Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 presents a notable imbalance in the 2016 title Doom. The data shows a processor with substantial headroom paired with a graphics card that, while historically capable, is firmly in the mid-range by modern standards. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings tell a clear story about which component is the primary driver of performance in this specific combination.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly indicates a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combination produces 95 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at Ultra drops that figure to 61 FPS, a 35.8% reduction. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average falls further to 33 FPS, which is a 65.3% drop from the 1080p result. This steep decline as resolution increases is the classic signature of a graphics card struggling to fill the increasing pixel count.

The trend is consistent across all settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 137 at 1080p, to 89 at 1440p, and finally to 48 at 4K. Similarly, with High settings, the numbers are 116, 75, and 41 for each respective resolution. The consistent pattern across the board confirms that the GeForce GTX 1070's rendering throughput is the limiting factor. The CPU's workload does not scale with resolution in the same way, meaning its performance ceiling remains constant while the GPU's workload increases dramatically.

This behavior indicates that for a gamer using this combo, lowering resolution is the most direct way to gain performance. The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is significant, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is even more punishing. The 4K results are largely unplayable for smooth action, while 1440p offers a compromise between visual clarity and frame rate, and 1080p provides the highest frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is built on the Pascal architecture with a GP104 chip. Its specifications include 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. The card has a base clock of 1506 MHz and a boost clock of 1683 MHz. It features 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. These specs place the card in the 47th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 9780.

The GPU's VRAM capacity of 8 GB is not a limiting factor in these tests. The measured results show no anomalies that would suggest memory capacity is an issue at any of the tested resolutions, even at 4K Ultra. The bottleneck is purely the computational power of the GP104 chip. The card's FP32 performance is rated at 6.463 TFLOPS, and the benchmark results show its DirectX 12 score is only 48 (out of what the passmark score implies is a 100-point scale for the best card), while its DirectX 11 score is 100. This suggests that the card is more efficient in older APIs, which is relevant for a game like Doom that can use Vulkan, though the data here does not specify the API used for these specific measurements.

The performance ceiling of the GTX 1070 is clearly exposed in the 4K results. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is only 55, which is far from the high refresh rates achievable at lower resolutions. The data suggests that the card's 256.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 6.463 TFLOPS of compute are simply insufficient for 4K gaming in this title. The card performs best at 1080p, where it can push frame rates well above 100 FPS on most settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a modern 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The processor features 32 MB of shared L3 cache and uses a 4 nm process. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and a single-core score of 2211. It sits in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943.

In this specific game and combo, the CPU's role appears to be supportive rather than limiting. The frame rates scale so heavily with resolution and settings that it is clear the GTX 1070 is the bottleneck. For example, at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 158 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the Ryzen 7 9700X is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach that level. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates regardless of resolution, which is not the case.

The 16 threads of the Ryzen 7 9700X are more than sufficient for Doom. The game engine is known for scaling well with multiple cores, but even a quad-core processor from the same era could handle it. The data shows that from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings, the frame rate drops, which is a direct result of the GPU's workload increasing, not the CPU. The Ryzen 7 9700X is providing ample headroom, ensuring that the GPU is the sole determinant of performance in this pairing. The processor's single-thread performance, as evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280, is also excellent for the game's main thread.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance for this combo across four settings presets and three resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 158 FPS average
• Medium: 137 FPS average (with a minimum of 117 and a maximum of 158)
• High: 116 FPS average
• Ultra: 95 FPS average

The 1080p results show a clear hierarchy, with a 63 FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings. The minimum FPS recorded for Medium is 117, which is still very high, indicating consistent performance even during intense scenes.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop significantly:

• Low: 102 FPS average
• Medium: 89 FPS average (with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 102)
• High: 75 FPS average
• Ultra: 61 FPS average

The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 30-35% of the frame rate at each setting. The Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS, which is a critical threshold for many fast-paced shooters. The Medium preset remains playable, though its minimum FPS dips to 75.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1070 is clearly overwhelmed:

• Low: 55 FPS average
• Medium: 48 FPS average (with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 55)
• High: 41 FPS average
• Ultra: 33 FPS average

The 4K results are uniformly below the 60 FPS target. Even at Low settings, the average is only 55 FPS, and the Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 33 FPS. The data shows that this combination is not suited for 4K gaming in Doom, as the GPU lacks the raw power to maintain smooth frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this combo?

A: Based on the data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution. It is the only resolution where all settings presets achieve an average FPS above 90, with Low reaching 158 FPS and Ultra at 95 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p gaming?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 2560x1440, Low and Medium settings achieve playable frame rates of 102 and 89 FPS respectively. High settings drop to 75 FPS, and Ultra dips to 61 FPS, which is on the edge of playability.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with the GTX 1070?

A: No. The data shows that at 3840x2160, even Low settings only produce an average of 55 FPS. The Ultra preset is severely limited at 33 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X bottlenecking the GTX 1070?

A: No. The frame rate scaling with resolution indicates a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's performance is sufficient to drive the GPU to its maximum potential, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 158 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 95 FPS. This represents a 63 FPS difference, or about a 40% performance gain when using Low settings.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 9780. Its closest rival, the AMD FirePro W5000, has a score of 9803, which is 0.2% higher. The NVIDIA Quadro M2000M scores 9832, which is 0.5% higher.

Settings Recommendations

For a balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the most sensible choice. It delivers 137 FPS average, which is well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors. The minimum FPS for this setting is 117, ensuring that frame times remain consistent and smooth during action sequences. The visual upgrade from Low to Medium is significant in terms of texture detail and shadow quality, and the performance cost is a drop from 158 to 137 FPS, which is hardly noticeable in practice.

If the user prefers maximum visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 1080p is still viable. The 95 FPS average is high enough for a smooth experience on a 144Hz monitor, and the visual enhancements are the best the game offers. However, the gap between High and Ultra is small in Doom, and the 21 FPS difference between them (116 vs 95) may not be worth the visual gain.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point. The 89 FPS average is good, but the minimum of 75 FPS shows that there is some headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 1440p is also acceptable at 75 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 61 FPS is too close to the 60 FPS line for comfort. It is best to avoid the Ultra preset at 1440p to maintain a consistent frame rate.

The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount. At 1080p, it produces 158 FPS, and at 1440p, it produces 102 FPS. This setting will reduce visual fidelity but offers the smoothest gameplay. The 4K resolution is not recommended for any setting, as even the Low preset fails to maintain a consistent 60 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination ranks 3068 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the lower 17% of all combinations in the database. The low ranking is primarily due to the age and performance class of the GTX 1070. While the Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-end processor, its performance is largely irrelevant in this specific pairing because the GPU is the limiting factor.

The ranking reflects the overall capability of the system as a whole. A combo with a faster, more modern GPU would rank significantly higher, as the CPU would be able to support it. The data shows that this pairing is heavily bottlenecked by the graphics card, preventing the system from reaching its full potential. The 47th percentile ranking of the GPU versus the 86th percentile ranking of the CPU highlights the mismatch in their respective performance levels.

In essence, this combo is a classic case of a modern, powerful CPU being held back by an older, mid-range GPU. The benchmark results for Doom confirm this, as the system's performance is entirely dictated by the GTX 1070's capabilities. While the CPU ensures that there is no bottleneck from its side, the overall experience is limited by the graphics card's inability to handle higher resolutions and settings. For users with this pairing, the recommendation is to focus on the GPU upgrade path to see a substantial improvement in frame rates across all resolutions.