Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Doom, a result that is consistent with the game's 2016 release and the hardware's modern architecture. Measured data confirms that this combination is not merely playable but decisively exceeds the 60 FPS threshold at every tested resolution and preset, with the most demanding configuration at 4K still averaging nearly double the playability baseline.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the combo produces its highest raw performance. The Low preset yields an average of 322.1 FPS, while the Medium preset reaches 306.5 FPS. High settings average 286.7 FPS, and the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still averages 268.4 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 53.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU has substantial headroom even when pushed with maximum graphical fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high but shows a clear scaling effect. The Low preset averages 279.2 FPS, dropping to 251.7 FPS on Medium. High settings deliver 213.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 170.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra widens to 108.4 FPS, a larger absolute delta than at 1080p, which reflects the increased pixel count putting more load on the graphics pipeline. Notably, even the Ultra preset at 1440p exceeds the 1080p Ultra score by a significant margin, demonstrating that the RTX 4090 is not yet saturated at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the data shows the most pronounced impact of resolution scaling. The Low preset averages 157.4 FPS, while Medium drops to 136.1 FPS. High settings average 113 FPS, and the Ultra preset, the heaviest load in the test suite, still manages 95.5 FPS. The performance delta from Low to Ultra at 4K is 61.9 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 1440p gap but occurs at a lower absolute level. Every preset at 4K clears the 60 FPS threshold by at least 35.5 FPS, confirming that this hardware combination is overqualified for the game at its highest resolution.

The absence of min and max FPS data in the measured results means the analysis relies on average frame rates. However, the consistent high averages across all twelve test points suggest that frame pacing is unlikely to be a concern, as even the lowest average (95.5 FPS at 4K Ultra) leaves ample margin above the playable threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate a clear division of labor between the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, with the GPU becoming progressively more dominant as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the CPU's role is most apparent. The difference between Low and Ultra settings is only 53.7 FPS, and the absolute scores (322.1 FPS vs. 268.4 FPS) suggest that at lower resolutions, the CPU's ability to feed the graphics pipeline becomes a limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 5500's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, are sufficient for high frame rates, but the data implies that the RTX 4090 is not being fully utilized at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the GPU's influence grows. The frame rate drop from Low to Ultra is 108.4 FPS, nearly double the 1080p delta. This indicates that the increased pixel count is shifting the bottleneck toward the graphics card. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are well-suited for this load, and the scaling between presets is more linear than at 1080p, suggesting the CPU is no longer the primary constraint.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the dominant component. The 4K Ultra score of 95.5 FPS is 63% lower than the 1080p Low score of 322.1 FPS, a drop that directly correlates with the 4x increase in pixel count. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K (157.4 FPS to 95.5 FPS) shows a 39% reduction, which is a smaller relative gap than at 1440p (279.2 FPS to 170.8 FPS, a 39% reduction). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is working closer to its limits, and the CPU's role is reduced to maintaining a stable frame delivery rather than pushing maximum frame rates.

The data supports a balanced pairing for this specific game. At 1080p, the CPU can become a mild bottleneck, capping performance below what the GPU alone might achieve. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, but the CPU still provides enough throughput to avoid severe drops. The overall pattern is that this combo is GPU-bound at higher resolutions, which is typical for a high-end graphics card paired with a mid-range processor.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are the Ultra preset, which averages 268.4 FPS. This is the most demanding configuration available, and it clears the 60 FPS threshold by 208.4 FPS. There is no reason to lower settings at this resolution, as even the heaviest preset provides a frame rate far beyond what most displays can show.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is also the best choice, averaging 170.8 FPS. This is 110.8 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the hardware has significant headroom. The data shows that all four presets at 1440p exceed 60 FPS, but Ultra provides the maximum visual quality without compromising playability.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 95.5 FPS, which remains well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding setting tested, and it still delivers a smooth experience. The High preset at 4K averages 113 FPS, which is higher, but Ultra is the recommended choice because it offers superior visual fidelity while maintaining a comfortable margin above the threshold. The verdict data confirms that all four settings at 4K are playable, but Ultra is the best setting because it maximizes quality without dropping below 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Doom at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 95.5 FPS on the Ultra preset at 3840x2160, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The verdict confirms that Ultra is the best setting at this resolution.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At the Ultra preset, the average frame rate drops from 268.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 95.5 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 172.9 FPS. At the Low preset, the drop is from 322.1 FPS to 157.4 FPS, a reduction of 164.7 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes the primary factor. The frame rate scales from 279.2 FPS on Low to 170.8 FPS on Ultra, a 108.4 FPS difference that reflects the graphics card's workload. The CPU's 6-core, 12-thread configuration is sufficient to keep the GPU fed at this resolution.

