Doom

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti occupies the 999th position out of 2,930 tested combinations for Doom. This places the combo firmly in the upper third of all tested configurations, though not among the elite tier reserved for the very fastest hardware available. The ranking suggests that while this pairing delivers strong performance, there is substantial headroom above it in the database—likely occupied by newer GPUs with larger memory pools and higher bandwidth figures.

What makes this rank particularly interesting is the asymmetry between the two components. The CPU sits in the 96th percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807—a mere 0.2% difference, making the 290K Plus essentially a marginal refinement over its predecessor. On the GPU side, the RTX 3070 Ti lands in the 75th percentile against all graphics cards, with an average score of 29,945. Its closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile, scores 29,928 (0.1% difference), while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 sits 0.5% higher at 30,095. This places the 3070 Ti in a tightly contested mid-high tier, surrounded by cards that trade blows within a 1.6% window.

The 999th rank out of 2,930 combos indicates that roughly two-thirds of tested configurations outperform this pairing in Doom specifically. Given that Doom is a 2016 title with relatively modest system requirements, this rank likely reflects the fact that many newer GPUs—even mid-range ones—can push extremely high frame rates in this game. The RTX 3070 Ti's 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands, but the combo's position suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in achieving top-tier ranks, as the CPU is demonstrably among the fastest available.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture using Samsung's 8 nm process, with a transistor count of 17,400 million on a 392 mm² die. Its base clock runs at 1,575 MHz, boosting to 1,770 MHz, while the memory operates at 1,188 MHz with 19 Gbps effective throughput. The card features 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units, alongside 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 21.75 TFLOPS.

In Doom, the GPU's role is evident from the frame rate scaling across resolutions. At 4K with High settings, the combo averages 70 FPS, while dropping to Low settings raises this to 95 FPS—a 35.7% improvement. The Medium preset at 4K lands at 83 FPS, and Ultra falls to 57 FPS. These numbers suggest that Doom is highly sensitive to GPU load, particularly at higher resolutions where pixel throughput becomes the primary constraint. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is worth noting: Doom's texture requirements at 4K Ultra can approach this limit, though the measured data shows the card handling all presets without catastrophic frame drops.

The RTX 3070 Ti's 75th percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29,945, positions it as a solid performer but not a flagship. Its nearest rivals—the RTX 5070 Mobile (29,928, +0.1%), RX 6800 (30,095, -0.5%), RTX 2080 Ti (29,783, +0.5%), and RX 6700 (30,433, -1.6%)—all cluster within a narrow performance band. This indicates that in Doom, the 3070 Ti is competing with cards from different generations and market segments, with no clear winner among them. The data implies that the GPU's architecture and memory subsystem are well-balanced for this game, but the 8 GB frame buffer may become a bottleneck in more demanding modern titles at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combo in Doom reveals a clear hierarchy across the four available presets. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 271 FPS average, Medium 236 FPS, High 200 FPS, and Ultra 163 FPS. At 1440p, the numbers are 176 FPS (Low), 153 FPS (Medium), 129 FPS (High), and 106 FPS (Ultra). At 4K, the spread tightens: 95 FPS (Low), 83 FPS (Medium), 70 FPS (High), and 57 FPS (Ultra).

For the best experience, the data suggests that High settings at 1440p—yielding 129 FPS—offers an optimal balance between visual fidelity and smoothness. This resolution/preset combination keeps frame rates well above the 100 FPS threshold that competitive players typically target, while still providing the enhanced lighting, shadows, and texture filtering that Doom's presentation benefits from. The 4K High preset at 70 FPS is playable but may feel less responsive for fast-paced combat, particularly in scenes with heavy particle effects or enemy density.

