Doom

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 lands at rank 1686 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom. That places this pairing in the 42nd percentile of all combinations in the database, meaning roughly 58% of tested systems deliver higher average frame rates in this title. The ranking reflects a mid-pack position, not a top-tier result, but the context of the game matters: Doom is a well-optimized FPS that rewards both strong single-thread CPU performance and solid GPU throughput.

This combo sits in a curious spot. The CPU is far more capable than the GPU in absolute terms, which means the ranking is largely dictated by the graphics card's ceiling. The Ryzen 7 7700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is a high-end desktop part from the 7000 series, while the RX 9060 is an upper-midrange GPU from the Radeon RX 9000 series. The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios, as the CPU rarely bottlenecks even at lower resolutions. When comparing to other combos, the 1686th position out of 2930 indicates that while this system handles Doom competently, it does not compete with top-tier GPU pairings that push well beyond 200 FPS at 1080p.

Benchmark results show the CPU's average benchmark score of 35909 places it at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, with nearest rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (score 35802, delta 0.3%) and Intel Core 7 250H (score 35728, delta 0.5%) virtually identical in overall compute. The GPU's average benchmark score of 16014 lands at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (score 16129, delta -0.7%) as its closest competitor. This delta shows the RX 9060 is statistically indistinguishable from the RTX 3060 Ti in raw GPU benchmarks, which explains why the combo ranking is solid but not spectacular.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, manufactured on TSMC's 4 nm process. It carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective speed. The GPU's base clock is 1700 MHz, with a boost clock of 2990 MHz and a game clock of 2400 MHz. These clocks are relevant to Doom because the game's engine scales well with raw shader throughput, and the RX 9060 provides 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s are the specifications that drive fill-rate-heavy scenes in Doom's demonic arenas.

In Doom specifically, the GPU's role is dominant at higher resolutions. At 4K with Ultra settings, the combo delivers 45 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider playable. At 4K with High settings, the average climbs to 54 FPS, still not smooth. The RX 9060's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Doom's textures at these settings, as the game was released in 2016 and does not require massive memory pools. The GPU's compute performance, measured at 21.43 TFLOPS FP32, is adequate for the game's lighting and particle effects, but the card's overall throughput caps the frame rates.

The GPU benchmarks reinforce this picture. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 and PassMark G3D score of 17631 indicate a mid-range performer. The GPU's percentile of 59 among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the Radeon RX 7700 (score 15852, delta 1%) and Radeon Pro W5500 (score 15679, delta 2.1%), shows it is firmly in the middle of the pack. For Doom, this means the RX 9060 can handle 1080p and 1440p well, but 4K pushes it beyond its comfort zone, particularly on higher presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 211 FPS average. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 137 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 74 FPS, another 46% drop from 1440p. This scaling is steep and consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The CPU's single-thread performance, as shown in benchmarks like Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1987 and 3DMark single-thread score of 1090, is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the GPU's raw throughput becomes the bottleneck as pixel count rises.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings shows a similar trend: 155 FPS at 1080p drops to 101 FPS at 1440p, a 35% decrease. From 1440p to 4K High, the drop is from 101 FPS to 54 FPS, a 47% reduction. This consistent ~35-47% penalty per resolution step indicates the GPU is the limiting component across all settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would not degrade so sharply with resolution increases. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 211 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for this game, but at 4K Ultra, the 45 FPS result is purely a GPU constraint.

The resolution scaling also tells us about the GPU's memory bandwidth limitations. With 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the RX 9060 struggles to maintain frame rates at 4K, where data throughput demands are higher. The 128-bit bus is narrow compared to higher-end cards, and this shows in the 4K results. At 1080p and 1440p, the bandwidth is adequate, but at 4K, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient to sustain high frame rates on demanding presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers strong results across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 211 FPS, making for extremely smooth gameplay. Medium settings average 184 FPS, with a minimum of 156 FPS and a maximum of 212 FPS, showing good frame time consistency. High settings drop to 155 FPS average, still well above the 144 Hz refresh rate many monitors support. Ultra settings yield 127 FPS average, which remains playable for competitive play but shows the GPU's limitations as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain respectable but begin to show the GPU's mid-range nature. Low settings average 137 FPS, which is smooth for most players. Medium settings average 119 FPS, with a minimum of 101 FPS and a maximum of 137 FPS, indicating some variance but generally stable performance. High settings drop to 101 FPS average, which is still playable on 100 Hz monitors. Ultra settings fall to 82 FPS average, which is acceptable but not ideal for fast-paced FPS gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 74 FPS, which is playable but not smooth on high refresh rate displays. Medium settings average 65 FPS, with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS, showing noticeable frame time spikes. High settings drop to 54 FPS average, which is borderline for playability. Ultra settings yield just 45 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and will feel sluggish in Doom's fast combat scenarios. The data clearly shows that 4K is not this combo's target resolution for demanding settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700X is a Zen 4 architecture processor based on the Raphael codename, manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process with 6,570 million transistors on a 71 mm² die. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth, and the 105W TDP reflects its desktop performance focus.

In Doom, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The game is known for its id Tech 6 engine, which scales well with both single-thread and multi-thread performance. The 7700X's single-thread performance is excellent, as shown by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1987 and Geekbench single-core score of 2289. Multi-thread performance is also strong, with Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19088 and Geekbench multi-core score of 12451. These scores indicate the CPU can handle Doom's demands without bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions.

The 3DMark thread scaling results show the CPU's capability: 2-thread score of 2112, 4-thread score of 4074, 8-thread score of 7057, and max-thread score of 8852. This near-linear scaling up to 8 threads is ideal for Doom, which can utilize multiple cores for rendering tasks. The PassMark multi-thread score of 35686 and single-thread score of 4190 confirm the CPU's balanced performance. The CPU's percentile of 85 among all CPUs, with nearest rivals within 0.3-0.7% delta, shows it is a top-tier processor in absolute terms.

However, in this combo, the CPU's capabilities are underutilized at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 211 FPS result suggests the CPU is approaching its limit for this game, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The CPU's 32 MB L3 cache and high boost clock help maintain consistent frame times, but the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are the limiting factors in the most demanding scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, the High preset at 155 FPS average is the sweet spot for most players. It offers a significant visual improvement over Medium's 184 FPS while still maintaining frame rates well above 144 Hz. If the display is 240 Hz, the Low preset at 211 FPS is the better choice, but the visual fidelity loss is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 127 FPS is playable but does not provide enough of a visual upgrade over High to justify the 18% frame rate drop.

At 1440p, the High preset at 101 FPS is the recommended setting for players with 100 Hz or 120 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 119 FPS offers a smoother experience but with reduced visual quality. The Ultra preset at 82 FPS is playable but may feel less responsive in fast-paced combat. The Low preset at 137 FPS is only recommended for competitive players who prioritize frame rate over visuals.

At 4K, the data suggests this combo is not ideal for high settings. The Medium preset at 65 FPS is the highest playable option, but the minimum FPS of 55 indicates occasional dips below 60 FPS. The Low preset at 74 FPS provides a more stable experience, but the visual quality is compromised. The High preset at 54 FPS and Ultra preset at 45 FPS are below the playability threshold for most players. For 4K, the Low preset is the most practical choice, but players prioritizing visual fidelity should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p.

Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is the 1080p High preset, which balances visual quality and performance at 155 FPS average. For 1440p, the High preset at 101 FPS is the most balanced option. For 4K, the Low preset at 74 FPS is the only consistently playable option, but the experience is significantly better at lower resolutions. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for less demanding titles or lower settings.