Doom: The Dark Ages GPU Benchmarks, Ray Tracing & VRAM Usage

Doom: The Dark Ages is set to be May’s largest PC game release. We tested the game, and we were quite satisfied with the performance scaling. Like previous ID Tech-based titles, the latest Doom makes full use of multi-core CPUs with no signs of any bottlenecks. The launch build employs ray-traced reflections and global illumination, both enabled by the “Reflection Quality” setting. Here’s how it performs on contemporary GPUs.

Test Setup

CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K @ 5.3 GHz.

Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420.

GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4090 FE.

Motherboard: MSI PRO Z790-P WIFI.

Memory: 16 GB x2 @ 6000 MT/s CL30.

Doom: The Dark Ages 1080p Benchmarks

Doom: The Dark Ages scales well across our GPU test suite. We tested a range of graphics processors, from the GeForce RTX 4060 laptop GPU, the RTX 4060 Ti, 5060 Ti, 4070, 4070 Ti, 4080, 4090, and the Radeon RX 9070 XT.

Surprisingly, the Radeon RX 9070 XT beats the RTX 4090 using TAA (the latter used DLAA, which is a bit slower) at 1080p. The RTX 4080 Super holds its shader advantage over the RTX 5070 Ti, while the RTX 4070 has a steady lead over the RTX 5060 Ti. At 1080p “Ultra Nightmare” settings:

The RTX 4060 Laptop GPU averages 39 FPS.
The RTX 4060 Ti averages 52 FPS.
The RTX 5060 Ti averages 62 FPS.
The RTX 4070 nets 74.5 FPS.
The RTX 4070 Ti yields 85 FPS.
The RTX 5070 Ti averages 97 FPS.
The RTX 4080 Super finishes with 103 FPS.
The RTX 4090 averages 115 FPS.
The RX 9070 XT nets 123 FPS with TAA.

We used TAA for the Radeon RX 9070 XT because selecting FSR made the game freeze up regardless of the chosen resolution and settings.

Doom: The Dark Ages 1440p Benchmarks

The GeForce RTX 4090 has more breathing room at 1440p, beating the Radeon RX 9070 XT. It has a comfortable lead over the RTX 4080 Super and the 5070 Ti. The 1080p result indicates a driver-level bottleneck with limited CPU headroom.

The GeForce RTX 4080 Super and the 5070 Ti perform within 5% of one another, but the RTX 4070 continues to be much faster than the 5060 Ti, which leads the 4060 Ti by 16%. At 1440p “Ultra Nightmare” settings:

The RTX 4060 Ti produces 37 FPS.
The RTX 5060 Ti averages 43 FPS.
The RTX 4070 averages 56 FPS.
The RTX 4070 Ti is slightly faster with 63 FPS.
The RTX 5070 Ti is a class higher, averaging 71 FPS.
The RTX 4080 Super reports 74 FPS.
The RX 9070 XT finishes second with 88.5 FPS.
The RTX 4090 tops the chart with 91 FPS.

The Radeon RX 9070 XT delivers stellar performance, decisively beating the RTX 5070 Ti and the 4080 Super. If it retailed around its MSRP, it would have been a real win for the midrange gamer, but the cheapest models cost $900.

Doom: The Dark Ages 4K Benchmarks

The GeForce RTX 4090 is the only GPU to average close to 60 FPS at 4K, followed by the RTX 4080 Super, 5070 Ti, and the RX 9070 XT in the 40s range. At 4K “Ultra Nightmare” settings:

The RTX 5070 Ti nets 40 FPS.
The RTX 4080 Super yields 43 FPS.
The RX 9070 XT averages 48 FPS with TAA.
The RTX 4090 averages 56 FPS.

Doom: The Dark Ages Upscaling & Frame Gen

Upscaling nets substantial performance gains in Doom: The Dark Ages. The GeForce RTX 4060 Ti averages 60 FPS, while the RTX 5060 Ti and the 70-class GPUs stay well above 60 FPS. At 1440p “Ultra Nightmare” with balanced-mode upscaling:

The RTX 4060 Ti averages 60 FPS.
The RTX 5060 Ti nets 74 FPS.
The RTX 4070 yields 85 FPS.
The RTX 4070 Ti averages 96 FPS.

Frame Generation and Multi-Frame Generation deliver 2x and 3x the base frame rates at 4K “Ultra Nightmare” quality settings with performance-mode upscaling:

The RTX 4090 nets 161 FPS, up from 99 FPS using only upscaling.
The RTX 5070 Ti averages 212 FPS using 4x, 172 FPS using 3x, and 129 FPS using 2x frame generation.