Doom

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

The measured frame rates for this AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination reveal a classic scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 317.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 239.5 FPS, a reduction of roughly 25%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 131.1 FPS, which is about 45% below the 1440p figure. This steep decline from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises. The RTX 4070 Ti, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, is being pushed harder at higher resolutions, while the CPU has more headroom to feed frames.

The Ultra preset tells a similar story but with more dramatic drops. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 219.3 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, that falls to 141.1 FPS — a 36% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the average sinks to 79.4 FPS, which is only 36% of the 1080p Ultra result. The scaling between 1440p and 4K is particularly aggressive for Ultra, suggesting that the combination of higher resolution and more demanding settings exhausts the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth. The RTX 4070 Ti's 7680 shading units and 240 texture mapping units are working at near capacity, yet the 4K Ultra result still clears 60 FPS, indicating a playable experience despite the heavy load.

Interesting to note: the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, Low beats Ultra by 98.6 FPS (317.9 vs 219.3). At 4K, that gap shrinks to 51.7 FPS (131.1 vs 79.4). This compression suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor regardless of settings — lowering quality from Ultra to Low only recovers so much performance because the pixel throughput itself is the constraint. The data implies that for competitive play at 4K, dropping to Low yields a substantial 65% improvement over Ultra, but for casual play, the visual fidelity of Ultra at 79.4 FPS may be acceptable.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 brings 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. This is a 2022 release part, and the benchmark data shows it sits at the 79th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 20875 places it nearly even with the Intel Core i5-12500, which scores 20897 with a deltaPct of -0.1%. That near-identical performance suggests the Ryzen 5 5500 is not a weak link in this gaming combo.

Looking at the 3DMark threaded tests, the CPU scores 836 in single-thread, 1645 in 2-threads, 3151 in 4-threads, 4593 in 8-threads, and 5411 in max-threads. The scaling from 8-threads to max-threads is modest (4593 to 5411), indicating that additional threads beyond 8 provide diminishing returns. Doom, being a 2016 title, was designed around the 4-core and 8-thread era, so this CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4070 Ti at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 317.9 FPS demonstrates that the CPU can push well beyond typical monitor refresh rates.

The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and single-core score of 2319 show balanced performance. For a game like Doom that relies on the id Tech engine's draw calls and physics updates, the single-core throughput matters significantly. The Ryzen 5 5500's single-thread score of 836 in 3DMark is respectable, and the data shows that at 1080p, the CPU keeps up with the GPU. The fact that 1080p Low (317.9 FPS) and 1080p Medium (303.4 FPS) are relatively close in performance indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor — the GPU handles the settings increase without frame rate collapse.

The 16 MB L3 cache is ample for a game of Doom's era, and the dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient data throughput. The PCIe Gen 3 interface is older but does not appear to hinder performance based on the measured results. The data suggests that this CPU is well-matched to the RTX 4070 Ti for Doom, providing enough headroom at 1080p and 1440p, while the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this combo for maximum frame rate?

A: The data shows 1080p Low delivers 317.9 FPS, which is the highest measured average. Even at 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 219.3 FPS, well above typical 144Hz monitors.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p. The frame rate difference between Low (317.9 FPS) and Medium (303.4 FPS) is only 14.5 FPS, suggesting the GPU handles the settings increase without the CPU holding back performance.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti scores 44900 on average, which is 0.6% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile (45152) and 1.5% below the Intel Arc A730M (45592). It outperforms the AMD Radeon Pro 580 by 1.6% (44195).

Q: Can this combo handle 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but with a caveat. The measured average at 4K Ultra is 79.4 FPS, which is above 60 FPS but below the 98.2 FPS seen at 4K High. Players prioritizing smoothness over visuals should consider High settings at 4K.

Q: What is the frame rate impact of dropping from Ultra to Low at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Ultra delivers 141.1 FPS while Low reaches 239.5 FPS. That is a 69.8% improvement, making Low a strong choice for competitive play where frame rate matters more than visual fidelity.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to the Intel Core i5-12500?