If prioritizing maximum frame rates over visual quality, the Low preset at 1080p (271 FPS) or 1440p (176 FPS) provides exceptional headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. Conversely, the Ultra preset at 1080p (163 FPS) delivers near-maximum visual quality while still maintaining triple-digit frame rates. At 4K, the Medium preset (83 FPS) appears to be the pragmatic choice, as the jump from Medium to High costs 13 FPS (83 to 70), while the jump from Low to Medium costs only 12 FPS (95 to 83)—suggesting diminishing returns at the higher end.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Examining the data resolution by resolution reveals consistent scaling patterns. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 271 FPS on Low, 236 FPS on Medium, 200 FPS on High, and 163 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 201 FPS and maximum of 272 FPS, indicating tight frame pacing with only minor fluctuations. At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 176 FPS (Low), 153 FPS (Medium), 129 FPS (High), and 106 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset here ranges from 130 FPS minimum to 176 FPS maximum, again showing stable performance. At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 95 FPS (Low), 83 FPS (Medium), 70 FPS (High), and 57 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum of 70 FPS and maximum of 95 FPS, revealing a broader frame time variance than at lower resolutions.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p at each preset reduces frame rates by approximately 35-37%: Low drops from 271 to 176 (35.1% reduction), Medium from 236 to 153 (35.2%), High from 200 to 129 (35.5%), and Ultra from 163 to 106 (35.0%). This consistency suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck across all presets at these resolutions, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a limiting factor. Moving from 1440p to 4K yields reductions of approximately 46%: Low from 176 to 95 (46.0%), Medium from 153 to 83 (45.8%), High from 129 to 70 (45.7%), and Ultra from 106 to 57 (46.2%). The slightly larger percentage drop at 4K further confirms that pixel throughput is the dominant constraint at this resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K provides insight into which component is limiting performance in Doom. The consistent percentage drops across all presets—roughly 35% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 46% from 1440p to 4K—align closely with the pixel count increases. Moving from 1080p (2.07 megapixels) to 1440p (3.69 megapixels) represents a 78% increase in pixel count, yet frame rates only drop by 35%. This sub-linear scaling indicates that the GPU is not fully saturated at 1080p, allowing the CPU to partially compensate. However, the move from 1440p to 4K (8.29 megapixels) represents a 125% pixel increase, with frame rates dropping by 46%—still sub-linear, but approaching the behavior of a GPU-bound workload.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the combo is partially CPU-limited, as the RTX 3070 Ti's raw throughput (21.75 TFLOPS FP32) is more than sufficient for Doom's rendering demands at this resolution. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with its 24 cores and 24 threads running at a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, provides ample processing power for the game's simulation and draw call submission. At 4K, however, the GPU's pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s becomes the limiting factor, as evidenced by the frame rates converging to a range that reflects the card's rasterization capabilities. The 608.3 GB/s memory bandwidth also plays a role at 4K, where texture streaming and framebuffer access demand higher throughput.

This scaling behavior implies that users with 1080p or 1440p monitors will experience CPU-bound performance at lower presets, while the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K. The measured data shows that even at 4K Low, the combo achieves 95 FPS, which is respectable for a demanding resolution, but the scaling pattern suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield greater gains at 4K than upgrading the CPU, while the reverse is true at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 3 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s, and the chip connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes.

In Doom, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and presets where the GPU is not saturated. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 271 FPS, which is likely approaching the CPU's limit for the game's main thread and physics simulation. The processor's single-core performance, measured at 7,303 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 3,067 in Cinebench R20 single-core, is critical for Doom's frame submission and AI logic. The multi-core score of 51,731 in Cinebench R23 indicates that the CPU has substantial parallel headroom, but Doom's engine may not fully utilize all 24 threads.

The CPU's 96th percentile ranking against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 84,003, places it among the fastest chips available. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807 (0.2% lower), while the AMD EPYC 4584PX scores 83,090 (1.1% lower) and the EPYC 9135 scores 82,980 (1.2% lower). The AMD EPYC 7F72 scores 85,072, which is 1.3% higher, showing that this CPU competes with enterprise-grade server chips in raw throughput. For Doom specifically, the CPU's high single-threaded performance is likely the key factor, as the game's engine benefits from strong per-core IPC and clock speeds.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking for Doom?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti combination ranks 999th out of 2,930 tested combos for Doom.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 271 FPS average. The Medium preset yields 236 FPS, High delivers 200 FPS, and Ultra produces 163 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29,945. The RTX 5070 Mobile scores 29,928 (0.1% higher), the RX 6800 scores 30,095 (0.5% lower), the RTX 2080 Ti scores 29,783 (0.5% higher), and the RX 6700 scores 30,433 (1.6% lower).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the combo averages 200 FPS, while at 4K High it averages 70 FPS—a 65% reduction in frame rate.

Q: What is the CPU's single-core and multi-core performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus scores 7,303 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth for fast-paced FPS games, though it remains playable for less demanding scenarios.