Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT pairing delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Doom, with the data showing that even the most demanding preset at 4K remains playable. This combination of a 6-core/12-thread Zen 3 processor and a high-end RDNA 2 graphics card produces frame rates that are consistently above the 60 FPS threshold across nearly every setting and resolution tested, making it a versatile setup for both competitive and visually demanding play.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows indicate that the Ultra preset is the best overall choice for this pairing, provided you are targeting a 60 Hz display. At 4K, Ultra still delivers an average of 61.3 FPS, which is right at the standard refresh rate ceiling. However, the data shows that High settings provide a significant performance headroom boost, reaching 72.7 FPS at the same resolution. This makes High the superior choice for 4K users with 60 Hz monitors, as it ensures frame times stay well clear of the V-sync boundary.

For those with 1440p displays, the High preset (141.3 FPS) is the sweet spot, offering nearly double the refresh rate capability of a standard 60 Hz panel. The step from High to Ultra at this resolution costs 28.3 FPS (from 141.3 down to 113), which is a steep price for marginal visual gains. The data suggests that the gap between Medium (164.6 FPS) and High (141.3 FPS) is more moderate, so High is recommended over Medium for a better visual experience without a drastic frame rate penalty.

At 1080p, the story changes slightly. The Ultra preset still manages 174.1 FPS, but the Low preset (290.5 FPS) reveals the upper limit of what this CPU-GPU combo can push. For esports-style play on a 240 Hz monitor, Low is the only preset that comes close to saturating the display, though Medium (251.2 FPS) and High (213.8 FPS) both remain above 200 FPS. Given that Doom is a fast-paced FPS, the data supports using High at 1080p as a balanced choice between visual fidelity and the high frame rates needed for smooth aiming, since the difference between High and Low (76.7 FPS) is not as impactful as the visual downgrade.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 61.3 FPS. This is playable on a 60 Hz display, though it leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. Choosing High settings instead raises the average to 72.7 FPS for a more consistent experience.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 yields 141.3 FPS, which is ideal for 144 Hz panels. While Low reaches 185.8 FPS and Medium hits 164.6 FPS, the High preset provides a better visual package while still exceeding the refresh rate of most common gaming monitors.

Q: How does the CPU affect 1080p performance in this title?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 with its 6 cores and 12 threads keeps the GPU fed at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rate scales significantly with settings, from 174.1 FPS on Ultra to 290.5 FPS on Low, indicating that the CPU is capable of pushing very high frame counts without bottlenecking the RX 6800 XT.

Q: Is the RX 6800 XT the limiting factor at 4K?

A: Yes, the benchmark results indicate that at 4K, the GPU is the primary constraint. The frame rate difference between Low (99.3 FPS) and Ultra (61.3 FPS) at 3840x2160 is 38 FPS, which shows that the graphics card's rendering load scales heavily with resolution, while the CPU has ample headroom.

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

A: The average FPS on High settings drops from 213.8 at 1920x1080 to 141.3 at 2560x1440, and further down to 72.7 at 3840x2160. This represents a 66% reduction going from 1080p to 4K, highlighting the GPU-bound nature of higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AM4 socket. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.20 GHz, combined with a 16 MB L3 cache, are directly relevant to Doom's performance. The benchmark data shows that this CPU is not a bottleneck in this pairing, especially at lower resolutions where the frame rates are exceptionally high.

At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 290.5 FPS. This figure is telling; it demonstrates that the CPU can handle the game's draw calls and physics calculations at a rate that far exceeds what most displays can show. The processor's single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 836 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2319, is strong enough to drive high frame rates in a title like Doom, which relies on fast, responsive input.

The CPU's thread count also matters. With 12 threads available, the system can handle background tasks and the game's engine simultaneously without causing frame hitches. The passmark multithread score of 19330 and 3DMark max threads score of 5411 suggest that the processor has sufficient multi-threaded throughput, though the data indicates that the GPU becomes the constraint long before the CPU's resources are exhausted, particularly at 1440p and 4K where frame rates are lower.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Ryzen 5 5500 and RX 6800 XT ranks at position 606 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the upper portion of the database, though not at the very top, which makes sense given the CPU is a mid-range offering while the GPU is a high-end part. The ranking suggests that the pairing is well-balanced for this game, as the 606th position out of 1681 indicates it outperforms the majority of systems tested.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 20875 places it near the Intel Core i5-12500, which scores 20897 (a delta of -0.1%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE, scoring 20900 (delta of -0.1%). This shows that the Ryzen 5 5500 is competitive with other mid-range options in general compute tasks, and its performance in Doom is not hindered by any CPU deficiency.

The GPU, on the other hand, is a stronger performer. With an average benchmark score of 49982, it sits close to the Intel Arc A550M (49737, delta of 0.5%) and the NVIDIA RTX A1000 (50826, delta of -1.7%). The RX 6800 XT's 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 4608 shading units provide substantial raw power, which is why the system ranks well in this game despite the CPU being a more modest component.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. On the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 213.8 FPS at 1080p to 141.3 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 72.5 FPS. Moving to 4K, the frame rate falls further to 72.7 FPS, representing a 68.6 FPS drop from 1440p. This steep decline indicates that the RX 6800 XT's rendering pipeline is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets. For example, on Ultra, the system goes from 174.1 FPS at 1080p to 113 FPS at 1440p, and then to 61.3 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are similar, which confirms that the CPU is providing consistent frame generation capability, and the GPU is simply running out of pixel-pushing power as the resolution increases.

This behavior is typical for a system where the GPU is significantly more powerful than the CPU. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU's 12 threads are likely the upper ceiling, but at 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor. The data suggests that users with 1080p displays will see minimal CPU bottleneck, while those with 4K displays will be entirely GPU-limited, with the CPU having plenty of headroom to spare.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance. On Low settings, the average FPS is 290.5, which is the highest measured value across all configurations. Medium settings reduce this to 251.2 FPS, while High settings yield 213.8 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, still produces a very playable 174.1 FPS. All of these figures are well above the refresh rates of standard gaming monitors, making this resolution ideal for maximum frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. The Low preset averages 185.8 FPS, Medium hits 164.6 FPS, and High achieves 141.3 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 113 FPS, which is still above 100 FPS and suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 72.8 FPS, which gives users a wide range of choices depending on their preference for visuals or speed.

At 3840x2160, the system becomes more constrained. The Low preset still manages 99.3 FPS, which is respectable for 4K. Medium settings produce 90.7 FPS, and High settings yield 72.7 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 61.3 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay on a standard 60 Hz monitor. The data shows that even at 4K, this pairing can handle the game well, with only the most demanding settings requiring a compromise on refresh rate.