Doom

Doom (2016) is an older title, yet the benchmark data for the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination shows a wide performance envelope that depends heavily on resolution and quality settings. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is clearly capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p, but one that becomes increasingly constrained as the resolution climbs toward 4K. The data suggests a classic balance between a modern CPU and a mid-range GPU, where the latter becomes the primary bottleneck in more demanding scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and tells a clear story about which component is doing the heavy lifting. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 116 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 75 FPS, a substantial reduction of 41 FPS. Pushing further to 4K Ultra, the average plummets to 41 FPS, which is a 75 FPS decrease from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern — a sharp decline from 1080p to 1440p, followed by an even steeper drop to 4K — indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor.

This is expected behavior for a system pairing a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU. At 1080p, the CPU can feed frames quickly, allowing the RX 7600 to reach its maximum output. The 193 FPS average at 1080p Low settings demonstrates the CPU's ability to push the frame rate very high when the GPU is not taxed. However, as resolution increases, the GPU must render more pixels, and its limitations become apparent. The 4K figures, which hover between 41 and 68 FPS depending on settings, highlight a scenario where the GPU is saturated, and the CPU's headroom is irrelevant.

The data also shows that the performance scaling is not linear. For instance, at 1440p, the jump from Medium (109 FPS) to High (92 FPS) is a 17 FPS drop, while the jump from High to Ultra (75 FPS) is another 17 FPS drop. This consistent degradation suggests that each quality tier adds a similar amount of pixel shading work, which the GPU handles at a steady rate of diminishing returns. The 4K results follow a similar pattern, with a 9 FPS drop from Low to Medium, and another 9 FPS drop from Medium to High, before a final 9 FPS drop to Ultra. This regularity reinforces the notion that the GPU is the sole performance arbiter at this resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. These specifications are directly relevant to the measured results. The 8 GB frame buffer is adequate for Doom at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, texture data and framebuffer usage can become demanding. The data does not show a catastrophic performance collapse at 4K, which might indicate memory swapping, but the significant FPS drops suggest the GPU is running out of compute throughput rather than memory capacity.

The GPU's clock speeds also play a role. With a base clock of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2655 MHz, the card has a wide dynamic range. The 4K results, which average between 41 and 68 FPS, likely see the GPU boost clock fluctuating as it hits power and thermal limits. The 1080p results, which reach up to 193 FPS, are less likely to be clock-limited, as the GPU can operate at its maximum boost more consistently when the load is lower.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide context for its positioning. Its Passmark G3D score is 16634, and it sits at the 57th percentile for all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, which has a score of 15199 (a -0.2% delta), and the AMD Radeon 680M, which scores 15270 (a -0.7% delta). This indicates the RX 7600 is slightly faster than these direct competitors in synthetic benchmarks, which aligns with its performance in Doom, where it delivers playable frame rates at 1440p and is only challenged at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 7400F and RX 7600 is ranked 1991 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all system configurations. Given that this game is from 2016 and is well-optimized, this ranking is more a reflection of the GPU's mid-range status than a critique of the CPU. Many systems with higher-end GPUs will naturally outperform this combo, but the ranking also shows that it sits above a significant number of older or lower-powered configurations.

The CPU itself, when compared to its nearest rivals, shows a very tight grouping. Its average benchmark score is 32750, with the Intel Core i5-14600T scoring 32707 (a 0.1% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H scoring 32812 (a -0.2% delta). This suggests that the 7400F is solidly in the mainstream performance tier, and its Zen 4 architecture with 6 cores and 12 threads is more than sufficient for a game like Doom, which is not heavily multi-threaded. The GPU's rank of 1991, combined with its synthetic score, suggests that while the combo is not a top-tier performer, it is far from a weak one, offering a balanced experience for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 142, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS is 68, and at High settings, it is 50. The Ultra preset drops to 41 FPS, which may be less desirable for fast-paced action.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 has a Passmark G3D score of 16634, while the RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199. This represents a -0.2% delta, meaning the RX 7600 is slightly faster in this synthetic test.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a high refresh rate?

A: At 1080p, the combo can achieve an average of 193 FPS on Low settings and 116 FPS on Ultra, making it ideal for high refresh rate monitors. At 1440p, the average on High is 92 FPS, which is still very smooth.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more of a bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 41, while at 1080p Ultra it is 116, showing that the CPU has plenty of headroom but the GPU cannot keep up with the increased pixel load.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among all tested configurations for Doom?

A: It is ranked 1991 out of 2930 combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of performance for this specific game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the best experience depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the Ultra preset is a viable option, delivering an average of 116 FPS. This is high enough for most 144Hz monitors, and the visual fidelity is maximized. If a player has a 240Hz display, dropping to High (142 FPS) or Medium (168 FPS) would provide a smoother experience with only a minor visual trade-off.

For 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot, offering an average of 92 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. The Ultra preset drops to 75 FPS, which is still playable but may feel less responsive in fast-paced combat. The Medium preset at 109 FPS is also a strong choice for those prioritizing frame rate over visual effects.

At 4K, the data recommends the Low preset, which achieves an average of 68 FPS. This is the only setting that consistently stays above 60 FPS at this resolution. The Medium preset at 59 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 50 FPS may result in noticeable stutter. The Ultra preset at 41 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. Therefore, for a 4K display, players should accept lower graphical fidelity to maintain playable performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a Zen 4 architecture processor with 6 cores and 12 threads, featuring a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a 32 MB shared L3 cache. These specifications contribute to strong single-threaded performance, which is crucial for games like Doom that rely heavily on a few cores for game logic and rendering commands.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072. Its Passmark single-thread score is 3689, and it sits at the 83rd percentile for all CPUs. This performance is significantly higher than what is needed for Doom, which is not a demanding CPU title. The data shows that even at 1080p Low settings, where the CPU is most likely to be a bottleneck, the combo achieves 193 FPS, indicating the CPU can handle the game's logic without issue.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-14600T, show a delta of only 0.1% in average score, which confirms that the 7400F is performing as expected for its class. The high memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s and support for DDR5 memory also ensure that the CPU can feed data to the GPU quickly. However, the FPS data across all resolutions shows that the CPU is never the limiting factor; the GPU is always the component that dictates the final frame rate. This is a healthy balance for a gaming system, ensuring that the CPU does not hold the GPU back.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 in Doom are as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 193 FPS. The Medium preset averages 168 FPS, with a minimum of 143 FPS and a maximum of 193 FPS. High settings produce an average of 142 FPS, and Ultra settings average 116 FPS. The spread from 193 to 116 FPS shows a 77 FPS difference between the lowest and highest quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 125 FPS. The Medium preset averages 109 FPS, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS. High settings produce an average of 92 FPS, and Ultra settings average 75 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p is evident, with the Low preset losing 68 FPS and the Ultra preset losing 41 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 68 FPS. The Medium preset averages 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. High settings produce an average of 50 FPS, and Ultra settings average 41 FPS. This resolution shows the most significant degradation, with the Ultra preset falling below 60 FPS, making it less ideal for smooth gameplay. The data consistently shows that the GPU's pixel processing power is the determining factor in performance across all settings.