Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, but the data reveals a distinct GPU bottleneck at higher resolutions and quality presets. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the three resolutions illustrate how the RTX 4060’s 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus constrain performance, while the 12-core CPU remains largely underutilized. This analysis breaks down the scaling, component roles, and optimal settings based purely on the measured data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, indicating a clear GPU-bound workload at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 167 at 1920x1080 to 108 at 2560x1440, and then to 59 at 3840x2160. This represents a 35% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a further 45% decrease from 1440p to 4K, showing that the rendering load scales dramatically with pixel count. The trend is similar for Low settings: 228 FPS at 1080p, 147 FPS at 1440p, and 80 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1440p and 4K remains proportionally large, suggesting the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading capacity are the limiting factors rather than the CPU.

The Medium preset produces a slightly smoother scaling curve: 198 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. Notably, the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, showing a range of 168–228 at 1080p, 109–148 at 1440p, and 59–80 at 4K. This indicates that Medium is the most stable preset in terms of frame pacing, with the minimum FPS at 4K (59) exactly matching the High preset’s average at that resolution. The Ultra preset, by contrast, shows the most severe drop: 137 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and just 48 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only setting where the combo struggles to maintain smooth gameplay.

The scaling pattern suggests that the RTX 4060’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are the primary constraints at 4K, especially with higher-quality textures and effects. At 1080p, the CPU’s high single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1286) can feed the GPU adequately, but as resolution increases, the GPU’s compute throughput (15.11 TFLOPS FP32) becomes the bottleneck. The data shows that the jump from 1440p to 4K is more punishing than 1080p to 1440p, indicating that memory capacity or bus width saturation occurs at the highest resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, based on the AD107 chip with Ada Lovelace architecture, operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and boosts to 2460 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivers 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is modest for a modern GPU but adequate for this 2016 title at lower resolutions. The benchmark results show the GPU’s passmark_g3d score of 19545 and passmark_directx_12 score of 76, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs.

In Doom, the GPU’s role becomes dominant at 1440p and 4K. At 1080p Low, the 228 FPS average suggests the GPU is not fully saturated, leaving headroom that the CPU can exploit. However, at 4K Ultra, the 48 FPS average indicates the GPU is overwhelmed, likely due to the combination of high pixel count and demanding effects that exceed the 8 GB VRAM capacity. The measured data shows that the RTX 4060’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks (AMD Radeon HD 7790 with an avgScore of 17666 and AMD Radeon 780M with 17588) are very close in raw compute, but the RTX 4060’s real-world gaming performance in Doom is better than these scores suggest at lower resolutions.

The GPU’s texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gameplay, evidenced by the 167 FPS High and 108 FPS High results, respectively. The 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores are present, but Doom (2016) does not rely heavily on ray tracing, so these features have minimal impact on the measured results. The 115 W TDP and dual-slot design make it a power-efficient option, but the 128-bit memory bus is the clear weak point at 4K, where the 70 FPS Medium average drops to 59 FPS High. The data indicates that the GPU’s memory bandwidth is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, not the shader compute.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the Zen 5 (Granite Ridge) architecture, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its 64 MB L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (89.6 GB/s bandwidth) provide ample headroom for gaming workloads. The CPU’s benchmark scores are strong: a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1286, a cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 2253, and a geekbench_singlecore score of 3010. Multi-threaded performance is equally impressive, with a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 32172 and a passmark_multithread score of 54643.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is minimal at higher resolutions, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the 228 FPS average suggests the CPU can drive the game well above 200 FPS, but the GPU limits performance at higher settings. The 12 cores are largely underutilized in this title, as the game’s engine typically scales well with single-thread performance rather than core count. The CPU’s 3dmark_2_threads score of 2519 and 3dmark_4_threads score of 4886 show strong low-thread performance, which is more relevant for Doom’s engine than the max-thread score of 13929.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD EPYC 9015 (avgScore 57555, deltaPct -0.1) and Intel Core i9-14900 (avgScore 58115, deltaPct -1.1), indicating that the 9900X sits in a competitive position. However, in Doom, the CPU’s performance is not the limiting factor at 1440p or 4K, where the RTX 4060’s capabilities cap the FPS. At 1080p, the CPU’s high boost clock of 5.60 GHz helps achieve the 228 FPS Low result, but the 137 FPS Ultra result at the same resolution shows that the GPU’s shading and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The data suggests that a less powerful CPU could achieve similar results in this game at higher resolutions, but the 9900X ensures no CPU bottleneck at any setting.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 167 FPS average, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The Medium preset at 198 FPS is faster but offers lower visual fidelity; however, the minimum FPS of 168 at Medium is still excellent. The Ultra preset at 137 FPS is the most visually demanding but remains playable on high-refresh displays. For 1080p, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a high average FPS.

At 2560x1440, the High preset yields 108 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios. The Medium preset at 128 FPS offers a better frame rate with a minimum of 109 FPS, making it the most consistent option for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 89 FPS is still playable but may show occasional dips on demanding scenes. For 1440p, the Medium preset is the best recommendation, as it balances the 128 FPS average with a high minimum FPS of 109, ensuring smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The High preset averages 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target, making it borderline for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59, providing a more comfortable margin. The Low preset at 80 FPS is the only option that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, but it sacrifices significant visual detail. The Ultra preset at 48 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it falls below the playable threshold. For 4K, the Medium preset is the optimal choice, offering 70 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum, which is the best combination of performance and visual fidelity from the measured data.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 2001 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 54th percentile of all systems. This mid-pack ranking reflects the GPU’s modest performance relative to the CPU’s high-end capabilities. The ranking indicates that while the CPU is a top-tier processor (92nd percentile of all CPUs), the GPU’s 61st percentile standing drags the overall combo ranking down.

The combo’s performance in Doom is consistent with its ranking: it handles 1080p and 1440p well but struggles at 4K Ultra. The data shows that the RTX 4060’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks (AMD Radeon HD 7790 and AMD Radeon 780M) are much weaker, yet the combo still lands in the middle of the pack, suggesting that other tested combos with similar GPUs but stronger CPUs or more balanced pairings achieve better results. Conversely, combos with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs may rank higher in this GPU-bound title.

The 2001 rank out of 3712 combos indicates that this pairing is not optimized for Doom’s specific demands. The CPU’s 12 cores are excessive for this game, while the GPU’s 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus limit 4K performance. For users prioritizing high-refresh 1080p or 1440p gaming, this combo performs admirably, but it is outclassed by systems with more balanced components at 4K. The ranking reflects a system that is CPU-heavy for this workload, resulting in a mid-tier position among all tested combinations.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings for this combo?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 167, with no recorded minimum or maximum values.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 48, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming based on the data?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers 128 FPS average with a minimum of 109 FPS, making it the most balanced choice for 1440p.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: The data shows no CPU bottleneck, as the 12-core Ryzen 9 9900X provides sufficient performance; the GPU is the limiting factor at 1440p and 4K.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking among all tested systems in Doom?

A: The combo ranks 2001 out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the middle of the pack.

Q: Is the Medium preset at 4K playable?

A: Yes, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS, making it the best 4K option from the measured data.