Doom

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable but demanding experience in Doom, with performance that scales predictably across resolutions and presets. The data shows a system that is firmly GPU-limited at 4K, while the high-end 24-core processor ensures that even the lowest preset at 1080p does not expose a CPU bottleneck. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, component roles, and optimal settings based strictly on the provided benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario in a fast-paced FPS. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 121 FPS. Moving to 1440p reduces that average to 78 FPS, a drop of 43 FPS or roughly 35.5%. At 4K, the average falls further to 42 FPS, which is a 79 FPS decrease from the 1080p result. This pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary limiting factor; the CPU’s capabilities are not being challenged until the GPU workload becomes overwhelming.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly sharp. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 92 at 1440p down to 50 at 4K, a reduction of 42 FPS. Similarly, at Low settings, the average drops from 106 at 1440p to 57 at 4K. This halving of performance when quadrupling the pixel count (from 1440p to 4K) suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and raw fillrate are being saturated. The Arc B570’s 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K resolution demands more than the 10 GB VRAM and 160-bit bus can efficiently deliver.

Notably, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (164 FPS) and Ultra (99 FPS) is 65 FPS. At 1440p, that gap narrows to 42 FPS (106 vs 64). At 4K, the gap is only 22 FPS (57 vs 35). This compression at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU limitation; when the pixel shader workload dominates, the impact of graphical detail settings diminishes because the GPU is already maxed out. For a competitive player, the 1080p Low preset offers the highest headroom, while a 4K experience will be tightly constrained regardless of settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture and Battlemage generation, is a mid-range GPU that shows its strengths and limitations in Doom. With 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, it provides a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, with a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz. These specifications translate to a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s, which are the theoretical limits that the measured FPS approaches at 1080p.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 20556. Its nearest rivals in aggregate performance are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1), indicating that the B570 is positioned just above or below those parts depending on the workload. In Doom specifically, the measured FPS shows that the GPU can handle 1080p Ultra at 99 FPS average, which is respectable for a card of this class. However, the 4K Ultra result of 35 FPS average is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, highlighting the card’s intended use case as a 1080p or 1440p solution.

The VRAM capacity of 10 GB is sufficient for Doom at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the stable performance across presets. However, at 4K, the combination of higher resolution and Ultra settings likely pushes memory usage near its limit, contributing to the low 35 FPS average. The GPU’s memory clock is 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective), which is not exceptionally fast, and the 160-bit bus width is narrower than many competitors, limiting overall bandwidth. This is a key reason why the 4K results lag behind; the GPU cannot feed the shader units quickly enough at that resolution. The data suggests that for Doom, the Arc B570 is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where its raw compute power (11.52 TFLOPS FP32) can be fully leveraged.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 121 FPS average is the recommended starting point, as it provides a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold while retaining good visual fidelity. If a higher refresh rate monitor is in use, the Low preset at 164 FPS average offers the best competitive advantage, though it sacrifices some visual detail. The Medium preset at 143 FPS is a solid middle ground for those who want improved textures over Low without the performance cost of High.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 78 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 92 FPS average is the sweet spot, offering a significant performance boost over High while maintaining acceptable visual quality. The Low preset at 106 FPS provides the smoothest experience for competitive play, but the visual downgrade is more noticeable at this resolution. The Ultra preset at 64 FPS is borderline; it is technically above 60 FPS but may feel inconsistent during intense scenes. For most users, Medium at 1440p is the recommended preset.

At 4K, the results are less encouraging. The Low preset at 57 FPS average is the only option that approaches playability, but it still falls short of a locked 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 50 FPS and High preset at 42 FPS are not recommended for a smooth experience, and the Ultra preset at 35 FPS is only suitable for screenshots or turn-based observation. Given these numbers, the best experience per the measured rows is to play at 1440p with Medium settings (92 FPS), which offers a good balance of detail and frame rate. Alternatively, 1080p High (121 FPS) or Medium (143 FPS) provides a more fluid experience for those prioritizing responsiveness over resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following breakdown details the exact average FPS for each resolution and preset combination, as measured by the benchmark database.

1920x1080

• Low: 164 FPS average
• Medium: 143 FPS average (min 121, max 164)
• High: 121 FPS average
• Ultra: 99 FPS average

2560x1440

• Low: 106 FPS average
• Medium: 92 FPS average (min 79, max 106)
• High: 78 FPS average
• Ultra: 64 FPS average

3840x2160

• Low: 57 FPS average
• Medium: 50 FPS average (min 43, max 58)
• High: 42 FPS average
• Ultra: 35 FPS average

The 1080p results show a clear hierarchy, with Low providing a 41 FPS advantage over High and a 65 FPS advantage over Ultra. The Medium preset’s minimum of 121 FPS indicates that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate does not dip below the High preset’s average. At 1440p, the Medium preset’s minimum of 79 FPS is close to the High preset’s average, suggesting that Medium is a more stable choice for consistent performance. The 4K results are uniformly low, with the Medium preset’s minimum of 43 FPS being the only data point above 40 FPS. These numbers confirm that the Intel Arc B570 is not a 4K-capable GPU for Doom, at least not at playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: No, the measured data shows that even at Low settings, the average FPS at 3840x2160 is only 57. At Medium, High, and Ultra, the averages drop to 50, 42, and 35 respectively, all of which are below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p on this hardware?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides an average of 92 FPS, which is the highest frame rate above 90 FPS while maintaining moderate visual quality. The Low preset is faster at 106 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a better balance of detail and performance.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750. It also sits 0.4% above the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 0.5% below the AMD Radeon R9 M390X.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p with Low settings?

A: No, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. The 164 FPS average at 1080p Low is not limited by the CPU, as the processor’s high single-thread performance (7303 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is more than sufficient for this game.

Q: What is the expected FPS for 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS for 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 99. This is above 60 FPS, so it is playable on a standard 60Hz monitor, but it may not be ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Does the GPU’s VRAM capacity affect performance at 4K?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory. The 4K results show a significant drop in performance, with the Ultra preset averaging 35 FPS, which suggests that the memory bandwidth and capacity are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in Doom.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-end desktop processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on a 3 nm process with the Arrow Lake Refresh codename. It features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. The CPU has a 36 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, which it does with ample headroom. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (164 FPS) is the highest in the dataset, and the fact that increasing resolution to 1440p and 4K reduces FPS significantly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU’s single-thread performance (4823 in Passmark single-thread) is crucial for a game like Doom, which relies on a few main threads for rendering commands. The 24 cores and threads are more than necessary, but they ensure that no background tasks or system overhead will interfere with frame pacing.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in aggregate performance include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (deltaPct 0.2) and the AMD EPYC 4584PX (deltaPct 1.1), showing that the 290K Plus is marginally faster than the 285K but slower than the EPYC parts. However, for gaming, these differences are negligible, as the GPU is the bottleneck. The processor’s high boost clock of 5.80 GHz is a key asset, as Doom benefits from high IPC and clock speed rather than core count. The data confirms that this CPU will not hold back the Arc B570 in any scenario, from 1080p to 4K. The only caveat is that the CPU’s power draw (125 W TDP) is higher than some rivals, but the performance is commensurate with that requirement. For this specific game, the CPU is a non-issue, and users should focus on GPU settings to achieve their desired frame rate.