Doom

# Doom Performance Analysis: AMD Ryzen 5 7400F + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER

This pairing combines a modern 6-core Zen 4 processor with a last-generation Turing-based GPU, creating an interesting dynamic in Doom's fast-paced engine. The measured FPS data reveals a system that can deliver smooth 1080p gameplay at most settings, but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, with the GPU clearly emerging as the primary constraint. The combination ranks 2497th out of 2930 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower tier of systems—a position that reflects the GPU's age more than the CPU's capability.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with High settings, the system averages 109 FPS, which drops to 70 FPS at 1440p and then plummets to 38 FPS at 4K. That represents a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K—a steep decline that strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The GTX 1660 SUPER simply does not have the raw throughput to feed a 4K display in Doom's demanding scenes.

The scaling pattern across settings reinforces this conclusion. At 4K, the difference between Low (52 FPS) and Ultra (31 FPS) is 21 FPS, showing that the GPU is stretched thin even at the lowest quality preset. Meanwhile, at 1080p, the same settings spread yields 59 FPS (148 Low vs 89 Ultra), suggesting the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions but still cannot fully escape its performance ceiling.

What is particularly revealing is the medium preset behavior at each resolution. At 4K Medium, the average sits at 45 FPS with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 52—the only resolution where min/max data is available for this preset. At 1440p Medium, the average jumps to 83 FPS with a 71-96 range, while 1080p Medium hits 129 FPS with a 110-148 range. The consistent ~40 FPS jump between each resolution step at Medium settings indicates a linear scaling pattern typical of GPU-bound scenarios.

The data suggests that 4K is simply out of reach for this combo in Doom, regardless of settings. Even at Low, the 52 FPS average would be borderline for smooth gameplay on a 60Hz display. The 1440p results are more encouraging, with every preset except Ultra (58 FPS) exceeding 70 FPS, making this resolution viable for most quality levels. At 1080p, the system shows its best form, with even Ultra maintaining 89 FPS—comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 7400F brings substantial processing power to this pairing, featuring 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide strong single-threaded performance, which matters for a game like Doom that relies on fast, responsive frame rendering. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, potentially reducing latency in gameplay scenarios.

Benchmark data places this CPU in the 83rd percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 32750. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, scores 32707—a mere 0.1% difference—indicating the 7400F performs essentially identically to that chip in synthetic tests. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H sits 0.2% higher at 32812, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 trail by 0.2% and 0.3% respectively. These tight margins show the 7400F is competitive with mid-range mobile processors, despite being a desktop part.

In the context of Doom's measured results, the CPU's capabilities appear more than sufficient for the frame rates achieved. At 1080p Low, the 148 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed frames well beyond what the GPU can render at higher settings. The fact that FPS scales consistently with resolution changes—rather than showing erratic behavior that might indicate CPU limitations—points to the GPU as the bottleneck. The 7400F's 21765 Cinebench R23 multi-core score and 3072 single-core score demonstrate ample headroom for this game's threading model.

The 65W TDP of this processor is noteworthy for its efficiency, though the fact pack does not include wattage data for comparison. The DDR5 memory support and dual-channel configuration provide 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which should be more than adequate for Doom's data requirements. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 24 lanes offers future-proofing, though the GTX 1660 SUPER's PCIe 3.0 x16 bus may limit some data transfer efficiency.

GPU Role

The GTX 1660 SUPER is the clear limiting factor in this combination. Built on the Turing architecture with a 12nm process, this GPU features 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs. Its base clock of 1530 MHz and boost clock of 1785 MHz provide the computational foundation, while the 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The FP32 performance of 5.027 TFLOPS gives a sense of the raw compute available.

The GPU's benchmark results reveal a modest standing in the overall hierarchy. It sits in the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 12986. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, scores 12940—just 0.4% lower—while the AMD Radeon RX 580 matches at 12928. The NVIDIA Tesla M2090 leads by 0.7% at 13075, and the AMD Radeon 740M trails by 0.9% at 12870. This clustering suggests the 1660 SUPER performs in a tight band with several other mid-range options.

In Doom specifically, the GPU's 6 GB VRAM capacity proves adequate at 1080p and 1440p but potentially strained at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 31 FPS indicates the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and demanding settings. Even at 4K Low, the 52 FPS average shows the GPU cannot reach the 60 FPS threshold that would provide consistently smooth gameplay. The memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s may become a constraint at higher resolutions where texture data demands increase substantially.

