Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a robust high-refresh-rate experience in Doom, with benchmark data showing the pair hitting triple-digit frame rates at every tested resolution below 4K. The dataset indicates that the CPU's architecture and the GPU's rendering capabilities combine to produce a system that is well-balanced for this title, though the data also reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution increases.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides substantial single-thread and multi-thread headroom, which is relevant for Doom’s engine that can utilize multiple threads for game logic and rendering tasks.

Benchmark scores for the 9700X show strong synthetic performance: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20,485 and a single-core score of 2,211. In Geekbench, it posts a multi-core score of 17,906 and a single-core score of 3,023. The 3DMark results further detail its scaling: 2-thread score is 2,525, 4-thread is 4,869, 8-thread is 8,184, and max-thread score is 9,771. This scaling pattern suggests that the processor efficiently distributes workload across its cores, which is beneficial for a game like Doom that can spawn multiple threads for physics, AI, and rendering subsystems.

The CPU’s percentile rank against all CPUs is 86, placing it in the upper tier of processors. Its average benchmark score is 37,943. The nearest rivals, based on average score, include the Intel Core i9-14901E with a score of 37,911 (a delta of 0.1%), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with 37,904 (0.1%), the Intel Core 5 211E with 37,829 (0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 with 37,804 (0.4%). These deltas are minimal, indicating that the 9700X performs nearly identically to these alternatives in aggregate CPU benchmarks.

In the context of Doom, the CPU’s high single-core performance is particularly relevant. At lower resolutions like 1080p, the data shows the highest frame rates, suggesting that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach averages like 314 FPS at Low settings. As resolution increases, the frame rate drops, which is typical, but the CPU’s role remains to minimize any potential bottleneck. The 9700X’s 16 threads and high boost clock ensure that the game’s simulation thread does not become a limiting factor, especially when the GPU is not saturated at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is ranked 860 out of 3,712 tested combos in Doom. This places the pairing in the top 23.2% of all tested configurations. A rank of 860 out of 3,712 means that there are 859 combos that perform better, but also that this setup outperforms 2,852 other combinations. This is a strong showing, indicating that the 9700X and RTX 4070 together are well suited for this game, but they are not at the absolute top end of the spectrum.

The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all measured settings and resolutions. Given that the measured FPS data shows very high frame rates (e.g., 314 FPS at 1080p Low), the rank is likely influenced by the GPU’s capabilities at higher resolutions where the RTX 4070’s 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth become more critical. The combo’s position in the middle of the upper quartile suggests that while it is a high-performance pairing, there are other combinations—likely with more powerful GPUs or CPUs—that achieve even higher frame rates, particularly at 4K Ultra where the average FPS drops to 66.

The data indicates that the combo is not bottlenecked severely by either component. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 314, which is close to the GPU’s maximum rendering potential at that setting. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 66, which is still playable but shows the GPU is the primary limiter. This balance is reflected in the combo’s rank, which is neither near the top (where GPU-heavy combos would sit) nor near the bottom (where CPU-limited or low-end GPU pairings would fall). The rank of 860 suggests that this specific CPU-GPU match is effective, but not optimized for extreme high-refresh-rate 4K gaming.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings for this combo?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 189 FPS. This is the lowest average at 1080p among the tested settings, but it still provides a high-refresh-rate experience suitable for fast-paced gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-core performance compare to its closest rival?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37,943. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i9-14901E, has an average score of 37,911, which is a delta of 0.1%. This indicates nearly identical aggregate performance between the two processors.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 150, while the average is 177 FPS and the maximum is 204 FPS. This shows that even at the lowest frame rate, the experience remains smooth.

Q: Is there a significant frame rate drop when going from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: Yes. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 231, while at 4K High, the average drops to 81 FPS. This is a reduction of 150 FPS, or approximately 65% lower performance, indicating the GPU becomes much more stressed at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the GPU’s percentile rank compared to all other GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 has a percentile rank of 81 against all GPUs. This places it in the top 19% of all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 37,648.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The highest average FPS is 314, recorded at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is followed by 273 FPS at 1080p Medium and 231 FPS at 1080p High, showing the scaling of performance with settings at the lowest resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how the system performs across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system is clearly CPU-bound at lower settings, with the GPU having ample headroom. The average FPS at Low is 314, at Medium it is 273, at High it is 231, and at Ultra it is 189. The Medium preset also records a minimum FPS of 232 and a maximum of 314, showing a tight range around the average. This progression from Low to Ultra represents a 125 FPS drop, or roughly a 40% reduction in performance as visual quality increases.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a more pronounced impact from the GPU. At Low, the average is 203 FPS; at Medium, it is 177 FPS with a minimum of 150 and maximum of 204; at High, it is 150 FPS; and at Ultra, it is 122 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 81 FPS, which is a 40% reduction, similar to the percentage drop at 1080p. However, the absolute numbers are lower, indicating that the GPU is starting to become a more significant factor, though the CPU still manages to push frame rates well above 120 FPS at all settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The average FPS at Low is 110, at Medium it is 96 (with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 110), at High it is 81, and at Ultra it is 66. The drop from Low to Ultra is 44 FPS, which is a 40% reduction as well. Notably, the minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 81, which is the same as the average FPS at 4K High, suggesting that the system’s performance is becoming more variable at this resolution. The 4K Ultra average of 66 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, but it still exceeds the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Across all resolutions, the pattern shows that the RTX 4070 scales predictably with settings, but the absolute headroom at 1080p is enormous, allowing for very high refresh rates. At 1440p, the system is still capable of exceeding 120 FPS at Ultra, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 4K, the performance is more modest, with only Low settings exceeding 100 FPS, and Ultra settling at 66 FPS.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1920 MHz, with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and the memory operates at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The card has 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, along with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 29.15 TFLOPS.

