Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT combination delivers a highly capable 1440p experience in Doom, placing in the 53rd percentile of all tested combos with a rank of 1951 out of 3712. The data indicates this pairing is well-balanced for the game’s fast-paced action, though its relative position shows it is firmly in the middle of the pack. The measured FPS across resolutions reveals that while the combo can push high refresh rates at 1080p, it is the GPU that ultimately dictates performance at higher resolutions, with the CPU providing ample headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1951 out of 3712 tested pairs means it sits just past the midpoint of all possible configurations in this database. This is a respectable position, especially considering the hardware’s age and market segment. The Ryzen 5 5600X itself holds a 75th percentile ranking against all CPUs, while the RX 6700 XT sits at the 72nd percentile against all GPUs, showing both components are above average individually. However, their combined performance in Doom does not push them into the upper echelon, as the game’s optimization favors newer architectures.

The CPU’s nearest rivals illustrate its competitive standing. The AMD Ryzen 7 4800H is essentially identical in average benchmark score, with a delta of just 0.1% higher, meaning the 5600X trades blows with a mobile H-series chip. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U and Intel Core i7-11700 both score 0.5% lower, while the AMD EPYC 9554P trails by 0.6%. These narrow margins confirm that the 5600X is a solid mid-range performer, but it is not a standout in raw compute when compared to its immediate competitors. For the GPU, the RX 6700 XT is statistically tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile (0% delta), sits 0.5% behind the desktop RTX 3090, and is 1.1% ahead of the RTX PRO 4000 Blackwell. This suggests the 6700 XT punches above its class in synthetic benchmarks, though its gaming performance here is more moderate.

In Doom specifically, the combo’s mid-pack rank indicates that while it will deliver smooth gameplay, it won’t top leaderboards. The gap between the 5600X’s 75th percentile CPU score and the combo’s 53rd percentile rank suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions where the rasterization load increases. At 1080p, the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (917 in 3dmark single-thread) helps push frame rates high enough to satisfy most gamers, but the overall rank reflects that other combos with newer GPUs will pull ahead.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X a bottleneck for the RX 6700 XT in Doom?

A: The data suggests it is not a significant bottleneck at most settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 230 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s frame generation ceiling. However, the CPU’s 75th percentile ranking versus the GPU’s 72nd percentile indicates they are well-matched. The 3dmark 2-thread score of 1793 and single-thread score of 917 show strong single-core performance that aligns well with Doom’s engine demands.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 49, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. This is a clear indication that the RX 6700 XT’s 12 GB of VRAM and 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are insufficient for maxed-out 4K in this title. The 49 FPS average represents a 79% drop from the 1080p Ultra score of 138 FPS.

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

A: The sweet spot is 2560x1440. At High settings, the combo delivers 110 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Even at Ultra, it maintains 90 FPS, providing a smooth experience without needing to compromise on visual quality. The 1440p Medium setting (130 FPS) offers a 18% boost over High, making it a viable option for competitive play.

Q: Does the RX 6700 XT’s 12 GB VRAM matter for Doom?

A: Yes, but not in a limiting way at standard resolutions. The game was released in 2016, so its VRAM requirements are modest. The 12 GB capacity is more than sufficient for 1080p and 1440p Ultra, as evidenced by the measured scores. However, at 4K Ultra, the 49 FPS average suggests the GPU’s compute limits, not VRAM capacity, are the primary constraint.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600X’s cache configuration affect Doom performance?

A: The 32 MB L3 cache is a notable advantage for gaming. Doom benefits from large caches to keep frequently accessed data close to the cores. The CPU’s architecture, Zen 3, was designed with a unified 32 MB L3 pool, which reduces latency. This likely contributes to the strong 1080p performance, where CPU overhead is more visible.

Q: What is the expected FPS range at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured average is 130 FPS, with a minimum of 110 FPS and a maximum of 149 FPS. This 39 FPS spread between min and max indicates some variance in demanding scenes, but the 110 FPS minimum ensures that gameplay remains fluid even during heavy combat sequences.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern. At 1080p High, the combo produces 169 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 110 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 4K High, it falls to 59 FPS, a further 46% drop from 1440p. This steep decline is expected, as the number of pixels increases by 2.25x from 1080p to 1440p, and another 2.25x from 1440p to 4K. The RX 6700 XT’s 13.21 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. Evidence for this comes from the CPU’s benchmark scores. The Ryzen 5 5600X’s 3dmark 8-thread score of 4811 and max-threads score of 5588 show it has ample compute headroom. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 230 FPS, which is a 36% increase over 1080p High (169 FPS). This scaling shows that when the GPU load is reduced, the CPU can push frames much higher. However, the fact that 1080p Low (230 FPS) is only 13% higher than 1080p Medium (200 FPS) suggests that the CPU is starting to approach its limits around the 200-230 FPS range.

