Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a Zen 5 desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, running at a 3.80 GHz base clock and a 5.50 GHz boost clock. Its single-threaded performance is strong, as indicated by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3353. For Doom, a 2016 FPS title, the CPU's high-frequency Zen 5 architecture is more than adequate to feed frames to the GPU. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 31588, are largely irrelevant here, as Doom is not a heavily threaded game. The processor's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth provide ample data throughput for the game's engine. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 9700X will not be the limiting factor in this pairing; its job is simply to keep the GTX 1660 SUPER saturated with draw calls, which its high boost clock and strong IPC handle with ease. The CPU sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, placing it far above the performance tier of the GPU it is paired with in this benchmark.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X a bottleneck for the GTX 1660 SUPER in Doom?

A: No. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p, even on Low settings, the average FPS is 149.6, which is a high frame rate that indicates the GPU is being pushed to its limit. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see the frame rates across different settings and resolutions cluster together at a lower number. Instead, the FPS scales significantly with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700X compare to its closest rivals in terms of overall CPU performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 36029. This puts it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14500HX and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845. It trails the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H by 0.4% and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225H by 0.8%. These are minuscule differences, making the 9700X essentially performance-equivalent to its direct competitors.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 SUPER's performance in Doom considered average or below average?

A: The GPU has a percentile rank of 55 among all GPUs, meaning it performs better than 55% of them. Its average benchmark score of 14286 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with a -0.2% delta compared to the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and a -0.7% delta versus the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT. This places it right in the middle of the performance pack for its era.

Q: At what resolution does this combo achieve a consistently smooth 60+ FPS experience?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440, the average FPS is 70.1 on High settings and 85.2 on Medium settings. At 1920x1080, all tested presets except Ultra (91.1 FPS) exceed 100 FPS. This indicates that 1440p and 1080p are viable resolutions for smooth gameplay. At 4K, the highest average FPS is 50.1 on Low settings, which falls short of a locked 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the limiting component for this combo at 1080p resolution?

A: The limiting component is the GPU. The evidence is in the scaling of the frame rates. At 1080p, dropping from High (108.7 FPS) to Low (149.6 FPS) yields a massive performance increase of 40.9 FPS. This sensitivity to GPU workload indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the component being stressed, while the Ryzen 7 9700X has ample headroom to spare.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 SUPER a better performer than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11?

A: The performance difference is negligible. The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 14286, which is 0.2% lower than the RX Vega 11's score of 14314. In practical terms, this means the two GPUs are effectively tied in synthetic benchmarks, though in-game performance can vary.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 108.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 70.1 FPS, a 35.5% reduction. Jumping to 4K further reduces the average to 35.8 FPS, which is a 67.1% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline with each resolution step is the signature of a graphics card that is saturated by pixel count.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets. For example, on Low settings, the frame rate goes from 149.6 FPS at 1080p to 95.5 FPS at 1440p, and then to 50.1 FPS at 4K. The halving of performance from 1080p to 4K on every preset strongly suggests that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and its 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are being overwhelmed by the data requirements of higher resolutions. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its high single-thread score of 1280 in 3DMark, is not the cause of this drop; a CPU bottleneck would manifest as a plateau in frame rates, not a steady decline. The data clearly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at all tested resolutions, with the CPU's performance headroom remaining largely untapped.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset is the clear recommendation for most users. At 1080p, it produces an average of 108.7 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, it still maintains a very playable 70.1 FPS. This preset offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium settings while only costing a 16.4% performance hit at 1080p (108.7 vs 130 FPS) and a 17.7% hit at 1440p (70.1 vs 85.2 FPS). The jump from High to Ultra is not worth the cost, as it drops performance by 16.2% at 1080p (91.1 vs 108.7 FPS) and by 20.5% at 1440p (55.7 vs 70.1 FPS).

For users with a 1440p monitor who prioritize frame rate above all else, the Medium preset is a strong alternative. It delivers 85.2 FPS at 1440p, which is 21.5% faster than High settings at the same resolution. At 4K, all presets struggle to maintain 60 FPS. The Low preset provides the highest playable frame rate at 50.1 FPS, but even this falls short of a smooth experience. Consequently, 4K should be avoided for this combo unless the user is willing to accept sub-60 FPS performance. The data shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER is best utilized at 1080p with High settings, or at 1440p with Medium settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Doom, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1487th out of 1681 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations, which is a direct consequence of the GPU's modest capabilities. The GTX 1660 SUPER's percentile rank of 55 among all GPUs, combined with its near-zero performance delta compared to rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, confirms that it is a mid-range part from its generation.

The high rank number is not a reflection of the CPU's performance. The Ryzen 7 9700X is a top-tier processor, ranking in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU. The combo's rank is dragged down by the graphics card's inability to keep pace with the CPU's potential. This is a stark illustration of system balancing; the data shows a powerful 8-core processor paired with a GPU that was mid-range at its launch in 2019. While the CPU has the headroom to drive much faster graphics cards, the measured performance of this specific combo is limited by the GTX 1660 SUPER's 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and its 6 GB frame buffer. Therefore, the 1487th rank accurately reflects the gaming experience this specific pairing will deliver in Doom, which is defined entirely by the GPU's capabilities.