Doom

# Doom Performance Analysis: Intel Core Ultra X9 388H + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050

This benchmark analysis examines how the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 handles Doom across three resolutions and four settings presets. The measured data reveals a system that scales predictably with resolution changes, showing clear GPU-bound behavior at higher pixel counts while maintaining solid frame rates at 1080p. This combo ranks 2320th out of 2930 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which aligns with the GPU's 66th percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies in this system. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo delivers 101 FPS average, while dropping to High settings yields 123 FPS, Medium reaches 146 FPS, and Low peaks at 167 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, those same settings produce 65, 80, 94, and 108 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, the numbers fall to 35, 43, 51, and 59 FPS across Ultra, High, Medium, and Low presets.

The scaling pattern between 1080p and 1440p shows roughly a 35-36% performance drop across all settings, which is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario where increasing pixel count proportionally increases rendering load. From 1440p to 4K, the drop becomes more severe at approximately 45-46%, reflecting the 2.25x pixel increase from 1440p to 4K versus the 1.78x increase from 1080p to 1440p.

This resolution scaling behavior indicates the RTX 5050 is the limiting component as resolution rises. The 1080p to 1440p transition maintains playable frame rates across all settings, with even Ultra staying above 60 FPS. However, the jump to 4K pushes the system below 60 FPS for every preset, with Ultra dropping to 35 FPS and High managing only 43 FPS. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combination requires Low settings to approach playability, and even then, 59 FPS sits marginally below the 60 FPS threshold many users target.

The steep drop from Medium to Ultra at 4K (51 to 35 FPS, a 31% reduction) versus the same transition at 1080p (146 to 101 FPS, a 31% reduction) shows consistent scaling behavior regardless of resolution. This uniformity across resolutions reinforces that the GPU's rendering capacity, not CPU limitations, drives the performance envelope in Doom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output processors work with a base clock of 2317 MHz and boost clock of 2572 MHz. The GPU's compute capabilities include 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s, with a texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s.

These specifications explain the measured frame rates in Doom. The game's 2016 release date means it relies heavily on traditional rasterization rather than ray tracing, which plays to the RTX 5050's strengths. The 8 GB VRAM capacity proves sufficient across all tested settings, as no memory-related performance anomalies appear in the data. The consistent scaling between settings presets suggests the GPU has adequate memory headroom even at 4K Ultra.

The RTX 5050's benchmark scores place it in the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21035. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (1% slower), AMD Radeon HD 8970M (1% slower), AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% faster), and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (1.6% slower). These close margins indicate the RTX 5050 sits in a competitive performance band, though the Doom results show it handles this particular title adequately for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

The GPU's 130 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it's positioned for mobile or compact desktop configurations. With a 300 W suggested PSU and PCIe 5.0 x8 interface, the card's power delivery and bandwidth characteristics align with its mid-range positioning. The 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores support modern rendering features, though Doom's age means these capabilities remain largely unused in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H features 16 cores and 16 threads, running at a 2.10 GHz base clock with a 5.10 GHz boost clock. This Panther Lake architecture chip uses a 3 nm process and integrates 18 MB of shared L3 cache, with 192 KB L1 and 3 MB L2 per core. The CPU supports LPDDR5X memory with dual-channel configuration, delivering 153.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

In Doom, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the resolution scaling patterns. At 1080p where CPU bottlenecks typically surface, the frame rates reach 167 FPS at Low settings, suggesting the processor can feed the GPU adequately at this resolution. The 16 threads provide ample parallelism for the game's rendering threads, and the 5.10 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread performance when needed.

The CPU's benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18911 and single-core score of 2200.5, placing it in the 88th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D (0.2% faster), Intel Core i9-13950HX (0.3% slower), AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 (0.4% slower), and Intel Core i5-13600 (0.5% slower). These tight margins indicate the X9 388H performs comparably to established desktop and mobile processors.

The 25 W TDP with a mobile market segment designation suggests this CPU targets thin-and-light laptops, yet its performance in Doom proves sufficient. The 1080p Low preset's 167 FPS indicates the CPU can sustain high frame rates when the GPU isn't the limiting factor. However, the diminishing returns from 1080p to 1440p to 4K demonstrate that the GPU becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases, meaning the CPU's capabilities remain underutilized at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2320th out of 2930 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 21st percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the GPU's 66th percentile standing more than the CPU's 88th percentile, indicating that the graphics card limits the overall gaming experience in this title.

The gap between CPU and GPU percentile rankings (88 vs 66) suggests this pairing leaves performance on the table. A stronger GPU would likely push this combo significantly higher in the rankings, as the CPU demonstrates headroom in its benchmark scores. The nearest GPU rivals all fall within 1.6% of the RTX 5050's average score, meaning small GPU improvements could shift the combo's position notably.

