Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a thoroughly playable Doom experience across all tested settings and resolutions, with the data showing a clear trend: the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs, while the CPU’s substantial thread count and high clock speeds ensure headroom at lower resolutions. Benchmark results indicate that this combo ranks 2617th out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database, yet the measured frame rates tell a story of consistent 4K capability and excellent 1080p performance that defies that modest ranking.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 115, which is the lowest average among the 1080p settings but still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 40 on Ultra settings to 67 on Low settings, with Medium and High producing 59 and 50 FPS respectively. This indicates that 4K gaming is viable, especially at Medium settings where the average stays near 60 FPS.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low setting produces an average of 124 FPS, while Ultra drops to 75 FPS. This represents a 49 FPS gap, showing that graphics quality has a significant impact on performance at this resolution.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck the system in Doom?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the FPS drops from 192 at 1080p Low to 67 at 4K Low. The CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, provide ample processing power that remains underutilized at 4K.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested combinations in Doom?

A: The combo ranks 2617th out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the 70th percentile of the database. This rank reflects the mid-tier nature of the RTX 2060 SUPER relative to newer GPUs.

Q: Are there any measured minimum FPS values available?

A: Yes, the data includes minimum FPS only for Medium settings: 142 at 1080p, 92 at 1440p, and 50 at 4K. These values confirm that even worst-case frames remain playable at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K Medium staying at a playable 50 FPS minimum.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process node, featuring 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. Its base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and it carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. These specifications position the GPU as a solid mid-range performer, and the Doom benchmark data reflects this: the GPU’s pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s directly influence how quickly it can fill frames with the game’s fast-paced, detail-rich environments.

In Doom, the GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution scales up. At 1080p, the GPU can push average FPS from 115 on Ultra to 192 on Low, showing that it has enough raw throughput to handle the game’s demands at lower pixel counts. However, the drop from 192 FPS at 1080p Low to 67 FPS at 4K Low—a 125 FPS reduction—illustrates how the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are stretched at 4K. The RTX 2060 SUPER’s 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the data shows the GPU is nearing its limits, especially on Ultra settings where average FPS falls to 40.

The GPU’s memory configuration also matters. With 8 GB of GDDR6, the card has enough capacity for Doom’s textures at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra, the combination of high-resolution textures and effects likely exceeds comfortable VRAM usage, contributing to the lower 40 FPS average. The measured FPS at 4K Medium (59 FPS) versus 4K High (50 FPS) suggests that reducing settings by one tier yields a 9 FPS improvement, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution. Even at 4K Low, the 67 FPS average is respectable, but it falls short of the 1440p Low result of 124 FPS, reinforcing that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are the constraining factors at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s benchmark scores support this interpretation. Its PassMark G3D score of 16462 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2011 place it in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (average score 18159, deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (average score 18189, deltaPct -0.5). These rivals are within 1.6% of the RTX 2060 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 18093, indicating that the GPU’s performance is consistent with its class. In Doom, this translates to the observed frame rates, where the GPU’s capabilities are fully exercised at 4K but leave headroom at 1080p.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 7000 series, based on the Zen 4 architecture with a 5 nm process node. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it features a 64 MB shared L3 cache, along with 64 KB L1 and 1 MB L2 per core. The CPU’s memory support includes DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and 83.2 GB/s bandwidth, and it has 24 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. These specifications provide substantial computational headroom for gaming, and the Doom data confirms that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this combo.

The CPU’s benchmark results are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29300 and a single-core score of 2016.5, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs. Its Geekbench multicore score of 19267 and single-core score of 2617 further demonstrate its capability. In Doom, which is a game that can utilize multiple threads for rendering and physics, the 12 cores and 24 threads ensure that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough draw calls and game logic updates, even at high frame rates. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.60 GHz is particularly relevant for single-threaded tasks, and its PassMark single-thread score of 4238 indicates strong per-core performance.

At 1080p, where the GPU has less work per frame, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 192, and at 1080p Medium it is 167, with a maximum FPS of 192 recorded at both resolutions. These high frame rates suggest that the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output, as the Ryzen 9 7900X’s 24 threads provide ample parallelism for the game’s engine. However, the data also shows that at 4K, the CPU’s performance is largely irrelevant—the FPS drops are driven by the GPU’s inability to render at higher resolutions, not by CPU limitations. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 53288 is only 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 7313P (53206) and 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon 634 (52974), but it trails the Intel Core i7-14700F (53620) by 0.6%, showing that the CPU is competitive with other high-end processors.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy also contributes to gaming performance. The 64 MB shared L3 cache is large enough to hold frequently accessed game data, reducing latency and improving frame pacing. In Doom, this is evident in the consistency of frame rates—at 1440p Medium, the minimum FPS is 92 and the maximum is 125, showing only a 33 FPS spread, which indicates that the CPU is not causing stutters or drops. The CPU’s 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, while modest compared to some newer platforms, is sufficient for the game’s needs, as the combo achieves playable frame rates across all settings. Overall, the CPU provides a strong foundation, and the data indicates that any performance limitations in this combo are due to the GPU, not the Ryzen 9 7900X.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2617th out of 3712 tested combinations in Doom, placing it in the 70th percentile of the database. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-tier status relative to other tested configurations, as the CPU is a top-tier performer. The CPU alone ranks in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, so the combination’s overall rank is dragged down by the GPU’s lower standing. This is a common pattern in gaming benchmarks, where the GPU often dominates performance, especially at higher resolutions.

