Doom

# Doom with AMD Ryzen 9 5900X + AMD Radeon RX 7600

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 delivers a broadly playable Doom experience across all tested resolutions, but the performance curve reveals a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher settings. At 1080p, this combo produces excellent frame rates that will satisfy high-refresh-rate displays, while 4K Ultra demands compromises. The benchmark data shows a consistent pattern: the RX 7600's 8 GB frame buffer and RDNA 3 architecture handle the 2016-era id Tech engine well, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how this combo scales from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p High, the system delivers 143.1 FPS average, which drops to 94 FPS at 1440p High — a 34.3% reduction — and further to 52.5 FPS at 4K High, a 63.3% reduction from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the RX 7600 becomes the limiting component as pixel count rises, with the Ryzen 9 5900X's 12 cores and 24 threads providing ample headroom even at lower resolutions.

Looking at the Low preset, the performance drop is less severe: 196.8 FPS at 1080p falls to 124.7 FPS at 1440p (-36.6%) and 67.3 FPS at 4K (-65.8%). The similar percentage drops across presets suggest that resolution scaling is consistent regardless of visual load, pointing to a fixed GPU bottleneck rather than a CPU limitation. The Ryzen 9 5900X, with its 64 MB L3 cache and boost clock of 4.80 GHz, never appears to constrain frame delivery in these tests.

The most telling data point is the Ultra preset scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the combo hits 117.8 FPS, but 4K Ultra drops to 43.9 FPS — a 62.7% reduction. This steeper decline at Ultra settings confirms that the RX 7600's 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are saturated by the combination of high resolution and maxed-out visual effects. The 169.9 GPixel/s pixel rate becomes the critical constraint at 4K, where each frame requires four times the pixel work of 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p users, the data supports using High or Ultra settings without concern. The 143.1 FPS at High and 117.8 FPS at Ultra both clear the 100 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay on standard 144Hz monitors. Even Medium delivers 168 FPS, which suits competitive play. The Low preset's 196.8 FPS is unnecessary at this resolution unless chasing maximum refresh rates on 240Hz+ panels.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. High settings produce 94 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh displays. Medium at 108.6 FPS offers a better balance, keeping frame rates above 100 while maintaining decent visual quality. Ultra at 77.3 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced play but will feel less responsive in fast combat. Low at 124.7 FPS remains viable for competitive players who prioritize frame rate over fidelity.

For 4K, the data is unambiguous: stick to Low or Medium. Low delivers 67.3 FPS, which is smooth for a single-player experience, while Medium's 59 FPS is borderline but workable. High at 52.5 FPS and Ultra at 43.9 FPS both fall below the 60 FPS target and will feel noticeably less fluid during intense demon encounters. The RX 7600's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 4K Low, but Ultra textures and effects likely exceed the frame buffer's comfortable capacity.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 33 chip, is the decisive factor in these benchmark results. Its boost clock of 2655 MHz and game clock of 2250 MHz provide the raw compute throughput, while the 8 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus width shape its high-resolution behavior. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K Ultra's texture demands push against the VRAM ceiling.

The GPU's 21.75 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 339.8 GTexel/s texture rate explain the strong 1080p results. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 117.8 FPS, showing that the card has ample compute headroom when pixel count is moderate. However, the 64 ROPs and 169.9 GPixel/s pixel rate become limiting at 4K, where the Ultra preset's 43.9 FPS result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra figure.

Comparing the RX 7600 to its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database, it sits at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 20258. The RX 7600 XT scores 0.6% higher, while the RX 460 scores 0.8% higher — interestingly, the RX 460's score of 20088 is remarkably close despite being an older, lower-tier card. The RTX 3070 Mobile trails by 1.3% and the Intel Arc B570 by 1.5%, indicating the RX 7600 is competitively positioned in synthetic tests. In real-world Doom performance, these synthetic margins translate to the observed frame rates, with the card's 8 GB VRAM proving adequate for 1080p and 1440p but marginal at 4K Ultra.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Ryzen 9 5900X and RX 7600 ranks 1124 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 33rd percentile of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than the CPU's strength — the Ryzen 9 5900X alone sits at the 90th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 39453, placing it well above the EPYC 4245P (0.2% lower), Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS (0.7% higher), Core i7-13700F (0.9% lower), and Core i7-13700 (1% higher).

The substantial gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's middling rank confirms that the RX 7600 is the performance ceiling in this pairing. In Doom specifically, the game's id Tech engine benefits from the Ryzen 9 5900X's strong single-thread performance — its 3DMark single-thread score of 941 and Geekbench single-core score of 2202 ensure the CPU never bottlenecks frame delivery at any tested resolution. The 12-core, 24-thread configuration with 64 MB L3 cache is overkill for this title, but it provides consistent frame pacing that keeps the GPU fully utilized.

The combo's rank relative to other tested systems suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield far larger FPS gains than upgrading the CPU. The data shows this pairing is well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the RX 7600's mid-range positioning becomes apparent in the sub-60 FPS results at higher presets.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. The measured data shows 67.3 FPS at 4K Low and 59 FPS at 4K Medium, while High drops to 52.5 FPS and Ultra falls to 43.9 FPS. For consistent 60 FPS gameplay, stick to Low or Medium at 4K.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: Medium provides the best balance, delivering 108.6 FPS. High is still playable at 94 FPS, but Ultra drops to 77.3 FPS. Low pushes 124.7 FPS if competitive frame rates are the priority.

Q: How does the RX 7600 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 7600 scores 20258 in average benchmark tests, placing it at the 63rd percentile. The RX 7600 XT is 0.6% faster, the RX 460 is 0.8% faster, while the RTX 3070 Mobile is 1.3% slower and the Intel Arc B570 is 1.5% slower.

Q: Does the Ryzen 9 5900X bottleneck the RX 7600 in Doom?

A: No. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking and 3DMark max-thread score of 10075 indicate it has far more processing power than this game requires. The FPS scaling patterns across resolutions point entirely to GPU limitations.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 1080p High settings?

A: The measured average is 143.1 FPS. This comfortably exceeds 120 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate 144Hz monitors without any settings compromises.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the drop is from 143.1 FPS to 52.5 FPS, a 63.3% reduction. At Ultra, the drop is from 117.8 FPS to 43.9 FPS, a 62.7% reduction. The consistent percentage loss confirms a pure GPU-bound scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. The Low preset achieves 196.8 FPS average, Medium reaches 168 FPS, High produces 143.1 FPS, and Ultra yields 117.8 FPS. All four presets exceed 100 FPS, making 1080p a fully smooth experience regardless of visual settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limits. Low hits 124.7 FPS, Medium drops to 108.6 FPS, High falls to 94 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 77.3 FPS. The 94 FPS High result and 77.3 FPS Ultra result are still playable but no longer max out high-refresh displays.

At 3840x2160, the RX 7600's mid-range positioning becomes evident. Low is the only preset that clears 60 FPS, hitting 67.3 FPS. Medium manages 59 FPS, High drops to 52.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 43.9 FPS. These results indicate that 4K gaming requires either reduced settings or a more powerful GPU for this title.

The full FPS table: 1080p Low 196.8, 1080p Medium 168, 1080p High 143.1, 1080p Ultra 117.8; 1440p Low 124.7, 1440p Medium 108.6, 1440p High 94, 1440p Ultra 77.3; 4K Low 67.3, 4K Medium 59, 4K High 52.5, 4K Ultra 43.9. These twelve data points paint a clear picture of a system optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K as a secondary consideration.