Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT combination delivers a highly capable 1080p experience in Doom, with performance scaling predictably as resolution increases. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 3 architecture, provides strong foundational performance, while the RDNA 1.0-based GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The measured data shows a system that can comfortably handle high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p but requires settings adjustments to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the most effective resolution. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 142.1 FPS, which jumps to 189.4 FPS on Low settings. This is the only resolution where all settings presets exceed 115 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: How does the Ultra preset affect performance compared to High?

A: Moving from High to Ultra reduces average FPS by 26.3 frames at 1080p (from 142.1 to 115.8), by 16.3 frames at 1440p (from 93 to 76.7), and by 8.1 frames at 4K (from 48.3 to 40.2). The performance penalty is proportionally larger at lower resolutions, suggesting the GPU is already working harder at higher pixel counts.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5700X3D a limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The 1080p performance spread suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck. With a 3DMark single-thread score of 804 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3157, the processor provides ample headroom. The fact that Low settings at 1080p reach 189.4 FPS while High settings drop to 142.1 FPS indicates the GPU is the primary performance driver even at this resolution.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 73.6 FPS (189.4 vs 115.8). At 1440p, the gap narrows to 44.1 FPS (120.8 vs 76.7), and at 4K it shrinks further to 26 FPS (66.2 vs 40.2). This pattern confirms that the GPU's rendering load increases faster than the CPU's ability to feed it as resolution rises.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 1241 out of 1681 total combos for Doom. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the rankings, which is consistent with the GPU being an older RDNA 1.0 part, while the CPU sits in the 82nd percentile among all CPUs.

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

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K with Medium settings, the combo achieves 60.5 FPS, which is playable. However, the Ultra preset drops to 40.2 FPS, which may feel less smooth. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game, but the 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the limiting factor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that the High preset at 1920x1080 offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 142.1 FPS, this setting provides a fluid experience well above the 60 FPS threshold, and it is only 47.3 FPS slower than the Low preset. The jump from Medium (163.8 FPS) to High (142.1 FPS) costs 21.7 FPS but likely delivers substantial visual improvements in texture detail and lighting effects.

For 2560x1440 gaming, the Medium preset is the optimal choice. At 108.5 FPS, it maintains high smoothness while being 15.5 FPS faster than High (93 FPS) and 31.8 FPS faster than Ultra (76.7 FPS). The Low preset at 120.8 FPS offers only a marginal 12.3 FPS advantage over Medium, making Medium the smarter selection for visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset again provides the best experience at 60.5 FPS. This hits the standard 60 FPS target while staying 20.3 FPS ahead of High (48.3 FPS) and 12.3 FPS faster than Low (66.2 FPS). The Ultra preset at 40.2 FPS falls below acceptable smoothness for most players. Users prioritizing frame rate over visuals at 4K should consider Low, which delivers 66.2 FPS, but Medium is the recommended default.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p High, the system produces 142.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces this to 93 FPS, a 34.6% decrease. At 4K High, performance falls to 48.3 FPS, which is 66% lower than the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU with 9.754 TFLOPS of compute power and 8 GB of VRAM.

The data indicates that the RX 5700 XT is the limiting component at all resolutions above 1080p. The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22366, allows it to feed the GPU effectively at lower resolutions. However, as pixel count increases, the GPU's rendering pipeline becomes saturated, and the frame rate drops accordingly.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a consistent pattern. At High settings, the drop is 44.7 FPS (93 to 48.3), while at Low settings it is 54.6 FPS (120.8 to 66.2). This suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU is the bottleneck, as the frame rate reduction is similar across all presets. The CPU's 3DMark max threads score of 6755 and 8-core/16-thread configuration provide sufficient headroom for this workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset reaches 189.4 FPS, followed by Medium at 163.8 FPS, High at 142.1 FPS, and Ultra at 115.8 FPS. The spread of 73.6 FPS between Low and Ultra demonstrates significant GPU sensitivity to settings at this resolution. All presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p the most versatile resolution for this combo.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows clear scaling. Low settings produce 120.8 FPS, Medium delivers 108.5 FPS, High achieves 93 FPS, and Ultra drops to 76.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 44.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU is becoming more constrained as pixel count increases. Every preset still maintains playable frame rates above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. Low settings yield 66.2 FPS, Medium produces 60.5 FPS, High drops to 48.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40.2 FPS. Only the Low and Medium presets achieve the 60 FPS target. The 26 FPS difference between Low and Ultra highlights the significant rendering cost of higher quality settings at 4K. This resolution is only recommended for users willing to compromise on visual quality.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture with the Navi 10 chip, is the primary determinant of performance in Doom at higher resolutions. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for this game's texture requirements. The GPU's base clock of 1605 MHz, game clock of 1755 MHz, and boost clock of 1905 MHz demonstrate a well-binned design for its era.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 9.754 TFLOPS FP32, are directly reflected in the frame rates. At 1080p, where the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently, the rendering pipeline achieves 142.1 FPS on High settings. The 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs handle the pixel workload effectively at lower resolutions, but the 304.8 GTexel/s texture rate becomes a limiting factor as resolution increases.

The GPU's benchmark scores align with its in-game performance. A Passmark G3D score of 16277 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2134 place it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile, scores 24763 in the average benchmark, a delta of -0.1%, indicating comparable overall compute power. However, in Doom specifically, the 4K performance of 48.3 FPS on High settings shows that the GPU is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

The GPU's memory configuration is adequate but not excessive. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is not a bottleneck in this game, as evidenced by the consistent performance scaling across settings. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed and 256-bit bus provide sufficient bandwidth for the game's assets. The GPU's 225 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensure it can operate without bandwidth constraints, though the measured data shows that its raw compute power, not memory, is the limiting factor at 4K.