Doom

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D sits at the very top of the database for Doom, claiming the #1 spot out of 2,930 tested combinations. This is a commanding position, placing this pairing ahead of every other CPU-GPU combo that has been benchmarked for this title. The rank reflects the combined strength of both components, but the data suggests the GPU is doing the heavy lifting in most scenarios, given how the frame rates scale with resolution and settings changes.

The CPU itself is no slouch in general benchmarks, holding a 92nd percentile ranking among all processors. Its average benchmark score of 57,498 places it in close company with several server-class chips. The nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 9015 (scoring 57,555, a mere 0.1% difference), the AMD EPYC 7313 (57,399, 0.2% difference), the Intel Core i9-14900 (58,115, 1.1% ahead), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58,323, 1.4% ahead). These deltas are tiny, meaning the 9900X is essentially performance-equivalent to those enterprise parts in aggregate workloads, though Doom's specific demands may favor it differently.

The GPU also holds a 92nd percentile rank among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals in the database are interesting: the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, 1.1% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, 1.6% ahead), and two NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (79,396 and 79,605, being 2.1% and 2.4% ahead respectively). These are not gaming-focused cards, yet the RTX 5090 D trades blows with them in raw compute benchmarks, which underscores its massive throughput. For Doom specifically, the combo's #1 rank is the headline, and the measured frames per second confirm that this is a top-tier pairing with no real competition in this database.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 D is a monster of a graphics card, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node from TSMC. It packs 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, which is a staggering amount of silicon. The memory subsystem is equally extreme: 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. For a game like Doom, which was released in 2016 and is not known for being particularly VRAM-hungry at high settings, this memory capacity is far beyond what the game can utilize. The 32 GB buffer ensures that even at 4K with maximum textures, there will be no capacity-related stutters or texture pop-in.

The clock speeds are set at a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. These are not the highest clocks in the GPU market, but the architecture's efficiency and the sheer number of shading units (21,760) more than compensate. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are astronomical figures that directly translate to fill-rate-heavy scenarios. Doom's fast-paced action with lots of particle effects and dynamic lighting benefits from this raw throughput. The FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is the kind of number that makes older games trivial to run, and indeed the measured FPS confirms this.

In Doom specifically, the GPU's role is dominant. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 485 FPS average, which is so high that the CPU becomes the limiting factor. The GPU is essentially idling, waiting for the processor to feed it frames. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 102 FPS, which is where the GPU starts to show its workload. The RTX 5090 D's 176 ROPs and 680 TMUs are working hard at that resolution, but the game still runs smoothly. The 12 GB or even 8 GB cards from previous generations would struggle at 4K Ultra, but this card has headroom to spare, as evidenced by the fact that 4K High still achieves 125 FPS, which is above the 120 Hz threshold that many high-end monitors target.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. Starting at 1080p, the combo delivers extremely high frame rates across all settings. At Low, it hits 485 FPS; at Medium, 422 FPS; at High, 357 FPS; and at Ultra, 292 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the numbers drop but remain very high: Low at 314 FPS, Medium at 273 FPS, High at 231 FPS, and Ultra at 189 FPS. Finally, at 4K, the frame rates become more moderate but still impressive: Low at 170 FPS, Medium at 148 FPS, High at 125 FPS, and Ultra at 102 FPS.

The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are telling. For Low settings, the drop is from 485 to 170 FPS, a reduction of about 65%. For Medium, it goes from 422 to 148, a 65% drop as well. High settings see a drop from 357 to 125, which is a 65% reduction. Ultra settings drop from 292 to 102, which is also roughly a 65% decrease. This consistency across all settings strongly indicates that the scaling is purely GPU-bound. The CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution, as the relative performance degradation is uniform.

This uniform scaling pattern suggests that the limiting component is the GPU, and the CPU has ample headroom. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is more than capable of feeding the RTX 5090 D at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 400 FPS. At 4K, the GPU is working much harder, but the CPU is still not the constraint. The fact that the frame rate drops by the same proportion regardless of settings means that the game's render pipeline is well-balanced, and neither component is disproportionately weak. For a game from 2016, this confirms how far both CPU and GPU technology have come; the bottleneck has shifted entirely to the graphics card at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of which settings offer the best experience at each resolution. At 1080p, all settings are playable, but the jump from High to Ultra costs about 65 FPS (from 357 to 292). Given that 292 FPS is still far above any display's refresh rate, the Ultra preset is likely the best choice for maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. The difference between Low and Medium is 63 FPS (485 to 422), which is also a large gap, but Low settings will look noticeably worse.

At 1440p, the story is similar. Ultra delivers 189 FPS, High delivers 231 FPS, and Medium delivers 273 FPS. The 42 FPS gap between Ultra and High (189 vs 231) is significant, but both are well above 144 Hz, which is the common refresh rate for 1440p monitors. Choosing Ultra would still provide a buttery-smooth experience, and the visual improvements are likely worth it. Low at 314 FPS is overkill for most displays, but it could be useful for competitive play where every millisecond matters.

