Doom

# Doom with AMD Ryzen 7 7700 + AMD Radeon RX 7700

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a robust 1080p experience in Doom, with measured average frame rates ranging from 145 FPS at Ultra settings to 241 FPS at Low settings. At 1440p, the combo remains highly playable, hitting 94 FPS on Ultra and 156 FPS on Low, while 4K Ultra dips to 51 FPS, suggesting the GPU becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions. This combination ranks 1314th out of 2930 tested combos in this game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 brings 8 cores and 16 threads to the table, a configuration that proves more than sufficient for Doom's demands. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz provide substantial single-thread headroom, which matters for a game engine that relies heavily on a primary simulation thread. The CPU's Zen 4 architecture, built on a 5 nm process by TSMC, delivers strong per-core performance as evidenced by its 3dmark single-thread score of 1049 and passmark single-thread score of 4063.

The processor's multi-threaded capabilities are equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18760 and a Passmark multithread score of 34470. These numbers indicate the 7700 can handle not just the game but any background tasks running concurrently. The L3 cache of 32 MB shared across all cores helps with data locality, which can reduce memory latency in game scenarios. Memory bandwidth is rated at 83.2 GB/s over dual-channel DDR5, and the CPU supports ECC memory, a feature more common in workstation-class parts.

Looking at the CPU's benchmark profile, the 16-thread 3dmark score of 8484 is nearly identical to the max-thread score of 8479, suggesting the chip scales well with thread count up to its physical and logical limit. The 8-thread score of 6933 shows a healthy scaling curve. The Ryzen 7 7700's average benchmark score of 40081 places it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (0.1% ahead), Intel Core 5 221E (0.2% behind), and AMD Ryzen 9 270 (0.4% behind). These delta percentages are remarkably tight, indicating the 7700 sits in a highly competitive performance band.

In Doom specifically, the CPU's role becomes evident when comparing frame rates across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 241 FPS, which is likely near the engine's upper limit or the CPU's ability to feed the GPU. The fact that 1080p Low (241 FPS) exceeds 1080p High (178 FPS) by 63 FPS shows that the game's rendering load, not CPU throughput, is the limiting factor even at lower settings. The 7700's 65 W TDP suggests it can sustain these performance levels without thermal throttling, a relevant consideration for extended gaming sessions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across resolutions and settings provides clear guidance for the optimal experience. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 210 FPS average with a minimum of 179 FPS and maximum of 242 FPS, offering a smooth experience that should satisfy high-refresh-rate display owners. The High preset at 178 FPS is equally playable and may offer better visual fidelity, but the Medium preset's tighter frame pacing, evidenced by the min/max spread of 63 FPS, indicates a more consistent experience.

For 1440p users, the Medium preset again emerges as the sweet spot, delivering 136 FPS average with a minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 156 FPS. The High preset at 115 FPS is also viable for those prioritizing visuals, but the Medium preset's 21 FPS advantage in average frame rate makes it the safer choice for maintaining smooth gameplay during intense action sequences. The Ultra preset at 94 FPS remains playable but offers diminishing returns for the performance cost.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Medium preset yields 74 FPS average with a minimum of 63 FPS and maximum of 85 FPS, which is the only 4K preset that consistently stays above 60 FPS. The High preset at 62 FPS is borderline, with the potential to dip below 60 FPS during heavy scenes. Ultra at 51 FPS falls short of the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider essential for a fast-paced FPS. The Low preset at 85 FPS provides a smoother experience but sacrifices visual quality.

The data suggests that Medium is the recommended preset for this combo across all resolutions, as it offers the best balance between visual fidelity and frame rate consistency. For 1080p and 1440p, the High preset is a reasonable alternative for those who prioritize image quality over the marginal frame rate difference. At 4K, players should stick with Medium to maintain a playable experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 60 FPS on 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 51 FPS, which falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 4K achieves 74 FPS average, making it the highest settings level that consistently exceeds 60 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the combo delivers 178 FPS average, while at 4K High it drops to 62 FPS. This represents a 65% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700 has an average benchmark score of 40081, placing it 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365, 0.2% behind the Intel Core 5 221E, and 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 270. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers 136 FPS average with a minimum of 116 FPS, providing the best combination of performance and visual quality. The High preset at 115 FPS is also viable for users who prefer higher graphical fidelity.

Q: Does the GPU's 16 GB VRAM help at 4K resolution?

A: The Radeon RX 7700 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth, which is ample for Doom's texture requirements. However, the measured 4K Ultra frame rate of 51 FPS suggests that raw GPU compute power, not memory capacity, is the limiting factor.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Doom?

