Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers a solid 1080p experience in Doom, but the data clearly shows that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At 4K, the combo falls below the 60 FPS threshold on every setting except Low, indicating a hard performance ceiling imposed by the graphics card rather than the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, but the rate of decline reveals the bottleneck. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 128.8 FPS at 1080p to 82.5 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 46.3 FPS. Moving to 4K, the High preset average falls to 45.1 FPS, which is a 64.9% reduction from the 1080p figure. This steep drop indicates that the RTX 2060's rendering throughput, not the CPU, is what governs performance at higher resolutions.

The trend is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the combo produces 174.3 FPS at 1080p, 115.8 FPS at 1440p, and 60.4 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is exactly at the 60 FPS line, suggesting that even with the lowest graphical load, the GPU is working near its maximum capacity. The gap between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is 113.9 FPS, which is a 65.4% drop, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling. This consistency across presets is a strong indicator that the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are the constraining factors, as the CPU has ample headroom with 12 cores and 24 threads.

The data shows that the RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p but become strained at 4K. The measured results show that the combo is playable at 1440p with Medium settings (96.8 FPS) and even High (82.5 FPS), but 4K gaming requires significant compromises. The scaling pattern suggests that for a smoother 4K experience, a GPU with higher raw performance would be necessary, as the CPU's 3.70 GHz base and 4.80 GHz boost clocks are not the limiting factor at any resolution tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 5900X and RTX 2060 ranks 1393 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This rank reflects the GPU's mid-tier position; the RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is at the 90th percentile among all CPUs. The mismatch between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's modest ranking explains why the combo does not place higher.

The GPU's nearest rivals show how close the competition is. The AMD Radeon RX 7600S has an average score of 15996, which is just 0.5% lower than the RTX 2060's 16074 average. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 both score 16351, which is 1.7% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15786, 1.8% lower. These narrow deltas indicate that the RTX 2060 is positioned in a tightly contested performance tier, and its rank in Doom is consistent with its overall standing.

The CPU's nearest rivals also provide context. The AMD EPYC 4245P scores 39383, just 0.2% lower than the Ryzen 9 5900X's 39453 average. The Intel Core i7-13700F scores 39095, 0.9% lower, while the Intel Core i7-13700 scores 39857, 1% higher. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS scores 39747, 0.7% higher. These small deltas confirm that the CPU is not holding the combo back in Doom, as its performance is competitive with newer and higher-tier processors.

The rank of 1393 out of 1681 suggests that the combo is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the measured FPS is well above acceptable thresholds. The data indicates that the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and 1920 shading units are the determining factors for this ranking, rather than the CPU's 64 MB L3 cache or 12-core configuration.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 102.5 FPS, which is above the 100 FPS mark and provides a fluid experience. The High preset at 1080p yields 128.8 FPS, offering a significant boost over Ultra with only a 26.3 FPS penalty. For competitive play, the Low preset at 174.3 FPS is the clear choice, as the frame rate is maximized without any noticeable CPU limitation.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 82.5 FPS is the best balance between visual quality and performance, as it remains above 60 FPS while providing better detail than Medium (96.8 FPS) or Low (115.8 FPS). The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 67.2 FPS, which is still playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. For a smoother experience, Medium at 96.8 FPS is recommended over High if visual fidelity is less critical.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that only the Low preset (60.4 FPS) achieves a playable frame rate. The Medium preset at 51.9 FPS and High at 45.1 FPS are below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra at 38 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The recommendation for 4K is to use Low settings or to reduce the resolution to 1440p, where the combo performs much better.

