Doom

# Doom with AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

The benchmark results for Doom with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 show a combination that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet still delivers exceptional frame rates across the board. The data reveals a system that excels in 1440p and 4K gaming, with the RTX 4090's massive 24 GB VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth proving more than sufficient for this title's demands. The combo ranks 210th out of 2,930 tested combinations, placing it in the top 7.2% of all configs, a strong showing that underscores the RTX 4090's dominance even when paired with a mid-range six-core CPU.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but not catastrophic, indicating a system that transitions smoothly across resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 275 FPS at 1920x1080 to 211 FPS at 2560x1440, a 23.3% decrease, and then to 115 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 45.5% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior — as pixel count increases, the RTX 4090's workload grows proportionally, and the CPU's role diminishes.

The Low settings curve tells a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system hits 306 FPS average, dropping to 265 FPS at 1440p and 156 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 13.4% and 41.1% respectively, showing that even at the lowest settings, where CPU overhead is most likely to surface, the Ryzen 5 5500X3D keeps up adequately. The fact that 4K Low still delivers 156 FPS average suggests the limiting factor at that resolution is almost entirely the GPU's rasterization throughput, not any CPU bottleneck.

Medium settings show a similar trend: 292 FPS at 1080p, 250 FPS at 1440p, and 136 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes a min FPS of 115 and max of 156, indicating some frame-time variance but no catastrophic dips. Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, yield 256 FPS at 1080p, 173 FPS at 1440p, and 94 FPS at 4K.

The most telling observation is the gap between 1080p and 1440p versus the gap between 1440p and 4K. Across all settings, the 1440p-to-4K drop is roughly twice the magnitude of the 1080p-to-1440p drop. This is expected for a GPU like the RTX 4090, which has enough headroom at lower resolutions to be partially CPU-limited, but becomes fully GPU-bound at 4K where the pixel throughput demands overwhelm even this flagship card. At 4K Ultra, the 94 FPS average is still highly playable for a fast-paced FPS, but it clearly shows the ceiling of this combination.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, code-named Vermeer, built on TSMC's 7 nm process. Its base clock of 3.00 GHz and boost clock of 4.00 GHz are modest by modern standards, but the 96 MB of shared L3 cache is the standout feature. This large cache is particularly beneficial for gaming workloads that rely on data locality, and Doom's engine is known to respond well to cache-heavy CPUs.

The CPU's benchmark scores paint a picture of solid mainstream performance. Its Passmark multithread score of 20,363 and single-thread score of 2,941 place it in the 85th percentile among all CPUs, which is respectable but not elite. The nearest rivals in the database reinforce this positioning: the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores 36,945 average (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37,093 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 scores 36,938 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37,112 (0.3% higher). These delta percentages are tiny, meaning the 5500X3D is effectively on par with a broad swath of mid-range and even some high-end CPUs.

In Doom specifically, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p with Low settings, where the frame rate reaches 306 FPS average. This is the scenario where CPU overhead is most likely to bottleneck a powerful GPU, and the fact that the system still exceeds 300 FPS indicates the 5500X3D is doing its job. The 12 threads allow for efficient task scheduling across the game's rendering threads, while the 96 MB L3 cache reduces memory latency for frequently accessed game data.

However, the data also shows that the CPU is not the star of this show. As resolution increases, the FPS differences between settings narrow in relative terms, and the CPU's influence fades. The 4K Ultra result of 94 FPS is far more dependent on the GPU's raw pixel-pushing capability than on the CPU's core count or clock speed. The 5500X3D's 105 W TDP and 51.2 GB/s dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth are adequate for this game, but they are not exceptional — the CPU simply needs to keep up, and it does.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications make that clear. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm TSMC process, this GPU packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Doom's texture and geometry demands at any resolution.

The GPU's clock speeds are 2235 MHz base and 2520 MHz boost, with a memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These clocks, combined with 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, yield 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s are the physical limits that determine how fast the GPU can fill frames. In Doom, these specs translate to the frame rates seen in the measured data.

The RTX 4090's benchmark scores reinforce its top-tier status. Its Passmark G3D score of 38,194 and average benchmark score of 60,347 place it in the 88th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the database are interesting: the Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60,326 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60,140 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896 (2.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657 (2.9% lower). These are professional workstation cards, not gaming GPUs, which highlights that the RTX 4090's closest database neighbors are not typical gaming rivals — it sits in a class of its own for consumer gaming.