The DirectX 12 benchmark score of 50 and Vulkan score of 57102 provide context for the GPU's API performance. Doom is known for its Vulkan support, and the GPU's Vulkan results are notably stronger than its DirectX 12 score, which could explain why the game performs as well as it does on this hardware. The PassMark G3D score of 12699 aligns with the GPU's overall percentile ranking, confirming its mid-tier status.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset delivers the best experience at each resolution. At 1080p, all four presets achieve playable frame rates, but the sweet spot appears to be High settings at 109 FPS. This offers a significant visual quality improvement over Low (148 FPS) while maintaining a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra drops to 89 FPS, which is still smooth but represents a 18% reduction from High for what may be marginal visual gains.

At 1440p, High settings at 70 FPS provide the best balance between visual fidelity and performance. Medium hits 83 FPS, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth the 13 FPS gain. Low at 96 FPS is smooth but sacrifices too much visual detail for a game that benefits from atmospheric lighting. Ultra at 58 FPS falls just short of the 60 FPS ideal, making High the recommended choice for this resolution.

The 4K situation is more challenging. No preset achieves 60 FPS, with Low at 52 FPS being the closest. Medium at 45 FPS and High at 38 FPS are playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Ultra at 31 FPS would likely feel sluggish in intense combat sequences. For 4K, Low settings provide the best playable experience, though users with 60Hz displays may still encounter occasional frame drops during demanding scenes.

The Medium preset's min/max data at each resolution offers insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the 110-148 range indicates a 38 FPS spread, while 1440p shows a 25 FPS spread (71-96), and 4K tightens to a 14 FPS spread (38-52). This suggests that as the GPU becomes more stressed, frame times become more consistent—perhaps because the system spends more time in sustained GPU-bound states rather than oscillating between CPU and GPU limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Ryzen 5 7400F and GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 2497th out of 2930 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the bottom 15% of systems. This ranking reflects the GPU's age and mid-tier positioning rather than any CPU deficiency. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all processors contrasts sharply with the GPU's 53rd percentile, creating a significant imbalance in this pairing.

The low combo ranking becomes more understandable when considering the GPU's performance class. The GTX 1660 SUPER's nearest rivals—the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, RX 580, and Radeon 740M—all occupy similar performance tiers, suggesting this GPU was never positioned for high-end gaming. In a game like Doom that can scale well with GPU power, this combo's 1080p results are respectable but far from competitive with higher-tier systems.

The data implies that the CPU has substantial untapped potential in this configuration. At 1080p Low, the 148 FPS average likely approaches the GPU's maximum output rather than the CPU's limit. A more powerful GPU paired with the 7400F would likely yield significantly higher frame rates, as the CPU's strong single-threaded performance and 12 threads provide ample headroom for Doom's engine. This combo represents a classic CPU-overkill/GPU-limited scenario, where the processor is ready for upgrades but the graphics card holds back overall performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings with a 52 FPS average. Medium drops to 45 FPS, High to 38 FPS, and Ultra to 31 FPS. No 4K preset reaches 60 FPS, so 4K gaming would require accepting lower frame rates.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming?

A: High settings at 109 FPS provide the best balance. Ultra at 89 FPS offers slightly better visuals but a 18% performance reduction. Low at 148 FPS and Medium at 129 FPS are also smooth but sacrifice visual quality.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting component. The CPU ranks in the 83rd percentile while the GPU sits at the 53rd percentile. FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, indicating GPU-bound performance. The 7400F's benchmark scores suggest it could support much higher frame rates with a stronger GPU.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2497th out of 2930 combos in Doom, placing it in the lower tier. This ranking reflects the GTX 1660 SUPER's mid-range performance rather than the CPU's capabilities, as the processor outperforms its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks.

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

A: The average is 83 FPS with a range of 71-96 FPS. This provides smooth gameplay for most scenarios, though the minimum of 71 FPS indicates occasional dips below the average during demanding scenes.

Q: Is 6 GB of VRAM sufficient for Doom?

A: The measured results show 6 GB is adequate for playable performance at 1080p and 1440p across all settings. At 4K, the GPU struggles with frame rates rather than showing VRAM-related errors, suggesting capacity is not the primary issue at this resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 148 FPS, while Medium achieves 129 FPS with a minimum of 110 and maximum of 148. High settings average 109 FPS, and Ultra drops to 89 FPS. All presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p the most versatile resolution for this combo.

The 2560x1440 results show a clear step down. Low settings average 96 FPS, Medium reaches 83 FPS with a 71-96 range, High manages 70 FPS, and Ultra falls to 58 FPS. The Ultra preset's sub-60 FPS average makes it less suitable for competitive play, though it remains playable for casual sessions.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become pronounced. Low settings average 52 FPS, Medium hits 45 FPS with a 38-52 range, High drops to 38 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 31 FPS. The 4K Medium data provides the only min/max information at this resolution, showing a 14 FPS spread that indicates relatively consistent frame pacing despite the low overall performance.