Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 in Doom reveal a pronounced dependency on resolution. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combination produces an average of 92 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the average drops to 59 FPS, a reduction of 33 frames. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 32 FPS. This progression shows a clear pattern: each step up in resolution roughly halves the headroom available, with the 4K result representing only about a third of the 1080p performance.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is a 35.9% reduction in average FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K at Low is another 45.8% reduction. These are steep declines, suggesting that the GPU is the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises. The GTX 1650 has a 128-bit memory bus and 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which directly limits how quickly texture data can be fed at higher resolutions. The 4 GB GDDR5 frame buffer also becomes a factor, as the increased memory pressure at 4K forces the card to work harder per frame.

When comparing the medium preset, the data shows 80 FPS at 1080p, 52 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is merely 35% of the 1080p figure. For the High preset, the numbers are 68, 44, and 24 FPS respectively. The Ultra preset yields 55, 36, and 19 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases, indicating that the GPU’s compute resources—896 shading units and 32 ROPs—are saturated quickly when both pixel count and graphical complexity rise.

The shape of this scaling curve suggests that the CPU, with 8 cores and 16 threads based on Zen 5 architecture, is not the limiting factor at most tested settings. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates across resolutions, particularly at lower settings where the GPU has less work. Instead, the FPS continues to drop steadily, which aligns with a GPU-bound scenario. The only configuration where the CPU could become more relevant is at 1080p Low, where 92 FPS is high enough that frame pacing might be influenced by the processor, but the data does not include frametime measurements to confirm this.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is built on the Turing architecture using the TU117 chip on a 12 nm process. Its base clock is 1485 MHz with a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The memory runs at 2001 MHz, translating to 8 Gbps effective speed across a 128-bit bus. This yields a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s, which is modest by modern standards and directly impacts performance in memory-heavy scenes.

In Doom, the GPU’s role is dominant across all measured settings. The pixel rate is 53.28 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 93.24 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 2.984 TFLOPS. These specifications explain why the card struggles at 4K: it simply does not have the raw throughput to fill 8.3 million pixels per frame while maintaining playable frame rates. The Ultra preset at 4K produces an average of 19 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

The GPU’s 4 GB memory capacity is another critical factor. Doom at 4K with higher settings can exceed this capacity, forcing the card to rely on slower memory management. The measured minimum FPS of 24 at 4K Medium compared to the average of 28 suggests occasional spikes in memory pressure. At 1080p, the memory size is less of a constraint, which is why the card performs more respectably there—92 FPS at Low and 80 FPS at Medium.

The GTX 1650 sits at the 40th percentile among all GPUs based on benchmark scores, with an average benchmark score of 7472. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 8850M with a delta of 0.3%, the Intel UHD Graphics 750 at 0.4%, and the AMD Radeon R7 350 at 0.6%. The Intel Arc A310 is 1% behind. This positioning confirms that the GTX 1650 is a low-tier card, and the Doom results reflect that reality. The card’s DirectX 12 benchmark score of 35 and DirectX 11 score of 58 show that it handles older APIs better, which is relevant for Doom’s engine.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for optimizing the playable experience with this hardware. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 92 FPS average, which is smooth and responsive. The Medium preset drops to 80 FPS, still a comfortable margin above 60. The High preset at 68 FPS remains playable. The Ultra preset falls to 55 FPS, which is borderline for fast-paced FPS gameplay but may be acceptable for some users.

At 2560x1440, the picture changes. Low settings produce 59 FPS, barely above the 60 FPS target. Medium drops to 52 FPS, and High to 44 FPS. Ultra is at 36 FPS, which is likely too low for competitive play. For 1440p users, the Low preset is the only option that consistently stays near the 60 FPS mark. The data shows a minimum of 44 FPS for Medium at this resolution, indicating that frame drops are common.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves playable frame rates. The best result is Low at 32 FPS, followed by Medium at 28 FPS, High at 24 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS. These numbers are all below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for a playable experience, and they would likely feel sluggish in a game like Doom that requires quick reactions.