In practical terms, this ranking places the system in the lower third of tested configurations for Doom. The 4K results (35-59 FPS depending on settings) and even some 1440p Ultra results (65 FPS) fall below what higher-ranked combos would likely achieve. However, the 1080p experience remains strong across all settings, with even Ultra maintaining 101 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of many standard monitors.

The combo's position relative to the 2930 tested systems indicates that Doom, despite its 2016 release, still demands substantial GPU resources at higher resolutions. The RTX 5050's mid-range positioning shows in the 4K results, where even Low settings barely reach 60 FPS. Users targeting 4K gaming would need to consider higher-tier GPUs, while 1080p and 1440p users will find this combo competitive.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all four presets deliver playable frame rates, with High achieving 123 FPS, Medium at 146 FPS, and Low reaching 167 FPS. Ultra at 101 FPS remains above 60 FPS but offers diminishing returns over High for the 22 FPS cost. For most 1080p users, High settings provide the best balance, delivering 123 FPS while maintaining visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts to Medium, which delivers 94 FPS with a minimum of 80 FPS. High achieves 80 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 65 FPS. The 29 FPS difference between Ultra and Medium (65 vs 94) represents a significant performance gain for modest visual changes. Low at 108 FPS offers headroom for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, but Medium provides the best visual-to-performance ratio.

For 3840x2160, Low settings at 59 FPS represent the only preset approaching playable frame rates. Medium drops to 51 FPS, High falls to 43 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 35 FPS. Users with 4K displays should accept Low settings to maintain near-60 FPS gameplay, or consider reducing resolution to 1440p for better quality. The 4K Medium result's minimum of 43 FPS indicates potential frame dips below 45 FPS, which many players find disruptive.

The data suggests this combo works best at 1080p with High or Medium settings, or 1440p with Medium. The measured min FPS values at 1440p Medium (80 FPS) and 1080p Medium (124 FPS) show consistent frame delivery without major stutters, indicating smooth gameplay experiences at these configurations.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable frame rate this combo achieves in Doom at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system reaches 167 FPS average. Medium settings deliver 146 FPS, High achieves 123 FPS, and Ultra produces 101 FPS, all exceeding standard 60 Hz display requirements.

Q: Can this system handle Doom at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, only Low settings approach playability with 59 FPS average. Medium drops to 51 FPS, High falls to 43 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 35 FPS. None of the 4K presets maintain a consistent 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5050's average benchmark score of 21035 places it within 1.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (which is 1.6% faster) and within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and AMD Radeon HD 8970M (both slightly slower). The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% faster.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Doom?

A: The GPU limits performance, as shown by the 88th percentile CPU ranking versus the 66th percentile GPU ranking. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K follow GPU-bound scaling patterns, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom at lower resolutions.

Q: What settings preset provides the best experience at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 deliver 94 FPS average with an 80 FPS minimum, offering the best balance of visual quality and performance. High achieves 80 FPS, while Ultra drops to 65 FPS with no minimum FPS data recorded.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Doom?

A: This combination ranks 2320th out of 2930 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning more than the CPU's stronger 88th percentile standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 167 FPS average
• Medium: 146 FPS average, 124 FPS minimum, 168 FPS maximum
• High: 123 FPS average
• Ultra: 101 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 108 FPS average
• Medium: 94 FPS average, 80 FPS minimum, 108 FPS maximum
• High: 80 FPS average
• Ultra: 65 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 59 FPS average
• Medium: 51 FPS average, 43 FPS minimum, 59 FPS maximum
• High: 43 FPS average
• Ultra: 35 FPS average

The complete dataset shows consistent performance scaling across all resolutions and settings. At each resolution, the progression from Low to Ultra yields incremental frame rate decreases, with Ultra typically costing 35-40% of the Low preset's performance. The Medium preset consistently provides the middle ground, with measured minimum and maximum values bracketing the average closely at each resolution.

The 1440p Medium measurement (94 FPS average, 80-108 range) and 1080p Medium (146 FPS average, 124-168 range) show the tightest frame delivery, indicating stable performance without major dips. The 4K Medium result (51 FPS average, 43-59 range) demonstrates the GPU's struggle at this resolution, with the minimum falling well below the 60 FPS target.

These measured values, collected from actual testing, provide a comprehensive picture of how this hardware combination handles Doom. The data shows a system well-suited for 1080p gaming at high refresh rates, capable of solid 1440p performance at medium settings, but limited to low settings for 4K playability.