Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a consistently strong experience in Doom, with performance that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. This combination proves capable of high-refresh-rate 1080p play and remains highly playable at 1440p, while 4K demands more conservative settings to maintain smooth frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates where the bottleneck shifts within this system. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 200 FPS, which drops to 129 FPS at 1440p and further to 70 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35.5% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 45.7% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The pattern suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU has ample headroom, and the GPU becomes the primary limiter as pixel count rises.

Moving to High settings reveals a similar scaling trend: 147 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p, and 51 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 35.4% and 46.3% respectively, nearly identical to Low settings. This consistency implies that resolution has a more significant impact on performance than the quality preset itself, with the GPU struggling more as the pixel workload increases.

At Ultra settings, the scaling becomes more pronounced. The 1080p result of 120 FPS drops to 78 FPS at 1440p (a 35% reduction) and then to 42 FPS at 4K (a 46.2% reduction from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 42 FPS indicates the GPU is heavily taxed at this resolution, making it the clear limiting factor. The data shows that while the CPU can push high frame rates at lower resolutions, the RX 6650 XT cannot sustain playable frame rates at 4K with maximum quality.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 6650 XT features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for Doom at 1080p and 1440p, where the game's demands are moderate. The GPU's boost clock of 2635 MHz and game clock of 2410 MHz provide the computational throughput needed for the observed results.

The GPU's architecture, RDNA 2.0 on a 7 nm process, includes 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 337.3 GTexel/s, which directly influence how quickly the card can fill frames with detailed textures and effects. The FP32 performance of 10.79 TFLOPS indicates the raw compute capability available for the game's rendering tasks.

The benchmark results show the GPU holds its own relative to its peers. With an average benchmark score of 19765, it sits in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla K40m, scores 19885, putting the RX 6650 XT just 0.6% behind, while it leads the AMD FirePro D300 by 0.7%. These margins are negligible in real-world gaming, confirming that the card performs as expected for its class.

The 4K results highlight the GPU's limitations. At Ultra settings, the card delivers 42 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider minimum for smooth gameplay. Even at High settings, 4K produces 51 FPS, still short of that target. The GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capability are simply not sufficient for 4K gaming at higher quality presets in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested combos in the database, this pairing of the Ryzen 5 5600X and RX 6650 XT ranks 2418 out of 3712 combinations. This places it in the 34.9th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly two-thirds of tested combos outperform it. While this might seem low, it reflects the mid-range positioning of both components rather than any specific weakness.

The ranking indicates that for Doom specifically, many higher-end configurations achieve better performance, particularly at higher resolutions. However, the combo's performance at 1080p and 1440p demonstrates that it can deliver a solid gaming experience without requiring flagship hardware. The rank of 2418 out of 3712 suggests this is a well-balanced mid-range pairing that prioritizes value over absolute performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 200 FPS average, Medium settings achieve 174 FPS with minimums of 148 FPS and maximums of 200 FPS, High settings reach 147 FPS, and Ultra settings manage 120 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system can drive high-refresh-rate monitors even at maximum quality, though the gap between Low and Ultra (80 FPS difference) shows the GPU still has work to do at higher presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected drop. Low settings deliver 129 FPS, Medium settings achieve 113 FPS with minimums of 96 FPS and maximums of 129 FPS, High settings produce 95 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 78 FPS. The 1440p results are all above 60 FPS, making this resolution fully playable even at Ultra settings, with High settings providing a comfortable margin above 90 FPS for smoother gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. Low settings still manage 70 FPS, which is playable, but Medium settings drop to 61 FPS with minimums of 52 FPS and maximums of 70 FPS. High settings fall to 51 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 42 FPS. The 4K results show that while the system can handle 4K at lower settings, the frame rates at High and Ultra are below the 60 FPS threshold, making these presets less desirable for competitive or fast-paced play.

The Medium settings data provides the most complete picture, with minimum and maximum values available at all three resolutions. At 1080p, the 148 FPS minimum ensures smooth performance even in demanding scenes. At 1440p, the 96 FPS minimum keeps gameplay fluid. At 4K, the 52 FPS minimum approaches the edge of playability, indicating that occasional dips below 60 FPS will occur.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 5600X brings 6 cores and 12 threads to the pairing, operating at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. This Zen 3 architecture on a 7 nm process provides strong single-threaded performance, which is crucial for Doom's engine. The CPU's L3 cache of 32 MB helps maintain high memory throughput, supported by dual-channel DDR4 memory at 51.2 GB/s bandwidth.

The CPU's benchmark scores demonstrate its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 11838 in multi-core and 1541 in single-core tests. Geekbench results show 9173 in multi-core and 1989 in single-core. The PassMark single-thread score of 3364 indicates strong per-core performance, which benefits games that rely heavily on a few threads.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 21771 places it in the 75th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H, scores 21749, putting the 5600X just 0.1% ahead. The Intel Core i7-11700 scores 21891, which is 0.5% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U scores 21874, also 0.5% higher. These tiny margins show the 5600X performs right at the expected level for its class.

In the context of Doom's results, the CPU's role becomes clearer. At 1080p Low settings, the 200 FPS result approaches what the GPU can deliver, but the CPU still manages to feed frames fast enough. The fact that performance scales relatively evenly across settings at 1080p suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at this resolution. However, at 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes significantly, as the GPU's workload dominates the frame time budget.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 1080p gaming at maximum settings?

A: Yes, the measured data shows 120 FPS average at 1080p Ultra settings, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The system also achieves 147 FPS at High settings and 174 FPS at Medium settings, providing plenty of headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data indicates 1440p is the sweet spot, with all settings delivering above 78 FPS. Low settings achieve 129 FPS, Medium settings reach 113 FPS, and High settings produce 95 FPS. This resolution balances visual quality with frame rate, offering a smooth experience even at Ultra settings.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this setup?

A: 4K is playable but only at lower settings. Low settings deliver 70 FPS, and Medium settings achieve 61 FPS. High settings drop to 51 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 42 FPS, both below the 60 FPS target. Players wanting 4K will need to compromise on quality presets.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600X scores 21771 on average, placing it 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 4800H (21749) and 0.5% behind both the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U (21874) and Intel Core i7-11700 (21891). The differences are minimal, indicating comparable performance.

Q: How does the GPU rank against other graphics cards?

A: The RX 6650 XT holds the 65th percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 19765. It sits 0.6% behind the NVIDIA Tesla K40m (19885) and 0.7% behind the AMD FirePro W7000 (19905), while leading the AMD FirePro D300 (19637) by 0.7%.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows 113 FPS average at 1440p Medium settings, with minimums of 96 FPS and maximums of 129 FPS. This provides a smooth experience that stays well above 60 FPS even during demanding scenes, making it a solid choice for competitive play.