Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, but the data reveals a clear ceiling at 4K. The measured frame rates show a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance ensures high refresh rates at lower settings. The following analysis breaks down the scaling, the role of the components, and the optimal configurations based strictly on the measured data.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic and consistent drop in average frame rates across all settings, indicating that the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At the High preset, the average FPS falls from 155 at 1920x1080 to 101 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 54 FPS, and then plummets further to 54 at 3840x2160. This represents a 65% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K, a scaling pattern typical of a GPU that is saturated by pixel throughput demands.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced when examining the Low preset. At 1920x1080, the system produces an average of 211 FPS, which drops to 137 at 2560x1440 and then to 74 at 3840x2160. The absolute drop of 137 FPS from 1080p to 4K is the largest of any preset, suggesting that at lower graphical loads, the GPU is still the bottleneck, but the CPU’s headroom allows for massive frame rates at 1080p that cannot be sustained as the GPU workload increases. This indicates that while the Ryzen 7 9700X is capable of feeding the GPU at 1080p, the RX 9060’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are quickly overwhelmed at higher resolutions.

The Medium preset data provides additional insight into the scaling curve. The average FPS at 1920x1080 is 184, which drops to 119 at 2560x1440 and then to 65 at 3840x2160. The relative performance loss from 1440p to 4K is roughly 45%, which is steeper than the 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p. This non-linear degradation suggests that the GPU’s 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus become increasingly stressed at 4K, leading to diminishing returns as resolution scales. The Ultra preset follows the same pattern, with averages of 127 at 1080p, 82 at 1440p, and 45 at 4K, confirming that the RX 9060 is the definitive bottleneck at 4K regardless of settings.

The data strongly suggests that the Ryzen 7 9700X is not a limiting factor in this game. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a single-thread score of 1280 in 3dmark and a Geekbench single-core score of 3023, indicate excellent per-core performance. Yet, the FPS scaling shows no sign of a CPU plateau, as even the lowest 4K average of 45 FPS on Ultra is far above what would indicate a CPU constraint. The game is clearly bound by the GPU’s pixel and texture processing capabilities, particularly at 2560x1440 and above.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 211, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The Medium preset reaches 184 FPS, while High and Ultra produce 155 FPS and 127 FPS, respectively.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 45. This is the lowest recorded average in the dataset, indicating that 4K Ultra is not a viable configuration for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in Doom?

A: The data indicates the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, while the Ryzen 7 9700X’s strong single-thread performance (e.g., 3dmark single-thread score of 1280) suggests it has ample headroom.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 137 FPS, whereas the Ultra preset averages 82 FPS. This is a difference of 55 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for higher graphical fidelity.

Q: Are there any recorded minimum FPS values for the Medium preset?

A: Yes, the Medium preset has recorded minimum FPS values: 156 at 1920x1080, 101 at 2560x1440, and 55 at 3840x2160. These minimums are relatively close to the averages, suggesting stable frame pacing.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1686 out of 2930 tested combinations. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, reflecting its mid-range GPU performance despite the capable CPU.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 plays the decisive role in this system’s Doom performance, as evidenced by the measured FPS scaling. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a likely contributor to the performance cliff seen at 4K, where the frame rates drop below 75 FPS even on the Low preset. The 8 GB capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p with the tested settings, but the high-resolution textures and increased pixel load at 3840x2160 appear to strain the memory subsystem.

Clock speeds also play a part in the GPU’s behavior. The base clock is listed at 1700 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz and a boost clock of 2990 MHz. The substantial difference between base and boost clocks suggests that the card is designed to run at high frequencies under load, which is reflected in the strong 1080p results. However, the boost clock cannot compensate for the raw compute limitations at higher resolutions. The GPU’s FP32 performance is rated at 21.43 TFLOPS, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but insufficient for maintaining high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings.

The GPU’s benchmark scores contextualize its performance. Its Passmark G3D score is 17631, and its 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3322. These scores place it at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-range part. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, has an average benchmark score of 16129, which is only 0.7% higher than the RX 9060’s 16014. This parity explains why the RX 9060 behaves like a capable 1080p/1440p card but struggles at 4K, a characteristic shared by its performance class.

