Doom

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) using TSMC's 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The processor carries 32 MB of L3 cache, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 64 KB of L1 per core. It supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The chip communicates over PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes from the CPU.

Benchmark data shows this CPU performs well across both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. In 3DMark, the single-thread score is 943, while the 2-thread score reaches 1846, the 4-thread score hits 3543, and the 8-thread score climbs to 6035. The max-thread score is 7578, nearly identical to the 16-thread result of 7586. This pattern indicates that the processor's scaling is strong up to 8 threads, with only marginal additional gains beyond that point. In Cinebench R23, the multicore score is 15476, and the single-core score is 1574.5. PassMark results reinforce this: multi-thread score of 27732, single-thread score of 3445, and integer math at 94969.

For a game like Doom, which is a fast-paced FPS, the CPU's single-thread performance is often the primary factor in maintaining high frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The Ryzen 7 5800X's single-thread score of 943 in 3DMark and 1574.5 in Cinebench R23 indicate it can handle the game's physics and game logic updates without holding back the GPU. Meanwhile, the strong multi-threaded scores ensure that background tasks and the game's auxiliary threads do not introduce stutter. The CPU's percentile ranking of 81 among all tested CPUs places it in the upper tier, suggesting it is well suited for maintaining consistent frame delivery in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT achieves a combo rank of 2660 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom. This places the pairing in the 72nd percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly 28% of tested combos perform better in this specific game. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, with neither component being the dominant limiting factor across all settings and resolutions.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its relative performance. The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H has an average benchmark score of 29093, which is 0.1% higher than the Ryzen 7 5800X's average score of 29123. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT scores 28940, which is 0.6% lower. The Intel Xeon Phi 7210 scores 29245, 0.4% higher, and the Intel Core i5-13500HX scores 29270, 0.5% higher. These deltas are all within 1%, indicating that the CPU sits in a tightly contested performance band, though the Ryzen 7 5800X's gaming-relevant single-thread strength may differentiate it in Doom specifically.

For the GPU, the Radeon RX 6600 XT's nearest rivals show a similar pattern. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 has an average score of 24277, which is 0.7% lower than the RX 6600 XT's 24442. The Intel Arc A350M scores 24647, 0.8% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti scores 24236, 0.8% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER scores 24170, 1.1% lower. These small deltas suggest the GPU is competitively positioned, though its percentile ranking of 70 among all GPUs indicates it is a mid-to-upper tier part.

The combo rank of 2660 indicates that while both components are individually capable, the pair does not break into the top tier of tested combos for Doom. This is likely due to the GPU being the more limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, as the measured FPS data will show.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Doom?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 192, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 40, which is the lowest measured result across all configurations.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 108 average FPS, while High delivers 91 average FPS, a difference of 17 FPS favoring Medium.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in any configuration?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 50, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 1080p across all settings?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 the lowest average FPS is 115 with Ultra settings, and the highest is 192 with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank relative to other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2660 out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the 72nd percentile.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo in Doom covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra). The data is comprehensive, with average FPS recorded for all 12 combinations, and minimum and maximum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 192 FPS. The Medium preset averages 167 FPS, with a minimum of 142 and a maximum of 192. High averages 141 FPS. Ultra averages 115 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline of roughly 25 FPS per preset step, with the gap between Medium and High (26 FPS) being the largest single step.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 124 FPS. Medium averages 108 FPS, with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 124. High averages 91 FPS. Ultra averages 75 FPS. The pattern is consistent with the 1080p results, but the absolute numbers are lower. The gap between Low and Medium is 16 FPS, Medium to High is 17 FPS, and High to Ultra is 16 FPS, showing a remarkably even degradation across settings.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 67 FPS. Medium averages 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 67. High averages 49 FPS. Ultra averages 40 FPS. The gaps between presets are smaller in absolute terms: Low to Medium is 8 FPS, Medium to High is 10 FPS, and High to Ultra is 9 FPS. This compression of differences at 4K suggests the GPU is becoming the primary constraint.

