Doom

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows for Doom with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and AMD Radeon RX 9070 show a clear performance hierarchy across presets. At every tested resolution, the Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra producing the lowest average. At 1920x1080, the spread from Ultra to Low is substantial: 178 FPS average on Ultra versus 296 FPS average on Low, a difference of 118 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p lands at 258 FPS average, which remains far above display refresh rate typical of high-end monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same pattern holds. Low reaches 192 FPS average, Medium drops to 167 FPS, High produces 141 FPS, and Ultra sits at 115 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are 104 FPS (Low), 90 FPS (Medium), 76 FPS (High), and 62 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum FPS of 77 and maximum of 104, indicating that even in the heaviest moments, the frame rate stays comfortably above 60 FPS. Ultra at 4K averages 62 FPS, which is borderline for demanding action sequences.

For the best measured experience, the data suggests Medium as the optimal balance across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium provides 258 FPS average with a minimum of 219 FPS; at 1440p, Medium yields 167 FPS average with a minimum of 142 FPS; and at 4K, Medium delivers 90 FPS average with a minimum of 77 FPS. These minimums are all above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without the frame rate variability seen in the Low preset's wider swings. While Low offers higher averages, the Medium preset's consistency and still-very-high frame rates make it the recommended setting for this combination in Doom.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 64 MB of L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate strong single-thread and multithread capabilities: it scores 941 in 3dmark_single_thread and 10075 in 3dmark_max_threads, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1527 and multicore score of 16262.

In Doom, a game designed to scale well across multiple CPU cores, the 5900X's 12 cores and 24 threads provide ample headroom. The game's measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 296 FPS average, which suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower graphical settings where GPU load is reduced. The processor's percentile ranking of 87 versus all CPUs indicates it outperforms the vast majority of tested processors, and its average benchmark score of 41376 places it in close competition with its nearest rivals: the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (deltaPct 0.3), Intel Core Ultra 7 356H (deltaPct 0.4), AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 (deltaPct 0.4), and Intel Core i7-14650HX (deltaPct -0.5). This proximity in scores means the 5900X delivers comparable CPU-bound performance to those alternatives.

The single-thread performance of 941 in 3dmark_single_thread and 250 in Cinebench R15 single-core indicates that the Zen 3 architecture's per-core efficiency is adequate for Doom's engine, which benefits from high per-core clocks. The boost clock of 4.80 GHz allows the processor to reach high frequencies on individual cores when needed. Given that Doom is an FPS title from 2016, the 5900X's combination of high core count and strong single-thread performance is more than sufficient to feed the RX 9070 at all tested settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. Its clocks include a base of 1330 MHz, a boost of 2520 MHz, and a game clock of 2070 MHz. The GPU has 3584 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units, with 56 ray tracing cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 36.13 TFLOPS, and the memory runs at 2518 MHz (20.1 Gbps effective).

The GPU's benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 25381 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6290. Its percentile ranking of 69 versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23877, places it near several NVIDIA and AMD counterparts: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (deltaPct 0.6), AMD Radeon RX 6800S (deltaPct -0.8), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile (deltaPct 1.1), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (deltaPct -1.2). The 16 GB VRAM capacity is substantial for a 2016 title like Doom, which was designed for much smaller memory allocations, meaning the RX 9070's memory pool is never a limiting factor at any tested resolution or setting.

In Doom, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important as resolution rises. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 62 FPS average, which is only 34% of the 1080p Low average of 296 FPS. This dramatic drop indicates the GPU is the primary limiter at high resolutions and settings. The RX 9070's boost clock of 2520 MHz and high texture and pixel rates (564.5 GTexel/s and 322.6 GPixel/s, respectively) allow it to maintain playable frame rates even at 4K, though Ultra settings push it to the edge of 60 FPS. At 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to exceed 200 FPS on Medium and High presets, demonstrating that its compute capabilities scale well with lower resolution demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 1118 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top 30% of all configurations tested for this game. This ranking reflects the synergistic balance between the CPU's strong multithreaded performance and the GPU's high frame rate delivery at lower resolutions. The combo's percentile position suggests that while it is not an elite top-tier pairing, it outperforms the majority of tested systems in this specific title.

The CPU's percentile of 87 and GPU's percentile of 69 indicate that the processor is relatively stronger in its class than the graphics card is in its own class. This disparity suggests that in Doom, the RX 9070 is the limiting component at higher settings and resolutions, while the 5900X has additional headroom. The combo rank of 1118 out of 3712 reflects this dynamic: the system performs well overall but is held back by the GPU at 4K Ultra, where FPS drops to 62. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 296 FPS average, which is in the upper echelon of performance for any tested configuration.