The interaction between the GPU and the CPU is also notable. The Ryzen 7 9700X supports PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes, which provides ample bandwidth for the RX 9060’s PCIe 5.0 x16 interface. This ensures that data transfer is not a bottleneck, allowing the GPU to operate at its full potential. The GPU’s 132 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU indicate it is a power-efficient part, but the data shows that its performance envelope is strictly limited by its compute and memory resources, not by power delivery.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance, with all presets exceeding 120 FPS on average. The Low preset leads with an average of 211 FPS, followed by Medium at 184 FPS, High at 155 FPS, and Ultra at 127 FPS. The Medium preset also records a minimum FPS of 156 and a maximum of 212, showing tight frame pacing. The difference between Low and Ultra is 84 FPS, indicating that while the CPU can push high frame rates, the GPU’s shading and texture work at Ultra settings still imposes a notable cost.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages scale down but remain playable. The Low preset averages 137 FPS, Medium 119 FPS, High 101 FPS, and Ultra 82 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum FPS is 101, which is identical to the High preset’s average, showing that the gap between settings narrows as resolution increases. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with an average reduction of roughly 35-40%, further confirming the GPU’s role as the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset averages 74 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration above 60 FPS. Medium averages 65 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS, placing it on the edge of smooth gameplay. High averages 54 FPS, and Ultra drops to 45 FPS. These numbers show that 4K gaming is only feasible with Low or Medium settings, and even then, the frame rates are marginal for competitive play. The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 29 FPS, compared to 84 FPS at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is so saturated at 4K that settings changes have a diminished impact.

The minimum FPS data for the Medium preset provides valuable insight into stability. At 1080p, the minimum of 156 FPS is close to the average of 184, suggesting consistent performance. At 1440p, the minimum of 101 FPS matches the High preset’s average, indicating that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate does not collapse. However, at 4K, the minimum of 55 FPS is significantly lower than the average of 65 FPS, showing that occasional drops below 60 FPS are likely, which could cause noticeable stuttering.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 9060 ranks 1686 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the 42nd percentile of all combinations, meaning it outperforms roughly 42% of the tested systems. This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU’s mid-range standing, as the CPU is a high-performing part. The Ryzen 7 9700X alone ranks in the 86th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14901E with a deltaPct of 0.1% and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with a deltaPct of 0.1%, showing that the CPU is competitive with top-tier parts.

In contrast, the GPU’s ranking is lower. The RX 9060 sits in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, is only 0.7% faster, while the AMD Radeon R9 370X is 1% slower. This positions the GPU as a competent mid-range option, but not one that can boost the combo to the upper echelons of the ranking.

The disparity between the CPU and GPU rankings explains the combo’s overall position. In Doom, which is a fast-paced FPS that benefits from high frame rates, the GPU is the dominant factor. The combo’s rank of 1686 suggests that while the CPU provides excellent headroom, the GPU’s performance ceiling prevents the system from breaking into the top tier. The data shows that the combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K performance is below average for the database, dragging down the overall rank. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (45 FPS) is a clear indicator that this combo is not optimized for high-resolution gaming, which is reflected in its lower-middle ranking.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 155 FPS. This provides a smooth experience on high refresh rate monitors while maintaining visual quality. The Ultra preset, at 127 FPS, is also viable, but the 28 FPS drop from High to Ultra may not justify the marginal graphical improvements. For players seeking maximum competitive advantage, the Low preset at 211 FPS is the best option, but it sacrifices visual fidelity for a significant frame rate boost.

At 2560x1440, the High preset remains the best balance, with an average of 101 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a good experience for most players. The Medium preset, at 119 FPS, offers a slight performance boost with minimal visual compromise, making it a strong alternative. The Ultra preset, at 82 FPS, is playable but approaches the lower limit for smoothness, and the Low preset, at 137 FPS, is suitable for competitive play but lacks the visual polish of High.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that only the Low preset is recommended, with an average of 74 FPS. This is the only 4K setting that consistently stays above 60 FPS, providing a playable experience. The Medium preset, at 65 FPS, is borderline, with a minimum FPS of 55, which may result in noticeable dips. The High and Ultra presets, at 54 FPS and 45 FPS respectively, are not recommended for smooth gameplay, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold. Players prioritizing 4K resolution should accept Low settings, while those who value visual quality should consider dropping to 1440p with High settings for a much better experience.