Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination delivers a strong performance profile in Doom, with the measured frame rates showing a system that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU contributions, ranking context, resolution scaling behavior, and provides specific FPS figures from the benchmark data.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features a cache hierarchy of 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and a 16 MB L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The processor uses PCIe Gen 3 and fits the AMD Socket AM4.

In Doom, a game originally released in 2016, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates. The 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than adequate for this title, which was designed for systems with fewer cores. Benchmark scores for the Ryzen 5 5500 include a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319, indicating solid per-thread performance. The single-thread performance, as reflected in the 3DMark single-thread score of 836, is critical for games like Doom that rely heavily on a primary game thread.

The CPU’s percentile ranking against all CPUs is 73, meaning it outperforms 73% of tested processors. Its average benchmark score is 19593, placing it near rivals such as the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (avg score 19617, delta -0.1%), the Intel Core i5-12500 (avg score 19668, delta -0.4%), and the Intel Core i7-10700F (avg score 19499, delta 0.5%). These deltas are all within 1%, indicating that the Ryzen 5 5500 offers performance comparable to these alternatives.

For Doom specifically, the CPU’s 12 threads ensure that background tasks and the game’s engine threads have sufficient resources. The measured FPS at 1080p with Low settings reaches 241 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions where the GPU has less pixel work. Even at Ultra settings at 1080p, the average FPS of 145 remains high, indicating the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output. The boost clock of 4.20 GHz provides the single-thread speed needed for the game’s main loop, while the 16 MB L3 cache helps with data locality.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks at position 1314 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom. This places the combo in the 55th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of the tested systems. The rank of 1314 out of 2930 puts this combo in the upper-middle tier of tested hardware pairings.

This ranking reflects a balanced pairing. The CPU is not the fastest available, but it is sufficient for Doom’s engine, and the GPU provides strong rasterization performance. The combo rank indicates that many other tested combinations, likely those with higher-end CPUs or GPUs, achieve higher frame rates. However, the data shows that this combo still delivers playable performance across all tested resolutions and settings.

Compared to the GPU’s individual percentile of 58 against all GPUs and the CPU’s percentile of 73 against all CPUs, the combo’s rank of 1314 out of 2930 suggests that the GPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing. The CPU has more headroom relative to its peers than the GPU does, which is typical for a mid-range GPU paired with a capable mid-range CPU. The combo’s rank would likely improve with a faster GPU, but as tested, it sits in the middle of the pack.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows clear resolution scaling behavior. At 1080p, the average frame rates range from 145 FPS at Ultra settings to 241 FPS at Low settings. Moving to 1440p, these numbers drop to 94 FPS at Ultra and 156 FPS at Low. At 4K (3840x2160), the averages fall further to 51 FPS at Ultra and 85 FPS at Low.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows an average FPS drop of approximately 33-36% across settings. For example, at High settings, the drop is from 178 FPS at 1080p to 115 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 63 FPS or about 35%. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more severe. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 115 at 1440p to 62 at 4K, a reduction of 53 FPS or about 46%.

This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component. As resolution increases, the pixel count grows, placing more load on the GPU’s rendering pipeline. The CPU’s workload remains relatively constant regardless of resolution, since it handles game logic and draw calls, not pixel shading. The fact that FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, especially at higher settings, confirms that the Radeon RX 7700 is the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

At 1080p, the FPS is high enough that the CPU might occasionally become the limiting factor, but the data shows that even at Low settings, the average FPS of 241 is not excessively high, suggesting the CPU can support these rates. At 4K, the GPU’s workload dominates, and the FPS drops to levels that are still playable but far from the 1080p numbers. The drop from 85 FPS at Low 4K to 51 FPS at Ultra 4K further emphasizes the GPU’s role, as higher settings increase pixel shading and texture work.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides specific average frame rates for each resolution and settings combination. At 3840x2160 (4K), the average FPS is 62 at High settings, 85 at Low settings, 74 at Medium settings, and 51 at Ultra settings. The Medium settings row includes a min FPS of 63 and a max FPS of 85, while other rows do not specify min/max values.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the average FPS is 115 at High settings, 156 at Low settings, 136 at Medium settings, and 94 at Ultra settings. The Medium settings row includes a min FPS of 116 and a max FPS of 156.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the average FPS is 178 at High settings, 241 at Low settings, 210 at Medium settings, and 145 at Ultra settings. The Medium settings row includes a min FPS of 179 and a max FPS of 242.

