Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a thoroughly playable experience in Doom across all tested resolutions, with the data showing a clear performance ceiling at 4K Ultra. The benchmark results place this combo in the 55th percentile of all tested systems for this title, ranking 2045 out of 3712 combinations. For a game released in 2016, the demands are modest, and this pairing of a high-end 16-core CPU with a mid-range Ada Lovelace GPU proves more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p play, while 4K requires a settings compromise.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 paired with the Ryzen 9 9950X3D produces frame rates that exceed any practical refresh rate. On Low settings, the average FPS hits 230.8, which is a massive headroom for competitive play. Medium settings yield 196.2 average FPS, while High settings drop to 167.7 average FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still maintains an average of 138.3 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 92.5 FPS drop, representing a 40% performance reduction, but even the lowest figure remains far above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains robust but the gap between presets narrows in relative terms. Low settings produce 145.3 average FPS, Medium delivers 130.5 average FPS, and High achieves 108.1 average FPS. Ultra at 1440p still clears the playability bar comfortably with 88.1 average FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 57.2 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p spread but at lower absolute numbers. This resolution represents the sweet spot for this combo, as even the heaviest preset maintains a 46.8% margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes significantly. Low settings deliver 79.1 average FPS, which is still playable but with less headroom. Medium settings drop to 68.1 average FPS, and High falls to 58.4 average FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS playability line. Ultra at 4K produces 46.3 average FPS, which is not playable by the benchmark's standard. The resolution scaling from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra shows a 92 FPS decline, demonstrating that the RTX 4060's 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit memory interface become the limiting factor at higher pixel counts, despite the CPU's ample capability.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a classic resolution-based division of labor. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D, with its 16 cores and 32 threads, is vastly overprovisioned for a game like Doom, which was designed for the hardware of its 2016 release era. The CPU's 95th percentile ranking among all tested processors means it is unlikely to bottleneck this GPU at any resolution. The real constraint emerges from the RTX 4060, which sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs and draws close rivals in the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and Radeon 780M.

At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that both components are likely operating below full utilization, but the FPS scaling from Low to Ultra suggests a GPU-bound scenario, as the 40% performance drop corresponds to increased shading and texture work. The CPU's single-thread score of 1292 in 3DMark and 2259 in Cinebench R23 show immense per-core strength, which is critical for Doom's engine, but the brute force of the 9950X3D means the RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the ceiling.

At 1440p, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The 88.1 FPS at Ultra versus 145.3 FPS at Low shows a 39% reduction, nearly identical to the 1080p scaling, which indicates the GPU is consistently the limiting factor. The CPU's vast cache of 128 MB L3 and high boost clock of 5.70 GHz ensure that frame pacing remains consistent, but the data does not show any CPU-bound stalls that would manifest as min FPS issues, though the fact pack does not include min or max FPS values for any resolution.

At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck. The 46.3 FPS at Ultra versus 79.1 FPS at Low represents a 41% drop, and the absolute numbers indicate the RTX 4060's 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are insufficient for the full Ultra settings at this resolution. The CPU's role here is passive; even a weaker processor would likely produce identical results at 4K, as the pixel fill rate and memory throughput of the GPU are the sole constraints.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves 138.3 average FPS. This is the clear recommendation for any user with a standard 1080p display, as the frame rate is more than double the playability threshold and leaves ample room for background tasks or streaming overhead.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best settings choice, with an average of 88.1 FPS. This preset delivers the full visual fidelity of the game while maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The data indicates that High settings at 108.1 FPS would also be viable, but Ultra provides the highest quality without sacrificing playability, making it the optimal pick for 1440p monitors.

For 3840x2160, the most demanding playable preset is Medium, which averages 68.1 FPS. High settings drop to 58.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, so Medium is the maximum settings level that clears the bar. Low settings at 79.1 FPS are also playable, but Medium offers a substantial visual upgrade over Low while still maintaining an 8.1 FPS margin above the playability line. Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as the 46.3 FPS average falls well short of the threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame places this system at 2045 out of 3712 tested combinations, which is slightly above the median. This rank reflects the pairing's overall balance: the CPU is in the top 5% of all processors, but the GPU's mid-pack position drags the combined score down. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 with a delta of 0.1% and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D also at 0.1%, indicating that the 9950X3D's performance is essentially matched by cheaper 8-core parts in synthetic benchmarks. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285 trails by 0.4%, showing the AMD chip's slight edge in multi-threaded workloads.

The GPU's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which scores 0.2% higher, and the AMD Radeon 780M, which trails by 0.3%. This is a stark contrast: the RTX 4060 is trading blows with a 2013-era card and an integrated GPU, which highlights its position as a 1080p-oriented solution. In Doom specifically, this rank means the combo is neither a top-tier performer nor a weak one; it sits in the middle of the pack, which is consistent with the measured FPS data showing strong 1080p and 1440p results but marginal 4K performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 46.3, which is below the 60 FPS playability threshold. The highest playable preset at 4K is Medium, with an average of 68.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maximize visual quality?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Ultra settings yields 88.1 average FPS, which is the highest quality preset that maintains a robust margin above 60 FPS. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate is higher at 138.3, but the visual fidelity gain from 1440p is substantial.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions. The RTX 4060's performance scales with resolution and settings, while the Ryzen 9 9950X3D's 95th percentile CPU ranking and high single-thread scores provide ample headroom. The FPS drops from Low to Ultra are consistent across resolutions, indicating GPU-bound rendering.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2045 out of 3712 combinations, placing it in the 55th percentile. The CPU is a top-tier part, but the GPU's mid-range position pulls the overall rank down. The CPU's closest rival, the Ryzen 7 PRO 9755, is only 0.1% apart in average score.

Q: What settings should a 4K monitor user choose?

A: Medium settings at 3840x2160 provide 68.1 average FPS, which is the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS. High settings at 58.4 FPS and Ultra at 46.3 FPS are not playable by the benchmark's standard.

Q: Does the game's release date affect the performance expectations?

A: Doom was released in May 2016, and its engine is well-optimized for older hardware. The benchmark data shows that even the RTX 4060, which is not a high-end card, can deliver over 230 FPS at 1080p Low, confirming that the game's demands are modest for modern components.

The Verdict

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 can run Doom, but the experience varies significantly by resolution. At 1920x1080, every preset including Ultra clears the 60 FPS threshold, with the lowest playable setting (Ultra) achieving 138.3 average FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are playable, with Ultra at 88.1 average FPS being the best choice for visual quality. At 3840x2160, the verdict is mixed: Medium settings at 68.1 average FPS are playable, but High at 58.4 FPS and Ultra at 46.3 FPS are not. The verdictByResolution data confirms this, listing Low and Medium as playable at 4K, with Medium as the best settings option. For users with 1080p or 1440p displays, this combo delivers an exceptional Doom experience with maximum settings and high frame rates. For 4K users, the system is playable but requires dropping to Medium settings, which still provides a smooth experience. The RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus are the clear limiting factors at 4K, but for a game of this era, the overall performance is more than adequate for the vast majority of players.