Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX delivers a masterclass in high-refresh-rate performance in Doom, but the data reveals a fascinating shift in system dynamics as resolution climbs. This combination is clearly engineered for esports-tier frame rates, yet the scaling patterns expose where each component takes the lead. The measured FPS values tell a story of a CPU that can push hundreds of frames at 1080p and a GPU that remains potent but increasingly dominant as pixel count rises.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation in the data is the dramatic FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K, which clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo produces an average of 319 FPS. Stepping up to 1440p Medium drops that figure to 206 FPS, a reduction of 113 FPS. Moving further to 4K Medium yields 112 FPS, which is a 207 FPS drop from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern—where each resolution step roughly halves the frame rate—is a textbook indicator of GPU-bound performance. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the RX 7900 XTX cannot maintain the same throughput as pixel count increases.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution further emphasizes this GPU limitation. At 1080p, the spread from Low (366 FPS) to Ultra (220 FPS) is a massive 146 FPS, showing that the GPU is the primary constraint even at the lowest resolution. At 4K, the spread from Low (128 FPS) to Ultra (77 FPS) is 51 FPS, a smaller absolute difference but still a significant 40% performance penalty for maxing out settings. This suggests that while the CPU can easily handle the game's logic at any resolution, the GPU's rendering workload increases exponentially with resolution and settings, making it the clear bottleneck for achieving the highest frame rates.

Interestingly, the 1440p results show a more balanced picture. The jump from 1440p High (174 FPS) to 1440p Low (237 FPS) is 63 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p scaling. This indicates that at 1440p, the system is still capable of delivering extremely high frame rates without hitting a hard CPU ceiling. The 4K results, however, show a more severe drop-off, with Ultra settings falling to 77 FPS. This suggests that for 4K gaming, the RX 7900 XTX's 24 GB of memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily, and the game's engine is struggling to keep up with the sheer number of pixels.

The data implies that this combo is most efficient at 1440p, where it can maintain over 140 FPS even on Ultra settings. At 1080p, the CPU is likely idling, waiting for the GPU to finish rendering frames. At 4K, the GPU is working at its limit, and the CPU's immense power is largely untapped. For a game like Doom, which is known for its fast-paced action, the 1440p sweet spot offers the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, as the 174 FPS average on High settings is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1080p is 366 FPS, achieved with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the Medium (319 FPS), High (269 FPS), and Ultra (220 FPS) presets, indicating that the CPU is capable of pushing the frame rate extremely high when GPU load is minimized.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K on Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 220. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 77 FPS. This represents a 143 FPS reduction, or a 65% decrease in performance, which highlights the GPU's struggle to render the game at higher resolutions with maximum settings.

Q: Which resolution provides the best balance between visual quality and frame rate for this combo?

A: The data suggests 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p High settings, the combo achieves 174 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors. This is a significant improvement over 4K High (94 FPS) while still offering much higher visual fidelity than 1080p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The FPS drops dramatically from 1080p to 4K, with the 4K Medium average (112 FPS) being less than half of the 1080p Medium average (319 FPS). The CPU's high core count and clock speeds are not being fully utilized at this resolution.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium is 176 FPS, with a maximum of 237 FPS and an average of 206 FPS. This shows that even during intense scenes, the frame rate remains high, providing a consistent experience.

Q: How does the combo's performance at 4K High compare to 4K Low?

