Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Doom, with the data showing that the 1080p and 1440p results are so far beyond display refresh rate targets that the experience is effectively limited by the CPU, while the 4K results begin to show the GPU’s influence. This combination sits at rank 297 out of 3712 tested configurations, placing it in the top 8% of all recorded combos for this title, and the measured data confirms that this is a system built for maximum refresh rate gaming in this classic FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop tells a specific story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 363 FPS, which drops to 260 FPS at 1440p (a 28% reduction) and then to 141 FPS at 4K (a 46% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel count increases dramatically while the CPU workload per frame remains relatively constant.

However, the most telling comparison comes from the High settings preset. At 1080p High, the system produces 295 FPS, dropping to 191 FPS at 1440p (a 35% reduction) and then to 104 FPS at 4K (a 46% reduction from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is nearly identical between Low and High settings suggests that the RTX 4080’s rendering capabilities are being stretched in a consistent manner, while the CPU is still able to feed frames efficiently even at lower resolutions. The 4K High result of 104 FPS remains well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this configuration is not struggling at 4K, but rather that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a different pattern. At Medium settings, the system drops from 346 FPS at 1080p to 226 FPS at 1440p, a 35% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 241 FPS to 156 FPS, a 35% reduction as well. This consistency across settings presets at the 1080p-to-1440p transition suggests that the scaling factor is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven, which is characteristic of a system where the GPU still has headroom at 1440p but begins to show its limits at 4K. The data strongly indicates that the RTX 4080 is the component that determines the ceiling at 4K, while at 1080p and 1440p, the Ryzen 9 5900X’s 12 cores and high boost clocks are sufficient to keep the GPU fed.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. In Doom, a game known for its id Tech engine efficiency, the data shows that this CPU is more than adequate for the task, with the measured FPS at 1080p reaching as high as 363 FPS on Low settings. This indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions, and the 12 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient to handle the game’s threading model, which is not particularly demanding by modern standards.

The CPU’s benchmark results further contextualize its role. The 3dmark_16_threads score of 9075 and the 3dmark_max_threads score of 10075 show strong multi-threaded performance, while the 3dmark_single_thread score of 941 and the cinebench_cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 1527 indicate solid single-core performance. The passmark_single_thread score of 3469 is particularly relevant for gaming, as many games, including Doom, rely heavily on single-threaded performance for game logic and draw call submission. The Ryzen 9 5900X’s boost clock of 4.80 GHz ensures that this single-threaded workload is handled with minimal latency, allowing the GPU to receive frames without CPU-induced delays.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the data shows that the Ryzen 9 5900X has an average benchmark score of 41376, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H and 0.4% higher than both the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440. It trails the Intel Core i7-14650HX by 0.5%. These deltas are tiny, suggesting that for Doom, any of these CPUs would perform nearly identically. The percentileVsAllCpus score of 87 indicates that this processor outperforms 87% of all CPUs in the database, placing it in a strong position for gaming workloads. In practice, the CPU’s role in this specific game is to ensure that frame times remain consistent, and the measured data shows that it does so effectively, with the 1080p Low result of 363 FPS being proof of the CPU’s ability to push frames quickly.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the clear performance driver in this configuration, and the data shows that its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth are more than sufficient for Doom at any resolution. The GPU’s boost clock of 2505 MHz and its 9728 shading units allow it to render the game’s environments at high frame rates, with the 4K High preset achieving 104 FPS. This is a strong result for a game released in 2016, but the RTX 4080 is a modern GPU with Ada Lovelace architecture, so the data suggests that the game is not fully utilizing the GPU’s capabilities at lower resolutions.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its position. The passmark_g3d score of 34457 and the 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 6567 indicate strong DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant given that Doom supports Vulkan and OpenGL 4.6 as well. The geekbench_vulkan score of 263779 is particularly notable, as Doom is often cited as a title that benefits from Vulkan’s low overhead. The RTX 4080’s 76 ray tracing cores are not relevant for Doom, which does not use ray tracing, but the 304 tensor cores and 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance provide ample compute headroom for any other tasks.