The measured FPS across all presets shows that the RTX 2060 has enough headroom at 1080p to run Ultra settings comfortably, but the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. The data suggests that at 4K, the GPU's 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 80.64 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for high-detail rendering.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full set of measured FPS values provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 174.3 FPS, Medium 150.2 FPS, High 128.8 FPS, and Ultra 102.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 71.8 FPS drop, which is a 41.2% reduction. This indicates that the GPU's 48 ROPs and 120 TMUs are handling the increased load reasonably well at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 115.8 FPS, Medium 96.8 FPS, High 82.5 FPS, and Ultra 67.2 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 48.6 FPS, a 42.0% reduction, which is proportionally similar to 1080p. The absolute values show that the combo is well-suited for 1440p, with even the Ultra preset staying above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 60.4 FPS, Medium 51.9 FPS, High 45.1 FPS, and Ultra 38 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 22.4 FPS, a 37.1% reduction, which is less severe proportionally than at lower resolutions. This is because the GPU is already bottlenecked at 4K, so the relative impact of settings is diminished. The 4K results show that the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM is being taxed, as the frame rates are consistently below the 60 FPS target for all presets except Low.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the combo can handle 1080p and 1440p with ease, but 4K performance is limited. The 174.3 FPS at 1080p Low is the highest measured value, while 38 FPS at 4K Ultra is the lowest. The spread between the best and worst results is 136.3 FPS, highlighting the GPU's sensitivity to resolution changes.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the primary determinant of performance in Doom for this combo. The GPU's base clock of 1365 MHz and boost clock of 1680 MHz provide the raw compute power, but the measured FPS shows that memory bandwidth and capacity are more critical at higher resolutions. The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 192-bit bus width delivers 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p but becomes a limiting factor at 4K.

The GPU's 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 48 ROPs contribute to its 6.451 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s are the metrics that directly impact Doom's rendering workload. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU's pixel rate is insufficient to maintain high frame rates, as the 3840x2160 resolution requires 8.3 million pixels per frame, and the GPU's fill rate is being saturated.

The GPU's percentile rank of 58 among all GPUs places it in the mid-range, which is reflected in the measured FPS. The RTX 2060's nearest rivals, with average scores within 1.8% of its 16074, confirm that it is a solid mid-tier option. The 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present in the architecture but do not directly affect Doom's standard rendering, as the game does not rely on ray tracing or DLSS features.

The GPU's 160 W TDP and dual-slot design are notable for power consumption, but the measured FPS data is the primary evidence of its role. The fact that the combo ranks 1393 out of 1681 in Doom, despite the CPU's high percentile, underscores that the GPU's performance ceiling is the bottleneck. The 4K Low result of 60.4 FPS is the only playable 4K setting, indicating that the GPU's memory subsystem is the limiting component.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Doom?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings (82.5 FPS) or 1920x1080 with Ultra settings (102.5 FPS) provide the best balance. At 4K, only Low settings (60.4 FPS) reach playable levels.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 5900X holding back the RTX 2060 in Doom?

A: No. The CPU ranks at the 90th percentile and has 12 cores with a 4.80 GHz boost clock. The measured FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in average score?

A: The RTX 2060's average score of 16074 is 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996) and 1.8% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15786), but 1.7% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 (both 16351).

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Only with Low settings, which achieve 60.4 FPS. Medium (51.9 FPS), High (45.1 FPS), and Ultra (38 FPS) all fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 174.3 FPS while Ultra delivers 102.5 FPS, a difference of 71.8 FPS. This shows the GPU can handle high detail at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in Doom?

A: It ranks 1393 out of 1681 combos, which is in the lower-middle tier. The CPU's high performance does not compensate for the GPU's mid-tier ranking.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a high-end processor with 12 cores and 24 threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture with a 7 nm process node. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz provide substantial computational power, but in Doom, the data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (174.3 FPS) is well above the refresh rates of most monitors, indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough frames.

The CPU's 64 MB L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for gaming workloads. The benchmark scores support this: the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 33150 and single-core score of 4680 are strong, and the 3DMark max threads score of 10075 shows the CPU's multi-threaded capability. However, Doom's engine is not heavily multi-threaded, so the CPU's 12 cores are not fully utilized, but they ensure that no frame drops occur due to CPU limitations.

The CPU's percentile rank of 90 among all CPUs is significantly higher than the GPU's 58th percentile, creating an imbalance. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13700F (0.9% lower average score) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS (0.7% higher), show that the 5900X is competitive with newer processors. The measured FPS data confirms that the CPU's performance is more than adequate for Doom, as the frame rate drops are entirely attributable to the GPU's resolution scaling.

The CPU's 105 W TDP and Socket AM4 platform are standard for its class, but the key takeaway is that in this combo, the CPU's role is to provide stable frame delivery without being a limiting factor. The 174.3 FPS at 1080p Low is a clear indicator that the CPU can handle high refresh rates, and the fact that the combo rank is 1393 out of 1681 is due to the GPU's mid-tier status, not the CPU's capabilities.