Doom

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread Zen 3 processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. Built on the 7 nm process with a 64 MB L3 cache, this CPU sits in the 90th percentile of all processors in the database, making it a high-end part that is unlikely to be the bottleneck in a 2016 FPS title like Doom. Its synthetic benchmarks reinforce this: the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 33150 and single-core score of 4680 place it well ahead of typical gaming workloads, while the Geekbench multicore result of 11877 and single-core result of 2202 indicate strong per-thread performance.

Doom is built on a fast-paced id Tech engine that scales well with both core count and clock speed, but the game's 2016 release date means it was designed around CPUs with far fewer threads. The 5900X's 3DMark scores show a clear scaling pattern: 1852 with 2 threads, 3588 with 4 threads, 6601 with 8 threads, and 9075 with 16 threads. This progression suggests that the processor's performance gains taper off as more threads are utilized, which aligns with older game engines that rarely use more than a handful of cores. The max threads score of 10075 is only 11% higher than the 16-thread result, indicating that Doom's workload does not benefit significantly from the CPU's full 24-thread capacity.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the overall benchmark database include the AMD EPYC 4245P (deltaPct 0.2), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS (deltaPct -0.7), and the Intel Core i7-13700F (deltaPct 0.9). The 5900X's average benchmark score of 39453 is effectively tied with these parts, all within a 1% margin. This parity matters for Doom because the game's frame rate at 1080p with a mid-range GPU like the GTX 1660 SUPER will depend more on the graphics card than the CPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 145.6 FPS, which is high enough that even a modest CPU would keep up; the 5900X's single-thread performance (Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1965) ensures that the CPU does not introduce frame pacing issues.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a Turing-architecture card with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and it features 1408 shading units, 88 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The card's pixel rate is 85.68 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 157.1 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 5.027 TFLOPS. This GPU sits in the 55th percentile of all GPUs in the database, making it a solid mid-range part for 1080p gaming, but it shows clear limitations at higher resolutions.

The GTX 1660 SUPER's nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (deltaPct -0.2), Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon Vega 11 (deltaPct -0.5), and AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (deltaPct -0.7). The 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score of 14286 is essentially identical to these parts, all within a 0.7% band. This clustering matters because Doom's performance at 4K will be dictated entirely by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Doom's textures at 4K, but the 336.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a limiting factor when pushing high settings at that resolution.

DirectX 12 support (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 are both present, and Doom is known to leverage Vulkan effectively. The card's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 59933 indicate that it handles modern APIs reasonably well for its class. The PassMark G3D score of 12699 and GPU compute score of 5076 provide additional context, but the key takeaway is that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a 1080p-to-1440p card that struggles at 4K when settings are raised. The measured data confirms this: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 30.5, which is below the playable threshold for a fast shooter.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 145.6 FPS, which drops to 95.2 FPS at 1440p Low (a 34.6% reduction) and then to 53.4 FPS at 4K Low (a 43.9% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline as resolution increases points directly to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The CPU's 12-core, 24-thread configuration is more than capable of feeding the GTX 1660 SUPER at any resolution; the frame rate drop is purely a function of the GPU's pixel throughput.

Looking at High settings, the pattern repeats: 109 FPS at 1080p, 67.9 FPS at 1440p (a 37.7% drop), and 35.8 FPS at 4K (a 47.3% drop from 1440p). The percentage loss from 1440p to 4K is larger than the loss from 1080p to 1440p, which is consistent with the GPU becoming progressively more fill-rate limited as pixel count increases. At Ultra settings, the 1080p result of 86.4 FPS falls to 61 FPS at 1440p (a 29.4% drop) and then to 30.5 FPS at 4K (a 50% drop). The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling — it is exactly half the 1440p Ultra number, suggesting that the GPU is hitting a hard limit related to its 85.68 GPixel/s pixel rate.

