Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a study in contrast: a modern, high-end CPU from the 9000 series paired with an entry-level, end-of-life GPU from the GeForce 16 generation. Benchmark results for Doom show that this pairing produces a playable experience at 1080p, but the GPU becomes the dominant limiting factor as resolution increases, preventing the CPU's considerable power from being utilized.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable pattern: as resolution increases, average frame rates drop significantly. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 92 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings, the average falls to 59 FPS, a drop of 33 frames. At 3840x2160, the average plummets to 32 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p Low result. This scaling indicates that the GTX 1650 is the primary bottleneck, as the workload shifts from the CPU to the GPU at higher pixel counts.

The trend holds across all settings presets. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 68 at 1080p, down to 44 at 1440p, and finally to 24 at 4K. This consistent pattern across different quality levels confirms that the GPU's rendering capacity, not the CPU or memory bandwidth, is the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 9600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is more than capable of feeding frames to the GTX 1650; the data shows that the GPU's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 128-bit bus simply cannot sustain high frame rates at higher resolutions.

The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is particularly telling. Low produces 32 FPS, while Ultra produces only 19 FPS. This 13-frame gap is modest compared to the 37-frame gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p (92 FPS vs 55 FPS). This suggests that at 4K, even the lowest settings overwhelm the GPU's fill rate, and reducing quality yields diminishing returns. The limiting component is unequivocally the graphics card; the CPU's performance headroom is left unused at these resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Doom, this specific pairing ranks at 3585 out of 3712 combos. This places it in the bottom 3.4% of all tested configurations, which is a direct reflection of the GPU's low performance percentile. The GTX 1650 sits at the 40th percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 7472 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (7447, 0.3% faster), the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441, 0.4% faster), and the AMD Radeon R7 350 (7425, 0.6% faster). It is only marginally faster than the Intel Arc A310 (7550, -1% delta).

The CPU, by contrast, is a top-tier performer. The Ryzen 5 9600X sits at the 81st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29713. It is effectively tied with its nearest rivals, all of which are within 0.8% of its score: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (29656, 0.2% faster), the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (29868, -0.5% slower), the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (29879, -0.6% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (29955, -0.8% slower). The massive discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low rank highlights that the system's overall performance is dragged down entirely by the GPU.

This rank of 3585 serves as a stark warning. While the CPU is a modern powerhouse capable of handling demanding tasks, the GPU is a legacy part that was already mid-range at its 2019 release. The measured results suggest that this combo is unsuitable for high-resolution gaming in Doom, and the data indicates the GPU is the component that must be upgraded to improve the system's standing.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 80, with a minimum of 68 and a maximum of 92.

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

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The GTX 1650 ranks at the 40th percentile, while the Ryzen 5 9600X ranks at the 81st percentile. The FPS drops sharply as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited system.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 59 FPS. At Medium, High, and Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 52, 44, and 36, respectively.

Q: What is the best-case scenario for 4K gaming with this hardware?

A: The best 4K result is 32 FPS at Low settings. Ultra settings produce only 19 FPS, making 4K gaming impractical for anything beyond the lowest quality preset.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to the Intel Arc A310?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472, which is 1% lower than the Intel Arc A310's score of 7550. The two GPUs are very closely matched in overall performance.

*Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for Doom?*

A: The combo ranks 3585 out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the bottom percentile of all systems tested for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The data provides a complete matrix of average frame rates across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the performance is acceptable for most play styles. Low settings yield an average of 92 FPS, which is smooth on a standard 60 Hz monitor and playable on a 144 Hz one. Medium settings drop to 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS, still maintaining a solid experience. High settings produce 68 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 55 FPS. The range from 55 to 92 FPS at 1080p shows that the GTX 1650 has enough headroom to provide a decent experience, provided the user is willing to adjust settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes marginal. Low settings average 59 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS target. Medium settings average 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS. High settings average 44 FPS, and Ultra settings average 36 FPS. This resolution requires significant compromises; even the lowest settings cannot guarantee a locked 60 FPS, and higher presets result in a sub-optimal experience that may feel choppy in fast-paced action.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable. Low settings average 32 FPS, Medium averages 28 FPS (with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 32), High averages 24 FPS, and Ultra averages 19 FPS. None of these numbers approach a playable threshold for a fast-paced FPS like Doom. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s and its 4 GB VRAM are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering, regardless of the quality preset. The measured data is consistent: this combo is not viable for 4K gaming.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the ideal balance of visual quality and performance for this combo is the Medium preset at 1920x1080. This setting provides an average of 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS, which ensures a smooth and responsive experience in Doom's fast-paced combat. The jump from Low to Medium only costs 12 FPS (from 92 to 80), but the visual improvement is likely significant. The High preset is also viable, with an average of 68 FPS, but the margin to the 60 FPS target is thinner, and the minimum FPS data is not recorded for this preset.

For users with a 144 Hz monitor, the Low preset at 1080p, with its 92 FPS average, is the only setting that approaches higher refresh rates. However, the game may not feel as visually rich. At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only one that comes close to 60 FPS, averaging 59 FPS. If a user insists on 1440p, they must accept a lower quality setting. The Medium preset at 1440p, with its 52 FPS average, may be acceptable for slower-paced games, but for Doom, the fluidity of 60 FPS is more critical than the resolution increase. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it produces the lowest frame rates (55 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, 19 FPS at 4K) and offers diminishing returns for the performance hit.

The data strongly suggests that 1080p is the intended resolution for this GPU. The Medium preset provides the best overall experience, balancing a high average FPS with a reasonable visual quality uplift. Pushing to 1440p or 4K requires sacrificing too much performance to be worthwhile.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, using the Granite Ridge codename on a 4 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. Its benchmark results are exceptional: it scores 17528.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2183.5 in single-core, and 14438 in Geekbench multi-core. These scores place it at the 81st percentile of all CPUs, indicating a very strong processor.

In the context of Doom, the CPU's role is to ensure that the GPU is fed with a constant stream of draw calls and physics calculations. With a PassMark single-thread score of 4570, the 9600X excels at this task. The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor; the frame rates are dictated by the GPU's performance, as evidenced by the steep FPS drop at higher resolutions. The 12 threads and high boost clock ensure that even the most demanding engine threads are handled without stutter, but the GTX 1650's 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 93.24 GTexel/s texture rate are simply too low to translate that CPU power into high frame rates.

This creates a peculiar situation where the CPU is vastly overqualified for the GPU it is paired with. The 9600X could easily drive a much more powerful graphics card, as its 3DMark 16-thread score of 7585 and max-thread score of 7590 demonstrate its high multi-threaded capability. However, in this combo, that potential is capped by the GPU. The data shows that upgrading the GPU would yield a massive improvement in Doom performance, while the CPU would not need to be changed. This pairing is a bottleneck, but the bottleneck is entirely on the graphics side.