPS going from 1440p to 4K. This demonstrates that the RX 6800 XT's performance is heavily influenced by resolution, and the system's overall frame rate is highly dependent on the chosen display resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is a 7nm GPU based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, featuring 4608 shading units and 128 ROPs. It has a base clock of 1825 MHz and a boost clock of 2250 MHz. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. Its benchmark scores are solid, with a Passmark G3D score of 24980 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3689. The GPU's percentile ranking of 85 among all GPUs places it well above average.

In Doom, the GPU's role is central to the frame rate at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rates are relatively low compared to 1080p. The GPU's boost clock of 2250 MHz is likely a key contributor to its ability to maintain decent performance, but the sheer fill-rate demand of 4K is a challenge. The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K Ultra, so memory capacity is not a constraint.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile and the Intel Arc A550M, but the RX 6800 XT is a desktop part with a significantly higher average score of 48477. The deltaPct values show it is slightly behind the RTX 5070 Ti by 3%, but the differences are small in synthetic tests. In practical gaming, the data indicates that the RX 6800 XT provides a high level of performance, but it cannot maintain the same frame rates at 4K as it does at 1440p. The transition from High to Ultra settings at 4K costs 13 FPS, which shows that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are heavily taxed by the Ultra preset's effects.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a 1080p display, the High preset offers an average of 215 FPS, which is an excellent balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers 176 FPS, which is well above any refresh rate, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may be marginal for some players. The Low preset at 292 FPS is only useful for competitive play where maximum frame rate is the sole priority.

At 1440p, the High preset averages 139 FPS, which is ideal for a high-refresh-rate monitor (e.g., 144Hz). The Medium preset at 165 FPS is also a strong choice if the player prefers slightly lower graphical fidelity for a higher frame rate. The Ultra preset at 114 FPS is still playable, but it may not fully utilize a 144Hz display.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. The High preset averages 75 FPS, which is a good target for a 60Hz or 75Hz display. The Medium preset at 89 FPS offers a smoother experience, but the visual quality is lower. The Ultra preset at 62 FPS is playable but hovers near the 60 FPS minimum. For the best overall experience at 4K, the High preset is recommended, as it provides a significant visual improvement over Medium without the steep performance cost of Ultra. The data shows that the jump from High to Ultra at 4K costs 13 FPS, which may not justify the graphical gains for all users.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Doom, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT holds a combo rank of 866 out of 2930. This places it in the top 30% of all tested systems. The rank reflects the overall performance across all resolutions and settings, and it indicates that this combo is a strong performer, though not at the very top tier.

The rank is influenced by the fact that the RX 6800 XT is an older, end-of-life GPU, while newer cards like the RTX 5070 Ti may achieve higher frame rates. However, the CPU's high performance ensures that the combo does not fall behind in CPU-bound scenarios. The rank of 866 suggests that there are many other combos with higher-performing GPUs that can achieve higher average FPS, particularly at 4K. The data indicates that this combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver frame rates that exceed most monitors' refresh rates, but at 4K, it is more of a mid-range performer. The combo's position in the rankings is a direct result of the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, which is the primary factor holding it back from a higher rank.