Doom

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 2929 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom. This places the pairing in the lower third of the database, which is a notable result given the CPU's strength. The ranking is heavily constrained by the GPU, as the recorded data shows this pairing is capable but not elite in this title.

The percentile data supports this interpretation. The CPU sits at the 91st percentile among all tested processors, while the GPU lands at the 58th percentile among all tested graphics cards. This gap is decisive: the graphics card is the limiting factor in nearly every scenario. The measured frame rates confirm this pattern, with the combo delivering playable performance at 1080p and 1440p, but struggling at 4K where only the Low preset stays above the 60 FPS threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database are the AMD EPYC 7313P, Intel Xeon Phi 7290, Intel Xeon 634, and Intel Core i7-14700F. The Ryzen 9 7900X is essentially tied with these processors: its average benchmark score is 0.2% ahead of the EPYC 7313P, 0.3% behind the Xeon Phi 7290, 0.6% ahead of the Xeon 634, and 0.6% behind the Core i7-14700F. In practical terms, swapping to any of these CPUs would yield nearly identical Doom performance, provided the GPU remains the same.

On the GPU side, the RTX 2060's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, AMD Radeon 680M, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, and AMD Radeon RX 7600. The score differences are minimal: the RTX 2060 is within 0.1% of the GTX 580, 0.1% ahead of the Radeon 680M, 0.6% ahead of the RTX 3050 OEM, and 0.8% ahead of the RX 7600. These GPUs would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame rates in Doom when paired with the same CPU. The RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 15290, combined with its 58th percentile ranking, shows it sits in a crowded mid-range tier where small deltas between products are common.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU in Doom. At 1080p, the CPU has the headroom to push high frame rates, but the GPU's throughput ceiling becomes apparent. The measured results show the combo reaching 172.8 FPS at Low settings, 152.5 FPS at Medium, 131.3 FPS at High, and 106.6 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 66.2 FPS, which is a 38% reduction. This scaling is primarily GPU-driven, as the CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads are far beyond what Doom requires.

At 1440p, the GPU's role grows. The frame rates fall to 114.4 FPS at Low, 97.7 FPS at Medium, 81.2 FPS at High, and 65.9 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 48.5 FPS, but the absolute numbers drop across all presets. This is the resolution where the RTX 2060 starts to show its limits, though it still clears the 60 FPS threshold even at Ultra settings.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. The combo only manages 63.7 FPS at Low, 55.7 FPS at Medium, 42.6 FPS at High, and 36.3 FPS at Ultra. The scaling between resolutions is steep: 1080p Ultra delivers 106.6 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 65.9 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 36.3 FPS. This represents a 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K at the same preset. The CPU's performance headroom is irrelevant at 4K; the RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus cannot feed enough data to the rendering pipeline at that resolution.

The preset scaling also reveals the GPU's architecture. The RTX 2060 uses the Turing architecture with 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. Its 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is modest by modern standards, and the measured data shows this compute budget is exhausted quickly as resolution and settings increase. The CPU, by contrast, never appears as a bottleneck in any measured scenario, given its 91st percentile ranking and high multi-threaded scores.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo playable at 4K in Doom?

A: Only at Low settings. The measured average FPS at 4K Low is 63.7, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. At Medium it drops to 55.7, at High to 42.6, and at Ultra to 36.3, all below the playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p?

A: Ultra is playable at 1440p with an average of 65.9 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) stay above 60 FPS at this resolution, with Low delivering 114.4 FPS and Medium delivering 97.7 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X is within 0.6% of the AMD EPYC 7313P, Intel Xeon Phi 7290, Intel Xeon 634, and Intel Core i7-14700F in average benchmark score. Its average score is 53288, with the closest rival (Intel Xeon Phi 7290) at 53469 and the furthest (Intel Xeon 634) at 52974.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. It is tied with the GTX 580 (15283), 0.1% ahead of the Radeon 680M (15270), 0.6% ahead of the RTX 3050 OEM (15199), and 0.8% ahead of the RX 7600 (15171). These GPUs would perform nearly identically in Doom.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 106.6. This is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold and represents the highest quality preset that remains fully playable at this resolution.

Q: Why does performance drop so sharply at 4K?

A: The RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factor at 4K. The measured data shows 4K Ultra at 36.3 FPS versus 106.6 FPS at 1080p Ultra, a 66% reduction. The CPU's capacity is not the issue, as its 91st percentile ranking indicates ample headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data provides average FPS values for each resolution and preset combination. Minimum and maximum FPS were not captured in the database, so the analysis relies on average frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 172.8 FPS at Low settings, 152.5 FPS at Medium, 131.3 FPS at High, and 106.6 FPS at Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 66.2 FPS, with each step up in quality costing a measurable amount of performance. The Low preset reaches near-200 FPS territory, indicating the GPU has substantial headroom at this resolution when settings are reduced.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are 114.4 FPS at Low, 97.7 FPS at Medium, 81.2 FPS at High, and 65.9 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 48.5 FPS. All presets remain above 60 FPS, making 1440p a fully playable resolution for this combo. The margin at Ultra is 5.9 FPS above the threshold, which is comfortable but not excessive.

At 3840x2160, the results are 63.7 FPS at Low, 55.7 FPS at Medium, 42.6 FPS at High, and 36.3 FPS at Ultra. Only Low clears the 60 FPS threshold, and it does so by a slim 3.7 FPS margin. The scaling from Low to Ultra is 27.4 FPS, which is the smallest absolute spread across the three resolutions, but the starting point is already quite low. The 4K results clearly show the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are insufficient for higher quality settings at this resolution.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, with an average FPS of 63.7. This is the highest quality setting that stays at or above the 60 FPS threshold at 4K. Medium falls to 55.7 FPS, High to 42.6 FPS, and Ultra to 36.3 FPS, all below the playable threshold. The recommendation for 4K is Low, with the understanding that the margin above 60 FPS is only 3.7 FPS.

At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable. The best setting is Ultra, which delivers an average of 65.9 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS at this resolution. The margin is 5.9 FPS, which is acceptable but not large. Users seeking more headroom could drop to High at 81.2 FPS or Medium at 97.7 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is Ultra with an average of 106.6 FPS. This is the highest quality preset available in the database, and it clears the 60 FPS threshold by a substantial 46.6 FPS margin. The combo has significant headroom at 1080p, as even the most demanding settings leave room for higher refresh rate displays. Low delivers 172.8 FPS, Medium 152.5 FPS, and High 131.3 FPS, all far above the playable threshold.