Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, but 4K gaming requires compromises. At 3840x2160, the combo only manages to stay above the 60 FPS playable threshold on Low and Medium settings, with Medium being the best playable preset at 62 FPS average. The story improves dramatically at lower resolutions: 2560x1440 sees all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—clear 60 FPS, with Ultra hitting 79 FPS average. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally capable, with even Ultra settings producing 122 FPS average, making this a strong choice for high-refresh-rate monitors at that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the RTX 5050 is the limiting factor. High settings yield a 52 FPS average, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Dropping to Medium raises the average to 62 FPS, with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS, making it the only 4K preset that reliably hits the target. Low settings push the average to 71 FPS, but Ultra drops to 43 FPS average, which is unplayable by the standard threshold. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 28 FPS, indicating a significant performance cost for the highest visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the system shows much more headroom. Low settings produce 131 FPS average, Medium hits 114 FPS (with a min of 97 and max of 131), High delivers 96 FPS, and Ultra still manages 79 FPS. Every setting at this resolution clears the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin, with even the lowest minimum recorded (97 FPS on Medium) staying well above playable. The difference between Ultra and Low is 52 FPS, showing that the GPU has enough bandwidth to handle the higher pixel count without collapsing.

The 1920x1080 results are outstanding for this class of hardware. Low settings reach 202 FPS average, Medium scores 176 FPS (min 150, max 203), High produces 149 FPS, and Ultra maintains 122 FPS. The minimum FPS on Medium (150) is still more than double the playable threshold, meaning the system never dips into stutter territory even during intense scenes. From Ultra to Low, the FPS delta is 80 FPS, but even the lowest preset's average is sufficient for 144Hz displays.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data indicates that the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck as resolution increases, while the CPU's role diminishes. At 1920x1080, the Ryzen 9 7900X's strong single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 1093, Geekbench single-core 2617) helps push frame rates to 202 FPS on Low, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently at lower resolutions. However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a predictable GPU-bound pattern: Ultra drops from 122 FPS to 79 FPS (a 35% reduction), which aligns with the increased pixel workload rather than any CPU limitation.

Moving from 1440p to 4K further confirms the GPU bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 43 FPS, which is a 46% drop from 1440p Ultra's 79 FPS. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU that is saturated at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 9 7900X (with 12 cores and 24 threads) remains underutilized. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs means it has ample headroom for game logic and draw calls, but Doom's engine is not heavily multithreaded enough to leverage the 12-core design at these settings.

The preset scaling also reveals the GPU's role. At 4K, going from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 28 points (71 to 43), while at 1080p the same preset change reduces FPS by 80 points (202 to 122). This non-linear scaling indicates that the RTX 5050's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus (320.0 GB/s bandwidth) become more strained at higher resolutions, where texture and shader demands increase. The CPU's performance is effectively constant across resolutions, so any FPS variance is attributable to the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this CPU-GPU combination ranks 2281 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the 38.5th percentile. This rank reflects a system that is competent but not top-tier for this specific title. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's 66th percentile standing among all GPUs (avg benchmark score 21035), which drags down the overall combo position despite the CPU's strong 91st percentile ranking. The CPU's average benchmark score of 53288 contributes positively, but the GPU's lower absolute performance caps the system's potential in a GPU-bound game like Doom.

Compared to the full database, this combo sits in the lower-middle range. The 2281 rank out of 3712 means roughly 38% of tested configurations perform better, while 62% are slower. This is a reasonable result for a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU, but it underscores that the RTX 5050 is not designed for maximum frame rates in demanding titles. The rank would likely improve at lower resolutions, but the database's composite score does not isolate resolution-specific performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the AMD EPYC 7313P (avg score 53206, deltaPct 0.2) is essentially a performance twin, being 0.2% slower. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469, -0.3%) is 0.3% faster, while the Intel Xeon 634 (52974, 0.6%) is 0.6% slower. The Intel Core i7-14700F (53620, -0.6%) is 0.6% faster, making it the closest consumer alternative. Swapping the Ryzen 9 7900X for any of these would produce nearly identical frame rates in Doom, since the game is not CPU-limited at playable settings.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a tight cluster. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153, -0.6%) is 0.6% slower, the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21237, -1%) is 1% slower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (21379, -1.6%) is 1.6% slower. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713, 1.6%) is 1.6% faster, making it the closest performance match. In practical terms, any of these GPUs would deliver within a few FPS of the RTX 5050 in Doom. A system with a Ryzen 9 7900X and an RX 5600 XT would behave almost identically, with perhaps 1-2 FPS higher averages across all resolutions and presets.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 60 FPS on 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the measured average FPS is 43, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best 4K preset that clears 60 FPS is Medium, with an average of 62 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at 2560x1440 clear 60 FPS. Ultra provides the best visual quality with a 79 FPS average, making it the recommended choice for this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 53288. The Intel Core i7-14700F scores 53620, which is 0.6% higher. The AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53206, 0.2% lower. These differences are negligible for gaming performance.

Q: Is the RTX 5050 the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the system produces 122 FPS average, while Low settings reach 202 FPS. The 80 FPS gap indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU's performance remains constant across settings.

Q: What minimum FPS can I expect at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium settings, the measured minimum FPS is 97, with an average of 114 and maximum of 131. This provides a smooth experience with no drops below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Does this combo rank in the top half of tested systems?

A: No. It ranks 2281 out of 3712 combos for Doom, placing it in the lower-middle range. This is primarily due to the GPU's 66th percentile ranking, despite the CPU's strong 91st percentile performance.

The Verdict

This PC can run Doom effectively at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K requires lowering settings. At 1920x1080, all presets clear 60 FPS, with Ultra achieving 122 FPS average—this is the target resolution for the best experience. At 2560x1440, every preset is playable, with Ultra at 79 FPS average being the recommended choice for high visual fidelity. At 3840x2160, only Low (71 FPS) and Medium (62 FPS) meet the 60 FPS threshold; High (52 FPS) and Ultra (43 FPS) are not playable. For users prioritizing 4K, the Medium preset at 62 FPS is the most balanced option, but the system is clearly better suited to 1440p gaming. The data confirms that the RTX 5050 is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 9 7900X provides ample CPU headroom. Overall, this is a capable 1080p and 1440p gaming machine, with 4K playable only at lower settings.