A: At 4K High, the average FPS is 94, while at 4K Low, it is 128 FPS. This 34 FPS difference shows that while Low settings provide a significant boost, the game remains playable at High settings, making it a viable option for those prioritizing visual quality.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the driving force behind the visual output in this combo, and its specifications directly explain the observed performance at higher resolutions. With 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus, it offers a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, which is crucial for feeding the massive amount of texture data required at 4K. The GPU's 6144 shading units and 192 ROPs are tasked with processing the pixels, and the data shows that this becomes a limiting factor as resolution increases. The boost clock of 2498 MHz and game clock of 2365 MHz provide the raw compute power, but the sheer pixel count at 4K overwhelms the render output units.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its performance. Its Passmark G3D score of 31238 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 85612 are substantial, yet its percentile rank of 64 among all GPUs suggests that while it is a high-end part, it is not the absolute fastest available. This is reflected in the 4K results, where the Ultra preset averages only 77 FPS. The GPU's FP32 performance of 61.39 TFLOPS is impressive, but Doom's engine appears to be heavily dependent on fill rate and memory bandwidth, which are taxed at higher resolutions.

The VRAM capacity of 24 GB is more than sufficient for Doom at any resolution, as the game is from 2016 and does not require massive memory pools. However, the bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s is likely the more critical factor. The data shows a clear correlation between resolution and FPS, which aligns with the GPU's memory bandwidth limitations. At 1080p, the GPU can easily process the frame data, resulting in over 300 FPS on Medium settings. At 4K, the memory subsystem is saturated, causing the FPS to drop to 112 on Medium. This suggests that for future games with higher resolution textures, the RX 7900 XTX's memory bandwidth could become an even more significant constraint.

The GPU's low benchmark scores in some tests, such as Passmark DirectX 10 (166) and DirectX 12 (131), are interesting but do not directly translate to gaming performance in Doom, which uses Vulkan. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 85612 is more relevant, and it correlates with the strong frame rates observed at lower resolutions. The GPU's production status is listed as "End-of-life," which may be a consideration for long-term support, but its current performance in this game is solid, albeit not top-tier for 4K Ultra gaming.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 269 FPS is the best choice, as it offers a significant visual improvement over Medium (319 FPS) and Low (366 FPS) while still maintaining a frame rate that exceeds any current monitor's refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 220 FPS is also viable, but the 49 FPS drop from High to Ultra is a substantial sacrifice for likely minimal visual gains in a fast-paced game like Doom.

At 1440p, the High preset at 174 FPS is the clear winner. It provides a balance that allows for high refresh rate gaming, as 174 FPS is well above the 144 Hz threshold. The Ultra preset at 143 FPS is also playable, but it sits right at the edge of 144 Hz, meaning any minor frame drops could cause noticeable stuttering. The Medium preset at 206 FPS is an alternative for those who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, but the jump from Medium to High is only 32 FPS, making High the more balanced choice.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that High settings at 94 FPS are the most reasonable option. The Ultra preset at 77 FPS is below the 90 FPS threshold that many consider smooth, while Medium at 112 FPS offers a better experience. The Low preset at 128 FPS is the only way to achieve a truly high refresh rate at 4K, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. The recommendation is to use High settings at 4K for a good balance, or Medium if a higher frame rate is desired. The data shows that the system is capable of 4K gaming, but not at the highest settings.

The measured rows indicate that the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best overall experience when considering the min FPS of 176. This minimum frame rate is higher than the average frame rate of the 4K High preset (94 FPS), showing that even the most demanding scenes at 1440p Medium are smoother than the average experience at 4K High. For players with high-refresh-rate monitors, 1440p Medium or High is the sweet spot, providing a consistent and responsive experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1080p, the results are extraordinary. The Low preset achieves an average of 366 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this combo. The Medium preset averages 319 FPS, with a minimum of 271 FPS and a maximum of 367 FPS, showing excellent consistency. The High preset drops to 269 FPS, and the Ultra preset is at 220 FPS. This resolution is clearly CPU-bound, as the frame rates are exceptionally high and the GPU is not the limiting factor.

