Doom: The Dark Ages has finally hit the market, and if you're a fan of handheld gaming PCs, you might be eager to know if the Asus ROG Ally X can handle this beast of a game. Aiming for a minimum of 30 frames per second (fps) for playability, with a dream of reaching 60fps, let's dive into the performance specifics.
While its predecessor, Doom Eternal, ran smoothly on the Ally, don't expect the same from The Dark Ages. This game pushes hardware to its limits, and unfortunately, the Ally X falls short of expectations.
A Note on the Hardware
The landscape of PC gaming handhelds is incredibly diverse, but the Asus ROG Ally X stands at the pinnacle. It boasts the same AMD Z1 Extreme processor as other top-tier handhelds but distinguishes itself with a substantial 24GB of RAM, with 16GB dedicated to the GPU. Moreover, its memory speed is a remarkable 7,500MHz, significantly boosting memory bandwidth, which is crucial for the integrated graphics of the Z1 Extreme.
The ROG Ally X represents the best-case scenario for testing Doom: The Dark Ages due to its superior specs. As games grow more demanding, the Ally X sets a benchmark for whether other handhelds can keep up, until the next generation arrives later this year.
The Best Handheld Gaming PC: Asus ROG Ally X
With twice the battery life and faster memory, the Asus ROG Ally X has established itself as the leading handheld gaming PC on the market. Check it out at Best Buy.
Can the Asus ROG Ally Handle Doom: The Dark Ages?
Before jumping into the game, ensure your chipset is updated. On the ROG Ally X, this is straightforward: Open Armoury Crate from the bottom right menu, click the cogwheel, and navigate to Update Center. Update the AMD Radeon Graphics Driver, using the Check for Updates feature if necessary, and select Update All when the RC72LA update is available.
For testing, I connected the Ally X to power and set it to Turbo Operating Mode (30W) to maximize performance. I also set the maximum vRAM allocation to Texture Pool Size in the game's graphics settings at 4,096 megabytes, well within the Ally X's 24GB RAM capacity, even at Ultra Nightmare settings.
Tests were conducted without resolution scaling, and although dynamic resolution was tested, results mirrored those at 720p, as the target frame rates were unattainable across the board, forcing dynamic resolution to default to 720p.
Here's how Doom: The Dark Ages performed on the ROG Ally X:
| Graphics Preset | Resolution | Average FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra Nightmare | 1080p | 15fps |
| Ultra Nightmare | 720p | 24fps |
| Nightmare | 1080p | 16fps |
| Nightmare | 720p | 24fps |
| Ultra | 1080p | 16fps |
| Ultra | 720p | 24fps |
| High | 1080p | 16fps |
| High | 720p | 26fps |
| Medium | 1080p | 17fps |
| Medium | 720p | 30fps |
| Low | 1080p | 20fps |
| Low | 720p | 35fps |
For testing, I repeatedly played the opening section of Doom: The Dark Ages' second mission, Hebeth, which immediately immerses the player in intense action, pushing the hardware to its limits. The results were disappointing.
At 1080p, Doom: The Dark Ages on the Ally X was unplayable, averaging just 15fps on Ultra Nightmare. Lowering the graphics preset barely improved performance, with Nightmare, Ultra, and High settings averaging 16fps, and Medium at 17fps. Even on Low, the game only reached 20fps, still not smooth enough for enjoyable gameplay. 1080p is simply not feasible on any graphics setting.
At 720p, the game performed slightly better but remained far from ideal. Ultra Nightmare, Nightmare, and Ultra settings averaged 24fps, while High reached 26fps. These frame rates are barely playable, suitable only for those desperate to play on a handheld. It wasn't until dropping to Medium at 720p that the game became playable, averaging 30fps. Low settings at 720p were even better, hitting 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 current hardware isn't up to the task for Doom: The Dark Ages. The Ally X struggles significantly, with only Medium and Low settings at 720p reaching the minimum 30fps for playability.
Steam Deck users will face similar challenges, as its specs are less powerful than the Ally X. Expect to play at 800p on Low settings just to achieve 30fps, a reality for all current-generation handhelds.
However, there's hope on the horizon. The next generation of mobile chipsets, like the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, expected to power devices such as the Asus ROG Ally 2 and possibly an Xbox-branded model, may improve performance significantly. We'll have to wait and see how well demanding games like Doom: The Dark Ages will run on these new devices.
