Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Doom, with the data showing that the GPU is the primary scaling factor as resolution increases. At 1080p, the system is clearly capable of pushing frame rates far beyond display refresh rates, while at 4K, the performance curve tightens considerably, revealing the limits of the 8 GB VRAM buffer and the GPU's memory subsystem.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 167 FPS, which drops to 108 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 35% reduction) and then to 59 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 45% further reduction from 1440p). This steep decline from 1440p to 4K indicates that the RTX 4060's 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factor at higher pixel counts.

When comparing the Low settings preset, the scaling behavior is even more pronounced. The system achieves 228 FPS at 1080p Low, 147 FPS at 1440p Low, and 80 FPS at 4K Low. The delta between 1080p and 1440p Low is 81 FPS, while the delta between 1440p and 4K Low is 67 FPS. This suggests that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the GPU cannot maintain the same relative performance at 4K as it does at lower resolutions, confirming that memory bandwidth is the constraining factor rather than raw compute throughput.

The Medium settings preset provides the most complete data set, with min and max FPS values recorded at all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 198 FPS average with a minimum of 168 FPS and maximum of 228 FPS. At 1440p Medium, average FPS drops to 128 with a range of 109 to 148 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 70 FPS with a range of 59 to 80 FPS. The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases, indicating that frame time consistency improves at higher resolutions where the GPU is more uniformly saturated.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling drop. From 137 FPS at 1080p, performance falls to 89 FPS at 1440p and then to 48 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS is the only measured average below 60 FPS across the entire data set, suggesting that this preset at 4K exceeds what the hardware can comfortably sustain for smooth gameplay. The scaling pattern across all four presets clearly indicates that the RTX 4060 is the bottleneck at 4K, while the Ryzen 5 5500's six cores and 12 threads provide sufficient headroom at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In Doom, a game from 2016, the data shows that this memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gameplay but becomes strained at 4K, particularly at the Ultra preset where the average FPS falls to 48. The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz provide the compute foundation, but the 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is not the limiting factor in this title.

The GPU's 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs produce a pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s. These specifications translate directly to the measured performance: at 4K Ultra, the system must fill approximately 8.3 million pixels per frame, and the data shows the GPU cannot maintain 60 FPS under this load. The 4K Medium result of 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS suggests that reducing texture quality and shadow details alleviates the bandwidth pressure enough to approach playable territory.

The RTX 4060's position in the benchmark database shows it ranks at the 61st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17,639. Its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (0.2% lower score), AMD Radeon 780M (0.3% higher), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (0.5% higher), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (0.7% higher). These comparisons are based on general compute benchmarks rather than gaming-specific performance, but they contextualize the GPU's overall capability level.

In Doom specifically, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity does not appear to be a hard limitation at any tested setting, as the game's texture requirements from 2016 fit comfortably within this allocation. The performance degradation at 4K is more attributable to memory bandwidth constraints, which is consistent with the 128-bit bus width. The RTX 4060's PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides adequate bandwidth for the CPU-to-GPU data transfer, and the Ryzen 5 5500's PCIe Gen 3 support does not appear to bottleneck performance in this title based on the measured frame rates at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 2001 out of 3,712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 46th percentile of all tested system configurations. This mid-pack ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's 73rd percentile standing among all processors and the GPU's 61st percentile position among all graphics cards. The combo's rank suggests that while neither component is top-tier, their pairing produces competitive results in this particular title.

The Ryzen 5 5500's nearest rivals in aggregate CPU benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (0.1% lower average score), Intel Core i5-12500 (0.4% lower), Intel Core i7-10700F (0.5% higher), and Intel Core i5-11600KF (0.7% lower). These deltas are minimal, indicating that the 5500 performs essentially on par with these competing processors in general compute workloads. However, in Doom, the combination's ranking suggests that the GPU plays a more significant role in determining overall system performance.

