Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D and AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT combination delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, but 4K requires compromises. The measured data shows a clear progression: at 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 115.9 FPS at Ultra to 191.5 FPS at Low, while at 2560x1440, the span is 75.4 FPS to 124.7 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the averages drop to between 42.5 FPS and 68 FPS depending on the preset. This pattern indicates a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, a common trait for this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS cost of moving from 1080p to 4K is steep. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 143.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 90.2 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 53 FPS. Pushing to 3840x2160 High brings the average down to 51.7 FPS, which is a 91.5 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling is consistent across all presets, though the percentage drop varies slightly. For Low settings, the fall from 191.5 FPS at 1080p to 124.7 FPS at 1440p and then to 68 FPS at 4K shows that even the least demanding preset cannot maintain high refresh rates at the top resolution.

The data suggests that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot for this hardware. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is noticeable but manageable, with High settings still delivering over 90 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K, however, is where the RX 6600 XT starts to struggle, as the pixel count increase demands significantly more from the GPU. At 4K, the frame rates fall below the 60 FPS threshold for High and Ultra presets, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor. The 1080p results, particularly at Medium and Low, show frame rates well above 144 Hz, suggesting that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU efficiently at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT is the primary driver of performance in Doom, especially at higher resolutions. Its specifications include 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The boost clock is listed at 2589 MHz, with a game clock of 2359 MHz. These figures place the GPU in the 71st percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 27985 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, which scores 27956, a delta of just 0.1%. The RTX 3070, by comparison, scores 28238, which is 0.9% higher.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Doom at the tested settings, as the game's textures and effects do not appear to exceed this limit at 4K Ultra. The data shows a steady decline in FPS as settings increase at each resolution, which aligns with the GPU's compute capabilities. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra is 25.5 FPS (68 FPS vs 42.5 FPS), highlighting how the GPU's shading units and ROPs are taxed by the higher visual fidelity. The pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s and texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s are the raw metrics that determine how quickly the card can fill the screen, and the benchmark results indicate these are adequate for 1440p but insufficient for a locked 60 FPS at 4K on higher presets.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D provides ample processing power for Doom, a title that is not heavily threaded. With 8 cores and 16 threads, and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, the CPU's benchmark scores are strong. Its average benchmark score is 31580, placing it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12700F, scores 31543, a delta of only 0.1%, meaning the 7800X3D is effectively tied with that chip in synthetic tests. The AMD Ryzen 9 5980HX and Ryzen 7 8700G score 31495 and 31407, respectively, with deltas of 0.3% and 0.6%.

In the measured FPS data, the CPU's influence is most apparent at 1080p, where frame rates reach as high as 191.5 FPS on Low settings. This suggests the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls without becoming a bottleneck. The large L3 cache of 96 MB shared likely helps maintain high minimum frame rates, though the data does not include min FPS values. The fact that the 1080p Ultra preset still achieves 115.9 FPS indicates that even with high graphical loads, the CPU is not limiting performance. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes further, as the GPU's workload dominates the frame time budget.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 as the most balanced choice. At High settings, the average FPS is 90.2, which is well above the 60 FPS standard. 1080p offers higher frame rates (143.2 FPS at High), but 1440p provides a sharper image while still maintaining high fluidity. 4K is playable, but only with Low settings at 68 FPS average.

Q: How does the RX 6600 XT compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RX 6600 XT's average benchmark score of 27985 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti's 27956, a delta of 0.1%. It is 0.9% slower than the RTX 3070, which scores 28238. The AMD Radeon R9 M395X is 0.4% slower, scoring 27883.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 7800X3D a bottleneck for the RX 6600 XT in this game?

A: Based on the FPS data, the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 191.5 FPS, which demonstrates the CPU's capability. The CPU's average benchmark score of 31580 puts it in the 87th percentile, and it is only 0.1% faster than the Intel Core i7-12700F.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The difference is 14.8 FPS. High settings average 90.2 FPS, while Ultra settings average 75.4 FPS. This is a meaningful drop, so choosing High over Ultra can help maintain a higher refresh rate on a 144 Hz monitor.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 68, which is playable. At 4K Medium, it drops to 59.7 FPS. High and Ultra settings yield 51.7 FPS and 42.5 FPS, respectively, which may feel less smooth. The GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU scores 959 in the 3dmark single thread test and 7980 in the 16-thread test. In Cinebench R23, it scores 4115 single-core and 29149 multi-core. This indicates strong single-thread performance, which is beneficial for games like Doom that rely on a few fast cores.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates is as follows:

• 3840x2160: Low 68 FPS, Medium 59.7 FPS, High 51.7 FPS, Ultra 42.5 FPS.
• 2560x1440: Low 124.7 FPS, Medium 107.2 FPS, High 90.2 FPS, Ultra 75.4 FPS.
• 1920x1080: Low 191.5 FPS, Medium 169 FPS, High 143.2 FPS, Ultra 115.9 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in settings costs a similar amount of performance at a given resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 75.6 FPS. At 1440p, that difference is 49.3 FPS. At 4K, it narrows to 25.5 FPS. This narrowing suggests that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so heavily loaded that the relative cost of each setting level is smaller, but the absolute frame rates are lower. The 1080p Low result of 191.5 FPS is the highest recorded, while the 4K Ultra result of 42.5 FPS is the lowest.

Settings Recommendations

For a 144 Hz monitor at 1920x1080, the High preset at 143.2 FPS is the ideal choice, as it provides a smooth experience without the performance cost of Ultra. The Medium preset at 169 FPS is also viable if you prefer higher frame rates, but the visual difference may be noticeable. At 2560x1440, High settings at 90.2 FPS offer the best balance of image quality and fluidity. The Ultra preset at 75.4 FPS is playable, but the drop below 80 FPS may be felt on high refresh rate displays. For 4K, the data suggests using Low settings, which yield 68 FPS, or Medium at 59.7 FPS if you can tolerate a slightly lower frame rate. High and Ultra at 4K are not recommended, as they fall to 51.7 FPS and 42.5 FPS, respectively, which can impair the fast-paced gameplay of Doom. The data indicates that this system is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for less demanding presets.