Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 in Doom presents a clear case of GPU-bound performance, where the 8-core, 16-thread CPU’s substantial headroom goes largely unused. The measured frames per second across resolutions and presets show a consistent hierarchy dictated almost entirely by the Polaris 20 GPU’s limits. The data indicates that the RX 580, with its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus, is the decisive factor in this pairing’s outcome. The combination ranks 1556 out of 1681 tested combos, placing it in the lower quartile of system configurations for this title, which aligns with the GPU’s 53rd percentile standing against all GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

For a 1920x1080 display, the Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate at 101.1 FPS, which is the only measured setting in this configuration to exceed the 100 FPS threshold. However, the Medium preset at 87.5 FPS offers a more balanced experience, providing a substantial improvement in visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate that remains comfortably above the 60 FPS standard. The High preset at 78.4 FPS still offers smooth gameplay, but the drop from Medium to High is less severe than the drop from High to Ultra, which falls to 64.6 FPS. At this resolution, Ultra is playable, but the 64.6 FPS average is close enough to the 60 FPS floor that any demanding scene could cause perceptible stutter, making Medium the recommended default for most users seeking a consistent experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scaling changes dramatically. The Low preset at 67.4 FPS is the only option that maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS, making it the sole viable choice for competitive or high-refresh-rate play at this resolution. The Medium preset at 59.8 FPS sits just below the 60 FPS mark, which is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay but not ideal for fast-twitch action. The High preset drops to 49.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37.9 FPS, both of which introduce noticeable judder in a fast-paced FPS. For 1440p, the data strongly favors the Low preset, as the incremental visual gains from Medium do not justify the 7.6 FPS loss.

At 3840x2160, the RX 580 is clearly out of its depth. All measured presets fall below 35 FPS, with Low at 34.3 FPS being the highest achievable average. The Medium preset at 31.5 FPS and High at 27.9 FPS are marginal, while Ultra at 20.6 FPS is effectively unplayable for a game requiring rapid response. Given that even the lowest settings cannot approach 60 FPS, 4K gaming with this combo is not recommended. The data suggests that users targeting 4K should consider this configuration incapable of delivering a smooth experience, regardless of preset selection.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1556 out of 1681 tested combinations places it in the bottom 7.4% of all system pairings evaluated for Doom. This low standing is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU’s average benchmark score of 29774 places it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, a stark contrast to the GPU’s 53rd percentile. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, which scores 29740 (a 0.1% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS at 29856 (a -0.3% delta), indicating the 5800XT is competitively positioned within its own class. However, the GPU’s nearest rivals tell a different story: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 scores 13564 (0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 scores 13549 (0.1% delta), showing the RX 580 is essentially tied with older, lower-tier cards.

This disparity between CPU and GPU performance tiers explains the combo’s low rank. In a game like Doom, which is well-optimized and can leverage multiple threads, the Ryzen 7 5800XT’s 8 cores and 16 threads could theoretically push high frame rates. Yet the RX 580’s 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 193.0 GTexel/s texture rate become the limiting factor. The benchmark results confirm this: even at 1080p Low, where the CPU is least likely to bottleneck, the system only achieves 101.1 FPS, a figure far below what the CPU alone could support. The combination rank is a direct reflection of the GPU’s inability to translate the CPU’s processing power into frames.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580’s specifications are the primary determinant of the measured FPS. Its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p textures but insufficient for the higher pixel counts of 4K. The memory clock of 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) is a fixed characteristic, and the data shows that the GPU’s memory bandwidth becomes saturated as resolution increases. The base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz are modest by modern standards, and the 2304 shading units, while numerous, are constrained by the older GCN 4.0 architecture.

In practice, the GPU’s performance scales poorly with resolution. The difference between 1080p Low (101.1 FPS) and 1440p Low (67.4 FPS) represents a 33.4% drop in frame rate, while the jump from 1440p Low to 4K Low (34.3 FPS) is a further 49.1% decline. This nonlinear scaling is characteristic of a GPU hitting its pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth limits. The pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s are simply not sufficient for 4K workloads, as evidenced by the Ultra preset at 4K producing only 20.6 FPS. The GPU’s DirectX 12 support (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3 API compatibility are present, but they cannot overcome the hardware’s raw throughput limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of settings shows a clear stepwise progression. Low averages 101.1 FPS, Medium 87.5 FPS, High 78.4 FPS, and Ultra 64.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 36.5 FPS, or 36.1% of the Low score, indicating that the highest preset exacts a significant toll on the RX 580. The transition from High to Ultra is the steepest single-step drop, at 13.8 FPS, suggesting that Ultra’s additional effects disproportionately tax the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the same settings order holds but with compressed values. Low produces 67.4 FPS, Medium 59.8 FPS, High 49.6 FPS, and Ultra 37.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 29.5 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but a larger percentage decline (43.8%). This indicates that the GPU is already struggling at 1440p, and the higher presets compound the issue. Notably, the Medium preset at 59.8 FPS is the closest any setting comes to the 60 FPS target at this resolution, yet it still falls short.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. Low is 34.3 FPS, Medium 31.5 FPS, High 27.9 FPS, and Ultra 20.6 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 13.7 FPS, which is the smallest absolute range across all resolutions. This compression suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily bottlenecked that even reducing settings has a limited effect; the pixel throughput is the hard limit. The data reveals that the jump from 1440p Low to 4K Low costs 33.1 FPS, a 49.1% reduction, while the jump from 1080p Low to 1440p Low costs 33.7 FPS, a 33.3% reduction. The percentage loss accelerates with resolution, confirming the GPU’s diminishing ability to handle higher pixel counts.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 87.5 FPS is the best balance, as it stays well above 60 FPS while offering better visuals than Low’s 101.1 FPS. Ultra at 64.6 FPS is viable but leaves less headroom.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p at 60 FPS?

A: Only at Low settings, which average 67.4 FPS. Medium drops to 59.8 FPS, just under the 60 FPS target, and High falls to 49.6 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its closest rivals in this game?

A: The RX 580’s average benchmark score of 13559 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (13564, 0% delta) and GTX 950 (13549, 0.1% delta), indicating similar performance levels.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800XT limiting the frame rate in Doom?

A: No, the CPU’s average score of 29774 places it in the 86th percentile, while the GPU sits in the 53rd percentile. The measured FPS are far below what the CPU can support, making the GPU the clear bottleneck.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average is 20.6 FPS, which is not playable. Even Low settings at 4K only reach 34.3 FPS, confirming the GPU lacks the pixel throughput for 4K.

Q: How does this combo’s rank compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1556 out of 1681 combos, placing it in the bottom 7.4% of configurations for Doom, consistent with the GPU’s lower percentile standing.