Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing delivers a highly playable experience in Doom across most settings, with the data showing a clear trend: the system excels at 1080p and 1440p, but begins to struggle at 4K, particularly with the Ultra preset. Benchmark results indicate a strong balance where the CPU's modern architecture ensures high frame rates at lower resolutions, while the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and 256-bit memory bus become the primary constraint as resolution increases. The measured frames per second (FPS) across twelve combinations of resolution and settings provide a detailed map of this behavior, allowing for precise recommendations based on display target and graphical preference.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Doom?*

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 2560x1440 is the sweet spot for high refresh rates, with the High preset delivering an average of 91 FPS and the Low preset achieving 124 FPS. At 1920x1080, the system pushes well beyond 144 FPS on High, but 1440p offers a better balance of visual fidelity and performance.

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

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 40 on Ultra to 67 on Low. The Medium preset provides a playable 59 FPS average, which is acceptable for slower-paced moments, but only the Low preset offers a consistently smooth experience above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 29713, placing it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs. It is 0.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, which scores 29656, and marginally slower than the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H, which scores 29868, a difference of -0.5%.

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to its nearest competitors?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, putting it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, scores 18159, which is only 0.4% higher, indicating they are statistically equivalent in raw compute potential.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 produces the highest average FPS at 192. The Medium preset follows closely with 167 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 115 FPS average, suggesting a significant performance cost for the highest visual quality.

Q: Does the data show a pattern in FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K?

A: Yes, the data shows a consistent drop in average FPS as resolution increases. For instance, at High settings, the average FPS falls from 141 at 1080p to 91 at 1440p and then to 50 at 4K. This pattern indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not scale as dramatically.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process. Its base clock is 3.90 GHz with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, providing strong single-threaded performance that is critical for the fast-paced, physics-heavy gameplay of Doom. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB of L3 cache, which helps reduce memory latency and improve data throughput for game logic.

In the context of the measured FPS, the CPU's capabilities are most evident at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 192 FPS, and at Medium it reaches 167 FPS, both of which are well above the refresh rate of standard monitors. This suggests that the Ryzen 5 9600X is not a bottleneck at these settings, as it can feed frames to the GPU faster than it can render them. Even at 1440p with Low settings, the system maintains 124 FPS, further indicating the CPU's headroom.

The Ryzen 5 9600X's performance relative to its rivals is tight. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, scores 29656, a mere 0.2% lower than the 9600X's 29713. The AMD Ryzen 7 7840H scores 29868, which is 0.5% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT scores 29879, 0.6% higher. These small deltas mean that in a game like Doom, which is often GPU-bound at higher settings, the choice between these CPUs would likely produce no perceivable difference in average FPS. The 9600X's high single-thread score, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2923, is particularly well-suited for Doom's engine, which relies heavily on a single main thread for game world updates. The data shows that the CPU's 65 W TDP and 4 nm process node make it an efficient choice, though these factors do not directly appear in the FPS measurements.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz. The GPU's 2176 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the pixel output, and its 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores provide hardware support for ray tracing and DLSS, though these features are not the focus of the measured data.

The GPU's memory configuration is a key factor in the FPS results, especially at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 50 on High and 40 on Ultra, indicating that the 8 GB VRAM buffer is being stressed, and the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient to keep up with the fill rate demands of 4K. The transition from Medium (59 FPS) to Low (67 FPS) at 4K shows a 13.5% improvement, which is modest compared to the 27% jump from High to Medium at 1080p (141 to 167 FPS). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the primary limiting component, and lowering settings does not yield the same proportional gains as it does at lower resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with a PassMark G3D score of 16462 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2011. Its closest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18159, -0.4%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189, -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18373, -1.5%). These rivals are all within a few percent of the RTX 2060 SUPER's score, meaning that in Doom, the RTX 2060 SUPER's performance would be nearly indistinguishable from these cards. The data indicates that the GPU's role shifts from being a co-contributor at 1080p to the sole bottleneck at 4K, where the CPU's high frame generation capability cannot compensate for the GPU's rendering limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2617 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 70.5th percentile of all pairings. This rank reflects the system's overall capability to run the game smoothly, but the specific positioning is more nuanced when considering the individual components. The CPU's 81st percentile ranking is higher than the GPU's 62nd percentile, indicating that the processor has more headroom relative to the rest of the market than the graphics card.

