Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX pairing delivers a performance profile in Doom that is dominated by the GPU at higher resolutions, with the CPU’s substantial headroom becoming evident only at 1080p. The measured frames per second (FPS) data reveals a clear scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions and four quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 and finally to 3840x2160 shows a consistent, predictable decline in average FPS across all settings. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 269 FPS at 1080p to 174 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 95 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160) High brings the average down to 94 FPS, another 80 FPS drop. This pattern indicates that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count, which is expected for a GPU-bound scenario.

The Low preset demonstrates the most extreme scaling. At 1080p, the system produces an average of 364 FPS, which is the highest measured score in the entire dataset. This drops to 237 FPS at 1440p and further to 128 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Low is 127 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K Low is 109 FPS. The fact that even at 4K Low the card still delivers 128 FPS on average suggests that the GPU is not entirely saturated at lower settings, but the scaling is still steep.

Analyzing the Ultra preset reveals the most significant performance cost. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 220, which drops to 143 FPS at 1440p and 77 FPS at 4K. The step from 1440p to 4K Ultra represents a 66 FPS loss, which is proportionally similar to the other presets. The data points to the RX 7900 XTX being the primary limiting component in this configuration for 4K workloads, as the frame rate falls below the 100 FPS mark at High and Ultra settings, indicating that the GPU’s compute and memory resources are being fully utilized.

The relationship between resolution and settings is not linear. When moving from Medium to High at 4K, the average FPS drops from 112 to 94, an 18 FPS difference. However, moving from High to Ultra at 4K costs 17 FPS, bringing the average to 77. At 1080p, the drop from Medium to High is 50 FPS (319 to 269), and from High to Ultra is 49 FPS (269 to 220). This suggests that the absolute FPS cost of each settings tier is relatively consistent within a resolution, but the percentage impact increases as the resolution rises.

The 1080p results, particularly the Low preset’s 364 FPS average, indicate that the Ryzen 9 5950X is capable of feeding the GPU at high rates. Since the GPU is not the bottleneck at this resolution and settings combination, the CPU’s 16 cores and high boost clock are sufficient to maintain frame rates well above the refresh rate of most monitors. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 236 FPS difference, which is a 64.8% reduction, confirming that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the determining factor for overall performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 offers the most balanced experience. The average FPS of 206 with a minimum of 176 FPS ensures smooth gameplay, and the jump from Low to Medium at this resolution is only 31 FPS, meaning the visual quality increase comes at a relatively modest performance cost. The 176 FPS minimum is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for playability and provides headroom for demanding scenes.

For users targeting 4K, the Medium preset is the optimal choice. The 112 FPS average and 95 FPS minimum are playable, and the step to High costs 18 FPS, which may not be worth the visual fidelity gain for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 4K, averaging 77 FPS, is the only setting that dips below the 100 FPS mark, making it less ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The data suggests that High at 4K is a viable alternative if the user prioritizes visual quality over a higher frame rate buffer, but Medium provides a safer margin.

At 1080p, even the Ultra preset delivers 220 FPS, so users can freely select the highest settings without concern for performance. The difference between Medium and Ultra at 1080p is 99 FPS, but both are so far above typical display refresh rates that the choice should be based purely on visual preference. The Low preset at 1080p yields 364 FPS, which is only useful for extreme competitive scenarios where frame rate is the sole priority, as the visual downgrade is substantial.

The measured minimum FPS values, only available for the Medium preset, show that the system maintains a stable frame time. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 271 FPS against an average of 319 FPS, indicating a 15% variance. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 176 FPS against an average of 206 FPS, a similar 14.5% variance. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 95 FPS against an average of 112 FPS, a 15.2% variance. This consistency across resolutions suggests that the frame pacing is stable and that the limiting component is not causing intermittent spikes.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 364, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: Does this system maintain above 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: Yes, all tested settings at 3840x2160 produce an average FPS above 77. The lowest average is 77 FPS at Ultra settings, so all presets are playable.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1440p to 4K on the High preset?

A: The average FPS drops from 174 at 2560x1440 to 94 at 3840x2160, a loss of 80 FPS.

Q: Which preset at 1440p provides the highest minimum FPS?

