Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing delivers a highly playable Doom experience across most settings, but the data suggests a clear sweet spot. At 1080p, the Medium preset produces an average of 167 FPS, with a minimum of 142 FPS and a maximum of 192 FPS. This is notably smoother than the High preset’s 141 FPS average, and it avoids the performance ceiling hit from Ultra, which drops to 115 FPS. The Low preset reaches 192 FPS, but the jump from Medium to Low is only 25 FPS, while the visual quality reduction is substantial. For the best balance of fluidity and fidelity, the Medium preset at 1080p is the recommended choice, as it maintains a high refresh rate while keeping the frame time variance in check. At 1440p, the Medium preset again proves optimal, delivering 108 FPS average with a 92 FPS minimum, which is still well within high-refresh territory. The High preset at 1440p offers 91 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium preset’s extra headroom makes it the safer pick for maintaining consistent performance. At 4K, the situation changes; the Medium preset yields 59 FPS average with a 50 FPS minimum, which is borderline for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 4K provides 67 FPS, making it the more viable option for 4K gaming, though it requires a significant reduction in visual settings. Ultimately, the data indicates that Medium settings provide the best experience at 1080p and 1440p, while Low is the pragmatic choice for 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary driver of frame rates in this configuration, and its specifications reveal why it performs as it does. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is crucial for Doom’s fast-paced texture streaming and high-resolution rendering. The card’s base clock is 1470 MHz, with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and it houses 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The chip, TU106, is built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 445 mm² and 10,800 million transistors. The GPU’s FP32 performance is rated at 7.181 TFLOPS, which is a reasonable figure for a card of this class.

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of GPU limitation at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (192 FPS) and Ultra (115 FPS) is 77 FPS, indicating that the GPU is still the bottleneck, but the CPU has enough headroom to push high frame rates. As resolution increases to 1440p, the average FPS drops by roughly 35-40% across all settings, and at 4K, the averages fall to 40-67 FPS. This scaling suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings, where the average drops to 40 FPS. The GPU’s percentile ranking is 62, placing it in the mid-range of all tested GPUs, and its average benchmark score is 18093. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile with a deltaPct of -0.4, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 with -0.5, indicating the 2060 SUPER is competitive with those parts. The data implies that for 4K gaming, the GPU is the limiting factor, and only the Low preset can push past 60 FPS. For 1080p and 1440p, the GPU has sufficient power to deliver high frame rates, but the Ultra preset at any resolution is a demanding choice that yields diminishing returns.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. It features a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a key asset for gaming workloads that benefit from large, fast data pools. The CPU’s memory support is DDR4 with a dual-channel bus, offering a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Its TDP is 105 W, and it is built on a 7 nm process at TSMC, with a die size of 74 mm². The processor’s benchmark scores show a strong single-thread performance of 2941 in the Passmark single-thread test, and a multi-thread score of 20363. Its average benchmark score is 37018, with a percentile ranking of 85, indicating it outperforms the majority of CPUs in the database.

In the context of Doom, the CPU’s role is less about pushing raw frame rates and more about ensuring consistent frame delivery, especially at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 192, which is close to the monitor’s refresh rate limits, and this is where the CPU’s 4.00 GHz boost clock and large L3 cache help maintain high minimums. The measured data at 1080p Medium shows a minimum FPS of 142, which is a 25 FPS drop from the average, indicating that the CPU is handling the workload without significant stutters. The nearest rivals to this CPU include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F with a deltaPct of 0.2, and the Intel Core i9-12900T with a deltaPct of -0.3, showing that the 5500X3D is virtually tied with those processors in synthetic benchmarks. As resolution increases, the CPU’s influence wanes, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. However, the data shows that even at 4K, the CPU is not causing a collapse in performance, as the FPS drops are consistent with GPU scaling. The CPU’s 12 threads are more than sufficient for Doom, which is not a heavily threaded title, and its high single-thread score of 2941 ensures that it does not hold back the GPU in most scenarios. The data suggests that this CPU is a capable partner for the RTX 2060 SUPER, providing enough processing power to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p without introducing frame pacing issues.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2056 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum, which is consistent with the GPU’s mid-range standing. The combo’s rank is influenced more by the GPU than the CPU, as the RTX 2060 SUPER’s percentile is 62, while the CPU’s percentile is 85. This disparity suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing, and the CPU is not being fully utilized in many scenarios. The rank of 2056 out of 2930 means that roughly 70% of tested combos perform better, which is a reflection of the GPU’s age and performance class.

