Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti produces a combination that is heavily constrained by its graphics card in Doom, yet the CPU’s immense headroom ensures frame rates remain consistently smooth across all tested settings. The data shows a system where the GPU dictates the ceiling, but the processor guarantees the floor never dips into unplayable territory.

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

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This is a desktop-class part with a 170 W TDP, and its benchmark scores place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating top-tier compute capability. In Doom, a game built on the id Tech 6 engine, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data, and this processor does so with overwhelming authority.

The data reveals that this CPU is never the bottleneck in this configuration. For instance, at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 150.2 FPS, which is the highest average FPS recorded across all tests. Even at this extreme low-load scenario for the GPU, the processor’s single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1093 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6168, ensures no frame-limiting occurs. The 7900X’s nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score—the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT, Intel Core i7-13850HX, and Intel Core i9-13980HX—are all within 0.8% of its 50556 average score, confirming that its processing power is competitive with modern high-end parts, yet the game’s results are not influenced by these minute differences.

The 64 MB of shared L3 cache is another asset, as Doom’s level streaming benefits from large caches to avoid stutters. However, the benchmark results indicate that the CPU’s influence is static: whether at 1080p Low (150.2 FPS) or 4K Low (54.4 FPS), the processor’s performance is sufficient to allow the GPU to be the sole determinant of the frame rate. This is a classic sign of a balanced pairing where the CPU is over-provisioned, but not wasted, as it guarantees that frame pacing remains consistent even when the GPU is under full load.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the definitive performance limiter in this setup. It features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, with a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Its 1536 shading units and 48 ROPs are modest by modern standards, and its benchmark scores reflect this, with a PassMark G3D score of 12871 and a percentile rank of 55 among all GPUs. This places it in the middle of the pack, with its nearest rivals—the AMD Radeon RX 570X, NVIDIA Tesla K10, RTX A2000 Mobile, and GTX 680—all within 0.8% of its 13925 average score.

In Doom, the GTX 1660 Ti’s VRAM capacity becomes a critical factor at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 34, while at 4K High it is 41.2 FPS. This steep decline suggests that the 6 GB frame buffer is being saturated, causing the GPU to struggle with texture storage and memory bandwidth. Conversely, at 1080p, the GPU has more headroom, and the results are far healthier: 111.4 FPS at High and 91.1 FPS at Ultra. The GPU’s lack of dedicated ray tracing or tensor cores is irrelevant here, as Doom does not use those features, but its raw rasterization power, measured at 5.437 TFLOPS FP32, is what drives these numbers.

The 12 Gbps effective memory speed is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 288.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a bottleneck at 4K. This is evident in the scaling: moving from 1080p High to 1440p High costs 39.8 FPS (from 111.4 to 71.6), while moving from 1440p High to 4K High costs 30.4 FPS (from 71.6 to 41.2). The GPU is the sole reason for these drops, as the CPU’s performance remains constant.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of resolution scaling and confirms the GPU-bound nature of this system. At 1080p, the average FPS across settings ranges from 91.1 (Ultra) to 150.2 (Low). This is a wide spread, indicating that the GPU is responsive to settings changes but still has ample headroom. Moving to 1440p, the range shifts to 57.8 (Ultra) to 94.9 (Low). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent: roughly 35-37% lower FPS across all settings, which is expected as pixel count increases.

The transition to 4K is where the data becomes stark. At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 34 (Ultra) to 54.4 (Low). Comparing 1080p Low (150.2 FPS) to 4K Low (54.4 FPS), there is a 63.8% reduction. For Ultra settings, the drop is even more severe: from 91.1 FPS at 1080p to 34 FPS at 4K, a 62.7% reduction. This nonlinear scaling—where the 4K numbers are disproportionately lower than the 1440p numbers—is a classic symptom of VRAM or bandwidth saturation on the GPU.

The data also shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the scaling pattern is identical regardless of settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see smaller FPS differences between resolutions at Low settings, but the gap between 1080p Low and 4K Low (95.8 FPS) is larger than the gap between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra (57.1 FPS). This indicates that the GPU’s workload increases linearly with resolution, and the processor’s output is constant, proving the GTX 1660 Ti is the sole performance gate.