Comparing to the nearest rival combos would require data on their specific pairings, but the individual component rankings provide context. The CPU's near-parity with the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (0.3% delta) and Intel Core i7-14650HX (-0.5% delta) means that swapping the 5900X for those processors would yield nearly identical frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. Similarly, the GPU's proximity to the RTX 2080 SUPER (-1.2% delta) and RX 6800S (-0.8% delta) suggests that those graphics cards would produce similar FPS numbers in GPU-bound situations.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Doom?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 296 at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. At the same resolution, Medium reaches 258 FPS, High reaches 218 FPS, and Ultra reaches 178 FPS.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but barely. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 62, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 4K provides a more comfortable margin with an average of 90 FPS and a minimum of 77 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 5900X has an average benchmark score of 41376. Its closest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H with a score of 41263 (0.3% higher), the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H at 41215 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 at 41208 (0.4% higher). The Intel Core i7-14650HX scores 41576, which is 0.5% lower than the 5900X.

Q: What is the GPU's VRAM and does it ever become a limiting factor in Doom?

A: The Radeon RX 9070 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. For Doom, a game released in 2016, the VRAM capacity is far more than required at any tested resolution or setting. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s also ensures that memory throughput does not constrain performance.

Q: Which preset offers the most consistent frame times based on the measured data?

A: The Medium preset provides the most consistent frame times, as it is the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the range is 219 to 296 FPS; at 1440p Medium, 142 to 192 FPS; and at 4K Medium, 77 to 104 FPS. The Low and Ultra presets do not have min/max data, but the Medium preset's recorded minimums are all above 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Doom?

A: This combo ranks 1118 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the upper 30% of all systems tested for this game. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's strong performance (87th percentile) and the GPU's more moderate standing (69th percentile).

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low preset achieves 296 FPS, Medium achieves 258 FPS with a minimum of 219 and maximum of 296, High achieves 218 FPS, and Ultra achieves 178 FPS. The Medium preset's maximum of 296 matches the Low preset's average, indicating that the Medium setting can occasionally reach the same peak frame rate as Low, though its average is lower.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 192 FPS, Medium at 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 and maximum of 192, High at 141 FPS, and Ultra at 115 FPS. The Medium preset's maximum of 192 again matches the Low preset's average, showing a consistent pattern where the Medium setting peaks at the same level as Low's typical performance.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop significantly: Low at 104 FPS, Medium at 90 FPS with a minimum of 77 and maximum of 104, High at 76 FPS, and Ultra at 62 FPS. The Medium preset's maximum of 104 matches the Low preset's average, continuing the observed trend across all resolutions. The 4K Ultra average of 62 FPS is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset, while the 1080p Low average of 296 FPS is the highest.

The data reveals that the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 118 FPS (296 vs 178). At 1440p, the difference is 77 FPS (192 vs 115). At 4K, the difference shrinks to 42 FPS (104 vs 62). This narrowing indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, reducing the impact of graphical settings on overall frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent and significant drop in frame rates across all settings. For the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 296 at 1080p to 192 at 1440p (a 35% reduction) and then to 104 at 4K (a 65% reduction from 1080p). For the Medium preset, the averages are 258 at 1080p, 167 at 1440p (35% lower), and 90 at 4K (65% lower). The High preset follows a similar pattern: 218 at 1080p, 141 at 1440p (35% lower), and 76 at 4K (65% lower). The Ultra preset drops from 178 at 1080p to 115 at 1440p (35% lower) and 62 at 4K (65% lower).

The proportional drop from 1080p to 1440p is remarkably consistent at approximately 35% for all four presets, while the drop from 1080p to 4K is approximately 65% for all settings. This uniformity suggests that the limiting component scales predictably with pixel count. The fact that the same percentage reduction applies across Low and Ultra presets indicates that the bottleneck does not shift between presets; rather, it remains consistently GPU-bound as resolution increases.

The 4K to 1080p ratio for the Medium preset is 90/258, which equals 0.349, meaning 4K performance is roughly one-third of 1080p performance. This aligns with the expected pixel count difference: 4K has four times as many pixels as 1080p, but the frame rate only drops to one-third, indicating that the RX 9070's memory bandwidth and compute resources allow for better-than-linear scaling in this title. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings also scale consistently: 219 at 1080p, 142 at 1440p, and 77 at 4K, with each step representing a reduction of roughly 35% from the previous resolution. This scaling pattern confirms that the GPU is the primary limiter at all resolutions in Doom, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom even at 1080p where the frame rate exceeds 290 FPS on Low settings.