Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers overwhelming performance in Doom, a 2016 fast-paced FPS. Measured frame rates across all three tested resolutions and all four quality presets remain far above the 60 FPS playability threshold, with the weakest result still hitting 96 FPS at 4K Ultra. This combination never struggles, and the data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions while the CPU keeps pace comfortably at 1080p. The following analysis breaks down exactly what the benchmark results indicate for each resolution, which settings maximize visual quality, and how this specific hardware pairing compares to nearby alternatives.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5090 shows its dominance but also reveals the scaling cost of higher presets. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 159 FPS. Moving to Medium drops the average to 139 FPS, with a minimum of 118 FPS and a maximum of 160 FPS recorded. High settings reduce the average further to 117 FPS. Ultra is the most demanding preset at this resolution, producing an average of 96 FPS. The step from Low to Ultra represents a decline of 63 FPS, or roughly 40% of the Low setting’s performance. All four presets stay well above the 60 FPS threshold, meaning even the heaviest load leaves substantial headroom.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates climb significantly. Low settings yield an average of 277 FPS. Medium averages 256 FPS, with a minimum of 218 FPS and a maximum of 295 FPS. High settings drop to 216 FPS average, while Ultra still manages 177 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is exactly 100 FPS, showing that preset choice has a larger absolute impact at 1440p than at 4K. Even the Ultra preset at 1440p produces nearly double the frame rate of the same preset at 4K, highlighting how resolution scales the workload.

At 1920x1080, the results approach the upper limits of what the hardware can deliver. Low settings average 321 FPS. Medium averages 305 FPS, with a minimum of 260 FPS and a maximum of 351 FPS. High settings average 288 FPS, and Ultra averages 268 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 53 FPS, smaller than the delta at 1440p. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU begins to play a more significant role in limiting maximum frame rates, as the GPU has less work per frame. The minimum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium is 260 FPS, which is higher than the average FPS at 4K Ultra, demonstrating the massive performance spread across resolutions.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down from 4K to 1440p to 1080p adds roughly 60-80 FPS to the average at equivalent settings. For instance, Ultra goes from 96 FPS at 4K to 177 FPS at 1440p to 268 FPS at 1080p. Medium goes from 139 FPS at 4K to 256 FPS at 1440p to 305 FPS at 1080p. Low goes from 159 FPS at 4K to 277 FPS at 1440p to 321 FPS at 1080p. High goes from 117 FPS at 4K to 216 FPS at 1440p to 288 FPS at 1080p. These increments are not linear, with the largest relative gains occurring between 4K and 1440p, where the pixel count drops by more than half.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 96 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available in the test suite, and the RTX 5090 handles it with ease. The data shows that all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at this resolution, but Ultra is the clear choice for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The 96 FPS average leaves a 36 FPS buffer above the 60 FPS threshold, so even demanding scenes with heavy effects are unlikely to cause noticeable stuttering.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are again Ultra, with an average of 177 FPS. This is nearly three times the playability threshold. The jump from 4K Ultra to 1440p Ultra adds 81 FPS, showing how much headroom exists at this resolution. All presets at 1440p are playable, but Ultra provides the richest graphical experience while still delivering frame rates that exceed the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. The 177 FPS average means that even a 144 Hz display would be fully saturated, and a 165 Hz or 240 Hz panel would see most frames delivered in time.

At 1920x1080, Ultra is also the best settings choice, averaging 268 FPS. This is more than four times the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum observed frame rate at 1080p Medium was 260 FPS, and while no minimums were recorded for Ultra, the average of 268 FPS suggests that minimums would stay well above 200 FPS. For competitive play on a 240 Hz or 360 Hz monitor, this combination provides enough performance to keep frame times consistently low. The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU becomes a more relevant factor, but the Ryzen 5 5500 still allows the GPU to reach near-maximum output.

CPU and GPU Roles

The relative contribution of the CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions, as evidenced by the scaling between presets and resolutions. At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant bottleneck. The RTX 5090’s workload increases with resolution, and the frame rate drops from 159 FPS at Low to 96 FPS at Ultra, a reduction of 63 FPS. This large delta indicates that the GPU’s rendering capacity is the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed it frames. The Ryzen 5 5500’s six cores and twelve threads are sufficient to keep up with the GPU’s demands at 4K, even at Low settings where the CPU overhead is relatively higher.

At 2560x1440, the GPU still leads the performance equation, but the CPU’s role becomes more visible. The difference between Low and Ultra is 100 FPS, larger than at 4K. This suggests that as resolution decreases, the GPU finishes each frame faster, and the CPU must supply frames more quickly. The Ryzen 5 5500, with its Zen 3 architecture and 16 MB of L3 cache, manages to deliver enough throughput to keep the GPU busy, but the scaling from 1440p to 1080p shows diminishing returns. Going from 1440p Low (277 FPS) to 1080p Low (321 FPS) only adds 44 FPS, whereas going from 4K Low (159 FPS) to 1440p Low (277 FPS) adds 118 FPS. This compression at lower resolutions indicates that the CPU is starting to constrain the maximum frame rate.