In Doom, the GPU's role is decisive. The 4K High result of 115 FPS average is a direct reflection of the RTX 4090's ability to process 8.3 million pixels per frame at high quality settings. The 24 GB VRAM is never a constraint here, as Doom's largest texture sets fit comfortably within even a fraction of that capacity. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming never causes hitches, which is why the minimum FPS values (where recorded) remain reasonably close to averages. At 4K Medium, the min FPS of 115 and max of 156 bracket the average of 136, showing smooth performance without stutter.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 5500X3D and RTX 4090 ranks 210th out of 2,930 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top 7.2% of all configurations. This is a strong result, but it also reveals something important: the ranking is not as high as the GPU alone might suggest. The RTX 4090 is an end-of-life product with a successor already announced, and its individual percentile (88th) is lower than its raw performance might imply because the database includes workstation and professional cards. The CPU's 85th percentile is similarly solid but not top-tier.

The rank of 210 out of 2,930 means there are 209 combos that perform better in this game. Given that the RTX 4090 is one of the fastest consumer GPUs ever made, those higher-ranked combos almost certainly feature faster CPUs — likely higher-clocked Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 9 parts, or Intel Core i7/i9 processors with more cores and higher boost clocks. The 5500X3D's 3.00 GHz base clock is relatively low, and while the 4.00 GHz boost helps, it cannot match the single-thread performance of newer or higher-end CPUs.

The data shows that this combo is excellent for high-resolution gaming but leaves some performance on the table at 1080p, where the CPU's limitations are most exposed. The 1080p Low result of 306 FPS is impressive, but a faster CPU might push that closer to the GPU's theoretical maximum. However, for the vast majority of gaming scenarios, particularly at 1440p and 4K where the RTX 4090 is the primary driver, this combo delivers outstanding results that would satisfy even the most demanding players.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming in Doom?

A: The data shows this combo is best suited for 1440p and 4K gaming. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 256 (Ultra) to 306 (Low), while at 4K it ranges from 94 (Ultra) to 156 (Low). The GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, and the system still delivers playable frame rates at 4K Ultra (94 FPS), making it a strong 4K performer.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500X3D compare to its closest CPU rivals?

A: The 5500X3D has an average benchmark score of 37,018. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F at 36,945 (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 at 37,093 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 at 36,938 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i9-12900T at 37,112 (0.3% higher). These differences are negligible, indicating near-identical CPU performance for this game.

Q: What is the biggest FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: The largest drop occurs at High settings, where the average FPS falls from 275 at 1080p to 115 at 4K, a 160 FPS or 58.2% decrease. The smallest drop is at Low settings, from 306 FPS at 1080p to 156 FPS at 4K, a 150 FPS or 49.0% decrease.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM matter for Doom?

A: The 24 GB VRAM is far more than Doom requires, as the game's textures and geometry fit within a small fraction of that capacity. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth is more relevant, ensuring smooth texture streaming without stutter, which is reflected in the consistent minimum FPS values at 4K Medium (115 FPS min) and 1440p Medium (213 FPS min).

Q: How does the RTX 4090 rank against its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60,347. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 60,140 (0.3% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M at 61,896 (2.5% higher), and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 at 58,657 (2.9% lower). These are all professional cards, not gaming GPUs.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: At 4K, the Ultra preset delivers 94 FPS average, which is playable but close to the edge for fast-paced FPS. High settings at 115 FPS average provide a better balance of visual quality and performance. Low settings at 156 FPS average offer the highest frame rates but sacrifice visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings yield an average of 306 FPS, Medium produces 292 FPS with a min of 248 and max of 336, High reaches 275 FPS, and Ultra achieves 256 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 50 FPS, showing that settings have a moderate impact at this resolution, but even the most demanding preset stays well above 250 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings average 265 FPS, Medium averages 250 FPS with a min of 213 and max of 288, High averages 211 FPS, and Ultra averages 173 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 41 FPS (Low) to 83 FPS (Ultra), indicating that the GPU is beginning to feel the increased pixel load but still has ample headroom.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become visible. Low settings average 156 FPS, Medium averages 136 FPS with a min of 115 and max of 156, High averages 115 FPS, and Ultra averages 94 FPS. The 4K results show a tighter grouping than at lower resolutions, with only a 62 FPS spread from Low to Ultra. The min FPS of 115 at Medium settings is notable, as it indicates the system maintains playable frame rates even during demanding scenes. The 4K Ultra result of 94 FPS average is the only sub-100 FPS figure in the entire dataset, confirming that this is the most demanding scenario the hardware faces.