Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers a formidable performance profile in Doom, characterized by exceptionally high frame rates across all tested settings. The data indicates a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but retains enough headroom to exploit high refresh rate displays at 1080p. The measured results show a clear hierarchy of performance scaling that aligns with the hardware's architectural strengths.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a predictable yet pronounced drop as resolution increases, confirming that the Radeon RX 6800 XT is the primary scaling factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 292 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings reduces this to 189 FPS, a decline of 35.3%. At 4K, the Low preset yields 102 FPS, representing an additional 46.0% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep curve illustrates the immense pixel throughput demands placed on the GPU, with the CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 943 and multi-thread score of 7578 indicating it is not the constraining factor at these resolutions.

The scaling pattern across all settings shows that the GPU's computational limits are reached progressively. For instance, at Medium settings, the transition from 1080p (254 FPS) to 1440p (165 FPS) results in a 35.0% reduction, while moving from 1440p to 4K (89 FPS) constitutes a 46.1% decrease. This consistent ~35% and ~46% reduction pattern across Low, Medium, and High settings suggests that the RX 6800 XT's 512.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 20.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance are the governing elements. The 4K Ultra preset, which produces only 62 FPS, highlights the extreme demand of the highest quality settings at this resolution, pushing the GPU to its practical limit.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 5800X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides substantial processing headroom for Doom's engine. The CPU's Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, operates at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 32 MB L3 cache to feed the game's threads. Benchmarks show a strong single-thread performance with a Geekbench single-core score of 2032 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1574.5, which is critical for a game engine that often relies on a primary render thread.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any tested resolution. Evidence for this lies in the frame rate scaling: if the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see more consistent frame rates across resolutions, particularly at lower settings. Instead, the FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 4K (e.g., from 292 to 102 FPS at Low settings), which is a classic signature of GPU limitation. The CPU's performance percentile of 81 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29123, places it in a strong position. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H, is only 0.1% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT trails by 0.6%, confirming that the 5800X is delivering top-tier throughput for this title. The processor's 105 W TDP and support for DDR4 dual-channel memory (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are sufficient to sustain the high frame rates observed, ensuring that the GPU's output is not starved of data.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 292, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 215 FPS at 1080p to 139 FPS at 1440p, and further to 75 FPS at 4K. This represents a 65.1% reduction from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 62, which is a substantial drop from the 102 FPS at 4K Low. Since the CPU's performance is consistent, this scaling is attributable to the Radeon RX 6800 XT's rendering load.

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

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 76, which occurred at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. The same resolution at Ultra and other settings did not have min FPS data provided.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest competitor?

A: The RX 6800 XT has an average benchmark score of 48477, placing it in the 85th percentile among all GPUs. It is 1.5% faster than the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile, but 2.5% slower than the Intel Arc A550M.

Q: Does the CPU have a significant impact on FPS differences between Low and Ultra presets?

A: The CPU's impact is minimal. At 1080p, the difference between Low (292 FPS) and Ultra (176 FPS) is 116 FPS, a gap driven by the GPU's shader and texture work. The Ryzen 7 5800X's robust single-thread score of 943 in 3DMark ensures it can keep up with the GPU's frame generation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system exhibits exceptional fluidity, with all presets exceeding 175 FPS. The Low preset leads with an average of 292 FPS, followed by Medium at 254 FPS, High at 215 FPS, and Ultra at 176 FPS. The Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 216 FPS and a maximum of 292 FPS, showing a tight frame pacing window.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the expected scaling. Low settings produce an average of 189 FPS, Medium drops to 165 FPS, High to 139 FPS, and Ultra to 114 FPS. At this resolution, the Medium preset's minimum FPS is 140, with a maximum of 189. At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload intensifies. The Low preset yields 102 FPS, Medium 89 FPS, High 75 FPS, and Ultra 62 FPS. The only minimum FPS recorded at 4K is 76 for the Medium preset, with a maximum of 103. These figures illustrate a linear scaling of performance with resolution, where the demand on the GPU's 4608 shading units and 128 ROPs becomes the dominant factor.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the decisive component in this pairing, given the game's engine and the CPU's evident headroom. The GPU, based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with the Navi 21 chip, operates at a boost clock of 2250 MHz and a game clock of 2015 MHz. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for streaming textures at high resolutions. The card's 4608 shading units and 288 TMUs handle the pixel and texture processing demands of Doom, while the 128 ROPs manage the final output.

The performance data shows the GPU's 85th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48477. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile, is 1.5% slower, while the Intel Arc A550M is 2.5% faster. In game, the GPU's capabilities are evidenced by the frame rate scaling. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is pushed to its limits, delivering 62 FPS, which is a 78.8% reduction from the 1080p Low result. The GPU's compute power of 20.74 TFLOPS FP32 is taxed heavily at higher resolutions, but the architecture manages to maintain playable frame rates even at the most demanding preset. The card's support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4 allows for efficient draw call handling, which is essential for a fast-paced FPS title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance depends on the target refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p displays with a 240 Hz refresh rate, the High preset (215 FPS) or even Ultra (176 FPS) are viable options, providing smooth motion without compromising on visual quality. The Low preset at 292 FPS offers maximum frame rates but sacrifices visual detail, which may be preferable for competitive play.

For 1440p monitors, the High preset at 139 FPS is the recommended choice for a high-refresh experience, as it stays above the 120 FPS threshold for most displays. The Medium preset at 165 FPS provides an even higher frame rate but with reduced graphical fidelity. The Ultra preset at 114 FPS is still playable but may show minor dips on 144 Hz displays. At 4K resolution, the data suggests that the Medium preset (89 FPS) is the sweet spot for a balance of quality and smoothness, as the High preset (75 FPS) and Low preset (102 FPS) either reduce quality or fail to reach the 90 FPS mark consistently. The Ultra preset at 62 FPS is not recommended for fast-paced action due to potential frame pacing issues. The measured minimum FPS of 76 at 4K Medium indicates acceptable stability, making it the most balanced choice for 4K gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 1158 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the top 31.2% of all tested systems, indicating a strong performance tier. The ranking reflects the synergy between the CPU and GPU, where the 5800X's 3DMark multi-thread score of 7578 and the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 24980 combine to deliver high frame rates.

The combo's rank is influenced by the GPU's substantial performance, as the RX 6800 XT's percentile of 85 exceeds the CPU's percentile of 81. This suggests that the GPU is the more differentiating component in this pairing. Compared to other combos, the system's performance is robust, but not at the absolute top tier, as the 1158 rank implies there are 1157 combinations that achieve higher frame rates, likely featuring more recent or higher-end GPUs. The data confirms that this pairing is well-balanced for 1440p high-refresh gaming, but it also shows that at 4K Ultra, the system is operating near its limits, which is consistent with its mid-tier ranking relative to the most powerful systems available.