Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT produces a revealing dataset for Doom, a 2016 FPS known for its demanding rendering. The CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads, built on the Zen 4 architecture with a 5 nm process, provide substantial processing headroom. With a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, the processor is well-equipped to handle the game’s simulation and draw-call workloads. The 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 83.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth (dual-channel DDR5) are notable assets, ensuring that the CPU can feed data to the GPU without creating a bottleneck in most scenarios.

The benchmark data suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU’s role is more pronounced, but the GPU ultimately dictates the frame rate ceiling. The 7700X’s multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30325, indicates it is not a limiting factor in Doom. Its single-thread score of 4281 in the same test further confirms its strength in handling the primary game thread. The processor’s 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34313, places it in the upper echelon of desktop processors, making it a capable partner for the Radeon RX 6650 XT.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X a bottleneck for the RX 6650 XT in this game?

A: The data indicates no. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 34313, which is 89th percentile among all CPUs. The measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 199, suggesting the GPU is the limiting factor, not the processor.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 7700X compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-13500?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700X has an average benchmark score of 34313, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-13500’s score of 34175. This is a negligible performance difference, indicating they are essentially equivalent in overall processing power.

Q: What is the best settings preset for the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: The "Low" preset provides the highest average FPS at 1920x1080, reaching 199 FPS. This is significantly higher than the "Ultra" preset, which averages 119.6 FPS at the same resolution.

Q: Does the GPU’s VRAM capacity affect performance at 4K?

A: The RX 6650 XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 280.3 GB/s bandwidth. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 51 on "High" settings, suggesting that the GPU’s memory and compute resources are heavily taxed at this resolution, which is consistent with its 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance relate to the game’s results?

A: The CPU’s strong single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4281, supports high frame rates by ensuring the main game logic isn’t a bottleneck. This is reflected in the high FPS at 1080p, where the CPU’s per-core speed is crucial.

Q: What is the performance difference between the "Medium" and "High" presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the "Medium" preset averages 110.8 FPS, while "High" averages 92.9 FPS. This represents a 17.9 FPS difference, showing that the "Medium" preset offers a substantial performance advantage while still maintaining likely acceptable visual quality.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear trend of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p, the combination is capable of very high frame rates, with the "Low" preset hitting an average of 199 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average FPS on "Low" drops to 131.2, a 34% decrease, indicating that the GPU is working harder to render more pixels. At 4K, the "Low" preset yields 69.4 FPS, which is a 47% drop from the 1440p result. This scaling pattern strongly suggests that the RX 6650 XT is the primary limiting component, as the CPU’s performance is sufficient to maintain high frame rates even at lower resolutions.

The transition from 1080p "Ultra" (119.6 FPS) to 1440p "Ultra" (80.2 FPS) shows a 39.4 FPS drop, while the move from 1440p "Ultra" to 4K "Ultra" (44.5 FPS) results in a 35.7 FPS drop. This consistent decline across settings highlights the GPU’s workload scaling with resolution. The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is more involved, but even then, the GPU's processing power is the deciding factor for the maximum achievable frame rate. At 4K, the GPU is clearly overburdened, making the CPU’s role almost irrelevant to the final FPS count.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Doom, this specific pairing of the Ryzen 7 7700X and RX 6650 XT holds a rank of 1085 out of 1681 total combinations. This placement indicates that while the hardware is competent, it is not at the top of the performance hierarchy for this game. The combo’s rank is likely influenced by the GPU’s mid-range positioning, as the CPU is a high-end part that could support a more powerful graphics card. The data suggests that this pairing is balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls behind more powerful combos at higher resolutions.

The 1085th rank out of 1681 combos means that roughly 64% of tested configurations outperform this one. This is not a poor result, but it contextualizes the system as a solid mid-range performer. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking contrasts with the GPU’s 72nd percentile, indicating a potential imbalance where the CPU is underutilized in this specific game. The benchmark results show that the system is capable of high frame rates at lower resolutions, but its overall rank is pulled down by the GPU’s limitations at 4K, where it averages only 44.5 FPS on "Ultra" settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. The "Low" preset averages 199 FPS, which is a high refresh-rate experience. "Medium" averages 173 FPS, "High" averages 147.6 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 119.6 FPS. This shows a clear scaling where each higher preset costs roughly 25-30 FPS. At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still respectable. "Low" averages 131.2 FPS, "Medium" averages 110.8 FPS, "High" averages 92.9 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 80.2 FPS. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, demonstrating the GPU’s increased workload.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The "Low" preset averages 69.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. "Medium" averages 63 FPS, "High" averages 51 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 44.5 FPS. The data shows that at 4K, only the "Low" preset approaches a playable frame rate, and even then, it is below the 70 FPS mark. The difference between 1080p "Low" and 4K "Low" is 129.6 FPS, a 65% reduction, highlighting the extreme sensitivity of this GPU to resolution scaling. The 1440p "High" preset at 92.9 FPS is a balanced choice, offering good visual quality while maintaining a frame rate above 90.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a 1080p display with a 144Hz refresh rate, the "High" preset at 147.6 FPS is the best choice, as it provides a smooth experience without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. The "Medium" preset at 173 FPS is also viable for those wanting a higher frame rate, but the step to "High" offers a better balance. The "Ultra" preset at 119.6 FPS is still playable, but it does not fully utilize a 144Hz panel.

For 1440p, the "Medium" preset at 110.8 FPS is recommended for a high-refresh-rate experience, particularly for 100Hz+ monitors. The "High" preset at 92.9 FPS is also suitable for a 90Hz display, providing better image quality. The "Ultra" preset at 80.2 FPS is the maximum visual quality setting that remains playable, but it may not be ideal for competitive play. At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The "Low" preset at 69.4 FPS is the only setting that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for a playable experience. The "Medium" preset at 63 FPS is also acceptable, but the "High" and "Ultra" presets at 51 and 44.5 FPS respectively are not recommended for smooth gameplay.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT, based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture and Navi 23 chip, is the primary determinant of frame rates in this test. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, clocked at 2190 MHz with an effective 17.5 Gbps data rate, provides a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. The GPU’s 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, along with a boost clock of 2635 MHz, deliver a compute performance of 10.79 TFLOPS. This hardware configuration places the GPU in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29024.

The GPU’s performance in Doom is consistent with its specifications. At 1080p, it is capable of high frame rates, but the scaling to 4K reveals its limitations. The data suggests that the RX 6650 XT is a mid-range card that excels at 1080p and is adequate for 1440p, but it is not designed for 4K gaming at high settings. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6800M and Intel Arc A370M, show similar average benchmark scores, with a deltaPct of 0 and -0.5 respectively, confirming its position in the performance hierarchy. The GPU’s end-of-life production status also indicates that it is a previous-generation part, which is reflected in its performance characteristics.