The RTX 4070’s role in Doom is to provide the raw rendering power needed for high resolution and quality settings. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is not stressed, as frame rates reach up to 314 FPS at Low settings. The GPU’s 12 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game, as even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 66, indicating that the memory capacity is not a bottleneck. The high memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s helps maintain performance at 4K, where texture data demands are higher.

The GPU’s percentile rank is 81, with an average benchmark score of 37,648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 with a score of 37,628 (0.1% delta), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 with 37,507 (0.4% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile with 38,135 (-1.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 with 37,157 (1.3% delta). These scores show that the RTX 4070’s performance is closely matched with these cards, though the RTX 4080 Mobile is slightly ahead.

In Doom, the GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz is crucial for maintaining high frame rates. The data shows that at 1440p Ultra, the average FPS is 122, which is a demanding workload that requires the GPU to sustain high clock speeds. The 4K Ultra result of 66 FPS also demonstrates the GPU’s capability, as it is only 34 FPS below the 1080p Ultra result, indicating a graceful degradation with resolution. The GPU’s 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth ensure that the game’s textures and geometry are loaded efficiently, preventing any stutter or frame drops due to memory pressure.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the best settings preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver frame rates well above 144 Hz, so the choice is between visual fidelity and raw performance. The Ultra preset, with an average of 189 FPS, offers the best visual quality while still providing an excellent high-refresh-rate experience. However, for users with 240 Hz or higher monitors, the High preset at 231 FPS or Medium at 273 FPS would be more appropriate to fully utilize the display’s capabilities. The Low preset at 314 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is prioritized over visuals.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset with an average of 122 FPS is still highly playable and offers the best visual experience. This makes it the recommended preset for 1440p, as it balances quality with performance, staying above the 100 FPS threshold that many gamers consider optimal for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 150 FPS is a good alternative for those who prefer a higher frame rate, while the Medium preset at 177 FPS is suitable for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. The Low preset at 203 FPS is excessive for most displays, but it would be the choice for extreme refresh rate panels.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that the system is GPU-bound, and the frame rates are lower. The Ultra preset at 66 FPS is above the 60 FPS baseline for console-like smoothness, but it may not be ideal for fast-paced FPS gameplay. The High preset at 81 FPS is a better recommendation for 4K, as it provides a noticeable improvement in frame rate with a minimal reduction in visual quality. The Medium preset at 96 FPS is the best balance for 4K, offering high frame rates while maintaining decent visual fidelity. The Low preset at 110 FPS is an option for players who prioritize performance, but the visual compromise is significant.

Given the data, the optimal preset for most users would be High at 1440p, which offers an average of 150 FPS and a good balance of visuals and performance. At 4K, Medium is the recommended preset, with an average of 96 FPS, as it provides a smooth experience without sacrificing too much graphical detail. At 1080p, Ultra is recommended for its visual quality, with the average of 189 FPS still being high enough for most gaming scenarios.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions, which indicates the limiting component at each setting. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 314 at 1080p to 203 at 1440p, and then to 110 at 4K. This represents a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 46% drop from 1440p to 4K. The large drop from 1440p to 4K suggests that the GPU is becoming heavily stressed at the higher pixel count, as the CPU’s performance headroom is not fully utilized at 4K.

At Medium settings, the average FPS is 273 at 1080p, 177 at 1440p, and 96 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35%, and from 1440p to 4K is 46%, which is consistent with the Low settings pattern. This consistency indicates that the GPU’s workload scales linearly with pixel count, and the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution.

For High settings, the average FPS is 231 at 1080p, 150 at 1440p, and 81 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35%, and from 1440p to 4K is 46%, again showing a similar scaling pattern. At Ultra settings, the average FPS is 189 at 1080p, 122 at 1440p, and 66 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35%, and from 1440p to 4K is 46%.

The consistent percentage drops across all settings are a strong indicator that the GPU is the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller drop from 1440p to 4K, as the CPU’s workload would not increase as much with resolution. Instead, the data shows that the frame rate declines by a similar percentage regardless of the quality preset, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound performance.

The 1080p results, particularly at Low settings (314 FPS), suggest that the CPU is capable of driving frame rates much higher than the GPU can render at higher resolutions. The Ryzen 7 9700X’s high single-core performance ensures that the game’s main thread is not a constraint, allowing the GPU to be the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K. This is a healthy sign for the combo, as it means the CPU will not hold back the GPU in future game titles or at higher refresh rates. The data indicates that for Doom, the RTX 4070 is the primary determinant of performance at resolutions above 1080p, with the 9700X providing ample headroom to avoid any CPU-induced frame rate drops.