Doom

# Doom — AMD Ryzen 7 7700X + AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT delivers a strongly playable Doom experience across all tested settings, with the combination ranking 1190th out of 1681 tested combos. The data reveals a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the 8-core/16-thread processor provides ample headroom for the game's engine at lower settings. At 1080p, the combo exceeds 115 FPS even on Ultra, making it a solid choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, though 4K Ultra demands compromises.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, but the pattern is telling. At 1080p High, the combo produces 144.1 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 91.7 FPS (a 36.4% reduction); and at 4K High, it falls to 51 FPS (a further 44.4% reduction from 1440p). This scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario — the RX 6600 XT's rendering workload grows quadratically with pixel count, while the CPU's frame production remains largely constant.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the spread from Low (195.1 FPS) to Ultra (115.4 FPS) is 79.7 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 48.7 FPS (121.7 Low vs 73 Ultra). At 4K, the spread compresses further to 24.1 FPS (65.7 Low vs 41.6 Ultra). This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is saturated even at Low settings, leaving little room for visual quality improvements without sacrificing frame rate.

The 4K Ultra result of 41.6 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS figure in the entire dataset, suggesting that 4K gaming with this combo requires either lowering settings or accepting a less-than-ideal frame pacing. The 4K Low result of 65.7 FPS proves the hardware can handle 4K, but only with significant graphical compromises. The data strongly suggests that 1440p is the sweet spot for this pairing, offering 91.7 FPS at High — a 79.9% improvement over the 4K High result.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 7700X brings 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This is a Zen 4 architecture part built on a 5 nm process, and its benchmark profile shows exceptional multi-threaded capability: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30325 and a single-core score of 4281. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1090 and 16-thread score of 8859 indicate strong per-core performance that Doom's engine can leverage.

In Doom, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the frame rate reaches 195.1 FPS. This high ceiling demonstrates that the processor is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions and settings. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34313, places it well above the median. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H, scores 34584 (0.8% higher), while the Intel Core i5-13500 scores 34175 (0.4% lower) — differences that are effectively negligible in gaming workloads.

The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (83.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide the memory subsystem bandwidth that Doom's texture streaming and physics calculations require. The CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 2112 versus its 4-thread score of 4074 shows solid scaling, but the game's performance at 4K is clearly not CPU-limited — the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at any given setting exceeds 60%, which cannot be attributed to processor limitations.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 6600 XT is the primary performance limiter in this combo, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2589 MHz and game clock of 2359 MHz, combined with 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs, produce a pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput of 10.60 TFLOPS gives it a 71st percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The GPU's benchmark scores paint a clear picture of its tier. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1804 and Passmark G3D score of 16461 place it alongside the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956 avg, 0.1% higher) and ahead of the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (27883 avg, 0.4% higher). The RTX 3070 scores 28238 (0.9% higher), showing the RX 6600 XT is competitive but not class-leading.

In Doom specifically, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity proves sufficient even at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate of 41.6 FPS is limited by compute throughput rather than memory capacity. The 4K High result of 51 FPS and 4K Medium of 57.4 FPS both remain above 40 FPS, suggesting the GPU can sustain playable frame rates at 4K with adjusted settings. The GPU's 160 W TDP and dual-slot design make it a manageable component, though the data shows that its performance ceiling is reached at 1440p High (91.7 FPS) where it delivers a smooth experience without excessive strain.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Low, the combo averages 65.7 FPS, and at 4K High it drops to 51 FPS. Only 4K Ultra falls below 60 FPS at 41.6 FPS, so 4K playable frame rates are achievable with reduced settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this pairing?

A: The data indicates 1440p is optimal. At High settings, it delivers 91.7 FPS, which is 79.9% higher than the 4K High result and still 36.4% lower than the 1080p High result, representing a balanced trade-off between visual fidelity and performance.

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

A: The Ryzen 7 7700X has an average benchmark score of 34313, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-13500 (34175) and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i7-12800HX (34136). It trails the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H by 0.8% and the AMD EPYC 4244P by 0.8%.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The resolution scaling data confirms this. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 64.6%, which is far larger than any CPU-related performance variation. The CPU's high multi-threaded scores suggest it has ample headroom.

Q: What settings should I use for a 60 FPS target at 4K?

A: The measured data shows that 4K Low (65.7 FPS) and 4K Medium (57.4 FPS) are the only 4K presets that approach or exceed 60 FPS. 4K High (51 FPS) and 4K Ultra (41.6 FPS) fall short.

Q: How does this combo rank overall?

A: It ranks 1190th out of 1681 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all system configurations tested in Doom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1190 out of 1681 tested configurations places it in the 29th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the RX 6600 XT's position as a mid-range GPU (71st percentile among GPUs) paired with a high-end CPU (89th percentile among CPUs). The discrepancy between CPU and GPU percentiles explains why the system's overall rank is lower than the CPU's individual standing — the GPU limits the system's gaming performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals — the Intel Core i5-13500, Intel Core i7-12800HX, Intel Core Ultra 7 165H, and AMD EPYC 4244P — all have average benchmark scores within 0.8% of the Ryzen 7 7700X, indicating that swapping the CPU for any of these would produce nearly identical Doom frame rates. The GPU's nearest rivals — the GTX 980 Ti, R9 M395X, RTX 3070, and FirePro S7150 — similarly cluster within 1.5% of the RX 6600 XT's average score, meaning the GPU's relative performance is closely matched by several alternatives.

In practical terms, this ranking suggests the combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming but underperforms at 4K. The 1190th rank out of 1681 combos is heavily influenced by the GPU's mid-range positioning; systems with higher-ranked GPUs would achieve better 4K results, while systems with lower-ranked CPUs but similar GPUs would see minimal difference in Doom.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 115.4 FPS, which is 28.7 FPS lower than High (144.1 FPS) but still well above 60 FPS. Given the small performance penalty relative to the visual improvement, Ultra is the recommended preset at 1080p for users with high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, the High preset (91.7 FPS) offers the best balance, providing a 25.6% improvement over Ultra (73 FPS) while maintaining visual quality. The Medium preset (108.2 FPS) is also viable for users prioritizing frame rate over fidelity, but High's 91.7 FPS is already smooth for most displays. The Low preset (121.7 FPS) offers diminishing returns unless targeting 120 Hz or higher refresh rates.

At 4K, the Medium preset (57.4 FPS) is the highest quality setting that approaches 60 FPS, while Low (65.7 FPS) provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. High (51 FPS) and Ultra (41.6 FPS) are only suitable for users with adaptive sync displays or those willing to accept sub-60 FPS gameplay. Given that 4K Medium is only 12.6% slower than 4K Low but offers substantially better visuals, Medium is the recommended 4K preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 195.1 FPS, Medium produces 169 FPS (13.4% lower), High produces 144.1 FPS (26.1% lower than Low), and Ultra produces 115.4 FPS (40.9% lower than Low). All 1080p presets exceed 115 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows clear GPU scaling. Low settings deliver 121.7 FPS, Medium delivers 108.2 FPS (11.1% lower), High delivers 91.7 FPS (24.7% lower), and Ultra delivers 73 FPS (40.0% lower than Low). The 1440p results are 37.6% to 40.8% lower than their 1080p counterparts, consistent with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low settings produce 65.7 FPS, Medium produces 57.4 FPS (12.6% lower), High produces 51 FPS (22.4% lower), and Ultra produces 41.6 FPS (36.7% lower than Low). The 4K results are 46.1% to 63.9% lower than their 1080p counterparts, with the Ultra preset showing the largest relative drop. The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step roughly halves the frame rate at a given setting, confirming the GPU as the limiting component.