At 1440p, the performance remains impressive but begins to show the GPU's influence. The Low preset averages 237 FPS, which is a 129 FPS drop from 1080p Low. The Medium preset averages 206 FPS, with a minimum of 176 FPS and a maximum of 237 FPS. The High preset averages 174 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 143 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 94 FPS difference, which is more pronounced than at 1080p, indicating a shift toward GPU-bound performance.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. The Low preset averages 128 FPS, which is a significant drop from 1440p Low. The Medium preset averages 112 FPS, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS. The High preset drops to 94 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 77 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 51 FPS difference, which is smaller in absolute terms than at lower resolutions, but the frame rates are much lower overall. The minimum FPS of 95 at 4K Medium is the lowest recorded for any Medium setting, highlighting the GPU's struggle at this resolution.

The data shows a clear pattern: the CPU is capable of producing extremely high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU's rendering capabilities become the bottleneck as resolution increases. The 4K Ultra result of 77 FPS is the lowest average recorded, and it indicates that the RX 7900 XTX is not powerful enough to max out Doom at 4K. The 1440p results are the most balanced, with the High preset at 174 FPS being the best overall experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a formidable processor, and its specifications are clearly reflected in the 1080p results. With 24 cores and 24 threads, it offers massive parallel processing power, which is evident in its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731. The boost clock of 5.80 GHz is exceptionally high, contributing to a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303. This combination of high core count and high clock speeds allows the CPU to feed the GPU with frames at an incredible rate, as shown by the 366 FPS at 1080p Low.

The CPU's performance in Doom is primarily limited by how fast it can process game logic and issue draw calls. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the FPS does not scale perfectly with GPU settings. For example, the difference between 1080p Low (366 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (220 FPS) is 146 FPS, but this is due to the GPU's increased workload, not the CPU. The CPU is capable of producing over 366 FPS, as evidenced by the Low preset result, but the GPU cannot keep up at higher settings.

This is corroborated by the CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark data. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K has an average score of 83807, which is only 0.2% lower than the 290K Plus's 84003. This suggests that the 290K Plus is not a massive upgrade over its predecessor, and the performance in Doom is likely similar. The CPU's percentile rank of 96 among all CPUs indicates it is in the top 4% of processors, which aligns with the extremely high frame rates observed at 1080p.

At 1440p and 4K, the CPU's role diminishes. The FPS drops are primarily due to the GPU's rendering workload, not the CPU's processing power. The CPU is likely not fully utilized at these resolutions, as it can easily produce frames faster than the GPU can render them. The data suggests that for Doom, the CPU is more than sufficient for any resolution, and the bottleneck is almost entirely the GPU. The high L3 cache of 36 MB and memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s help ensure that the CPU can quickly access game data, but these are not limiting factors in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX achieves a combo rank of 362 out of 2930 tested combos. This places it in the top 12.4% of all configurations, which is a strong showing. The rank reflects the overall performance across all benchmarks, not just Doom, but the measured FPS data suggests that this combo is particularly well-suited for this game.

The rank of 362 out of 2930 confirms the CPU's immense processing power and the GPU's high-end capabilities. While the GPU's percentile rank of 64 is relatively low, the CPU's percentile rank of 96 helps to boost the overall combo ranking. In Doom, the CPU's strength is fully utilized at 1080p, where it can push frame rates to over 360 FPS. This is a significant advantage over combos with weaker CPUs, even if they have similar GPUs.

The combo's performance in Doom is likely better than its overall rank suggests, as the game is known for being well-optimized and CPU-friendly. The data shows that at 1080p, the combo can achieve frame rates that are over 50% higher than the 1440p results, indicating that the CPU is not a bottleneck. This is a key differentiator from many other combos that may struggle to maintain high frame rates at 1080p due to CPU limitations.

The rank of 362 also highlights that there are 361 other combos that perform better overall, likely featuring more powerful GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 or similar. However, the RX 7900 XTX is no slouch, and its 24 GB of VRAM ensures it can handle any game at high settings. The combo's performance in Doom is excellent, and the rank reflects that it is a top-tier configuration, even if it is not the absolute best available. The data implies that for competitive gaming at high refresh rates, this combo is an excellent choice, but for 4K Ultra gaming, there are better options.