Looking at the individual components, the GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which has a deltaPct of -0.4, meaning the 2060 SUPER is slightly faster. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 is -0.5% slower, and the AMD Radeon RX 460 is -1.5% slower. These differences are small, indicating that the RTX 2060 SUPER is closely matched with other mid-range GPUs. For the CPU, the nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, which is 0.2% faster, and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is 0.2% slower. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is 0.2% faster, and the Intel Core i9-12900T is 0.3% faster. These deltas are negligible, showing that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class. The combo rank of 2056 is a direct consequence of the GPU’s limitations, particularly at higher resolutions. If the CPU were paired with a stronger GPU, the rank would likely improve, but as it stands, the data shows that this combo is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The rank also implies that users seeking higher performance would need to upgrade the GPU first, as the CPU has more headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a predictable decline as resolution increases, with the most significant drops occurring between 1440p and 4K. At 1080p, the average FPS across all settings ranges from 115 to 192, with an average of roughly 153 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 75 to 124 FPS, with an average of about 99 FPS. At 4K, the range is 40 to 67 FPS, with an average of 54 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU is the dominant limiting factor, as the performance penalty from 1080p to 4K is substantial across all settings. Specifically, from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by approximately 35%, and from 1440p to 4K, it drops by another 45%. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario, where the pixel throughput demand outstrips the RTX 2060 SUPER’s capabilities.

The data also shows that the CPU’s influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 77 FPS, which is a 40% reduction, suggesting that the CPU is still able to push high frame rates, but the GPU is starting to struggle. At 1440p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 49 FPS, and at 4K, it is 27 FPS. This narrowing gap indicates that the GPU is becoming the sole bottleneck, and the CPU’s performance has little impact on the final frame rate. For users aiming for high refresh rates, 1080p is the only resolution where the combo can consistently exceed 144 FPS, and even then, only on Low and Medium settings. At 1440p, the combo can achieve 108 FPS on Medium, which is still smooth, but the Ultra preset drops to 75 FPS, which may be below a 144 Hz display’s target. At 4K, the combo is not viable for high refresh, with only the Low preset breaking 60 FPS. The resolution scaling data strongly suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the bottleneck, and users should prioritize 1080p or 1440p gaming to get the best experience from this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at how the combo performs across each resolution and settings preset. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: the Low preset achieves an average of 192 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Medium preset averages 167 FPS, with a minimum of 142 and a maximum of 192. The High preset averages 141 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 115 FPS. This shows a clear progression, with the Medium preset being the most balanced, offering a 26 FPS improvement over High while only sacrificing 25 FPS from Low. The minimum FPS of 142 on Medium is the only recorded minimum at 1080p, indicating that the frame pacing is stable.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 124 FPS, the Medium preset averages 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 125, the High preset averages 91 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 75 FPS. The 16 FPS difference between Medium and High is notable, and the 33 FPS difference between Medium and Ultra is substantial. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 67 FPS, the Medium preset averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 67, the High preset averages 50 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 40 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K shows a 9 FPS drop from Low, and the High preset drops another 9 FPS, while Ultra drops a further 10 FPS. The data indicates that the GPU’s performance degrades significantly at 4K, and the Ultra preset’s 40 FPS average is likely unplayable for most users. The recorded minimum FPS values, such as 50 at 4K Medium and 92 at 1440p Medium, provide insight into the worst-case scenarios, which are still above 30 FPS, but may cause perceptible stutter in fast-paced action. The maximum FPS values, like 192 at 1080p Medium and 125 at 1440p Medium, show that the combo can occasionally hit high peaks, but the averages are more representative of the sustained experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p delivers an average of 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 FPS, making it the best balance of performance and visual quality. The Low preset reaches 192 FPS, but the visual downgrade is not worth the 25 FPS gain, while Ultra drops to 115 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the Low preset averages 67 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 59 FPS. The High preset drops to 50 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40 FPS. For a playable experience, the Low preset is the only viable option, and even then, it is close to the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, is 0.4% slower. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 is 0.5% slower, and the AMD Radeon RX 460 is 1.5% slower, showing that the 2060 SUPER is slightly faster than these comparable parts.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU has a percentile ranking of 85, while the GPU is at 62. At 1080p, the CPU can push high frame rates, but as resolution increases, the GPU’s performance drops off more significantly, confirming it as the limiting component.

Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking in Doom?

A: The combo ranks 2056 out of 2930 tested combinations in Doom, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum. This rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s mid-range performance class, as the CPU is comparatively stronger.

Q: How does the CPU’s benchmark performance compare to its rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37018. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, is 0.2% faster, while the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 is 0.2% slower. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is 0.2% faster, and the Intel Core i9-12900T is 0.3% faster, indicating the 5500X3D is on par with these processors.