Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Doom, with the GPU clearly acting as the primary constraint as pixel count climbs. The data shows a system that excels at 1080p, remains very capable at 1440p, and begins to struggle at 4K, particularly on the highest presets.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 141 FPS at 1080p to 91 FPS at 1440p, a 35% reduction, and then further to 50 FPS at 4K, which is a 45% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern strongly indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor at higher resolutions; the Ryzen 9 5900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions but cannot compensate for the increased pixel fill rate demand.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly harsh across all settings. At Low, the average drops from 124 FPS to 67 FPS, a 46% decrease. At Medium, it falls from 108 FPS to 59 FPS, a 45% decrease. Even at Ultra, where the baseline is already low, the drop is from 75 FPS to 40 FPS, a 47% decrease. This consistent ~45-47% performance penalty when doubling the pixel count from 1440p to 4K is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are simply overwhelmed by the 3840x2160 resolution’s demands.

Interestingly, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less severe, with reductions between 27% (at Ultra, from 115 FPS to 75 FPS) and 35% (at High, from 141 FPS to 91 FPS). This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is starting to become more relevant, though the GPU still remains the dominant factor. The Ryzen 9 5900X’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 941, ensures that it does not bottleneck the GPU at these lower resolutions, but the frame rate is still capped by the graphics card’s capabilities.

The takeaway is clear: for smooth 4K gameplay, the RTX 2060 SUPER is inadequate for this title on any preset above Low. For 1440p, it provides a solid experience, and at 1080p, it delivers high refresh rate performance. The limiting component at 4K is unambiguously the GPU, as the CPU’s performance does not change with resolution, yet the frame rates plummet uniformly across all quality settings.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data provides clear guidance on which preset to choose for different priorities. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 192 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play on a high refresh rate monitor. However, the Medium preset still delivers 167 FPS, offering a significant visual upgrade with a relatively minor 13% performance penalty. The High preset at 141 FPS remains exceptionally smooth and is arguably the best balance for most users at this resolution, as it provides a substantial graphical improvement over Medium while still exceeding 140 FPS. Ultra at 115 FPS is playable, but the jump from High to Ultra is not worth the 18% performance hit for the marginal visual gains, especially when the minimum FPS is not recorded for these presets.

At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts. The High preset’s 91 FPS average is the sweet spot, offering a great balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. The Low preset at 124 FPS is an option for those prioritizing frame rate, but the drop to High is acceptable for most. Medium at 108 FPS is also a strong contender, but High provides better image quality for a 16% performance cost. Ultra at 75 FPS is the threshold for playability; it is smooth enough for a single-player title, but the 18% reduction from High makes it a less attractive choice. For 1440p gaming, High is the clear recommendation, as it delivers a near-90 FPS experience without the visual compromises of lower presets.

At 3840x2160, the options are limited. The Low preset’s 67 FPS average is the only setting that approaches a consistently smooth experience. Medium at 59 FPS is borderline, and the recorded minimum of 50 FPS suggests noticeable stutters during intense scenes. High at 50 FPS and Ultra at 40 FPS are not recommended for a fluid experience, as they fall below the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K, players should either accept the Low preset or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a much better experience. The data shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER is not built for 4K gaming in Doom, and the settings recommendations reflect this hardware limitation.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a 64 MB L3 cache. In Doom, a game that is not particularly CPU-intensive by modern standards, this processor provides a massive amount of headroom. The benchmark results for the CPU, such as a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 16262 and a passmark_multithread score of 39002, indicate a processor that is far more powerful than necessary for this title.

The evidence that the CPU is not the bottleneck is indirect but compelling. At 1080p, where CPU load is typically highest relative to GPU load, the frame rates are extremely high, reaching 192 FPS on Low. This suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU data faster than the GPU can render it. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 9075 and the 3dmark_max_threads score of 10075 show strong multi-threaded performance, but Doom does not scale perfectly with core count. The single-thread performance, measured at 941 in 3dmark_single_thread and 1527 in cinebench_r23_singlecore, is more relevant for game logic and draw call submission, and it is more than adequate.