The combo's rank of 2001 out of 3,712 means that approximately 54% of tested configurations outperform it in this game. This places the system in the lower half of the database, but the measured FPS data tells a more nuanced story. At 1080p, the combo achieves frame rates well above 100 FPS on all presets, which would satisfy most gamers. The ranking is likely influenced by higher-end configurations that excel at 4K, where this combo's 48 FPS at Ultra represent its weakest showing.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 19,593 places it at the 73rd percentile among all processors, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 at 19,617 (a 0.1% delta). This indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500 is a solid mid-range processor that does not bottleneck the RTX 4060 in Doom, as evidenced by the strong 1080p performance. The data suggests that the combo's mid-pack ranking is primarily due to GPU limitations at higher resolutions rather than CPU constraints.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance across all four settings presets. The Low preset achieves 228 FPS average, which represents the highest measured frame rate in the entire data set. The Medium preset produces 198 FPS average with a minimum of 168 FPS and maximum of 228 FPS, indicating a tight frame time distribution. The High preset delivers 167 FPS average, while the Ultra preset drops to 137 FPS. All four 1080p results comfortably exceed 120 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected reduction. The Low preset achieves 147 FPS average, followed by Medium at 128 FPS (with a range of 109 to 148 FPS), High at 108 FPS, and Ultra at 89 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that the combo can drive most gaming monitors at high refresh rates, with even the Ultra preset maintaining nearly 90 FPS. The minimum FPS of 109 at Medium settings suggests that frame pacing remains consistent at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops become more pronounced. The Low preset achieves 80 FPS average, Medium delivers 70 FPS (with a range of 59 to 80 FPS), High produces 59 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. The 4K results reveal that only the Low and Medium presets maintain average frame rates above 60 FPS, while High barely touches 60 and Ultra falls below. The minimum FPS of 59 at Medium 4K indicates that even this preset occasionally dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

The data shows a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the spread between Low and Ultra is 91 FPS (228 versus 137), representing a 40% performance cost for the highest quality settings. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 58 FPS (147 versus 89), a 39% cost. At 4K, the spread is 32 FPS (80 versus 48), a 40% cost. This consistent percentage suggests that the relative cost of Ultra settings remains constant regardless of resolution, while the absolute performance headroom diminishes.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium settings preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 198 FPS average with a minimum of 168 FPS, which is 31 FPS higher than High and only 30 FPS lower than Low. The 1440p Medium result of 128 FPS average (minimum 109 FPS) remains well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and even at 4K, Medium achieves 70 FPS average with a minimum of 59 FPS, making it the only preset that maintains playable frame rates at this resolution.

For users with 1080p displays, the High preset at 167 FPS is a reasonable choice if visual fidelity is prioritized, but the data shows that Medium offers a 19% performance increase (198 versus 167) with only a modest reduction in graphical quality. The Ultra preset at 137 FPS is also viable at 1080p, but the 61 FPS difference between Ultra and Medium suggests that the visual improvements may not justify the performance cost.

At 1440p, the High preset at 108 FPS is the recommended choice for users who want a balance between quality and performance, as it provides a 19 FPS improvement over Ultra (89 FPS) while maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. However, for users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors (144 Hz or higher), the Medium preset at 128 FPS is the better option, as it approaches the refresh rate ceiling and provides a smoother experience.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 70 FPS is the only viable option for consistent gameplay, as the High preset at 59 FPS and Ultra at 48 FPS both fall below the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset at 80 FPS is also an option for users who prioritize frame rate over visual quality, but the Medium preset offers a better balance with its 70 FPS average and acceptable minimum of 59 FPS. The data strongly indicates that Ultra settings should be avoided at 4K with this hardware combination, as the 48 FPS average does not provide a satisfactory gaming experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Doom?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 delivers the highest frame rates, with all four presets achieving at least 137 FPS. At 2560x1440, performance remains strong with the lowest preset at 147 FPS and the highest at 89 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low and Medium presets maintain averages above 60 FPS, making 1440p the highest resolution where all settings presets remain playable.

Q: How does the Ultra preset perform at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 48 FPS, which is the lowest measured result in the entire data set. This falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that Ultra settings at 4K exceed the hardware's capability in Doom.

Q: What is the frame rate range at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 198 FPS with a minimum of 168 FPS and a maximum of 228 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This represents a 60 FPS spread between minimum and maximum, indicating consistent frame delivery.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck this combo in Doom?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, particularly at 4K where frame rates drop significantly across all presets. At 1080p, the high frame rates (up to 228 FPS on Low) suggest the CPU provides adequate headroom, while the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes the constraint as resolution increases.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 2001 out of 3,712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 46th percentile of all tested systems. This mid-pack ranking reflects the GPU's 61st percentile standing among all graphics cards.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 109, with an average of 128 FPS and a maximum of 148 FPS. This minimum remains well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating smooth frame delivery at this resolution and settings combination.