The rank of 2617 out of 3712 means that roughly 70% of tested combos outperform this one in Doom. This is not surprising given that the RTX 2060 SUPER is an end-of-life product from 2019, while many tested combos likely feature newer GPUs with higher performance. However, the rank should be interpreted in context: it does not mean the combo is unplayable. The measured FPS values show that the combo achieves 115 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 75 FPS at 1440p Ultra, which are both strong results for a game like Doom. The rank is more indicative of the GPU’s ceiling than the combo’s actual gaming experience.

Comparing to the GPU’s nearest rivals, the RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile at 18159 (deltaPct -0.4) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 at 18189 (deltaPct -0.5). These rivals are within 1.5% of the RTX 2060 SUPER’s score, meaning that in Doom, the combo’s performance is likely similar to what these alternatives would produce. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-14700F (avgScore 53620, deltaPct -0.6), are also close in performance, but the CPU’s high rank (91st percentile) means it is unlikely to be the limiting factor in the combo’s overall rank.

The combo’s rank also reflects the game’s age. Doom was released in 2016, and its engine is well-optimized for a range of hardware. The data shows that even at 4K, the combo can achieve 40 FPS on Ultra, which is playable for many users. The rank of 2617 is a relative measure, and when considering the absolute FPS numbers, the combo performs admirably for its GPU tier. In summary, the rank is a function of the GPU’s mid-range positioning, but the actual gameplay experience, as measured by FPS, is solid across all resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, with the average FPS dropping significantly at each step. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 192 FPS, which drops to 124 FPS at 1440p Low (a 68 FPS reduction) and further to 67 FPS at 4K Low (a 57 FPS reduction from 1440p). This pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s performance remains constant regardless of resolution.

The drop from 1080p to 1440p is substantial: at High settings, FPS falls from 141 to 91 (a 50 FPS drop), at Medium from 167 to 108 (a 59 FPS drop), and at Ultra from 115 to 75 (a 40 FPS drop). These reductions are proportional to the increase in pixel count—1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p—but the FPS drops are less than proportional, suggesting that the GPU is not fully saturated at 1080p and has some headroom to handle the extra pixels. For example, at 1080p High, the GPU produces 141 FPS, but at 1440p High it produces 91 FPS, which is a 35% reduction, while the pixel count increases by 78%. This indicates that the GPU is not fully utilizing its resources at 1080p, likely due to CPU or game engine limits.

Moving from 1440p to 4K, the drops are even more pronounced. At High settings, FPS falls from 91 to 50 (a 41 FPS drop), at Medium from 108 to 59 (a 49 FPS drop), and at Ultra from 75 to 40 (a 35 FPS drop). The 4K resolution has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p, and the FPS reductions are close to proportional, indicating that the GPU is now the clear limiting factor. At 4K, the GPU’s 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance are insufficient to maintain high frame rates, especially on Ultra settings where the average FPS drops to 40.

The scaling behavior reveals that the combo is CPU-limited at 1080p, but becomes GPU-limited at 1440p and 4K. At 1080p, the Ryzen 9 7900X’s high clock speeds and 24 threads allow the game to run at up to 192 FPS, but the GPU cannot push much beyond that. At 1440p, the GPU’s workload increases, and the FPS drops to a level where the GPU is the bottleneck. At 4K, the GPU is severely challenged, and the FPS drops below 60 on Ultra and High settings, with only Low and Medium settings achieving playable frame rates. This scaling pattern is typical for a combo with a high-end CPU and a mid-range GPU, and it suggests that users should lower settings or resolution to achieve higher FPS, rather than upgrading the CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo provides a comprehensive picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels, with exact average FPS values for each configuration, along with minimum and maximum FPS for Medium settings.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. On Low settings, the average FPS is 192, which is the maximum recorded across all configurations. Medium settings produce an average of 167 FPS, with a minimum of 142 and a maximum of 192. High settings yield an average of 141 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 115 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is where the combo excels, with even Ultra settings providing over 100 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 77 FPS, showing that graphics settings have a significant impact, but even the lowest result (115 FPS on Ultra) is well above the 60 FPS standard.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but drops noticeably. Low settings produce an average of 124 FPS, while Medium settings average 108 FPS, with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 125. High settings average 91 FPS, and Ultra settings average 75 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 49 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor. The 75 FPS average on Ultra is still playable, and the minimum FPS of 92 on Medium ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. This resolution is a sweet spot for the combo, offering a balance between visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the combo’s performance drops significantly, but it remains usable. Low settings produce an average of 67 FPS, which is the highest at 4K. Medium settings average 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 67. High settings average 50 FPS, and Ultra settings average 40 FPS. The 4K results show that the GPU is stretched, but the combo can still achieve playable frame rates on Low and Medium settings, with the 59 FPS average on Medium being close to the 60 FPS target. The minimum FPS of 50 on Medium suggests that there may be occasional dips, but overall, 4K gaming is possible with reduced settings.

Across all resolutions, the data shows a consistent pattern: Low settings yield the highest FPS, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra increases with resolution, from 77 FPS at 1080p to 49 FPS at 1440p and 27 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the GPU’s performance ceiling is reached at 4K, where even lowering settings from Ultra to Low only yields 27 FPS, whereas at 1080p, the same settings change yields 77 FPS. The measured FPS breakdown confirms that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for less demanding settings.