Doom

# Doom with AMD Ryzen 5 2600 + AMD Radeon RX 9060

This CPU/GPU pairing ranks 1686th out of 2930 tested combinations in Doom, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 (6 cores, 12 threads, base 3.40 GHz, boost 3.90 GHz) provides respectable multi-threaded headroom, while the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (RDNA 4.0, 8 GB GDDR6, 128-bit bus, 288.0 GB/s bandwidth) delivers playable frame rates at 1440p and 1080p, though 4K Ultra exceeds its comfortable range. The data indicates this combo is best suited for 1080p high-refresh gaming, with 1440p High remaining viable, but 4K requires dropping to Low settings to maintain smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1686 out of 2930 places it in the 42nd percentile of all tested pairings for Doom. This is a mid-pack result, reflecting a balanced but not exceptional system. The GPU's individual standing (59th percentile among all GPUs, average benchmark score 16014) is notably stronger than the CPU's (75th percentile, average 21484), suggesting the graphics card carries more weight in this title. The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (0.2% faster), Intel Core i9-11900H (0.5% faster), and Intel Xeon D-1746TER (0.7% slower), indicating the Ryzen 5 2600 sits in a tight performance cluster where small deltas separate entries.

For the GPU, the nearest competitors are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (0.7% faster), AMD Radeon R9 370X (1% slower), and AMD Radeon RX 7700 (1% slower). The RX 9060's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 and Passmark G3D score of 17631 show it performs slightly below the RTX 3060 Ti tier, which is a meaningful reference point for Doom's demanding Vulkan-based rendering. The combo's overall ranking is dragged down by the CPU's age — the Ryzen 5 2600 launched in 2018 with a $199 MSRP, and while its multi-threaded Passmark score of 13160 is respectable, its single-thread score of 2239 lags modern processors, which matters in Doom's frame-time consistency.

Benchmark results indicate the pairing achieves its best relative position at 1080p, where the GPU can stretch its legs. At 1440p and above, the RX 9060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become limiting factors, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops when transitioning from Medium to Ultra settings. The combo sits well within the playable range for competitive FPS play at 1080p, but it is not a top-tier configuration for this game.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle Doom at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K, the measured data shows 74 FPS on Low, 65 FPS on Medium, 54 FPS on High, and 45 FPS on Ultra. Only Low settings provide a consistently smooth experience above 60 FPS; Medium dips to 55 FPS minimums, making it borderline for 60 Hz displays.

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

A: At 2560x1440, High delivers 101 FPS average, while Medium hits 119 FPS with a 101 FPS minimum. Low achieves 137 FPS, and Ultra drops to 82 FPS. High offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, though Medium provides a larger safety margin for frame-time spikes.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The resolution scaling data shows FPS drops of roughly 27% from 1080p to 1440p and another 47% from 1440p to 4K at High settings. This pattern indicates the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises, while at 1080p the CPU's single-thread performance (Passmark single-thread score of 2239) may limit maximum frame rates.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in raw benchmarks?

A: The RX 9060's average benchmark score is 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti's 16129. In Doom specifically, the RX 9060's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3322 suggests it can match or slightly edge out the RTX 3060 Ti in this title's rendering style.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the combo averages 127 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for 120 Hz displays, though it is notably lower than the 211 FPS achievable on Low settings.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 2600 hold back the RX 9060 in Doom?

A: The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for Doom's engine, which benefits from multi-threading. However, the single-core performance (Geekbench single-core 1154, Cinebench R15 single-core 157.3) is modest by modern standards, and at 1080p Low where the GPU has less work, the CPU likely becomes the limiting factor — the 211 FPS at Low versus 155 FPS at High shows only a 36% gain, less than the GPU's headroom would suggest.

Settings Recommendations

For the best measured experience, 1080p High provides 155 FPS average — a strong balance of visual fidelity and performance that exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates. At 1440p, High at 101 FPS is the recommended preset, as it maintains smooth gameplay while offering substantial visual improvements over Medium's 119 FPS (which has a 101 FPS minimum, indicating potential stutter). For 4K, Low at 74 FPS is the only preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS; Medium averages 65 FPS but dips to 55 FPS minimums, which may be perceptible on 60 Hz panels.

Doom is a fast-paced FPS where frame consistency matters more than absolute peak FPS. The data shows Ultra settings at any resolution impose steep penalties: 127 FPS at 1080p, 82 FPS at 1440p, and 45 FPS at 4K. Given the game's 2016 release, High settings likely retain most visual features while reducing GPU load. At 1080p, the 155 FPS High result means this combo can comfortably drive high-refresh monitors without sacrificing quality. At 1440p, consider Medium if you prioritize minimum FPS — the 101 FPS floor matches High's average, but the higher average (119 vs 101) provides more headroom.

For competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount, 1080p Medium at 184 FPS or Low at 211 FPS are excellent choices. The 156 FPS minimum at Medium still exceeds most displays' refresh capabilities, making this preset the sweet spot for esports-style play. At 4K, treat this combo as a 60 FPS-capable setup only on Low; any higher preset requires accepting frame rates below 60 FPS or using adaptive sync.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results across all presets. Low averages 211 FPS, Medium 184 FPS (minimum 156, maximum 212), High 155 FPS, and Ultra 127 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 40%, indicating the GPU has substantial overhead at this resolution. The Medium preset's maximum of 212 FPS nearly matches Low's average, showing that the game's Medium settings are not particularly demanding on this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably but remains playable. Low averages 137 FPS, Medium 119 FPS (minimum 101, maximum 137), High 101 FPS, and Ultra 82 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 27-35% of frame rate depending on preset, with Low suffering the smallest relative loss (35%) and Ultra the largest (35%). The Medium preset's minimum of 101 FPS exactly matches High's average, suggesting a smooth experience with occasional dips.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low averages 74 FPS, Medium 65 FPS (minimum 55, maximum 74), High 54 FPS, and Ultra 45 FPS. The minimum frame rate at Medium (55 FPS) is below the 60 FPS target, and High and Ultra both fall short of playable thresholds for smooth motion. The 4K Medium maximum of 74 FPS matches the Low average, indicating that even Medium settings push the GPU to its limits at this resolution.

The data shows a consistent pattern: Medium settings offer the best minimum-to-average ratio (e.g., 156/184 at 1080p, 101/119 at 1440p, 55/65 at 4K), suggesting this preset provides the most stable frame delivery. High and Ultra sacrifice proportionally more performance for visual gains, while Low offers diminishing returns in frame rate beyond a certain point.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior reveals the GPU as the primary performance limiter above 1080p. At High settings, the FPS progression is 155 (1080p) → 101 (1440p) → 54 (4K), representing drops of 35% and 47% respectively. This is close to the theoretical scaling expected from pixel count increases (1440p has 1.78x the pixels of 1080p, 4K has 2.25x the pixels of 1440p), indicating the RX 9060 is the constraining component.

At Low settings, the progression is 211 → 137 → 74 FPS, with drops of 35% and 46%. The similarity in scaling percentages across presets suggests that even at Low, the GPU remains the bottleneck — if the CPU were limiting, we would expect smaller FPS differences at higher resolutions where GPU load increases. The fact that Low at 1080p reaches 211 FPS (near the CPU's practical limit for this game) while 4K Low still achieves 74 FPS confirms the GPU scales with resolution as expected.

The Medium preset shows the tightest scaling relationship: 184 → 119 → 65 FPS, with drops of 35% and 45%. The minimum FPS values (156, 101, 55) follow a similar pattern, though the 4K minimum of 55 FPS is disproportionately low relative to the average of 65 FPS, suggesting occasional frame-time spikes at high resolution. This is consistent with the 8 GB VRAM capacity being stressed at 4K Medium, where textures and geometry exceed comfortable memory allocation.

The limiting component analysis points to the GPU for all resolutions above 1080p. However, at 1080p Low, the 211 FPS average approaches what a 6-core, 12-thread Zen+ processor can sustain in this title, indicating the CPU begins to matter only at the lowest settings and resolutions. For most users, the RX 9060's 21.43 TFLOPS compute and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth define the performance ceiling.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 provides 6 cores and 12 threads from the Zen+ architecture (Pinnacle Ridge, 12 nm process). Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 3.90 GHz are modest by current standards, reflected in benchmark scores: Cinebench R15 multi-core 1248, single-core 157.3; Geekbench multi-core 5648, single-core 1154; Passmark multi-thread 13160, single-thread 2239. These scores place it at the 75th percentile of all CPUs, but its nearest rivals (Intel Core Ultra 5 228V at 0.2% faster, Intel Core i9-11900H at 0.5% faster) are mobile or efficiency-focused parts, highlighting that the 2600 is competitive only against older or lower-power desktop chips.

In Doom, the CPU's multi-threading capability is sufficient to feed the RX 9060 at most settings. The game engine scales well across cores, and the 2600's 12 threads provide ample parallelism. However, the single-thread performance — a 157.3 Cinebench R15 score — is the likely ceiling at 1080p Low, where the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls. The 211 FPS average at 1080p Low versus 155 FPS at High shows only a 36% improvement, whereas the GPU's raw capability would suggest a larger gap if the CPU were not a factor.

The CPU's L3 cache of 16 MB (shared) and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (46.9 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for Doom's memory access patterns. The 65 W TDP and AMD Socket AM4 compatibility make this a flexible platform, but the Zen+ architecture lacks the IPC improvements of newer generations. Benchmark results indicate the 2600 delivers about 0.5% lower average score than the Intel Core i9-11900H, yet in gaming scenarios, the 11900H's higher single-core clocks would likely provide better frame pacing.

For this specific game, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU at 1440p and 4K, where resolution scaling dominates performance. At 1080p with High or Ultra settings, the GPU still leads, but the CPU's 3.90 GHz boost clock and 6-core design prevent it from being a significant bottleneck. The data suggests this pairing is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the CPU providing enough throughput to avoid limiting the RX 9060's output in most scenarios.