The data indicates that the 5900X is not the limiting component in any scenario. Even at 1080p Low with 145.6 FPS, the CPU's single-thread score of 941 in 3DMark and 3469 in PassMark single-thread leave headroom for higher frame rates. The bottleneck shifts entirely to the GPU when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and the gap widens further at 4K. For a 2016 game like Doom, which is well-optimized for multi-threaded CPUs, the 5900X's 24 threads provide ample compute, but the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit memory bus become the deciding factors at higher resolutions.

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

The measured data provides four presets at each resolution, and the optimal choice depends on the target display. For 1080p gaming, which is where this GPU combination is most comfortable, the Ultra preset at 86.4 FPS offers the best visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 109 FPS is also excellent, but Ultra's higher settings come with only a 20.7% frame rate penalty compared to High, which is a reasonable trade-off for the visual upgrade. The Medium preset at 126.5 FPS and Low at 145.6 FPS are smoother but sacrifice too much visual quality for a game like Doom, where the fast-paced action benefits from higher frame rates but not at the expense of all detail.

At 1440p, the High preset at 67.9 FPS is the sweet spot. It stays above 60 FPS while providing good visual quality. The Ultra preset at 61 FPS is marginal — it dips below the ideal 60 FPS threshold for some players, but the 10.2% difference between High and Ultra is smaller than at 1080p, making Ultra a viable choice for those with adaptive sync displays. The Medium preset at 85.6 FPS and Low at 95.2 FPS offer smoother gameplay but reduce the game's atmospheric lighting and shadow quality, which are important for Doom's demonic aesthetic.

At 4K, no preset delivers a consistently smooth experience. The Low preset at 53.4 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it still falls below 60 FPS. The High preset at 35.8 FPS and Ultra at 30.5 FPS are effectively unplayable for a fast FPS, and even Medium at 43.2 FPS will cause noticeable stutter in combat. For 4K users, the data suggests dropping to 1440p or accepting Low settings at 4K with a lower frame rate. The GPU's 6 GB VRAM is sufficient for Doom's textures even at 4K Ultra, but the raw compute power is not there to maintain playable frame rates. The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p Ultra at 86.4 FPS, which balances visual quality and smoothness for this hardware combination.

FAQ

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 1440p in Doom?

A: Yes, but only at Medium or High settings. The measured data shows 85.6 FPS at 1440p Medium and 67.9 FPS at 1440p High. The Ultra preset at 61 FPS also exceeds 60 FPS, but just barely, and the Low preset runs at 95.2 FPS.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X too powerful for the GTX 1660 SUPER?

A: The CPU sits in the 90th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is in the 55th percentile. This creates a significant imbalance where the CPU is rarely the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 145.6 FPS, but the frame rate is limited by the GPU's pixel throughput rather than the CPU's 12-core, 24-thread configuration.

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: The only preset that approaches playable frame rates at 4K is Low, which averages 53.4 FPS. The Medium preset at 43.2 FPS, High at 35.8 FPS, and Ultra at 30.5 FPS are all below 60 FPS and will feel sluggish in fast-paced combat. For 4K, the data suggests that a lower resolution or a more powerful GPU is needed.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 14286, which is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314, deltaPct -0.2), Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315, deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14352, deltaPct -0.5), and AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389, deltaPct -0.7). All five parts are within a 0.7% performance band.

Q: Will the 6 GB VRAM be a limitation in Doom at 1080p?

A: No. The 6 GB GDDR6 memory with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for Doom's textures at 1080p Ultra, which achieves 86.4 FPS. Even at 4K Ultra, the VRAM capacity is not the limiting factor — the GPU's 5.027 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 85.68 GPixel/s pixel rate are the constraints.

Q: How does the CPU's thread scaling affect Doom's performance?

A: The 5900X shows diminishing returns beyond 8 threads: 3DMark scores are 1852 at 2 threads, 3588 at 4 threads, and 6601 at 8 threads, but only 9075 at 16 threads and 10075 at max threads. Doom, being a 2016 title, likely uses fewer than 8 threads effectively, so the CPU's extra cores provide no measurable benefit for this game.