Over the past three and a half years, Doom Eternal has served as a benchmark for evaluating the performance of various gaming devices, from high-end PCs to laptops and monitors. Its remarkable optimization has made it a reliable reference point. Recently, I turned my attention to the newly released Doom: The Dark Ages, incorporating it into my testing regimen. My first experiment involved installing the game on the Alienware Area-51 gaming PC, equipped with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, to assess its performance capabilities.
The results were nothing short of astonishing. On Ultra Nightmare settings at 4K resolution, with DLSS frame generation turned off, Doom: The Dark Ages achieved an impressive 155 frames per second. This performance is comparable to what I have previously observed with Doom Eternal on RTX 40-series systems, albeit with DLSS enabled. However, the true surprise came when I activated DLSS 4 x4, which propelled the frame rates to a staggering 344 fps. Such numbers are typically reserved for games with significantly reduced graphical settings, making this achievement particularly noteworthy.
While one might question the necessity of such high frame rates for a slower-paced game like Doom: The Dark Ages, the smoothness of gameplay is undeniably enhanced at these levels. Ultimately, while these figures may not be essential for gameplay, they certainly serve as an impressive testament to the capabilities of the RTX 5090.
The RTX 5090 experience
The Alienware Area-51 boasts specifications that align with the game’s demanding requirements, featuring an RTX 5090 graphics card, an Intel Ultra Core 9 285K CPU, 64GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD. This configuration represents the pinnacle of gaming technology. The performance of Doom: The Dark Ages on this machine is a clear reflection of its robust hardware.
In contrast, testing with other RTX 50 series cards provided a broader perspective. Jason England conducted tests using the RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 5070, and RTX 5060 Ti, all housed within a tower featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD. While the frame rates achieved were not as high as those recorded on the Alienware setup, they still demonstrated commendable performance across the board.
The RTX 5060 Ti, while the least powerful of the group, managed to reach 153 fps at 4K resolution with DLSS 4 enabled, showcasing its ability to perform well under pressure. The standout performer was the RTX 5070 Ti, which achieved 52 fps without DLSS and an impressive 185 fps with DLSS 4 activated, highlighting the importance of this technology in maximizing performance on lower-end GPUs.
Testing other RTX 50 cards
The performance test results, summarized in the table below, illustrate the varying capabilities of these graphics cards:
<table tabindex="0" class="tablewrapper tablewrapper–inbodyContent tablewrapper–sticky tablewrapper–divider”>
<caption class="tablecaption tablecaption–top tablecaption–left”>Performance test results (frames per second)
<tbody class="tablebody”>
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>RTX 5060 Ti
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>RTX 5070
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>RTX 5070 Ti
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>1440p no DLSS
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>62
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>78
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>88
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>1440p DLSS x4
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>202
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>266
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>292
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>4K no DLSS
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>38
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>43
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>52
<tr class="tablebodyrow”>
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>4K DLSS 4x
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>153
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>185
<td class="tablebody_data” colspan=”1″>212
In conclusion, Doom: The Dark Ages stands out as a well-optimized game that performs admirably across a range of modern gaming PCs. It has now taken its place as a primary title for performance testing, and the excitement surrounding its capabilities is palpable. Whether you possess a cutting-edge RTX 50-series GPU or an older model, Doom: The Dark Ages promises an engaging experience that is hard to resist.
