Doom

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600X drives Doom with a 6-core, 12-thread configuration based on the Zen 4 Raphael architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz provide substantial single-thread headroom, which is critical for a fast-paced FPS like Doom where frame pacing depends heavily on the primary game thread. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB L2 per core help reduce memory latency during rapid scene transitions, while the DDR5 dual-channel memory interface with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures the GPU receives data without stalling.

Benchmark data places the 7600X in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26272. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U, scores 26262 (0% delta), while the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U trails by 0.1% at 26305. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5655GE sits at 26320 (-0.2%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X posts 26214 (+0.2%). These margins are tight, but the 7600X's single-core performance—evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3406 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1060—suggests it can sustain high frame rates even when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

In Doom specifically, the CPU's role becomes evident at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the measured average FPS of 194.1 indicates the CPU can push well beyond typical display refresh rates. The multi-threaded capability, shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24128 and a Passmark multithread score of 28390, ensures background tasks and game logic don't interfere with rendering. The 7600X's 105 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow sustained performance, though the data here reflects stock operation.

The CPU's 3DMark scores across thread counts—6879 at 16 threads, 5715 at 8 threads, 3796 at 4 threads, and 2028 at 2 threads—illustrate scaling efficiency. For Doom, which typically uses fewer threads, the 2-thread and 4-thread scores are more relevant; the gap between 2-thread (2028) and 4-thread (3796) performance shows the architecture can leverage additional cores when needed, but the single-thread score of 1060 anchors the experience. This is why at 1080p Low, the CPU keeps the GPU fed, but at higher settings, the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 23 chip, provides 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock of 1968 MHz, game clock of 2359 MHz, and boost clock of 2589 MHz allow it to maintain high utilization during intense combat sequences. Its 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs process Doom's geometry and textures, while the 32 ray accelerators, though not heavily used in this title, add future-proofing.

The GPU sits in the 71st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27985. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, scores 27956 (0.1% delta), while the AMD Radeon R9 M395X is at 27883 (+0.4%). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 0.9% at 28238, and the AMD FirePro S7150 posts 28409 (-1.5%). These comparisons highlight that the RX 6600 XT is positioned near the RTX 3070 in aggregate performance, though Doom's specific workload may favor one over the other.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity proves sufficient for Doom at all settings tested. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS of 42.4 suggests the GPU is heavily stressed, but the 256.0 GB/s bandwidth helps mitigate texture thrashing. The FP32 performance of 10.60 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s drive the frame rates seen in the measured data. The GPU's 160 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU indicate a power-efficient design, though these figures don't directly affect the FPS results.

The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 16461 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 89263 correlate with its gaming performance. The DirectX 12 score of 61 in Passmark is notably low, but Doom's Vulkan API support (the GPU supports Vulkan 1.4) likely bypasses this limitation. The GPU's 7 nm process and 11,060 million transistors provide ample compute for Doom's rendering pipeline, with the measured FPS showing that the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings.

# FAQ

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 7600X compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The 7600X scores 26272 on average, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U (26262, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 7735U (26305, -0.1%). It slightly edges out the AMD Ryzen 7 5700X (26214, +0.2%) but trails the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 5655GE (26320, -0.2%).

Q: What is the RX 6600 XT's performance relative to the RTX 3070?

A: The RX 6600 XT has an average benchmark score of 27985, while the RTX 3070 scores 28238, a 0.9% difference. This places the RX 6600 XT slightly behind the RTX 3070 in aggregate, but in Doom, the actual FPS depends on resolution and settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in Doom at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS of 194.1 shows the CPU can deliver high frame rates, but the GPU still dictates the ceiling. The Ryzen 5 7600X's single-thread score of 1060 in 3DMark suggests it is not the primary constraint at this resolution.

Q: Why does the FPS drop significantly at 4K Ultra compared to 1080p Low?

A: The drop from 194.1 FPS at 1080p Low to 42.4 FPS at 4K Ultra (a 78% reduction) indicates the GPU becomes the limiting component. The RX 6600 XT's 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate but not sufficient for 4K Ultra in Doom, where the GPU's compute and memory throughput are heavily taxed.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT's memory bandwidth affect Doom performance?

A: The 256.0 GB/s bandwidth on a 128-bit bus is moderate for 8 GB GDDR6. In Doom, this bandwidth supports smooth texture streaming at 1440p, but at 4K Ultra, the bandwidth becomes a constraint, contributing to the 42.4 FPS average.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking and what does it indicate?

A: The Ryzen 5 7600X ranks in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 83% of CPUs in the benchmark database. This high percentile reflects its strong single-thread and multi-thread scores, which support Doom's demanding frame rate requirements.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RX 6600 XT and Ryzen 5 7600X deliver the highest frame rates across all settings. With Low settings, the average FPS reaches 194.1, providing a smooth experience for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings reduce performance to 166.4 FPS, while High settings yield 141.8 FPS. At Ultra settings, the average drops to 116.1 FPS, still well above 60 FPS but showing the GPU's load increasing with each quality tier.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scaling is linear but with a steeper penalty for Ultra settings. Low settings produce 124.2 FPS, Medium drops to 108.9 FPS, and High settings maintain 89.9 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p yield 74.3 FPS, a 36% reduction from 1080p Ultra, indicating the GPU is working harder to fill more pixels while maintaining visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low settings achieve 68.5 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. Medium settings drop to 56.6 FPS, High settings to 51.4 FPS, and Ultra settings to 42.4 FPS. The 4K results show that the RX 6600 XT can handle 4K at lower settings but struggles with higher quality presets, making 1440p the sweet spot for this combination.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each step from Low to Medium to High to Ultra at a given resolution incurs a measurable FPS cost. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 78 FPS (194.1 to 116.1), while at 1440p it's 49.9 FPS (124.2 to 74.3), and at 4K it's 26.1 FPS (68.5 to 42.4). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is becoming the dominant bottleneck, with the CPU's influence diminishing as pixel count increases.

# Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 1440p to 4K shows how the system's performance scales with pixel count. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 194.1 at 1080p to 124.2 at 1440p (a 36% decrease) and further to 68.5 at 4K (a 65% decrease from 1080p). This scaling is steeper than the pure pixel count increase (2.25x from 1080p to 4K), indicating that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are not scaling linearly with resolution.

At Ultra settings, the drop is more pronounced: 116.1 FPS at 1080p falls to 74.3 FPS at 1440p (36% decrease) and 42.4 FPS at 4K (63% decrease). The similar percentage drops across settings suggest that the GPU is consistently the limiting factor at higher resolutions, with the CPU's role diminishing as the GPU's workload increases.

The data implies that the Ryzen 5 7600X provides sufficient headroom to avoid bottlenecking the RX 6600 XT at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the 194.1 FPS average likely approaches the CPU's practical limit for Doom, but the GPU still has room to produce more frames if the CPU could deliver them. At 4K Ultra, the 42.4 FPS result is entirely GPU-bound, as the CPU's single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1060) is more than adequate for the reduced frame rate.

The resolution scaling analysis reveals that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1440p High, the 89.9 FPS average provides a balanced experience, while 4K gaming is only viable at Low settings (68.5 FPS). The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are the primary constraints at 4K, as evidenced by the 42.4 FPS Ultra result, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. For users prioritizing high frame rates, 1080p Ultra at 116.1 FPS or 1440p Medium at 108.9 FPS offers the best compromise between visual quality and performance.