A: It ranks 1314th out of 2930 tested combos, placing it in the 55th percentile. This indicates a mid-pack performance level that is capable but not exceptional for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1314 out of 2930 tested combinations places it just above the midpoint of the database. This positioning is somewhat surprising given the individual component performance. The CPU sits in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X (0.1% ahead), AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (1.1% behind), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (1.7% ahead).

The discrepancy between the CPU's high percentile ranking and the combo's mid-pack game rank suggests that Doom's performance is heavily GPU-bound at the resolutions tested. The GPU's 58th percentile ranking, combined with its -1.7% delta against the RTX 3060 Ti, indicates that this card is a mid-range performer that cannot fully leverage the CPU's capabilities at higher resolutions. At 1080p, however, the CPU's strength shines through, with frame rates exceeding 200 FPS on Medium settings.

The combo rank becomes more meaningful when considering the game's release date of 2016. Doom's engine was designed for hardware of that era, and modern components like the Ryzen 7 7700 and RX 7700 significantly exceed the game's original performance targets. The fact that this combo still only ranks in the 55th percentile suggests that many other tested combinations include higher-end GPUs that push frame rates even further, particularly at 1080p where CPU overhead is less of a factor.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the Navi 32 chip using RDNA 3.0 architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Doom's memory requirements at any settings level. The GPU's clock speeds include a base of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz, with memory running at 2438 MHz (19.5 Gbps effective).

The GPU's compute capabilities are defined by 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. Its FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s place it in the mid-range tier of modern graphics cards. The 40 ray tracing cores are present but largely irrelevant for Doom, which does not utilize ray tracing. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6, with the former being the most relevant API for this game.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a mixed profile. Its Passmark G3D score of 20974 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 106028 indicate solid DirectX 11 and compute performance, while the 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865 reflects more modern API efficiency. The Passmark DirectX 12 score of 96 is notably lower than the DirectX 11 score of 186, which could indicate driver overhead or architectural differences in how the GPU handles the two APIs.

In Doom, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p, the combo's frame rates are likely limited by the CPU or engine overhead, as evidenced by the 241 FPS at Low settings. At 4K, the GPU's fill rate and compute power become the bottleneck, with frame rates dropping to 51-85 FPS depending on settings. The GPU's 200 W TDP and suggested 550 W PSU indicate it has reasonable power headroom for sustained gaming loads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance across all tested settings. The Low preset achieves 241 FPS average, while Medium produces 210 FPS with a minimum of 179 FPS and maximum of 242 FPS. High settings yield 178 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 145 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 40% performance reduction, which is expected given the increased shading and texture work.

Moving to 2560x1440, frame rates remain strong but show a clear step down. Low settings produce 156 FPS average, Medium delivers 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 156 FPS, High reaches 115 FPS, and Ultra falls to 94 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 116 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes, while Ultra's 94 FPS average is still above the 60 FPS threshold for most players.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops become more pronounced. Low settings yield 85 FPS average, Medium manages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS and maximum of 85 FPS, High achieves 62 FPS, and Ultra drops to 51 FPS. The Medium preset is the only setting that maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming on this hardware.

The frame rate deltas between settings are consistent across resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 96 FPS; at 1440p, it is 62 FPS; at 4K, it is 34 FPS. This narrowing gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly the limiting factor, as the absolute performance ceiling is reached regardless of settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals how this combo's performance characteristics change with resolution. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 178 at 1080p to 115 at 1440p (a 35% decrease) and then to 62 at 4K (a 46% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 65%, which is close to the theoretical scaling expected from a 4x pixel count increase if the GPU were the sole limiting factor.

At Low settings, the scaling is slightly different: 241 FPS at 1080p drops to 156 FPS at 1440p (35% decrease) and then to 85 FPS at 4K (45% decrease from 1440p). The total drop is 65%, matching the High settings pattern. This consistency suggests that Doom's rendering pipeline scales predictably with resolution, and the GPU's fill rate and pixel throughput are the primary constraints at higher resolutions.

The Medium settings data, which includes minimum and maximum FPS values, provides additional insight. At 1080p, the range is 179-242 FPS (a 63 FPS spread); at 1440p, it is 116-156 FPS (a 40 FPS spread); at 4K, it is 63-85 FPS (a 22 FPS spread). The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that frame time variance decreases as the GPU becomes more consistently saturated, which can actually improve perceived smoothness even at lower average frame rates.

The scaling behavior points to the GPU as the limiting component at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU likely plays a more significant role at 1080p. The CPU's 87th percentile ranking and strong single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 1049) suggest it is not the bottleneck in most scenarios. The GPU's 58th percentile ranking, however, aligns with the observed frame rates at higher resolutions, where the RX 7700's 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 236.1 GPixel/s pixel rate define the ceiling. For players targeting 4K, the data indicates that reducing settings from Ultra to Medium can recover 23 FPS (from 51 to 74), which is the difference between a stuttery experience and a consistently smooth one.