Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Doom, with the data showing a clear transition from CPU-bound performance at 1080p to GPU-bound performance at 4K. The measured FPS across the four settings presets reveals a system that scales predictably with resolution, maintaining playable frame rates even at the most demanding 4K Ultra configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic scaling curve for this hardware combination. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-limited, with the Ryzen 7 9700F's strong single-thread performance pushing frame rates to extremes. The Low preset at 1080p hits 264 FPS, while High drops to 194 FPS, indicating that the GPU is not the primary constraint at this resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial — 264 FPS versus 159 FPS — which represents a 39.8% performance drop when moving to the highest quality settings.

Moving to 1440p, the scaling pattern changes. The Low preset delivers 171 FPS, which is a 35.2% reduction from the 1080p Low result. This larger drop suggests the GPU is beginning to take on more of the workload, though the CPU still has headroom. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces 103 FPS, a 35.2% decrease from the 1080p Ultra result of 159 FPS. The consistent percentage drops across settings at 1440p indicate a balanced transition phase where neither component is fully saturated.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the definitive limiting factor. The Low preset drops to 93 FPS, a 45.6% reduction from 1440p Low. The High preset at 4K manages 68 FPS, while Ultra falls to 56 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows the RX 7700 XT's 12 GB memory buffer and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth being taxed heavily by the increased pixel count. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 37 FPS, or 39.8%, which mirrors the 1080p spread but at a much lower absolute performance level.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads can fully express themselves. At 4K, the GPU's 35.17 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the bottleneck, and users seeking higher frame rates would need to reduce settings or resolution.

GPU Role

The Radeon RX 7700 XT features a base clock of 1435 MHz and a boost clock of 2544 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2171 MHz. These clocks are relevant to the measured results, as the GPU's ability to maintain boost frequencies under load directly impacts the frame rates seen in the data. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for the textures and effects in Doom at 4K, though the Ultra preset at 56 FPS suggests the memory subsystem is approaching its limits.

The GPU's 3456 shading units and 216 texture mapping units contribute to the raw fill rates of 244.2 GPixel/s and 549.5 GTexel/s respectively. These specifications explain why the 4K Medium preset achieves 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS — the GPU has enough texture throughput to handle the moderate quality settings without significant stutters. The 96 ROPs are responsible for the pixel output, and the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the 56 FPS average is constrained by the pixel processing pipeline.

The RX 7700 XT's 54 ray accelerators are present but not heavily utilized in Doom, as the game's rendering engine primarily relies on traditional rasterization. The 5 nm process node from TSMC allows the GPU to maintain high clock speeds, which is evident in the 1440p High result of 126 FPS. The GPU's 67th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it sits in the upper-midrange segment, and the nearestRivals data confirms it trades blows with NVIDIA's RTX 5060 Mobile (0.5% faster) and RTX 4060 Mobile (0.8% slower).

The VRAM allocation is a key factor in the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the game likely requires close to the full 12 GB buffer, and the 56 FPS average suggests the GPU is swapping or compressing textures to fit within memory constraints. At 4K Low, the 93 FPS result indicates that reduced texture quality alleviates the memory pressure, allowing the GPU to focus on compute rather than memory management.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 9700F and RX 7700 XT ranks 1054 out of 2930 tested combinations in Doom, placing it in the 64.0th percentile of all combos. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the pairing — neither component is severely bottlenecking the other in most scenarios. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs is higher than the GPU's 67th percentile, indicating that the GPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing.

The CPU's nearestRivals data shows it performs nearly identically to the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% faster), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% slower), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% faster). This clustering suggests that the Ryzen 7 9700F is well-positioned in the desktop CPU market, and its multi-threaded score of 36470 in PassMark supports this. The GPU's nearestRivals show a similar tight grouping, with the RX 7700 XT being 0.5% slower than the RTX 5060 Mobile and 0.8% faster than the RTX 4060 Mobile.

The combo rank of 1054 out of 2930 means that 1876 other combinations outperform this pairing in Doom. This is primarily due to the GPU's midrange positioning — many higher-tier GPUs paired with similar or lesser CPUs will produce higher frame rates. However, the data shows that this combo is well-balanced for its price segment, with no single component creating an obvious bottleneck that would waste the other's potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows the following average FPS results: Low preset achieves 264 FPS, Medium achieves 230 FPS with a minimum of 196 FPS and maximum of 265 FPS, High achieves 194 FPS, and Ultra achieves 159 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 196 FPS indicates consistent frame pacing even during intense combat sequences. The spread from Low to Ultra is 105 FPS, which represents a 39.8% performance penalty for maximum quality settings.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low preset delivers 171 FPS, Medium delivers 149 FPS with a minimum of 127 FPS and maximum of 171 FPS, High delivers 126 FPS, and Ultra delivers 103 FPS. The Medium preset's maximum of 171 FPS matches the Low preset's average, showing that the GPU can occasionally hit its full potential even at higher settings. The 68 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1440p is proportionally similar to the 1080p spread.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals: Low preset manages 93 FPS, Medium delivers 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS and maximum of 93 FPS, High achieves 68 FPS, and Ultra drops to 56 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 69 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset's 56 FPS average falls below this threshold, making it less ideal for competitive play. The 37 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is the smallest absolute spread across all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only up to High settings. The measured data shows 68 FPS at 4K High and 81 FPS at 4K Medium. The Ultra preset drops to 56 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered smooth for FPS games.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play with this hardware?

A: The data indicates 1080p is optimal for competitive play, with all presets exceeding 159 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 264 FPS, which provides the lowest input latency for fast-paced action.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700F compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996 in average benchmark, which is 0.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875), 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70163), and 0.7% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515).

Q: Is the RX 7700 XT's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for Doom at 4K?

A: The data suggests it is sufficient but tight. At 4K Ultra, the 56 FPS average indicates memory pressure, while 4K Low achieves 93 FPS. The 12 GB buffer is adequate for High settings at 4K, but Ultra pushes the memory subsystem to its limits.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 69 FPS at 4K Medium settings. All other presets either have no reported minimum or maintain averages above 56 FPS, indicating the system generally avoids severe frame drops.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Doom?

A: This pairing ranks 1054 out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the 64th percentile. The ranking reflects the GPU's midrange positioning, as 1876 other combinations achieve higher frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 194 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 159 FPS is also viable for those prioritizing image quality, as it still exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors. The Low preset at 264 FPS is recommended for esports players who prioritize maximum frame rates over visual fidelity, as the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures minimal input lag.

At 1440p, the High preset at 126 FPS is the sweet spot for most users, providing excellent visual quality while maintaining frame rates above 120 FPS. The Ultra preset at 103 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced exploration, but the Medium preset at 149 FPS offers a better experience for fast-paced combat scenarios. The Low preset at 171 FPS is reserved for competitive play where maximum responsiveness is required.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset at 81 FPS is the recommended choice, as it maintains a minimum of 69 FPS and provides a smooth experience. The High preset at 68 FPS is also playable, but the lower minimum frame rates during intense scenes may cause noticeable hitches. The Ultra preset at 56 FPS is not recommended for this resolution, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset at 93 FPS is viable for users who prioritize frame rate over visual detail, but the visual downgrade may be too significant for a game like Doom.

The data shows that the Medium preset consistently provides the most balanced experience across all resolutions, with minimum frame rates that are only 14-16% below the average. This consistency suggests that the Medium preset is the most stable configuration for this hardware combo, avoiding the potential frame time spikes that can occur at Ultra settings. For users with variable refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset's tight frame pacing will produce the smoothest visual experience.