Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a fascinating dataset in Doom, one that reveals a delicate balance between processor muscle and graphics card limitations. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions tell a clear story of a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher detail settings, while the CPU’s strength becomes more apparent as resolution drops. This analysis breaks down the numbers to understand what is driving performance in this 2016 title.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 131.4 FPS, but this drops to 84.7 FPS at 1440p and further to 43.8 FPS at 4K. The percentage decline is steep: moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by roughly 35%, and the jump to 4K costs another 48% of the 1440p score. This aggressive falloff strongly suggests that the RTX 2060’s rendering capabilities are the limiting factor, as the workload per pixel increases dramatically with resolution.

At Low settings, the picture changes slightly. The 1080p result of 175.3 FPS drops to 115.5 FPS at 1440p, then to 61.1 FPS at 4K. The scaling here is more linear, indicating that even with reduced graphical load, the GPU still struggles to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The data implies that the RTX 2060 has a hard ceiling around 175 FPS even in the lightest scenarios, which is a far cry from the CPU’s potential. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases, confirming that pixel throughput is the dominant constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, based on the TU106 chip, brings 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 1365 MHz and boost clock of 1680 MHz are standard for the Turing architecture. In Doom, the 6 GB VRAM appears sufficient even at 4K, as the game does not seem to hit a memory capacity wall — the FPS drops are consistent with compute-bound performance rather than texture swapping. The GPU’s 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs are the likely workhorses, and the data shows they are saturated at 4K Ultra, where FPS falls to 39.4.

The RTX 2060 sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16074. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, scores 15996, a delta of 0.5%, meaning the 2060 is essentially on par with that mobile chip. This mid-range positioning explains why 4K Ultra is a struggle: the card is not designed for that workload. The 12 nm process node and 10,800 million transistors hint at a chip that is efficient but not modern, which aligns with its end-of-life production status.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is a Zen 3 part with 8 cores and 16 threads, clocked between 3.80 GHz base and 4.80 GHz boost. Its 32 MB of L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth are robust for gaming. The CPU’s benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 23794 and a single-core score of 3359, placing it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs. This suggests the processor is rarely the limiting factor in Doom, which is a well-optimized title for multi-threaded performance.

At 1080p Low, the combo hits 175.3 FPS, but the CPU could likely push higher if the GPU allowed. The 5800XT’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE, which scores 29740 on average, a mere 0.1% delta. This indicates the CPU is a strong performer, but its headroom is wasted in this configuration. The data shows that even at 4K Low (61.1 FPS), the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the FPS scales predictably with resolution rather than showing a plateau that would indicate CPU limitation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low delivers 175.3 FPS, Medium 153.4 FPS, High 131.4 FPS, and Ultra 106.0 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 12.5% drop, while High to Ultra costs 19.3%, showing that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding. At 2560x1440, the numbers are 115.5 FPS (Low), 97.1 FPS (Medium), 84.7 FPS (High), and 65.5 FPS (Ultra). The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 43.3%, highlighting the GPU’s strain.

Moving to 3840x2160, the frame rates become 61.1 FPS (Low), 51.5 FPS (Medium), 43.8 FPS (High), and 39.4 FPS (Ultra). The difference between Low and Ultra is 35.5%, which is smaller than at 1440p, suggesting that the GPU is hitting a hard limit where even lowering settings cannot compensate for the pixel count. The data indicates that 4K is only playable at Low settings, and even then, it barely exceeds 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Ryzen 7 5800XT and RTX 2060 ranks 1366 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the bottom 20% of all configurations. This rank is surprisingly low given the CPU’s strength, but it is a direct consequence of the GPU’s mid-range status. The RTX 2060’s 58th percentile GPU ranking drags the overall combo down, despite the CPU being in the 86th percentile. The data suggests that pairing a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU creates an unbalanced system for this title, where the GPU is the clear weak link.

Comparatively, the GPU’s nearest rival, the Radeon RX 7600S, is within 0.5% in average score, so swapping the GPU would yield negligible differences. The CPU’s rivals, like the Ryzen 7 6800HS (29856 avg, -0.3% delta), also show that the processor choice is not the differentiator here. The low combo rank implies that most other tested configurations either have a more powerful GPU or a more balanced pairing, making this setup a niche choice for Doom players who prioritize CPU-heavy tasks.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Doom?*

A: The data shows 1080p is the sweet spot, with all settings hitting above 106 FPS. At 1440p, only Low and Medium settings exceed 90 FPS, while 4K struggles to reach 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its closest rival in terms of benchmark score?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074, while the AMD Radeon RX 7600S scores 15996, a delta of 0.5%. This means the 2060 is marginally faster.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800XT a bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: No, the data indicates the GPU is the limit. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 175.3 FPS, but the CPU’s high benchmark scores suggest it could handle more if the GPU allowed.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low delivers 61.1 FPS and Ultra delivers 39.4 FPS, a difference of 21.7 FPS or approximately 35.5%.

*Q: Does the 6 GB VRAM cause issues in Doom?*

A: The data does not show VRAM-related performance cliffs. The FPS drops are consistent with compute-bound scaling, suggesting 6 GB is adequate for this game.

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

A: It ranks 1366 out of 1681 combos, placing it in the lower percentile. This is due to the GPU’s mid-range performance relative to other tested parts.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with High settings, yielding 131.4 FPS. This provides a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience without the 19% performance penalty seen when moving to Ultra. For players with a 1440p monitor, Medium settings (97.1 FPS) offer the best balance, as High drops to 84.7 FPS, which is still playable but less fluid. At 4K, the only viable option is Low settings at 61.1 FPS, which barely maintains a 60 FPS average; any higher preset falls below 52 FPS, risking noticeable stutter. The data suggests that Ultra presets are not worth the FPS cost at any resolution for this GPU, as the visual gains do not justify the performance loss. For competitive play, 1080p Low at 175.3 FPS is the maximum achievable, but High offers a better visual experience while staying above 130 FPS.