Doom

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT paired with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus delivers a highly playable experience in Doom, but the data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 121 FPS average, while the same preset at 4K drops to 43 FPS, indicating that the graphics card becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases. The benchmark results show that this combination is positioned in the 62nd percentile of all tested combos for this title, ranking 1827 out of 2930 configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance curve as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 148 FPS at 1080p to 96 FPS at 1440p, then to 52 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 46% drop from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all presets, with the scaling becoming more aggressive at higher quality settings.

At Low settings, the combo achieves 202 FPS at 1080p, 130 FPS at 1440p, and 71 FPS at 4K. The 4K result at Low still exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, but just barely. Medium settings show 176 FPS at 1080p, 114 FPS at 1440p, and 62 FPS at 4K, with the 4K minimum recorded at 52 FPS. Ultra settings produce 121 FPS at 1080p, 78 FPS at 1440p, and only 43 FPS at 4K.

The scaling behavior strongly suggests the RX 7600 XT is the bottleneck at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings costs 52 FPS, while the jump from 1440p to 4K costs another 44 FPS. This non-linear degradation is typical of a GPU that runs out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as resolution climbs. The 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly stressed, though the 16 GB GDDR6 capacity is not the limiting factor here.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 81 FPS (202 vs 121). At 4K, that spread narrows to 28 FPS (71 vs 43). This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even reducing graphics quality cannot fully compensate for the pixel load. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, has ample headroom even at 1080p where frame rates exceed 200 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The data supports Medium settings as the sweet spot for this combo across most resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS of 176 provides a substantial cushion above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors, with a minimum of 149 FPS recorded. At 1440p Medium, 114 FPS average with a 97 FPS minimum keeps gameplay fluid on high-refresh displays. Even at 4K Medium, the 62 FPS average with a 52 FPS minimum is playable, though it approaches the edge of comfort.

High settings offer a marginal visual upgrade but cost measurable performance. At 1080p High, 148 FPS is still excellent, and 1440p High at 96 FPS remains smooth. The 4K High result of 52 FPS average is borderline for fast-paced FPS action, making Medium the safer choice at that resolution. Ultra settings are only recommended for 1080p, where 121 FPS still clears the 60 FPS bar by a wide margin. At 1440p Ultra, 78 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced play, but 4K Ultra at 43 FPS falls below the playability threshold for a game like Doom.

Low settings provide the highest frame rates but are rarely necessary with this hardware. At 1080p Low, 202 FPS exceeds what most displays can show, and even 1440p Low at 130 FPS is beyond typical 120 Hz monitors. The 4K Low result of 71 FPS is the only way to get a smooth 4K experience, but it sacrifices the visual fidelity that makes Doom's environments impactful. Medium settings strike the best balance between the 62 FPS at 4K and the 176 FPS at 1080p.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2755 MHz, with a game clock rated at 2470 MHz. The RDNA 3.0 architecture includes 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units, along with 32 ray tracing cores. The card's 22.57 TFLOPS FP32 compute throughput is substantial for its class.

In Doom, the GPU's 16 GB frame buffer is more than sufficient, as the game's textures and geometry fit comfortably within that capacity even at 4K Ultra. The measured data shows no signs of VRAM capacity limiting performance; the bottleneck appears to be raw shader throughput and memory bandwidth. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is modest for 4K workloads, which explains the steep FPS drop at that resolution.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 60th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17083. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, which scores 17208, a -0.7% delta, indicating the RX 7600 XT is slightly behind that card in synthetic tests. The card also trails the GeForce GTX 690 by 0.3% (17037) and the Radeon HD 7970M by 0.4% (17019), while leading the Tesla M4 by 0.9% (16932). These margins are negligible in real-world gaming, and the Doom results confirm the card delivers competitive frame rates.

The GPU's power profile shows a 190 W TDP with a single 8-pin connector and a suggested 450 W PSU. The dual-slot design and 204 mm length make it a compact option for smaller builds. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface provides adequate bandwidth for this class of GPU, though it is half the lanes of the x16 standard.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The combo achieves 96 FPS average at 2560x1440 with High settings, which is well above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combination?

A: Yes, but only at Medium or Low settings. Medium delivers 62 FPS average, while Low reaches 71 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 43 FPS, which is below the playability threshold for an FPS.

Q: How does the RX 7600 XT compare to the RTX 3070?

A: The RX 7600 XT has an average benchmark score of 17083, while the RTX 3070 scores 17208, a delta of -0.7%. The performance difference is minimal in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh monitors?

A: At 1080p, all settings except Ultra exceed 144 FPS, with Low hitting 202 FPS. At 1440p, Medium and Low stay above 114 FPS, making either resolution suitable for 120-144 Hz displays.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 202 FPS, and the Ultra 9 290K Plus with 24 cores and 24 threads has substantial headroom for high frame rate gaming.

Q: How much VRAM does the RX 7600 XT have?

A: The card has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. This capacity is ample for Doom at any resolution and settings combination tested.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination ranks 1827 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 62nd percentile. This ranking reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than the CPU's high-end capabilities. The Ultra 9 290K Plus scores in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003, while the RX 7600 XT sits in the 60th percentile of GPUs. The disparity between CPU and GPU performance tiers explains why this combo ranks lower than what the processor alone might suggest.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K with a score of 83807 (0.2% delta) and the AMD EPYC 4584PX at 83090 (1.1% delta). The EPYC 9135 scores 82980 (1.2% delta), while the EPYC 7F72 leads with 85072 (-1.3% delta). These margins are within 1.3% of each other, indicating the Ultra 9 290K Plus is well-matched against its closest competitors in compute tasks.

For the GPU, the ranking against rivals is similarly tight. The RTX 3070 leads slightly at 17208, while the GTX 690 and HD 7970M trail by 0.3% and 0.4% respectively. The Tesla M4 is 0.9% behind. This clustering suggests the RX 7600 XT is positioned in a competitive segment where small performance differences separate products. In Doom specifically, the combo's 1827 rank reflects that the GPU's mid-tier performance is the determining factor in the overall gaming experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boosts to 5.80 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU includes 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core, along with 192 KB of L1 cache per core. Memory support includes DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 115.2 GB/s bandwidth.

In Doom, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates. The measured frame rates at 1080p Low reaching 202 FPS demonstrate that the processor can handle high-throughput scenarios without becoming a bottleneck. The 24 threads provide ample parallelism for the game's engine, which scales well across multiple cores. The CPU's passmark multithread score of 60860 and single-thread score of 4823 confirm its capability for both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads.

The CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is a top-tier processor for gaming and productivity. Its cinebench R23 multicore score of 51731 and single-core score of 7303 show strong performance in both multi-threaded and single-threaded tasks. The boost clock of 5.80 GHz is particularly relevant for games like Doom that benefit from high single-core performance, though the data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The combination of a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU creates a balanced system for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the CPU can push frame rates high enough to saturate the GPU. At 4K, the CPU's advantage diminishes as the GPU becomes fully utilized, but the processor ensures consistent frame pacing without dips caused by CPU stalls. The 24-core design also provides headroom for background tasks, streaming, and other applications while gaming.