The recommended approach is to prioritize 1080p with the Medium preset. This yields 80 FPS average with a minimum of 68 FPS, providing a good balance between visual fidelity and smoothness. The High preset is a viable alternative if visual quality is paramount, offering 68 FPS average. The Ultra preset should be avoided, as the 55 FPS average is too close to the threshold where framerate dips become noticeable, and the increased visual load does not justify the performance cost. For 1440p, the Low preset is the only practical choice, and for 4K, the combination is not suited for this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The average FPS is 80, with a minimum of 68 and a maximum of 92, based on the measured data.

Q: Can this hardware run Doom at 4K smoothly?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 3840x2160 is 32 on Low settings, and the Ultra preset produces an average of 19 FPS, which is not playable.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A310?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472, while the Intel Arc A310 has a delta of -1%, meaning the GTX 1650 is slightly ahead by 1%.

Q: What is the CPU’s benchmark percentile ranking?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is at the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69996.

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all presets exceed 55 FPS, making it the most viable for gameplay.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth?

A: The GTX 1650 has a memory bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s, which is a key constraint at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 2833 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the bottom 3.3% of all configurations. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU, which is a significant bottleneck. The CPU, in contrast, is a strong performer. The Ryzen 7 9700F has a multithread score of 36470 and a single-thread score of 4691 on PassMark, placing it at the 94th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 69996 is nearly ten times higher than the GPU’s average of 7472.

The disparity between the CPU and GPU performance is stark. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX with a delta of 0.2%, the Intel Core i7-14700KF at -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 0.7%. These are all high-end processors, confirming that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. The GPU’s nearest rivals are all low-end parts, further emphasizing the mismatch.

In the context of Doom, this rank means that most other tested combos will outperform this one. The low rank is expected given the GPU’s 40th percentile standing. However, the data shows that at 1080p, the combo is capable of delivering playable frame rates on most presets, which is a practical consideration for users with this hardware. The rank is a reflection of the overall capability across all tested configurations, not a judgment of whether the game is playable.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 9000 series, based on Zen 5 architecture with the Granite Ridge codename. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The L3 cache is 32 MB shared, and it supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. The CPU is unlocked, allowing for overclocking, and has a TDP of 65 W.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. Given the GPU’s limitations, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 92, which is high enough that the CPU’s single-thread performance could be a factor, but the data does not show a plateau that would indicate CPU saturation. The single-thread score of 4691 is strong, and the CPU’s 94th percentile ranking suggests it can handle the game’s requirements without issue.

The CPU’s performance relative to its rivals is tight. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. It is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-14700KF and 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core i7-14700K. These small deltas indicate that the 9700F is a competitive processor, and any differences in Doom’s frame rates would be negligible compared to the GPU’s impact.

The CPU’s 16 threads are beneficial for modern games that utilize multiple cores, but Doom is not particularly demanding in this regard. The game’s engine is optimized for high frame rates, and the CPU’s strong single-thread performance ensures that frame times remain consistent. The data shows that the CPU does not hinder the GPU at any resolution, as the FPS scales down with resolution rather than staying flat, which would indicate a CPU limit.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 92 FPS. The Medium preset averages 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 and a maximum of 92. The High preset averages 68 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 55 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 59 FPS. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 60. The High preset averages 44 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 36 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 32 FPS. The Medium preset averages 28 FPS, with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 32. The High preset averages 24 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 19 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step reduces the average FPS by roughly 35-45%, and each settings step within a resolution reduces it further. The Medium preset consistently sits between Low and High, with the minimum and maximum values providing a range of expected variance. The 1080p Medium minimum of 68 FPS is notable, as it indicates that the combo can maintain a playable framerate even during demanding scenes. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with no preset exceeding 32 FPS, confirming that this resolution is not viable for this hardware. The 1440p results are borderline, with only the Low preset approaching 60 FPS. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown clearly demonstrates that the GTX 1650 is the defining component, and the CPU’s capabilities are not fully utilized in this game.