Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT combination delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, but struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K. The data shows a clear pattern: this combo is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU provides ample headroom even at lower settings. The measured frame rates indicate that users should target 1440p for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as 4K Ultra dips below playable thresholds.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 147 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 95 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 51 FPS, which is a 46% drop from 1440p and a 65% drop from 1080p. This steep decline indicates that the RX 6650 XT is the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern across settings further confirms this. At 1080p, the gap between Low (200 FPS) and Ultra (120 FPS) is 80 FPS. At 1440p, the gap narrows to 51 FPS (129 Low vs 78 Ultra). At 4K, the gap shrinks to just 28 FPS (70 Low vs 42 Ultra). This convergence at higher resolutions is a hallmark of GPU saturation—the graphics card is working at its maximum capacity regardless of the quality preset, so the CPU has less influence on the final frame rate.

Interestingly, the 4K Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 52 and a maximum of 70, with an average of 61. This is the only resolution where the Medium preset's minimum frame rate is recorded, and it suggests that 4K Medium is the playable ceiling for this combo. The 4K Ultra preset, at 42 FPS average, falls below the 60 FPS threshold most players consider smooth, making it unsuitable for fast-paced FPS action.

The data also shows that the gap between Medium and High is relatively small at each resolution. At 1080p, High (147) is 27 FPS slower than Medium (174). At 1440p, High (95) is 18 FPS slower than Medium (113). At 4K, High (51) is 10 FPS slower than Medium (61). This diminishing difference at higher resolutions reinforces that pixel throughput, not scene complexity, is the bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072. In PassMark, it achieves a multi-thread score of 25645 and a single-thread score of 3689. These figures place the CPU in the 83rd percentile of all tested CPUs, indicating it has substantial headroom for gaming workloads.

Doom is a game that benefits from strong single-thread performance, but it also scales with multiple cores. The 7400F's single-core score of 3072 in Cinebench R23 suggests it can handle the game's main thread without becoming a bottleneck. The multi-core score of 21765 indicates that even if Doom uses multiple threads, the CPU has plenty of capacity left over.

The closest CPU rivals in the database are the Intel Core i5-14600T (average score 32707, delta +0.1%), the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (average score 32697, delta +0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (average score 32812, delta -0.2%). The 7400F's average benchmark score of 32750 sits nearly exactly between these chips, with the largest delta being just 0.3% against the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360. This means the 7400F is essentially performance-equivalent to its nearest rivals, and none of them would meaningfully change the Doom frame rates.

The fact that the 1080p Low preset reaches 200 FPS average is telling. This frame rate is well above what most 60Hz or even 144Hz monitors can display, and it shows that the CPU is not holding back the GPU at lower resolutions. Even at 1080p Ultra, the combo still produces 120 FPS, which is playable on high-refresh displays. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (83.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide sufficient memory bandwidth for the GPU to feed on.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 2055 MHz, a game clock of 2410 MHz, and a boost clock of 2635 MHz. Its compute capabilities include 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with a peak FP32 throughput of 10.79 TFLOPS.

The GPU's benchmark performance places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19765. Its nearest rivals are professional workstation cards: the NVIDIA Tesla K40m (score 19885, delta -0.6%), the AMD FirePro D300 (score 19637, delta +0.7%), and the AMD FirePro W7000 (score 19905, delta -0.7%). These are not gaming GPUs, and their similar average scores mask very different real-world gaming behaviors. The RX 6650 XT's 8 GB VRAM is adequate for Doom at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest it may be hitting memory bandwidth limits.

The 4K frame rates are the clearest indicator of the GPU's limitations. At 4K Low, the average is 70 FPS; at 4K Medium, 61 FPS; at 4K High, 51 FPS; and at 4K Ultra, 42 FPS. The step from Medium to High at 4K costs 10 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs another 9 FPS. This shows that the GPU's raw shading and texture throughput, not just VRAM capacity, is the limiting factor at this resolution.

At 1440p, the GPU performs much better. The 1440p Ultra preset (78 FPS) is still above the 60 FPS threshold, and 1440p High (95 FPS) is comfortable for most players. The 1440p Medium preset shows a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS, indicating a stable experience. The GPU's 64 ROPs and 128 TMUs handle Doom's rendering demands well at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Ryzen 5 7400F and Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 1886 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the 36th percentile of all combos (calculated as 1886/2930), meaning roughly two-thirds of the tested combinations perform better in this game. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual component scores—the CPU is in the 83rd percentile and the GPU is in the 65th percentile—but it reflects the fact that the GPU is the bottleneck for this title.

The rank of 1886 suggests that many other combos, likely those with more powerful GPUs, achieve higher frame rates in Doom. However, the ranking does not tell the full story. The combo's 1080p performance (147 FPS High, 120 FPS Ultra) is still excellent for competitive play. The rank is dragged down primarily by the 4K results, where the combo falls below 60 FPS on High and Ultra presets.

It is also worth remembering the combo's rank is relative to all other CPU-GPU pairings in the database, which includes many high-end configurations. In absolute terms, the measured frame rates are respectable: 200 FPS at 1080p Low and 129 FPS at 1440p Low are strong results. The combo's weakness is specifically at 4K, where it cannot maintain high refresh rates.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p is the sweet spot. At 1440p High, the average FPS is 95, and at 1440p Ultra, it is 78. Both are above the 60 FPS threshold, while 4K High (51 FPS) and 4K Ultra (42 FPS) fall below it.

Q: Can this combo achieve 144 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 174, and at 1080p High, it is 147. The 1080p Low preset reaches 200 FPS. Only the 1080p Ultra preset (120 FPS) fails to hit 144 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Doom?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep (from 147 FPS to 51 FPS on High settings), while the CPU's benchmark scores (83rd percentile) indicate it has ample headroom.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7400F compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The 7400F has an average benchmark score of 32750. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i5-14600T (32707, 0.1% slower), the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H (32697, 0.2% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (32812, 0.2% faster). Performance is effectively identical.

Q: What is the maximum playable setting at 4K?

A: The 4K Medium preset is the playable ceiling, with an average of 61 FPS and a minimum of 52 FPS. The 4K High preset (51 FPS) and 4K Ultra preset (42 FPS) are below 60 FPS.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM on the RX 6650 XT cause issues?

A: The measured data does not show VRAM-related stutters or crashes. However, the 4K frame rates indicate the GPU's overall throughput is insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay, regardless of VRAM capacity.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the High preset provides the best experience. It delivers 147 FPS average, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most competitive monitors, and it offers better visual quality than Medium (174 FPS) without a significant performance penalty. The Ultra preset (120 FPS) is also viable for players who prioritize visuals over frame rate, but the 27 FPS drop from High to Ultra is substantial for marginal graphical gains.

For 1440p, the High preset (95 FPS) is the recommended choice. It stays above 60 FPS with a comfortable margin, and it provides a good balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. The Medium preset (113 FPS) is the better option for players with 144Hz monitors, as it maintains a high frame rate while still looking good. The Ultra preset (78 FPS) is playable but may feel less responsive in fast-paced combat.

For 4K, the Medium preset (61 FPS) is the only setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The Low preset (70 FPS) offers a higher frame rate but at a significant visual cost. The High preset (51 FPS) and Ultra preset (42 FPS) should be avoided, as they fall below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Players who insist on 4K should accept Medium settings or lower the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

The data also shows a consistent pattern: the gap between Medium and High is smaller than the gap between High and Ultra at every resolution. This suggests that the High preset is the most efficient use of GPU resources, while Ultra provides diminishing returns. For the best overall experience, the High preset at 1440p is the clear winner for this combo.