Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers an exceptionally high-performance experience in Doom, with measured frame rates that consistently exceed display refresh rate targets across all tested configurations. The data shows a combination where the GPU’s raw throughput dominates at lower resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures the pipeline remains fluid even when frame rates reach extreme levels.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, though the absolute performance remains elite at every step. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 398.3 FPS, which drops to 295.5 FPS at High settings, representing a 25.8% reduction from the lowest preset. Moving to 1440p, the same High preset yields 188.0 FPS, a 36.4% decline from the 1080p High figure. At 4K, the High preset delivers 100.9 FPS, which is 46.3% lower than the 1440p High result and 65.9% lower than the 1080p Low peak.

This scaling pattern indicates that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high—398.3 FPS at Low and 295.5 FPS at High—that the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X’s single-thread capabilities, evidenced by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 1253 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3603, become the primary constraint. The GPU has ample headroom to render more frames, but the CPU cannot issue draw calls fast enough to push beyond these figures. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 2456 and 4_threads score of 4649 further suggest that Doom’s engine, which scales well with a few strong cores, is being fed efficiently by the 6-core/12-thread processor.

At 4K, the situation reverses. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth become the bottleneck, as the pixel throughput requirements rise dramatically. The gap between Low (141.1 FPS) and High (100.9 FPS) at 4K is 28.5%, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p gap but at a much lower absolute level. This suggests that while the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, the CPU still contributes meaningfully; otherwise, the scaling between presets would show a wider divergence. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 82.7 FPS, which is 41.4% below the Low preset at the same resolution, indicating that the most demanding settings place a heavy load on the GPU’s 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 816.0 GTexel/s texture rate.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance on the optimal preset for each resolution. At 1080p, the High preset at 295.5 FPS is the sweet spot: it delivers nearly three times the refresh rate of a standard 60 Hz display while maintaining visual fidelity above the Low preset’s 398.3 FPS, which offers diminishing returns for the significant graphical sacrifice. The Medium preset at 349.5 FPS sits between, but the jump from Medium to High costs 54.0 FPS (15.4%), which is a worthwhile trade for improved image quality given the abundance of headroom.

At 1440p, the High preset at 188.0 FPS is similarly ideal. The Ultra preset drops to 153.1 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth but represents a 18.6% reduction from High. Given that High already produces frame rates well beyond the 144 Hz refresh rate common on 1440p monitors, there is little reason to accept the Ultra preset’s lower performance unless the user prioritizes maximum visual detail over the marginal difference in smoothness. The Low preset at 259.5 FPS is unnecessary; the game will look noticeably worse without any perceptible benefit since High already exceeds 144 FPS.

At 4K, the High preset at 100.9 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides a smooth experience on 120 Hz displays and is dramatically better than the Ultra preset’s 82.7 FPS, which may introduce noticeable judder on higher-refresh screens. The Medium preset at 119.4 FPS offers a 18.4% improvement over High, making it a viable alternative for users who prefer a higher frame rate over slightly better shadows and textures. However, the Low preset at 141.1 FPS, while fastest, degrades the visual experience to a degree that is disproportionate to the performance gain, especially since High already clears the 100 FPS threshold.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER plays the dominant role in this combo’s measured performance, particularly at 1080p and 1440p where its 16 GB memory buffer and 10240 shading units provide ample resources for Doom’s Vulkan-based rendering. The GPU’s boost clock of 2550 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with a 256-bit memory bus and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth, allow it to maintain high fill rates even at Ultra settings. The 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 6600 and passmark_g3d score of 34245 place it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its position as a top-tier part.

The VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in this game. Doom’s textures at 4K Ultra fit comfortably within 16 GB, as evidenced by the fact that the Ultra preset still achieves 82.7 FPS without any apparent stutter or frame drops. The GPU’s 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are largely irrelevant for this title, which does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS, but they contribute to the overall compute capability. The passmark_gpu_compute score of 19822 indicates strong asynchronous compute performance, which Doom’s engine can leverage for particle effects and post-processing.

The RTX 4080 SUPER’s rival comparison shows it is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT in average benchmark score, and 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S. This narrow margin in synthetic tests translates to the measured FPS data, where the GPU’s real-world performance is sufficient to push the CPU to its limits at 1080p. The 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, fabricated on TSMC’s 5 nm process, deliver a 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 throughput that is more than adequate for Doom’s geometry and shading workloads.

FAQ

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so much from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At 1080p, the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X’s single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1253) becomes the bottleneck, capping FPS around 398 at Low. At 4K, the RTX 4080 SUPER’s rendering load increases dramatically, and the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the High preset dropping to 100.9 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1440p delivers 153.1 FPS, which is 18.6% lower than High’s 188.0 FPS. Since High already exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates, the visual improvement from Ultra is not justified for most users, making High the better choice.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 107th out of 1681 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.4% of all configurations. This reflects the balance between the CPU’s 85th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 88th percentile ranking.

Q: What is the impact of the CPU’s 6 cores on Doom’s performance?

A: Doom scales well with high single-thread performance, and the Ryzen 5 9600X’s 3dmark_2_threads score of 2456 and 4_threads score of 4649 show strong low-thread capabilities. This allows the CPU to keep up with the GPU at 1080p, as evidenced by the 398.3 FPS Low preset result.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM limit 4K Ultra performance?

A: No. The Ultra preset at 4K achieves 82.7 FPS without indications of VRAM-related stutter, meaning the 16 GB buffer is sufficient. The performance drop from High to Ultra is due to increased shading and texture work, not memory capacity.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER’s average benchmark score is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 2.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7700S. In Doom, this translates to the measured FPS results, which show the GPU can drive frame rates well above 100 FPS at 4K High.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 107 out of 1681 tested configurations places this pairing in the top 6.4% of all combinations, indicating a highly synergistic match. This ranking is driven by the RTX 4080 SUPER’s 88th percentile GPU score, which pairs effectively with the Ryzen 5 9600X’s 85th percentile CPU score. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13490F, has an average score that is 0.3% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS is 0.4% higher, showing the 9600X is competitive within its class.

However, the ranking also reveals that Doom is not a CPU-intensive title at the resolutions tested. The measured FPS at 4K High is 100.9, which is only 28.5% lower than the 1080p High result, suggesting that the GPU is the primary determinant of overall performance. This means that a stronger CPU, such as one with a higher single-thread score, would not yield significantly higher FPS in this game, as the RTX 4080 SUPER’s rendering limits are reached at 4K.

The gap between this combo and the top-ranked configurations is likely due to CPUs with even higher single-thread performance, which would push the 1080p Low preset above the 398.3 FPS measured here. Yet, for practical purposes, the 107th rank is excellent, and the data shows that this combo delivers a consistently high frame rate experience across all settings and resolutions, with no configuration falling below the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 82.7 FPS, remains fully playable, and the 1440p and 1080p results are exceptional. This is a top-tier pairing for Doom, where the GPU’s power and the CPU’s efficiency combine to produce one of the highest-performing results in the database.