The GPU’s role becomes more apparent at 4K. The drop from 141 FPS at 4K Low to 104 FPS at 4K High represents a 26% reduction, and the further drop to 85 FPS at 4K Ultra shows that the Ultra preset is the most demanding. The RTX 4080’s 16 GB of VRAM is not a limitation here, as Doom’s textures are well within that capacity, but the GPU’s raw rendering throughput is what determines the 4K results. The GPU sits at the 86th percentile VsAllGpus, and its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is only 0.1% faster in average benchmark score, confirming that this is a top-tier GPU. The data shows that in Doom, the RTX 4080 is the component that dictates the difference between 1080p and 4K performance, with the CPU providing a stable foundation that never throttles the GPU’s output.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data allows for clear settings recommendations based on the resolution and the desired frame rate. At 1080p, all settings presets deliver extremely high frame rates, with the Low preset hitting 363 FPS, Medium at 346 FPS, High at 295 FPS, and Ultra at 241 FPS. For a 144Hz monitor at 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it still delivers 241 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate and provides the best visual quality. For a 240Hz monitor, the High preset at 295 FPS is the sweet spot, as it offers a significant visual improvement over Medium while still exceeding the refresh rate. The Low preset at 363 FPS is only necessary for 360Hz monitors, and the visual trade-off may not be worth it for most users.

At 1440p, the recommendations shift slightly. The Ultra preset delivers 156 FPS, which is above the 144Hz refresh rate and provides the best visual quality. This is the recommended preset for 1440p gaming, as the High preset at 191 FPS and Medium at 226 FPS are only beneficial for 240Hz monitors, but the visual difference between Ultra and High is noticeable in a game like Doom with its fast-paced action. The Low preset at 260 FPS is overkill for most displays and sacrifices too much visual fidelity. If a user has a 240Hz 1440p monitor, the High preset at 191 FPS is a reasonable compromise, but for the majority of users, Ultra at 156 FPS is the best balance of quality and performance.

At 4K, the data shows that the High preset at 104 FPS is the recommended choice for a 60Hz or 120Hz monitor. The Ultra preset at 85 FPS is still playable but does not provide a significant visual improvement over High to justify the 18% performance drop. The Medium preset at 123 FPS is ideal for 120Hz 4K displays, but the High preset offers better visual quality at a still-respectable 104 FPS. The Low preset at 141 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as the visual downgrade is severe and the performance gain over High is not necessary for most displays. Overall, the data suggests that High is the optimal preset across all resolutions, with Ultra being a viable option at 1080p and 1440p, and Medium being a fallback for 4K users with 120Hz displays.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this configuration in Doom?

A: The highest average FPS is 363, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p also exceeds 340 FPS, hitting 346 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X has an average benchmark score of 41376, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H, 0.4% higher than both the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440, and 0.5% lower than the Intel Core i7-14650HX.

Q: What is the recommended settings preset for 4K gaming?

A: For 4K, the High preset at 104 FPS is recommended for 60Hz or 120Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 85 FPS is also playable, but the Medium preset at 123 FPS is better suited for 120Hz 4K monitors if visual quality can be slightly reduced.

Q: Does the GPU or CPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, as the RTX 4080 is capable of rendering frames faster than the Ryzen 9 5900X can feed it. The data shows 363 FPS at Low settings, which is near the practical limit for CPU-bound scenarios.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER has a score of 54209, making the RTX 4080 0.1% faster in this database. The two GPUs are effectively tied in performance.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this configuration?

A: The lowest average FPS is 85, achieved at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for playable performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings presets is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 363 FPS average
• Medium: 346 FPS average, with a minimum of 294 FPS and a maximum of 398 FPS
• High: 295 FPS average
• Ultra: 241 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 260 FPS average
• Medium: 226 FPS average, with a minimum of 192 FPS and a maximum of 260 FPS
• High: 191 FPS average
• Ultra: 156 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 141 FPS average
• Medium: 123 FPS average, with a minimum of 104 FPS and a maximum of 141 FPS
• High: 104 FPS average
• Ultra: 85 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the 4K Ultra preset being the most demanding at 85 FPS. The Medium presets across all resolutions show the min and max FPS values that bracket the average, providing a sense of frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range is 294 to 398 FPS, indicating a 104 FPS spread, while at 1440p Medium, the range is 192 to 260 FPS, a 68 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 104 to 141 FPS, a 37 FPS spread. This decreasing spread at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded as the resolution increases, reducing the variability in frame times.