Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti delivers a playable but heavily GPU-bound experience in Doom, with the benchmark data showing that the graphics card is the primary determinant of frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings. This combination ranks in the bottom 12% of all tested configurations, yet it still manages to produce smooth gameplay at 1080p and respectable results at 1440p, making it a viable entry-level setup for this title.

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 is a Zen 4 (Raphael) desktop processor built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, and it carries a 65 W TDP. The processor includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB L3 cache, with support for DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus providing 83.2 GB/s of bandwidth. In synthetic benchmarks, the 7700 scores 4,136 points in Cinebench R23 single-core and 29,302 points in multi-core, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs.

The 7700’s nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940H (deltaPct 0.1), AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (deltaPct 0.5), Intel Core i9-13905H (deltaPct -0.6), and Intel Core Ultra 5 235T (deltaPct 1.2). These small deltas confirm that the 7700 is squarely in the upper-midrange of CPU performance. However, in Doom, the CPU’s capability is largely underutilized. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 147.6 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 34.1 FPS — a 77% reduction that points squarely at GPU limitations rather than CPU throughput.

The 8-core/16-thread configuration is more than sufficient for Doom’s workload, which is primarily single-threaded in its rendering path. The high single-core score of 1,049 in 3DMark single-thread and 4,136 in Cinebench R23 single-core ensures that the CPU can feed frames to the GTX 1660 Ti without becoming a bottleneck, even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more pronounced. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any measured configuration.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a Turing-architecture GPU based on the TU116 chip, fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It features 1,536 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, with base and boost clocks of 1500 MHz and 1770 MHz respectively. The card is equipped with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its compute capability is rated at 5.437 TFLOPS for FP32, with pixel and texture rates of 84.96 GPixel/s and 169.9 GTexel/s.

In the GPU benchmark hierarchy, the GTX 1660 Ti sits at the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13,925. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 570X (deltaPct 0.4), NVIDIA Tesla K10 (deltaPct -0.7), NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (deltaPct 0.8), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 (deltaPct 0.8). These narrow margins show that the 1660 Ti is competitively positioned within its segment, but it is fundamentally a mid-range card that struggles at higher resolutions in Doom.

The GPU’s 6 GB VRAM is adequate for Doom at 1080p and 1440p, but the data reveals that memory bandwidth becomes a constraint at 4K. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is the same figure that limits performance when moving from Medium to Ultra settings, where the frame rate drops consistently across all resolutions. The GTX 1660 Ti’s boost clock of 1770 MHz is the key enabler for its 1080p performance, where it achieves 90.7 FPS at Ultra and 147.6 FPS at Low — the highest measured result in the entire dataset.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of AMD Ryzen 7 7700 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti ranks 1,478 out of 1,681 tested combinations in Doom, placing it in the bottom 12.1% of all configurations. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU’s 91st percentile standing is far above the GPU’s 55th percentile. The data indicates that pairing a high-end 8-core processor with a mid-range graphics card creates a significant performance imbalance in this game.

When compared to other combos in the database, this setup sits well below the median, meaning that most tested pairings deliver higher average frame rates. The rank reflects the GPU’s inability to maintain high FPS at 4K, where the best result is 51.4 FPS at Low settings — barely above the 50 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1080p, however, the combo performs respectably, with all settings exceeding 90 FPS, which places it in a playable range for competitive or fast-paced action.

The deltaPct values for the CPU’s rivals (ranging from -0.6 to 1.2) and the GPU’s rivals (ranging from -0.7 to 0.8) show that neither component is an outlier in its respective market tier. The low overall rank is therefore a function of the pairing itself, where the CPU’s headroom is wasted in a GPU-bound scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 147.6 FPS on Low, 127.9 FPS on Medium, 113.0 FPS on High, and 90.7 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a steady decline as settings increase, with a 38.5% drop from Low to Ultra, indicating that the GPU is being progressively more taxed by visual effects.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are 94.4 FPS on Low, 82.2 FPS on Medium, 71.3 FPS on High, and 59.3 FPS on Ultra. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs approximately 36% of performance at Low settings and 35% at Ultra, showing a consistent scaling penalty. The 59.3 FPS at 1440p Ultra remains above the 60 FPS target for smooth play, but just barely.

At 3840x2160, performance drops significantly: 51.4 FPS on Low, 43.4 FPS on Medium, 37.5 FPS on High, and 34.1 FPS on Ultra. These figures are below the 60 FPS threshold for all settings, and even the Low preset only achieves 51.4 FPS, which is marginal for a fast-paced FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 17.3 FPS, the smallest absolute difference across resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is hitting a hard performance ceiling rather than being limited by specific settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, performance falls from 147.6 FPS at 1080p to 94.4 FPS at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 51.4 FPS at 4K (a 65% reduction from 1080p). At Ultra settings, the drop is from 90.7 FPS at 1080p to 59.3 FPS at 1440p (35% reduction) and then to 34.1 FPS at 4K (62% reduction). This pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where pixel count directly determines frame rate.

The data shows that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is nearly linear — a 1.78x increase in pixels results in roughly a 1.5x decrease in FPS. However, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper, with a 2.25x pixel increase producing about a 1.8x FPS drop. This non-linearity suggests that the GTX 1660 Ti’s memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s becomes a more significant constraint at 4K, where the 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit bus are pushed to their limits.

The CPU’s influence on these results is negligible. If the Ryzen 7 7700 were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS at 1080p and 1440p, but the data shows consistent drops that align with GPU workload. The CPU’s high single-thread performance (1,049 in 3DMark single-thread) ensures that it can keep up with the GPU’s frame generation at all settings, confirming that the GTX 1660 Ti is the limiting component in this combination.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For this combo, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 113.0 FPS offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, as it remains well above the 60 FPS threshold while providing a significant upgrade over Medium’s 127.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 90.7 FPS is also playable, but the 20% FPS cost over High may not justify the marginal visual improvements in a fast-paced game like Doom.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 82.2 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while preserving reasonable visual fidelity. The High preset at 71.3 FPS is acceptable for players who prioritize image quality, but the Ultra preset at 59.3 FPS dips below the ideal threshold for smooth gameplay. For 4K, none of the presets deliver a fully smooth experience, with the Low preset at 51.4 FPS being the only option that approaches playability — though it sacrifices most visual effects.

The data suggests that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can handle Ultra settings at 90.7 FPS. For 1440p, Medium is the sweet spot, and for 4K, users should expect to run Low settings or reduce the resolution. The 6 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p Ultra but become limiting factors at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Doom?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the best resolution, with all settings presets achieving above 90 FPS, ranging from 147.6 FPS at Low to 90.7 FPS at Ultra.

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K smoothly?

A: No. The highest measured 4K result is 51.4 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings at 4K yield only 34.1 FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 Ti compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti has an average benchmark score of 13,925, with its closest rival being the AMD Radeon RX 570X at 13,871 (0.4% difference) and the NVIDIA Tesla K10 at 14,029 (-0.7% difference).

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7700 a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The CPU’s single-core score of 4,136 in Cinebench R23 and multi-core score of 29,302 indicate it is not the limiting factor. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with GPU-bound scaling.

Q: What settings preset delivers the highest FPS at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 achieves 94.4 FPS, which is the highest measured result at that resolution. Medium delivers 82.2 FPS, High delivers 71.3 FPS, and Ultra delivers 59.3 FPS.

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

A: At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 90.7 at 1080p to 34.1 at 4K, representing a 62.4% reduction in average frame rate.