Doom: The Dark Ages Struggles on Handheld Gaming PC

Doom: The Dark Ages has finally arrived, and if you're a handheld gaming PC enthusiast like me, you're likely curious about whether the Asus ROG Ally X can handle it. I've set a baseline of 30 frames per second (fps) for playability, with a preference for 60fps, though I understand that might be a stretch for such a demanding game.

While the previous game in the series, Doom Eternal, ran smoothly on the Ally, fans hoping for similar performance with The Dark Ages might be disappointed.

The landscape of PC gaming handhelds is diverse, but the Asus ROG Ally X stands at the forefront. It shares the AMD Z1 Extreme chip with other top-tier handhelds, yet it distinguishes itself with an impressive 24GB of RAM, of which 16GB is dedicated to the GPU. More crucially, this RAM operates at a brisk 7,500MHz, offering superior memory bandwidth that significantly boosts the performance of the integrated graphics.

This makes the ROG Ally X an ideal candidate for testing Doom: The Dark Ages, given its potential to meet the game's rigorous system requirements. As games become increasingly demanding, the Ally X serves as a benchmark to determine if less powerful handhelds can keep pace—until the next wave of handhelds arrives later this year.

The Best Handheld Gaming PC### Asus Asus ROG Ally X

7With its doubled battery life and faster memory, the Asus ROG Ally X has emerged as the premier handheld gaming PC on the market. You can find it at Best Buy.Can the Asus ROG Ally Handle Doom: The Dark Ages?

Before diving in, ensure your chipset is updated for optimal performance with Doom: The Dark Ages. Updating on the ROG Ally X is straightforward: access Armoury Crate via the bottom right menu button, click the cogwheel at the top, and navigate to the Update Center. Look for the AMD Radeon Graphics Driver update, and if it's not visible, click Check for Updates. Once the RC72LA update is available, select Update All.

For my tests, I connected the Ally X to a power outlet and operated it in Turbo Mode (30W) to maximize its capabilities. I also set the Texture Pool Size in the game's graphics settings to the maximum of 4,096 megabytes, as opposed to the default 2,048, taking advantage of the 24GB RAM (with 16GB available) without reaching capacity, even on Ultra Nightmare settings.

All tests were conducted with resolution scaling disabled. Although I tested dynamic resolution across different presets, the results mirrored those at 720p, as the target frame rates were unattainable, causing dynamic resolution to default to 720p.

Doom: The Dark Ages ROG Ally X PerformanceUltra Nightmare, 1080p15fpsUltra Nightmare, 720p24fpsNightmare, 1080p16fpsNightmare, 720p24fpsUltra, 1080p16fpsUltra, 720p24fpsHigh, 1080p16fpsHigh, 720p26fpsMedium, 1080p17fpsMedium, 720p30fpsLow, 1080p20fpsLow, 720p35fpsI repeatedly played the opening section of Doom: The Dark Ages’ second mission, Hebeth, to stress-test the hardware with its intense effects and particles. The results were surprising.

At 1080p, Doom: The Dark Ages on the Ally X is nearly unplayable. The Ultra Nightmare setting averaged just 15fps, with minimal improvement across lower presets. Nightmare, Ultra, and High settings hovered around 16fps, while Medium managed 17fps. Even on Low, the game only reached 20fps, which is still not smooth enough for a comfortable experience. Clearly, 1080p is not viable regardless of the graphics preset.

At 720p, the performance was better, though still not ideal. Ultra Nightmare, Nightmare, and Ultra settings averaged 24fps, with High settings slightly better at 26fps. While not ideal, these settings could be considered playable in a pinch. It's only when dropping to Medium at 720p that the game becomes truly playable, achieving a steady 30fps. Lowering to Low settings further improves performance, reaching 35fps.

Asus ROG Ally X Isn’t Ready for Doom: The Dark Ages

As much as I love handheld gaming PCs and my Asus ROG Ally X, it's clear that they lack the power to run Doom: The Dark Ages smoothly. The Ally X struggles significantly, only managing to reach 30fps on Medium and Low settings at 720p.

Steam Deck users shouldn't expect better results, given its less powerful specs compared to the Ally X. On Valve's device, you'd likely be limited to 800p on Low settings to achieve 30fps, a scenario that applies to all current-generation handhelds.

However, there's hope on the horizon. The upcoming generation of mobile chipsets, such as the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme expected in handhelds later this year, could improve performance. Rumors suggest this chip might power the Asus ROG Ally 2, and there are even whispers of an Xbox-branded model. We'll have to wait and see how these advancements impact demanding titles like Doom: The Dark Ages.