Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER presents a fascinating study in bottleneck dynamics within Doom. The data reveals a system where the GPU’s immense power is frequently constrained by the CPU’s architectural limits, yet the combination still delivers exceptionally high frame rates. The measured FPS across resolutions and settings paints a clear picture of where each component’s influence begins and ends.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate behavior across resolutions is the primary indicator of system balance. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are extraordinarily high, with the Low preset hitting 277.5 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution is relatively narrow, from 277.5 FPS down to 229.9 FPS. This tight clustering suggests the CPU is the limiting factor; the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly, but the processor cannot feed it data any faster. The difference between Low and Ultra is only 47.6 FPS, indicating that visual quality can be increased substantially without a proportional performance penalty.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high but begin to show a wider gap between settings. The Low preset delivers 238.8 FPS, while Ultra drops to 154.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 83.9 FPS, nearly double the gap seen at 1080p. This widening spread indicates the GPU is starting to take on more of the workload, as the increased pixel count creates more rendering demand that the RTX 4080 SUPER must process.

At 3840x2160, the shift is dramatic. The Low preset still manages 137.5 FPS, but Ultra falls to 84 FPS. The range from Low to Ultra at 4K is 53.5 FPS, which shows a significant performance cost for maximum visual fidelity. The data suggests that at 4K, the GPU becomes the definitive limiting component. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s raw compute power is being fully utilized, and the CPU’s role diminishes as the render resolution increases. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K on the Ultra preset is 145.9 FPS, a 63.5% reduction, which is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 4600G is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. Its benchmark scores show a processor that performs well in multi-threaded tasks, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 13593, but its single-thread performance is more modest, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 1575. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 75 places it above average, but its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-12450H and AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE, are within a 0.1% delta, indicating it sits at a performance plateau.

In Doom, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at 1080p. The high frame rates at this resolution, particularly the 277.5 FPS on Low, suggest that the CPU is hitting its limit in terms of draw call processing and game logic updates. The fact that the Ultra preset at 1080p still achieves 229.9 FPS implies that the CPU can maintain a high throughput, but the relatively small performance difference between presets points to a CPU bottleneck. The processor’s 8 MB of shared L3 cache may also play a role, as it is relatively small for a modern gaming CPU, potentially limiting its ability to handle the game’s data efficiently at very high frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a powerhouse, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. Its architecture, Ada Lovelace, includes 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores, with a boost clock of 2550 MHz. The GPU’s benchmark scores are stellar, with a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 6600. Its percentile ranking of 88 shows it outperforms the vast majority of GPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, is only 0.2% behind in average score.

The GPU’s role becomes dominant at 4K resolution. The data shows that at 3840x2160, the frame rates are heavily influenced by the settings preset, with Ultra producing 84 FPS and Low producing 137.5 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER’s rendering capabilities are the primary factor at this resolution. The 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Doom, even at 4K Ultra, so memory capacity is not a constraint. The GPU’s sheer compute power is what determines the performance ceiling. The high bandwidth and fast memory clocks allow it to maintain high throughput, but the demands of 4K rendering still cause a significant performance drop compared to lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at 1920x1080. The frame rates across presets are tightly grouped, from 277.5 FPS on Low to 229.9 FPS on Ultra, suggesting the GPU has headroom but the CPU cannot process frames any faster.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 238.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 154.9 FPS. This is a difference of 83.9 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for high visual fidelity at this resolution.

Q: Can this system maintain playable frame rates at 4K?

A: Yes, the data shows playable frame rates at 3840x2160 across all presets. The lowest average FPS recorded is 84 FPS on the Ultra preset, which is above the threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53610. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, has a score of 53489, which is a delta of 0.2%. This indicates the RTX 4080 SUPER is only marginally faster in synthetic tests.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 4600G's single-thread performance affect Doom?

A: The CPU’s single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 1575, is a likely contributor to the bottleneck seen at 1080p. Doom’s engine relies heavily on single-threaded performance for game logic, which can limit frame rates when the GPU is not the constraint.

Q: What is the total frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K on the High preset?

A: On the High preset, the frame rate drops from 251.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 101.2 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a decrease of 150.5 FPS, or roughly 60% of the original performance.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of components ranks 275 out of 1681 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the top 16.4% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing given the CPU’s relative weakness compared to the GPU. The rank suggests that while the RTX 4080 SUPER is capable of much higher performance, the Ryzen 5 4600G holds the system back from achieving a higher position. The data implies that a more powerful CPU would allow this GPU to reach its full potential, potentially moving this combo significantly higher in the rankings. The combination’s ranking reflects a system that is well above average but not optimized for maximum performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset is recommended. It delivers 251.7 FPS, which is only 25.8 FPS lower than the Low preset’s 277.5 FPS, but offers substantially better visual quality. The Ultra preset at 1080p still provides 229.9 FPS, making it a viable option for those who prioritize visuals over the highest possible frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is again the best choice. It achieves 191 FPS, which is a smooth experience for competitive play. The Medium preset offers a slight boost to 222.8 FPS, but the visual difference between Medium and High is often significant. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 154.9 FPS, which is still playable but may not be ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point. It provides 120 FPS, which is a good balance between performance and visual quality. The High preset at 4K yields 101.2 FPS, which is also excellent, but the jump to Ultra results in a significant drop to 84 FPS. For a game like Doom, which features fast movement, maintaining a frame rate above 100 FPS is beneficial, making High the preferred choice for 4K gaming if the display supports it.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the average FPS measured for each resolution and settings combination.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset produced 277.5 FPS, the Medium preset produced 264.4 FPS, the High preset produced 251.7 FPS, and the Ultra preset produced 229.9 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset produced 238.8 FPS, the Medium preset produced 222.8 FPS, the High preset produced 191 FPS, and the Ultra preset produced 154.9 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset produced 137.5 FPS, the Medium preset produced 120 FPS, the High preset produced 101.2 FPS, and the Ultra preset produced 84 FPS.

All measurements are average FPS values, with no minimum or maximum frame rate data provided. The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the performance gap between presets widens, confirming the shift from a CPU-bound to a GPU-bound workload.