A: The Medium preset is the only one at 1440p with a recorded minimum FPS, which is 176.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the GPU is still the main limiting factor, as the frame rate drops significantly when increasing resolution. However, the 364 FPS result at 1080p Low shows the CPU can drive very high frame rates.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is 144 FPS, with Low averaging 364 FPS and Ultra averaging 220 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 364 FPS. The Medium preset averages 319 FPS, with a minimum of 271 FPS and a maximum of 367 FPS. The High preset averages 269 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 220 FPS. The progression shows a 45 FPS cost from Low to Medium, a 50 FPS cost from Medium to High, and a 49 FPS cost from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 237 for Low, 206 for Medium (with a minimum of 176 and a maximum of 237), 174 for High, and 143 for Ultra. The step from Low to Medium costs 31 FPS, Medium to High costs 32 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 31 FPS. This uniform scaling suggests that each settings tier imposes a similar load increment at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are 128 for Low, 112 for Medium (with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 129), 94 for High, and 77 for Ultra. The cost of moving from Low to Medium is 16 FPS, Medium to High is 18 FPS, and High to Ultra is 17 FPS. The absolute FPS costs are lower than at 1440p, but the percentage reduction is similar, indicating the GPU is working closer to its limits.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data. The maximum FPS at 1080p Medium is 367, which is higher than the average FPS of the Low preset at the same resolution. This shows that the frame rate can vary significantly. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 95, which is just above the 90 FPS mark, indicating that the system can maintain high frame rates even in demanding scenes.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX is the dominant component in this configuration for Doom. Its 24 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 384-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, which is substantial for handling the high-resolution textures and effects in the game. The core clock operates at a base of 1929 MHz, a game clock of 2365 MHz, and a boost clock of 2498 MHz. The memory clock is listed at 2500 MHz, with an effective data rate of 20 Gbps.

The GPU’s performance percentile of 64 against all GPUs reflects its position, though its nearest rivals in the database include models like the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB and NVIDIA TITAN Xp, which have similar average benchmark scores. This is interesting because the RX 7900 XTX is clearly a more modern and powerful card on paper, but the benchmark average places it in this range. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6841 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 85612 indicate strong raw compute capabilities.

The data shows that the RX 7900 XTX’s performance in Doom is heavily influenced by the resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 77 FPS suggests that the GPU’s shading units and texture units are being fully utilized. The card has 6144 shading units, 384 texture mapping units, and 192 render output units. The pixel rate of 479.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 959.2 GTexel/s are high, but the demands of 4K rendering still limit the frame rate.

The fact that the 4K Low preset still yields 128 FPS indicates that the GPU has enough headroom to handle lower graphical loads, but the transition to High and Ultra settings consumes that headroom quickly. The 24 GB VRAM is likely not a limiting factor at any tested setting, as the game’s requirements are well below this capacity. The GPU’s architecture, RDNA 3.0 on a 5 nm process, provides the efficiency needed to sustain these frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X provides the processing foundation for this system. It features 16 cores and 32 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. The CPU is based on the Zen 3 architecture and is manufactured on a 7 nm process. Its 64 MB of L3 cache is a significant resource for game data, and the dual-channel DDR4 memory support with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is adequate for feeding the GPU.

The CPU’s benchmark scores show its strength in multithreaded workloads. The Cinebench R23 multicore score is 26017, and the Geekbench multicore score is 15233. The single-core scores are also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1614 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2083. The 3DMark scores for 16 threads and max threads are 10810 and 11597, respectively, indicating that the CPU scales well with thread count.

In Doom, the CPU’s role appears to be secondary to the GPU, but it still enables the high frame rates seen at 1080p. The 364 FPS result at 1080p Low is a clear indicator that the CPU can process game logic and draw calls quickly enough to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. The CPU’s percentile of 91 against all CPUs places it in the top tier, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 235HX and Intel Core i9-13900F, with average scores within 0.7% of the 5950X.

The boost clock of 4.90 GHz is crucial for single-threaded performance, which is often the limiting factor in game physics and AI calculations. The 16 cores ensure that any background tasks or multithreaded game engines have ample resources. The CPU’s TDP of 105 W is modest for its performance, allowing for consistent sustained clocks without thermal throttling, which is beneficial for maintaining stable frame rates over long gaming sessions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX ranks 524 out of 3712 tested combinations in the database for Doom. This places it in the top 14.1% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a high-performing configuration. The rank is likely influenced by the GPU’s average benchmark score, which places it in the 64th percentile, while the CPU’s 91st percentile score helps to boost the overall ranking.

The ranking of 524 is a strong result, but the data suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing. The CPU’s high benchmark scores and its position relative to rivals like the Intel Core i9-13900F, which has an average score 0.4% higher, show that it is not holding the system back. The GPU’s rivals, including the NVIDIA TITAN Xp with a 1.2% higher average score, are older models, yet the RX 7900 XTX still achieves a similar aggregate score, which may reflect its specific performance profile in the database’s benchmark suite.

The in-game results, however, show that this combo is well-suited for Doom at all tested settings. The 524th rank out of 3712 means that 3188 other combinations are ranked lower, which shows the high frame rates achieved. The fact that the system can exceed 360 FPS at 1080p Low and still maintain over 77 FPS at 4K Ultra demonstrates a wide performance envelope. The rank is a summary of the overall capability, and the measured FPS data confirms that this combo delivers a smooth experience across the board, with the only caveat being that 4K Ultra may require a lower refresh rate display to match the 77 FPS average.