This rank suggests that while this combo is not at the top tier, it is well above the median and capable of delivering a high-quality experience in Doom. The data shows that the combo's performance is likely limited by the GPU in most scenarios, as the CPU is strong enough to support higher-tier graphics cards. For example, the 9600X's average benchmark score of 29713 is close to that of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (29879, -0.6%), which is a well-regarded gaming CPU. If paired with a faster GPU, this combo could potentially rank higher, but the RTX 2060 SUPER's performance ceiling prevents it from reaching the top echelons of the list.

The rank of 2617 out of 3712 means that the combo outperforms roughly 70% of all tested pairings. In practical terms, this translates to a system that can handle Doom at high settings and high frame rates in Full HD and QHD, but will require compromises at 4K. The data does not provide a direct comparison to other combos with the same CPU or GPU, but the percentile scores of each component suggest that the CPU is a stronger contributor to the overall rank than the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) and three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160). At 1920x1080, the system delivers the highest frame rates: Low averages 192 FPS, Medium averages 167 FPS (with a min of 142 and max of 192), High averages 141 FPS, and Ultra averages 115 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and even the Ultra preset maintains a playable 115 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show a clear step down. Low averages 124 FPS, Medium averages 108 FPS (min 92, max 125), High averages 91 FPS, and Ultra averages 75 FPS. The jump from 1080p to 1440p results in a 26-36% reduction in average FPS across all settings, which is a typical scaling factor for a GPU-bound scenario. At this resolution, the system still provides a high refresh rate experience on Low and Medium, and a solid 60+ FPS experience on High and Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low averages 67 FPS, Medium averages 59 FPS (min 50, max 67), High averages 50 FPS, and Ultra averages 40 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM and bandwidth are insufficient for maintaining high frame rates at 4K, as even the Low preset barely exceeds 60 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the system is capable of 144+ FPS at 1080p, 90+ FPS at 1440p, but only 40-67 FPS at 4K depending on the preset. This breakdown highlights the importance of resolution selection when using this hardware combination.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers 141 FPS, which is sufficient for high refresh rate monitors (144Hz). The Ultra preset at 115 FPS is also viable, providing a 18% reduction in FPS for the highest visual quality. The Low preset at 192 FPS is only necessary for extremely high refresh rate displays (240Hz+), but the visual compromise may not be worth the extra headroom.

For 2560x1440, the High preset at 91 FPS is an excellent balance, offering near-60 FPS on Ultra (75 FPS) but with a 17% performance gain. The Medium preset at 108 FPS is a strong alternative for gamers who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, as it maintains a high refresh rate experience. The Low preset at 124 FPS is the best choice for competitive play, but it sacrifices significant graphical detail, which may detract from the game's atmospheric environments.

At 3840x2160, the recommendations change dramatically. The Low preset at 67 FPS is the only setting that consistently stays above 60 FPS, making it the default choice for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 59 FPS is playable but may experience occasional dips below 60 FPS, as indicated by the min FPS of 50. The High and Ultra presets (50 and 40 FPS) are not recommended for smooth gameplay, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold. A practical approach for 4K is to use the Medium preset and accept the occasional frame drops, or use Low for a more consistent experience.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and consistent pattern in FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K, which reveals the limiting component in this system. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 141 at 1920x1080 to 91 at 2560x1440 (a 35.5% reduction) and then to 50 at 3840x2160 (a 64.5% reduction from 1080p). This scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the additional pixels at higher resolutions increase the GPU's workload proportionally, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is steeper than from 1440p to 4K in percentage terms for most presets. For example, at Low settings, the drop from 192 to 124 FPS (1080p to 1440p) is a 35.4% reduction, while the drop from 124 to 67 FPS (1440p to 4K) is a 46% reduction. This suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes even more of a bottleneck, as the memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity are stretched further. The fact that the 4K results are so close between Low (67 FPS) and Medium (59 FPS) indicates that the GPU is not just limited by pixel count but also by the memory subsystem, as even lowering settings does not provide significant relief.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal, as its performance does not change with resolution. The Ryzen 5 9600X's high single-thread score (2923 in Geekbench) ensures that it can maintain high frame rates at 1080p, but at 4K, the GPU's rendering time exceeds the CPU's frame generation time, making the GPU the definitive limiting factor. The data suggests that for this combo, the optimal balance is at 1440p, where the GPU is still able to push above 90 FPS on High, and the CPU's headroom is not wasted. At 4K, the system is clearly GPU-limited, and the only way to achieve higher frame rates would be to reduce the render resolution or lower the preset, as evidenced by the Low settings result of 67 FPS.