The Ryzen 9 5900X's 24 threads are largely underutilized in this game. The performance difference between resolutions is almost entirely attributable to the GPU. When the resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the CPU's workload remains relatively constant, but the frame rate drops by over 60% at the High preset. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound system. The CPU's role here is to ensure that the RTX 2060 SUPER is never starved of data, and the data shows that it succeeds admirably at all resolutions tested. In terms of its rivals, the 5900X sits close to the Intel Core i7-14650HX, with a deltaPct of -0.5%, and ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H by 0.3%. These differences are negligible in gaming, confirming that the CPU is not a differentiating factor in this combo for Doom.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Doom, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing is ranked 2617 out of 3712 total combos. This places it in the 30th percentile of all tested systems. This relatively low ranking is primarily due to the GPU, which has a percentileVsAllGpus of 62, meaning it performs better than 62% of all GPUs. The CPU, in contrast, has a percentileVsAllCpus of 87, indicating it is a high-end processor.

This discrepancy highlights the imbalance of the combo. The 5900X is a top-tier CPU, but it is paired with a mid-range GPU from 2019. In a game like Doom, which is well-optimized and can run on a wide range of hardware, the GPU is the limiting factor. The combo's rank of 2617 suggests that many other pairings, likely those with more balanced or newer GPUs, achieve higher frame rates. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (deltaPct of -0.4%) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (deltaPct of -0.5%), which are comparable in performance, but the RTX 2060 SUPER is also close to the AMD Radeon RX 460 (deltaPct of -1.5%), which is a much lower-tier card, showing the performance range in this area of the market.

The ranking implies that while this system is fully capable of playing Doom, it is not a top-tier performer. For a game that is known for its scalability, a better GPU would have pushed this combo much higher in the rankings. The CPU's strength is somewhat wasted in this pairing, as the RTX 2060 SUPER cannot fully utilize the 5900X's potential at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combo performs well, but the overall rank is dragged down by its 4K performance, which is below the median for tested systems. This is a classic case of a CPU outclassing its GPU partner in a specific game benchmark.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: At 4K, only the Low preset achieves an average above 60 FPS (67 FPS). Medium averages 59 FPS, while High and Ultra average 50 FPS and 40 FPS, respectively. For a consistently smooth 4K experience, the Low preset is the only viable option.

Q: What is the best preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers an average of 91 FPS, providing an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset drops to 75 FPS, and while playable, the High preset offers a better safety margin for demanding scenes.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 1440p on the High preset?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average frame rate is 141 FPS. At 2560x1440 with the same settings, it drops to 91 FPS. This represents a 35% performance penalty for the higher resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. The RTX 2060 SUPER shows a consistent ~45% performance drop when moving from 1440p to 4K across all settings, while the Ryzen 9 5900X's performance is more than sufficient for this title, as evidenced by high frame rates at 1080p.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 192 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 115 FPS. The Ultra preset is 40% slower than Low, but still provides a playable experience.

Q: How does this combo compare to others in the database?

A: This combination ranks 2617 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the lower half of tested systems, primarily due to the GPU's mid-range standing (62nd percentile) compared to the CPU's high-end standing (87th percentile).

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table and notes provide the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination. For presets where minimum and maximum FPS were recorded, they are included in the notes.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 192 FPS average.
• Medium: 167 FPS average, with a minimum of 142 FPS and a maximum of 192 FPS.
• High: 141 FPS average.
• Ultra: 115 FPS average.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 124 FPS average.
• Medium: 108 FPS average, with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS.
• High: 91 FPS average.
• Ultra: 75 FPS average.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 67 FPS average.
• Medium: 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 67 FPS.
• High: 50 FPS average.
• Ultra: 40 FPS average.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p delivers the highest frame rates, with the Low preset exceeding 190 FPS, and even Ultra remaining above 110 FPS. 1440p is a strong middle ground, with all presets except Ultra exceeding 90 FPS. 4K is the most demanding, with only the Low preset maintaining an average above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has the only recorded minimum FPS (50) that hints at potential stuttering, while the other presets at this resolution lack minimum FPS data, suggesting they may be even less stable. This breakdown confirms that the RTX 2060 SUPER is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Doom, with 4K reserved for the lowest quality settings.