Q: What is the best setting for a 60 Hz display at 4K?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 averages 95.5 FPS, which exceeds 60 FPS. For a 60 Hz display, this setting is ideal because it provides maximum quality while staying above the refresh rate. Even the High preset at 113 FPS is suitable, but Ultra offers the best visual experience.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested hardware?

A: The combination ranks 207th out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top 5.6% of all configurations. This high percentile is driven by the RTX 4090's extreme performance, which dominates the game's GPU-bound scenarios.

Q: Are there any settings where this PC fails to reach 60 FPS?

A: No. All twelve measured data points (three resolutions multiplied by four presets) exceed 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 95.5 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still 35.5 FPS above the threshold.

The Verdict

This PC can run Doom with exceptional performance at every resolution and preset tested. At 3840x2160, the verdict lists High, Low, Medium, and Ultra as playable, with Ultra being the best setting at 95.5 FPS. The lowest average across all 4K presets is 95.5 FPS, which is 35.5 FPS above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 170.8 FPS, a 110.8 FPS margin. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, and Ultra averages 268.4 FPS, leaving a 208.4 FPS margin.

The RTX 4090's performance is the dominant factor in these results. Its 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth allow it to handle Doom's id Tech 6 engine with ease, even at 4K. The Ryzen 5 5500, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides adequate CPU performance, though it occasionally limits frame rates at 1080p. In practical terms, a user with a 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitor at 1440p will see frame rates well above the display's refresh rate on Ultra settings. At 4K, a high-refresh-rate display will still be satisfied, as the 95.5 FPS average on Ultra exceeds most 4K monitors' capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 207th out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 94th percentile. This is a strong result, driven almost entirely by the GPU's raw power. The RTX 4090 holds an 88th percentile rank among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347, while the Ryzen 5 5500 sits at the 73rd percentile among CPUs with an average score of 19593. The disparity between the CPU and GPU percentiles suggests that the combo's high ranking is due to the GPU's ability to carry the workload in this game, which is not particularly CPU-intensive.

The rank of 207 out of 3712 means that 3505 other combos perform worse, and 206 perform better. Given the RTX 4090's status as an end-of-life product and the Ryzen 5 5500's mid-range positioning, this ranking reflects an unusually favorable pairing for a game like Doom, where the GPU is the clear bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the AMD Ryzen 5 5500, based on average benchmark scores, are the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (avg score 19617, delta -0.1%), the Intel Core i5-12500 (avg score 19668, delta -0.4%), the Intel Core i7-10700F (avg score 19499, delta 0.5%), and the Intel Core i5-11600KF (avg score 19723, delta -0.7%). These processors all fall within a 0.7% performance band of the Ryzen 5 5500, meaning that swapping to any of them would produce nearly identical frame rates in Doom, provided the GPU remains the same. The Intel Core i5-12500, for example, would be a direct substitute with negligible impact on the measured FPS.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (avg score 60326, delta 0%), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (avg score 60140, delta 0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (avg score 61896, delta -2.5%), and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (avg score 58657, delta 2.9%). The Intel Arc Pro A60 is the closest match, with a 0% delta, meaning it should produce virtually identical performance in Doom. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is also within 0.3%, while the Radeon Pro W6600M is slightly faster by 2.5%, and the Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% slower. These alternatives would yield similar FPS at every resolution and preset, with the W6600M offering a marginal improvement and the V710 a slight reduction.

Combining any of these CPU alternatives with the RTX 4090 would retain the same overall behavior: the GPU would still be the dominant factor at 1440p and 4K, and the CPU would remain a minor constraint at 1080p. Similarly, pairing the Ryzen 5 5500 with one of the rival GPUs would shift the balance, but the close deltaPct values ensure that the measured FPS in Doom would remain within a few percentage points of the data presented here.