At 4K, the recommendations become more nuanced. Ultra averages 102 FPS, which is just above the 100 FPS mark, but it may dip below 60 FPS in intense scenes, though the data does not provide minimum FPS for Ultra. High averages 125 FPS, which is a solid 25% improvement over Ultra and is perfect for a 120 Hz 4K display. Medium averages 148 FPS, which is even better for high-refresh 4K panels, but the visual downgrade from High to Medium is noticeable in textures and shadows. The data shows that High is the sweet spot at 4K, offering a 23 FPS advantage over Ultra while maintaining most of the visual quality. Low at 170 FPS is possible but would significantly reduce the game's graphical fidelity.

For the best balance of visuals and performance, the data suggests using High settings at 4K, Ultra at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p. These choices align with the measured averages and provide the smoothest experience without unnecessary compromises.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces staggering numbers. Low settings average 485 FPS. Medium settings average 422 FPS, with a minimum of 359 and a maximum of 486, indicating some frame pacing variance but nothing problematic. High settings average 357 FPS. Ultra settings average 292 FPS. These numbers are so high that they exceed the refresh rates of virtually all consumer monitors, making the game feel incredibly responsive.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptional. Low settings average 314 FPS. Medium settings average 273 FPS, with a minimum of 232 and a maximum of 314. High settings average 231 FPS. Ultra settings average 189 FPS. Even at Ultra, this combo easily drives a 144 Hz monitor, and the 189 FPS average provides a comfortable margin above that threshold. The minimum FPS for Medium (232) is still higher than the average for Ultra, which shows that the setting changes have a large impact on performance.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still very high but begins to show the GPU's limits. Low settings average 170 FPS. Medium settings average 148 FPS, with a minimum of 126 and a maximum of 170. High settings average 125 FPS. Ultra settings average 102 FPS. The Medium setting's minimum of 126 FPS is telling: even in the worst-case measured frame, the game stays above 120 FPS, which is excellent for a 4K experience. High and Ultra averages are lower but still fully playable, with the understanding that Ultra might drop below 100 FPS in unmeasured scenarios.

The data shows that the Medium preset offers the most consistent experience across all resolutions, as it is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values. The minimum FPS for Medium scales from 359 at 1080p to 232 at 1440p to 126 at 4K, which represents a consistent degradation pattern. This suggests that Medium is the most predictable setting for maintaining smooth frame times.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X strong enough to keep up with the RTX 5090 D in Doom?

A: Yes. The CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, are more than sufficient. The uniform FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K indicates the GPU is the bottleneck, not the CPU, even at 1080p Low where 485 FPS is achieved.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5090 D have, and is it necessary for Doom?

A: The RTX 5090 D has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus. Doom, released in 2016, does not require anywhere near that capacity, so the card will never run out of VRAM, eliminating any potential texture-related stutter.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this combo for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 4K, High settings average 125 FPS, which is above 120 Hz but may not consistently hit 144 FPS. At 1440p, Ultra averages 189 FPS, which is well above 144 Hz. For a 144 Hz display, 1440p Ultra is the safest bet, while 4K High is viable if you prefer higher resolution.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D's performance in Doom align with its general benchmark scores?

A: The GPU has an average benchmark score of 77,712 and holds a 92nd percentile rank. Its nearest rivals are AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT, but in Doom, this card achieves #1 rank out of 2,930 combos, indicating it performs exceptionally well in this specific title.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 4K, Low averages 170 FPS, while Ultra averages 102 FPS. This is a 68 FPS difference, representing a 40% reduction in frame rate when enabling Ultra settings. The visual improvement may not justify the performance hit for competitive players.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra in Doom?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 4K Ultra is 102, which is well above 60 FPS. Even with potential drops in unmeasured scenes, the margin is large enough that it should rarely, if ever, dip below 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the Ryzen 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4 nm process node. It has a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a 64 MB L3 cache. The CPU is paired with DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, providing 89.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth. These specifications make it a high-end desktop processor, and its benchmark scores confirm its capabilities. It scores 32,172 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,253 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 22,174 and single-core of 3,010.

In Doom, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution or setting. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 485 FPS, which is likely near the engine's maximum frame rate limit or the CPU's ability to issue frames. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,286 and multi-thread score of 13,929 indicate strong per-core performance, which is crucial for games like Doom that rely on a single main thread for many tasks.

The 9900X's nearest CPU rivals are the AMD EPYC 9015, EPYC 7313, Intel Core i9-14900, and Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M, all of which have aggregate benchmark scores within 1.4% of this chip. This means that in general compute tasks, the 9900X is comparable to these server and high-end desktop parts. However, for gaming, the 9900X's high single-thread performance (boost clock of 5.60 GHz) and lower latency memory architecture are more relevant, and the measured FPS in Doom shows that it excels in this role.

Given the FPS scaling pattern, the CPU is providing more than enough headroom. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is underutilized, the frame rate does not appear to be CPU-limited to a problematic degree, as the drop from Low to Medium (485 to 422 FPS) suggests the settings are affecting GPU load more than CPU load. The Ryzen 9 9900X is a capable partner for the RTX 5090 D, ensuring that the GPU is always the limiting factor in this game, which is the ideal scenario for maximizing performance.