Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT pairing delivers a remarkably smooth Doom experience, with the data showing this combo ranking in the 55th percentile of all tested configurations. The 6-core, 12-thread CPU with a 3.60 GHz base and 4.20 GHz boost clock proves more than sufficient for this 2016 title, while the GPU’s RDNA 3.0 architecture with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory handles the heavy lifting. Across all tested resolutions and settings, the frame rates stay comfortably playable, though the relationship between CPU and GPU load shifts noticeably as resolution climbs.

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

The Ryzen 5 5500’s Zen 3 architecture, built on TSMC’s 7 nm process, provides a solid foundation for Doom’s engine. With 6 cores and 12 threads, the processor has ample parallel resources for a game that scales well across multiple threads. The CPU’s 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth ensure that texture streaming and game logic don’t become bottlenecks at lower resolutions.

At 1080p, the CPU’s influence is most apparent. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at this resolution spans from 259.4 FPS down to 160.7 FPS, a gap of nearly 100 FPS that reflects how the GPU becomes more stressed as visual fidelity increases. The CPU’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2319, keeps the frame pacing stable even when the GPU is producing well over 200 FPS. The 3DMark single-thread score of 836 reinforces that this processor has enough per-core grunt to avoid holding back the RX 7700 XT at 1080p.

As resolution increases, the CPU’s role diminishes relative to the GPU. At 4K, the frame rates drop significantly across all settings, indicating that the RX 7700 XT becomes the limiting factor. The GPU’s 3456 shading units and 96 ROPs, running at a boost clock of 2544 MHz, are what ultimately determine performance at higher pixel counts. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and PCIe Gen 3 interface don’t present any meaningful constraint here, as the data shows the combo scaling predictably with resolution.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 at High settings delivers 123.6 FPS, which balances visual quality with refresh-rate headroom. At 1920x1080, High settings reach 190.9 FPS, but the jump to 1440p only costs about 35% performance while offering significantly sharper image quality.

Q: How does this combo handle Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 56.2. This is still playable, but it lacks the headroom for demanding scenes. Dropping to High at 4K raises the average to 67.9 FPS, which is a more comfortable margin for maintaining smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 a bottleneck for the RX 7700 XT in Doom?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a pattern consistent with GPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 259.4 FPS, showing the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 170.3 FPS while Ultra settings drop to 101.6 FPS. The 68.7 FPS gap represents the cost of enabling maximum visual features, but both settings remain well above 100 FPS for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 753rd out of 1681 total combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of tested systems. This positioning reflects the balanced nature of the pairing, with neither component drastically outmatching the other for this game.

Q: Does the GPU’s performance align with its benchmark scores?

A: The RX 7700 XT’s PassMark G3D score of 22547 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3316 correlate with its measured in-game results. The GPU’s percentile ranking of 73 among all GPUs matches the solid frame rates observed, particularly at 1440p where it excels.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo’s rank of 753 out of 1681 tested combinations places it squarely in the middle of the field, but this position requires context. Doom is a well-optimized title, and the data shows this pairing outperforms many combinations with more expensive components. The rank reflects that while the RX 7700 XT is a strong performer, it faces stiff competition from newer GPUs in the benchmark database.

The GPU’s nearest rivals tell an interesting story. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 scores 30109 in average benchmarks, essentially tied with the RX 7700 XT’s 30097, a delta of 0%. This suggests that in Doom, the two cards should perform nearly identically, assuming similar driver optimization. The AMD Radeon RX 570, despite its much older architecture, scores 30158, which is 0.2% higher than the RX 7700 XT. This anomaly likely reflects benchmark methodology differences rather than real-world gaming performance, as the RX 7700 XT’s RDNA 3.0 architecture with 12 GB of VRAM is clearly superior for modern titles.

Against the CPU rivals, the Ryzen 5 5500’s average score of 20875 sits within 0.2% of the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20900). This tight grouping indicates that the CPU choice has minimal impact on this game’s performance, as Doom’s engine does not heavily tax processor resources at the tested settings.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 259.4 FPS, Medium reaches 227.3 FPS, High achieves 190.9 FPS, and Ultra still maintains 160.7 FPS. Even the lowest frame rate at this resolution exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, making 1080p essentially a non-issue for this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected drop. Low settings yield 170.3 FPS, Medium hits 149.3 FPS, High delivers 123.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 101.6 FPS. The 1440p results demonstrate that this combo can drive high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors comfortably, with even Ultra settings staying above the 100 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings achieve 92.2 FPS, Medium reaches 82.5 FPS, High drops to 67.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 56.2 FPS. While 4K Ultra is still playable, the frame rates leave little room for dips in demanding scenes. The step from High to Ultra at 4K costs 11.7 FPS, representing a 17% performance penalty for what is often a marginal visual improvement in this title.

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

The scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At High settings, performance drops from 190.9 FPS at 1080p to 123.6 FPS at 1440p, a 35% reduction, then to 67.9 FPS at 4K, another 45% drop. This consistent degradation aligns with the pixel-count increase: 1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p, and 4K has 4 times the pixels of 1080p.

The CPU’s role becomes apparent when examining the 1080p results. The fact that Low settings at 1080p produce 259.4 FPS while Ultra produces 160.7 FPS indicates the GPU is doing progressively more work. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates at 1080p would cluster closer together regardless of settings. Instead, the wide spread across settings at 1080p confirms the GPU is the performance driver even at lower resolutions.

At 4K, the scaling becomes even more pronounced. The difference between Low (92.2 FPS) and Ultra (56.2 FPS) at 4K is 36 FPS, a 39% reduction. This shows that the RX 7700 XT’s compute resources, particularly its 35.17 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, are heavily taxed by 4K rendering. The GPU’s 432.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 192-bit bus width also play a role, as 4K textures demand significant memory throughput.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For 1080p users, the data suggests High settings offer the best balance. At 190.9 FPS, High provides a 30 FPS improvement over Ultra while maintaining visual fidelity that is nearly indistinguishable in fast-paced gameplay. The jump from High to Ultra costs 30.2 FPS (16% reduction) for marginal visual gains, making it a poor trade-off for competitive play.

At 1440p, Medium settings at 149.3 FPS present the most compelling option. This preset delivers 25.7 more FPS than High (123.6 FPS) while still looking substantially better than Low (170.3 FPS). For players with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors, Medium provides enough headroom to avoid frame dips during intense combat sequences. Ultra at 1440p remains viable at 101.6 FPS, but the 47.7 FPS gap between Medium and Ultra is substantial.

For 4K, High settings at 67.9 FPS emerge as the recommended choice. The 11.7 FPS improvement over Ultra (56.2 FPS) is significant for maintaining smoothness, while the visual difference between High and Ultra in Doom is subtle. Medium at 82.5 FPS offers an even safer margin for 60 Hz displays, and Low at 92.2 FPS is the choice for players who prioritize frame rate above all else. Given that this is a fast-paced FPS, the data supports prioritizing frame consistency over extreme visual settings at 4K.