At 4K, the story is entirely about the GPU. The difference between 4K Low (81 FPS) and 4K High (59 FPS) is 27%, while the difference between 4K High and 4K Ultra (49 FPS) is another 17%. This shows that as graphics settings increase, the GPU’s shading units (2560) and texture units (160) become saturated. The 64 ROPs are also a limiting factor at high resolutions, as pixel fill rate becomes critical. The data indicates that for 4K gaming, users should stick to Low or Medium settings to achieve playable frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 1440p is the recommended choice. The 110 FPS average is smooth on most displays, and the visual jump from Medium to High is noticeable. The data shows that Ultra at 1440p (90 FPS) is also viable, but the 18% performance hit from High may not be worth the marginal graphical improvement, especially since Doom’s art style is less dependent on high-end effects.

At 1080p, the High preset (169 FPS) is the best option for esports-style play, as it provides a high refresh rate experience. The Ultra preset (138 FPS) is acceptable, but the 18% drop from High might be noticeable on 240 Hz monitors. For 4K, the Medium preset (70 FPS) is the only playable option, but it requires accepting a minimum FPS of 60. The Low preset at 4K (81 FPS) offers a better frame rate cushion, but the visual compromise is severe.

The Medium preset’s measured min/max FPS values provide insight into stability. At 1080p Medium, the range is 170-230 FPS, showing a 26% variance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 110-149 FPS, a 26% variance. At 4K Medium, the range is 60-81 FPS, a 26% variance. This consistent 26% spread indicates that Doom has regular frame-time spikes, likely during heavy combat effects. For the most consistent experience, the High preset may be preferable, despite having no min/max data, as it typically has less variance than Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves 230 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this combo. Medium drops to 200 FPS, with a minimum of 170 and maximum of 230. High is at 169 FPS, and Ultra is at 138 FPS. The 40% gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p shows that the GPU has enough headroom to handle the game’s maximum settings at this resolution, though the CPU begins to show limitations at the lower presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low produces 149 FPS, Medium drops to 130 FPS (min 110, max 149), High is at 110 FPS, and Ultra is at 90 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, with an average 35% reduction in FPS. This indicates that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count efficiently, but the 12 GB GDDR6 memory bandwidth (384.0 GB/s) is sufficient for 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the performance degrades significantly. Low yields 81 FPS, Medium drops to 70 FPS (min 60, max 81), High falls to 59 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 49 FPS. The 4K Low score of 81 FPS is notable because it shows the GPU can still produce high frame rates when graphical effects are minimized. The gap between 4K Low and 4K High (27%) is larger than the gap between 1080p Low and High (27%), suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth becomes a bottleneck at higher resolutions. The 49 FPS at 4K Ultra is the only score below 60 FPS, confirming that this combo is not suited for maximum settings at 4K.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65W TDP. The CPU’s 32 MB L3 cache is a key feature for gaming, as it allows for faster access to frequently used data. The 7 nm process node from TSMC keeps power efficiency high, which is reflected in its modest TDP.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is primarily about maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions. The 3dmark single-thread score of 917 and 2-thread score of 1793 indicate strong single-core performance, which is crucial for game engines that rely on a main thread. The 4-thread score of 3363 and 8-thread score of 4811 show that the CPU can handle multi-threaded workloads effectively, though Doom is not heavily threaded. The max-threads score of 5588 is only 16% higher than the 8-thread score, suggesting that the CPU’s scaling plateaus beyond 8 threads.

The CPU’s benchmark data shows it is competitive with its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 4800H is 0.1% faster in average score, which is negligible in real-world gaming. The Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U and Intel Core i7-11700 are both 0.5% slower, while the AMD EPYC 9554P is 0.6% slower. These margins are so small that they would not result in noticeable FPS differences in Doom. The 5600X’s 75th percentile ranking against all CPUs means it outperforms 75% of tested processors, which is a strong showing for a mid-range chip.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. At 1080p Low, the 230 FPS result is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame generation capability, but this is a higher frame rate than most displays can show. At 1440p and above, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the FPS scaling. The CPU’s 12 threads and 4.60 GHz boost clock provide enough power to avoid stuttering or frame drops in Doom’s fast-paced combat, ensuring a consistent experience across all tested settings.