These numbers show a consistent pattern: lowering settings increases average FPS at every resolution. The largest gap between Ultra and Low settings occurs at 4K, where the difference is 34 FPS (85 vs 51). At 1440p, the gap is 62 FPS (156 vs 94), and at 1080p, the gap is 96 FPS (241 vs 145). The absolute FPS at 1080p Low of 241 is the highest measured, while the lowest measured is 51 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The min FPS data, only available for Medium settings, shows that at 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 179 and the max is 242, closely mirroring the average of 210. At 1440p Medium, the min is 116 and the max is 156, with an average of 136. At 4K Medium, the min is 63 and the max is 85, with an average of 74. These ranges suggest that frame pacing is consistent, with no significant stuttering, as the min FPS is not drastically lower than the average.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1900 MHz, a boost clock of 2459 MHz, and a game clock of 2041 MHz. The memory operates at 2438 MHz, effectively 19.5 Gbps. The GPU includes 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, along with 40 ray tracing cores.

The 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Doom, a game that was designed for systems with far less memory. Even at 4K Ultra, the game is unlikely to exceed this VRAM capacity, so memory is not a limiting factor in the measured results. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and data transfers do not bottleneck performance.

The GPU’s benchmark scores include a Passmark G3D score of 20974 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865. Its percentile ranking against all GPUs is 58, with an average benchmark score of 15852. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X (avg score 15862, delta -0.1%), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (avg score 16014, delta -1%), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (avg score 15679, delta 1.1%). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has an avg score of 16129, with a delta of -1.7% compared to the RX 7700. These deltas are all small, indicating that the RX 7700 performs similarly to these rivals in synthetic benchmarks.

In Doom, the GPU’s role is to render the fast-paced action at high frame rates. The measured FPS at 1080p Low of 241 FPS shows the GPU can output very high frame rates when the pixel workload is light. The drop to 51 FPS at 4K Ultra highlights the GPU’s limits with heavier workloads. The GPU’s boost clock of 2459 MHz and game clock of 2041 MHz provide the compute throughput necessary for these results. The FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s are key metrics for this game, which relies heavily on texture mapping and shader work.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo in Doom?

A: The highest average FPS is 241, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in Doom?

A: The combo ranks 1314 out of 2930 tested combinations, which places it in the upper-middle tier.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 145, while at 4K Ultra, it drops to 51, a difference of 94 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 4K?

A: The data shows that FPS drops significantly from 1440p to 4K, indicating the GPU is the limiting component at 4K due to the increased pixel load.

Q: What are the min and max FPS at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the min FPS is 116 and the max FPS is 156, with an average of 136.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 19593, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (19617) and 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-12500 (19668).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the display resolution and the user’s preference for frame rate versus visual quality. At 1080p, all settings provide playable frame rates, with Ultra delivering 145 FPS average and Low delivering 241 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and high frame rates, Medium settings at 1080p offer an average of 210 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on many monitors. The min FPS of 179 at Medium settings ensures that frame drops are rare, making this the recommended setting for 1080p.

At 1440p, the data shows that Ultra settings average 94 FPS, which is playable but might not saturate a high-refresh display. High settings at 1440p average 115 FPS, which is a better choice for smoother gameplay. Medium settings at 1440p provide 136 FPS average with a min of 116, offering a strong balance of quality and speed. For 1440p, Medium settings are recommended as they deliver the highest average FPS among the settings that maintain visual fidelity, while still providing a min FPS above 100.

At 4K, the measured averages range from 51 FPS at Ultra to 85 FPS at Low. Ultra settings at 4K drop below 60 FPS, which may be unacceptable for some players. High settings at 4K average 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings at 4K average 74 FPS with a min of 63, providing a consistent experience above 60 FPS. For 4K, Medium settings are recommended as they offer the best visual quality while maintaining an average FPS above 70 and a min FPS above 60. Low settings at 4K achieve 85 FPS but sacrifice significant visual detail.

The data suggests that the sweet spot for this combo is Medium settings at any resolution, as it consistently provides higher average FPS than High or Ultra while maintaining a min FPS that is close to the average, indicating stable frame delivery. Low settings yield the highest FPS but are only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is prioritized over visuals. Ultra settings are playable at 1080p and 1440p but fall short at 4K.