A: The two CPUs are nearly identical in average benchmark score. The Ryzen 5 5500 scores 20875, which is 0.1% lower than the Core i5-12500's 20897. This indicates virtually no practical performance difference between them.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 317.9 FPS, Medium drops slightly to 303.4 FPS, High reaches 274 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 219.3 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 98.6 FPS, showing that settings have a significant impact at this resolution. The gap between Medium and High is 29.4 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 54.7 FPS — Ultra is disproportionately more demanding.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show more sensitivity to settings. Low achieves 239.5 FPS, Medium hits 207 FPS, High reaches 172.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 141.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 98.4 FPS, nearly identical to the 1080p spread. However, the percentage drop from Low to Ultra is larger at 1440p (41.1%) compared to 1080p (31.0%), indicating that the GPU is working harder at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the performance landscape changes dramatically. Low delivers 131.1 FPS, Medium drops to 110.4 FPS, High reaches 98.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 79.4 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread is 51.7 FPS, much narrower than at lower resolutions. This compression suggests that at 4K, the GPU is saturated regardless of settings — even Low settings cannot fully escape the pixel throughput limit. The 4K Ultra result of 79.4 FPS is the lowest measured value, but it remains playable for most users.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings shows consistent drops: Low falls by 78.4 FPS (317.9 to 239.5), Medium by 96.4 FPS (303.4 to 207), High by 101.6 FPS (274 to 172.4), and Ultra by 78.2 FPS (219.3 to 141.1). The High setting shows the largest absolute drop, suggesting it has the steepest pixel-to-performance curve. From 1440p to 4K, the drops are even more severe: Low falls by 108.4 FPS, Medium by 96.6 FPS, High by 74.2 FPS, and Ultra by 61.7 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 269th out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. That puts it in the top 16% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The percentile position suggests that the GPU dominates the ranking, as the RTX 4070 Ti's 85th percentile among all GPUs pulls the combo upward.

The CPU's 79th percentile ranking is respectable, but the GPU's higher percentile indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti is the more influential component in determining this combo's position. The rank of 269 out of 1681 means there are 268 combos that perform better, likely featuring faster CPUs like the Core i5-12500's rivals or more powerful GPUs. However, the deltaPct data shows the CPU is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, so the ranking is primarily driven by GPU selection.

Given that the RTX 4070 Ti is now end-of-life and its successor, the GeForce 50 series, has arrived, this combo represents a mature pairing. The rank of 269 suggests that for a 2023 GPU paired with a 2022 CPU, the performance in Doom is competitive but not top-tier. Players seeking higher rankings would need to move to newer GPU architectures, but for 1080p and 1440p gaming, this combo delivers frame rates that exceed most display capabilities.

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

The data offers clear guidance for different use cases. For competitive play at 1080p, Low settings at 317.9 FPS provide the highest possible frame rate, which is ideal for high-refresh monitors. However, Medium at 303.4 FPS is only 4.6% slower and likely offers better visual clarity without sacrificing responsiveness. The jump to High costs another 29.4 FPS (down to 274), which may not be worth it for competitive players.

At 1440p, Medium settings at 207 FPS present the best balance between visual quality and performance. The drop from Medium to High is 34.6 FPS (down to 172.4), while Ultra costs another 31.3 FPS (down to 141.1). For most players, Medium at 1440p delivers a smooth experience above 200 FPS, while High remains viable at 172.4 FPS. Ultra at 141.1 FPS is still playable but begins to approach the threshold where frame time consistency matters.

For 4K gaming, High settings at 98.2 FPS offer the best experience. The step from High to Ultra costs 18.8 FPS (down to 79.4), which is a significant drop for marginal visual gains. Conversely, dropping from High to Medium gains only 12.2 FPS (up to 110.4), so High provides the best quality-to-performance ratio. Low at 4K delivers 131.1 FPS, but the visual downgrade may be too severe for a game like Doom where the art style benefits from higher quality textures. The data suggests prioritizing High at 4K, with Ultra reserved for players who value maximum fidelity over frame rate.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It packs 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 121.8M per mm². The GPU has a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for Doom's texture-heavy environments.

The GPU's compute capabilities are impressive: 7680 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. The FP32 performance of 40.09 TFLOPS and texture rate of 626.4 GTexel/s explain why the card handles 1080p and 1440p with such ease. The pixel rate of 208.8 GPixel/s is directly relevant to the 4K results — at 3840x2160, the pixel count is 8.3 million, and the card's pixel rate allows it to sustain high frame rates even under load.

The RTX 4070 Ti scores 31624 in Passmark G3D and 44900 in average benchmark score, placing it in the 85th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores 45152 with a deltaPct of -0.6%, meaning the 4070 Ti is nearly as fast in synthetic tests. The 12 GB VRAM is not a limitation for Doom, as the game's requirements are modest by 2016 standards, and the measured 4K Ultra result of 79.4 FPS confirms that memory bandwidth is sufficient.

The GPU's end-of-life status and 285 W TDP suggest it was a high-power part, but the measured results show it handles Doom with considerable headroom. The 4K Low result of 131.1 FPS indicates that even at the most demanding resolution, the GPU can push well beyond 60 FPS when settings are reduced. The data supports the conclusion that the RTX 4070 Ti is the dominant component in this combo, providing the majority of the gaming performance while the Ryzen 5 5500 plays a supporting role.