FAQ

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

A: At 4K, the system achieves 41.2 FPS on High and 54.4 FPS on Low, but drops to 34 FPS on Ultra. The data suggests that 4K is only playable at Low settings, as 54.4 FPS is the only result above 45 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1440p offers a strong balance, with 71.6 FPS on High and 86 FPS on Medium. This provides a smoother experience than 4K while maintaining higher visual fidelity than 1080p.

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

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 50556, which is 0.1% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT, 0.5% lower than the Intel Core i7-13850HX, and 0.8% lower than the Intel Core i9-13980HX.

Q: Is the GPU’s performance close to any other cards?

A: The GTX 1660 Ti’s average benchmark score is 13925. It is 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 570X, 0.7% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla K10, 0.8% higher than the RTX A2000 Mobile, and 0.8% higher than the GTX 680.

Q: What is the impact of using Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Ultra settings yield 91.1 FPS, which is 20.3 FPS lower than High settings (111.4 FPS). This is a 18.2% reduction, making High a better choice for higher refresh rates.

Q: Does the system show any signs of CPU bottlenecking?

A: No. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU limitations, and the CPU’s high single-thread score of 1093 in 3DMark ensures it can handle the game’s demands without limiting performance.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all 1681 tested combos in this database for Doom, this pairing of the Ryzen 9 7900X and GTX 1660 Ti ranks 1450th. This percentile position—roughly the 86th percentile from the top—reflects a system that is solidly mid-pack, but not competitive with high-end configurations. The rank is primarily dragged down by the GPU’s modest performance, as the CPU alone would rank near the top 7% of all processors (93rd percentile). This disparity highlights a significant imbalance: the processor is overkill for the graphics card, and the combo’s overall standing is defined by the weakest link.

Comparatively, the data indicates that this combo would fare better at lower resolutions where the GPU’s weaknesses are less exposed. At 1080p, the system’s performance is competitive with many modern setups, but at 4K, it falls behind a majority of tested configurations. The rank of 1450 out of 1681 suggests that users would need to prioritize 1080p or 1440p gaming to get the most out of this hardware, as the 4K results are below the median for the database.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that the optimal experience is achieved at 1440p with High settings, which delivers 71.6 FPS. This provides a smooth frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold for standard monitors, while retaining visual quality. At 1080p, High settings (111.4 FPS) is the best choice for high-refresh-rate displays, as it offers a significant boost over Ultra (91.1 FPS) without a major visual penalty. For 4K, the data suggests that only Low settings (54.4 FPS) are viable for playable performance, as Medium (44.4 FPS) and High (41.2 FPS) dip below 45 FPS, and Ultra (34 FPS) is too choppy.

If the user prefers maximum visual fidelity, 1080p Ultra (91.1 FPS) is the only resolution where this is acceptable, as 1440p Ultra (57.8 FPS) is borderline and 4K Ultra (34 FPS) is unplayable. The recommendation is to avoid Ultra settings at 1440p and above, as the performance cost is not justified by the marginal visual gains. Medium settings at 1440p (86 FPS) also present a viable alternative, offering a 14.4 FPS improvement over High with a modest reduction in detail.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is taken directly from the measured FPS table for Doom with this hardware configuration.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. Low settings produce an average of 150.2 FPS, which is the highest score of any test. Medium settings yield 127.9 FPS, High settings produce 111.4 FPS, and Ultra settings result in 91.1 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 59.1 FPS, indicating that settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance drops predictably. Low settings average 94.9 FPS, Medium settings average 86 FPS, High settings average 71.6 FPS, and Ultra settings average 57.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 37.1 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more stressed as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 54.4 FPS, Medium settings average 44.4 FPS, High settings average 41.2 FPS, and Ultra settings average 34 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is only 20.4 FPS, indicating that the GPU is saturated and settings changes have diminishing returns. Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the GTX 1660 Ti’s 6 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors, and the Ryzen 9 7900X’s 12-core processor provides more than enough headroom to ensure the GPU is always the bottleneck.