At 1920x1080, the CPU matters most. The frame rate differences between presets shrink, with Low at 321 FPS and Ultra at 268 FPS, a gap of only 53 FPS. Compare this to the 100 FPS gap at 1440p. The smaller gap at 1080p means that the GPU is no longer the sole limiting factor; the CPU’s ability to process game logic and draw calls becomes a co-limiter. The Ryzen 5 5500’s single-thread performance, as measured by a 3dmark single-thread score of 836 and a passmark single-thread score of 3058, is adequate but not exceptional. Benchmark results indicate that this CPU sits in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, which means it outperforms a majority of processors but is not in the top tier. For a game like Doom, which relies heavily on fast response times, the CPU handles the workload, but the GPU’s potential is not fully realized at 1080p.

Across all resolutions, the RTX 5090’s raw compute power is the primary driver of high frame rates. Its 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth allow it to process the game’s geometry and textures rapidly. However, the data shows that at 1080p, the CPU’s 3.60 GHz base clock and 4.20 GHz boost clock become more relevant. The Ryzen 5 5500’s 65 W TDP and Zen 3 architecture provide solid single-core performance, but the frame rate ceiling at 1080p suggests that a stronger CPU would extract even more from the GPU.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Ryzen 5 5500’s nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, offer similar computational performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 has an average score of 19617, which is 0.1% lower than the Ryzen 5 5500’s 19593. This negligible difference means that in Doom, the Ryzen AI 5 430 would produce nearly identical frame rates, assuming the same GPU. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19668, 0.4% higher, again a margin that would not translate into a measurable FPS difference in this game. The Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19499, 0.5% lower, and the Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19723, 0.7% higher. All four rivals fall within a 1% band of the Ryzen 5 5500’s average benchmark score, so users upgrading from or considering these CPUs should expect the same level of performance in Doom, particularly at 4K where the GPU dominates.

For the GPU, the RTX 5090’s nearest rivals are a mix of professional and mobile parts. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB has an average score of 79605, which is 0.3% higher than the RTX 5090’s 79842. Note that the Tesla P100 scores slightly lower, so the deltaPct of 0.3% indicates the RTX 5090 is marginally ahead. The Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79396, 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, a mobile GPU, scores 78940, 1.1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80959, which is 1.4% higher than the RTX 5090. These deltas are all under 1.5%, meaning that in Doom, these alternatives would deliver frame rates within a few percent of the RTX 5090. However, the RTX 5090’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 512-bit bus provide a bandwidth advantage that may matter in other games, but for Doom’s 2016 engine, the average benchmark scores are the best predictor.

The practical implication is that the RTX 5090’s performance in Doom is not unique; several other GPUs with similar average benchmark scores would behave comparably. The Tesla P100 parts are data-center oriented, so they lack the display outputs and driver optimizations for gaming, but their raw compute scores suggest they would produce similar FPS if they could run the game. The Radeon RX 6850M XT is a laptop part, so its power envelope differs, but its performance class is close. The Radeon Pro Vega 64X, a professional card, also falls in the same range. For the CPU, the four rivals listed are all mainstream desktop parts, and any of them paired with the RTX 5090 would yield nearly identical results in Doom.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 96, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold. This makes Ultra the best settings choice at 4K.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5500 bottleneck the RTX 5090 at 1920x1080?

A: The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rate gap between Low and Ultra is only 53 FPS, compared to 100 FPS at 1440p. This smaller gap indicates the CPU becomes a co-limiter at 1080p, but the average FPS still exceeds 268 FPS at Ultra, so the bottleneck does not harm playability.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS is 218, with an average of 256 and a maximum of 295. This shows strong frame time consistency at 1440p.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest GPU rival, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X?

A: The Radeon Pro Vega 64X has an average benchmark score of 80959, which is 1.4% higher than the RTX 5090’s 79842. In Doom, this would translate to a negligible FPS difference.

Q: Which settings preset delivers the highest average FPS at 1920x1080?

A: Low settings deliver the highest average at 321 FPS. However, Ultra still averages 268 FPS, and since all presets are above the 60 FPS threshold, Ultra is recommended for visual quality.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500’s performance close to the Intel Core i5-12500?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i5-12500 has an average benchmark score of 19668, which is 0.4% higher than the Ryzen 5 5500’s 19593. This difference is too small to affect Doom’s frame rates meaningfully.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 202nd out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top 5.5% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU’s enormous performance, as the RTX 5090 sits in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 73rd percentile. The high rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, since the CPU’s mid-tier standing does not hold back the system at 4K or 1440p. At 1080p, the CPU’s limitations become apparent, but the frame rates remain so high that the combo still outperforms the vast majority of tested systems.

The rank of 202 out of 3712 means that 3510 other combos score lower, while only 201 score higher. Those higher-ranked combos likely pair the RTX 5090 with faster CPUs, such as top-tier Ryzen 9 or Core i9 parts, which would unlock even higher frame rates at 1080p. However, the difference between this combo and those above it is likely small in absolute terms, given that the RTX 5090 already delivers 268 FPS at 1080p Ultra. For a game like Doom, which is not particularly CPU-intensive by modern standards, the Ryzen 5 5500’s six cores and twelve threads are adequate. The data shows that this combo provides a playable experience at all settings and resolutions, with the only compromise being that the CPU prevents the GPU from reaching its theoretical maximum at 1080p. Overall, this pairing is a strong performer in Doom, and the ranking confirms that it belongs in the upper echelon of tested hardware combinations.