The minimum FPS data, available only for the Medium preset, shows values of 142 at 1080p, 92 at 1440p, and 50 at 4K. These minimums represent 85%, 85%, and 85% of their respective averages, indicating consistent frame pacing across resolutions for this preset.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture using the Navi 23 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process. It has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1968 MHz, a game clock of 2359 MHz, and a boost clock of 2589 MHz. Memory is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 2000 MHz, which translates to 16 Gbps effective.

The GPU's compute capabilities include a pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s, and 10.60 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The card has 32 ray tracing cores, though Doom (2016) does not use ray tracing, so this feature is irrelevant for this title.

The RX 6600 XT's benchmark scores show a mixed profile. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1804. Geekbench scores include 88720 for Metal, 80503 for OpenCL, and 72417 for Vulkan. PassMark results show a G3D score of 16461, a G2D score of 912, and GPU compute score of 7520. DirectX-specific PassMark scores are 194 for DX9, 163 for DX11, and 61 for DX12, with 109 for DirectX 10.

In Doom, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU enough frames to reach 192 FPS on Low settings, but the GPU limits the average to 115 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, even on Low settings, the GPU only manages 67 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the bottleneck across all presets at this resolution. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Doom's textures, as the game does not exceed this capacity at any measured setting. The 128-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for the game's memory access patterns, though the GPU's raw compute limits are evident in the 4K results.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1920x1080, the High preset at 141 average FPS provides an excellent balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 115 average FPS is still playable and offers the highest visual fidelity, but the 26 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains for competitive play. The Medium preset at 167 FPS offers the smoothest experience for high-refresh-rate monitors, while Low at 192 FPS is suitable for extreme competitive play where every frame matters.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 91 average FPS is the recommended choice for a balanced experience. The Medium preset at 108 FPS provides a smoother experience for fast-paced action, while Ultra at 75 FPS remains above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. The Low preset at 124 FPS is an option for players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, but the visual degradation may be noticeable on larger monitors.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset at 67 average FPS is the only configuration that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 59 FPS is borderline, with a minimum of 50 FPS, which may cause noticeable frame drops during intense combat sequences. High at 49 FPS and Ultra at 40 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel less responsive. For 4K gaming, players should accept the Low preset for smooth gameplay or consider lowering the resolution.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best overall experience across all resolutions, with average FPS of 167 at 1080p, 108 at 1440p, and 59 at 4K, and the only recorded minimum FPS values providing insight into frame consistency.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how performance scales across resolutions. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by a consistent percentage across settings. At Low, the drop is from 192 to 124, a reduction of 35.4%. At Medium, the drop is from 167 to 108, a 35.3% reduction. At High, the drop is from 141 to 91, a 35.5% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 115 to 75, a 34.8% reduction. This uniform scaling indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at both resolutions, as the workload increases proportionally with pixel count (1080p has 2.07 million pixels, 1440p has 3.69 million, a 78% increase).

From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, the scaling is also consistent but with different percentages. At Low, the drop is from 124 to 67, a 46.0% reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 108 to 59, a 45.4% reduction. At High, the drop is from 91 to 49, a 46.2% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 75 to 40, a 46.7% reduction. The 4K resolution has 8.29 million pixels, which is 2.25 times the pixel count of 1440p. The FPS reduction of roughly 46% is less than the 55% reduction that would occur if the GPU were perfectly limited by pixel count, indicating that some other factor, likely memory bandwidth or cache efficiency, is partially mitigating the impact.

The overall scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a reduction of 65.1% at Low (192 to 67), 64.7% at Medium (167 to 59), 65.2% at High (141 to 49), and 65.2% at Ultra (115 to 40). The uniformity of these percentages across all settings strongly suggests that the GPU is the consistent limiting component at all resolutions. The CPU, with its strong single-thread performance, is not bottlenecking even at 1080p Low where the GPU is producing 192 FPS. The data indicates that players seeking higher frame rates at 4K would need a more powerful GPU, while the CPU has headroom to support additional GPU performance without becoming a constraint.