Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB combination delivers a playable but constrained experience in Doom, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The measured data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but one that falls below 60 FPS at 4K, even on the lowest settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all settings and resolutions, examining the roles of the CPU and GPU in shaping the game's performance profile.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and consistent across all settings, pointing squarely at the graphics card as the limiting factor. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 100 FPS at 1080p to 65 FPS at 1440p, a 35% reduction, and then to 35 FPS at 4K, a further 46% drop from 1440p. This pattern is not linear, indicating that the render target's pixel count is overwhelming the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth.

A similar trend appears at Low settings, where the average FPS starts at 136 at 1080p, drops to 88 at 1440p, and then plummets to 48 at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 48 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 40 FPS. Even with the lowest graphical load, the GPU cannot maintain a playable 60 FPS at 4K, confirming that the RTX 3050's 192.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are insufficient for that pixel count.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing. At Medium settings, the average FPS is 77 at 1440p and 41 at 4K, a 47% loss. At Ultra settings, the average FPS is 53 at 1440p and 29 at 4K, a 45% loss. These percentages suggest that the GPU is hitting a hard architectural limit at 4K, where the 4 GB VRAM capacity and 128-bit memory bus become severe constraints.

The data shows that the CPU is not a factor in this scaling. If the processor were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU's workload (draw calls, physics) stays constant. Instead, the FPS drops consistently with resolution, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The Ryzen 5 2600's 6 cores and 12 threads appear sufficient to feed the GPU even at 1080p, where the CPU load is highest relative to frame time.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen+ architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores show it is a mid-range desktop part, with a percentile rank of 75 among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 21484. In Doom, the CPU's role is to prepare frames for the GPU, and the measured FPS suggests it does this without becoming a limiting factor.

At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 136 FPS average. This is a high frame rate that requires the CPU to process many frames per second. The Ryzen 5 2600's single-thread performance, as measured by a Geekbench single-core score of 1154 and a Cinebench R15 single-core score of 157.3, appears adequate for this task. The CPU's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 46.9 GB/s bandwidth also contribute to its ability to feed the GPU.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are less relevant in this game. While the processor scores 1248 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 5648 in Geekbench multi-core, Doom is not a heavily threaded title at these settings. The fact that the FPS drops from 136 at 1080p Low to 48 at 4K Low indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU's frame production rate would not change with resolution.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V and Intel Core i9-11900H, have similar average scores (21440 and 21367, respectively), with delta percentages of 0.2% and 0.5%. This places the Ryzen 5 2600 in a competitive position for its era, but the data shows that in Doom, the CPU is not the component that determines playability at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is the decisive component in this combo. With 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, it is an entry-level Ampere card. Its boost clock of 1740 MHz and 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are moderate, but its 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth is the key limitation. The GPU's percentile rank of 50 among all GPUs confirms its mid-pack status.

In Doom, the GPU's performance is directly tied to the settings preset. At 1080p, the card can handle all presets, with an average FPS of 82 at Ultra and 136 at Low. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 54 FPS, showing that the GPU scales well with settings changes at this resolution. However, at 4K, even Low settings only produce 48 FPS, and Ultra drops to 29 FPS.

The 4 GB VRAM is a critical factor. At 4K, textures and geometry require more memory, and the card's limited capacity likely causes cache thrashing, which explains the steep performance cliff. The memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s is also insufficient for 4K, as the GPU must move more data per frame. The measured FPS at 4K Medium (41 FPS) is only 14% higher than 4K Ultra (29 FPS), suggesting that the GPU is saturated regardless of the specific preset.

The GPU's 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores are present but not heavily utilized in Doom, which is a Vulkan-era title from 2016. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support is not the limiting factor; rather, it is the raw rasterization throughput and memory subsystem. The data shows that the RTX 3050 4 GB is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can achieve 65 FPS or higher on most presets.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for the best experience with this combo. For a smooth 60 FPS target, the 1440p Medium preset is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 77 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS. This preset balances visual quality and performance, using the GPU's capabilities without pushing it into the sub-60 FPS territory.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 82 FPS, which is playable and offers the highest visual fidelity. However, the Medium preset at 1080p achieves 118 FPS average, which is more suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Low preset at 1080p reaches 136 FPS, which is the maximum measured performance for this combo, but it sacrifices visual quality significantly.

For 4K, the data does not support a playable experience. The highest average FPS at 4K is 48 on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 41 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets fall to 35 and 29 FPS, respectively. Users with a 4K display should avoid this combo or reduce the resolution to 1440p.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is the 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium preset. The 1440p Medium offers a higher resolution with a minimum FPS of 65, which is above the 60 FPS standard. The 1080p Medium offers a higher average FPS (118) but at a lower resolution. For a balanced experience, 1440p Medium provides the best combination of visual clarity and frame rate stability, as its minimum FPS matches the 4K High average FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Doom?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 136 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 4K is 48 on Low settings, and all other presets fall below 41 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard for playability.

Q: How does the RTX 3050 4 GB's memory bandwidth affect performance?

A: The GPU has 192.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The data shows that at 4K, the FPS drops to 35-48, indicating that the bandwidth is insufficient for high-resolution rendering.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The FPS drops from 136 at Low to 82 at Ultra at 1080p, while the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads appear sufficient to maintain these frame rates.

Q: What is the best preset for a 60 FPS experience?

A: The 1440p Medium preset delivers an average of 77 FPS with a minimum of 65 FPS, which is the only preset that meets the 60 FPS minimum threshold at a resolution above 1080p.

Q: How does the combo rank among other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 3255 out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the lower percentile of systems for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data shows a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 136 at Low to 82 at Ultra. The Medium preset averages 118 FPS, with a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 136. The High preset averages 100 FPS. This resolution is fully playable across all settings, with even the Ultra preset maintaining an average above 80 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 88 at Low, 77 at Medium, 65 at High, and 53 at Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS. This resolution is playable on Low, Medium, and High settings, but the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 48 at Low, 41 at Medium, 35 at High, and 29 at Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. None of the presets at 4K achieve a 60 FPS average, and even the Low preset barely exceeds 45 FPS.

The min and max FPS data is only provided for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the range is 100 to 136 FPS, showing a 36 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 65 to 88 FPS, a 23 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the range is 35 to 48 FPS, a 13 FPS variance. This shrinking variance at higher resolutions further indicates GPU saturation.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB combo ranks 3255 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom. This puts it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested for this game. The rank reflects the GPU's limitations, as the CPU's performance is not the primary constraint.

The combo's rank is consistent with the GPU's percentile of 50 among all GPUs, but the specific game's demands on the GPU push it lower. The CPU's percentile of 75 is higher, but the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's inability to handle higher resolutions.

Relative to other combos, the data shows that this system is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can compete with higher-ranked systems. At 4K, the combo's FPS scores are significantly below the curve, and its rank reflects this. The measured data indicates that for Doom, a stronger GPU would be necessary to improve the combo's standing, as the CPU's headroom is sufficient for the task.