Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Doom, but the data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution increases. At 1080p, the combination produces exceptional frame rates that suggest the CPU is the primary limiting factor, while at 4K, the GPU’s workload dominates and frame rates settle into a range that still comfortably exceeds standard display refresh rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and substantial decline as resolution moves from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, but the rate of decline is telling. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 230 FPS at 1080p to 149 FPS at 1440p, and further to 81 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, which indicates that the system is becoming increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions.

The Low settings row provides the clearest view of the CPU’s ceiling. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 268 FPS average, which drops to 202 FPS at 1440p and 109 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Low result is likely near the maximum output this CPU can feed to the GPU in this game, as the frame rate is so high that the graphics card is frequently waiting on the processor. The 4K Low result of 109 FPS, however, is still significantly higher than the 4K High result of 81 FPS, showing that even at 4K, reducing graphical load still yields a meaningful performance gain.

The Medium settings rows include min FPS data, which is useful for understanding frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the average is 255 FPS with a minimum of 217 FPS, showing a tight frame time distribution. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 176 FPS with a minimum of 150 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 95 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS. The minimum frame rates scale down in proportion to the averages, suggesting that the system maintains consistent performance without sudden stutters or drops.

The Ultra settings results show the heaviest load. The average frame rate at 1080p Ultra is 188 FPS, at 1440p Ultra it is 122 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 66 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measurement below 70 FPS, and it is the only scenario where the system might struggle to keep up with a high-refresh-rate 4K display. The difference between 1080p High and 1080p Ultra is 42 FPS, while the difference between 4K High and 4K Ultra is only 15 FPS, which further confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, and it features 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 71st percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17035. Its nearest rivals in aggregate performance are the Intel Core i7-1260P, which scores 17007 (a delta of 0.2%), and the Intel Core i5-11400, which scores 17067 (a delta of -0.2%). This indicates that the Ryzen 5 3600 sits in a highly competitive performance tier, trading blows with modern mid-range processors.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is most evident in the 1080p Low and Medium results. The 268 FPS average at 1080p Low is a strong indicator that the processor can handle the game’s simulation and draw-call overhead at very high frame rates. The 3DMark single-thread score of 696 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2124 suggest that the per-core performance is adequate for a game like Doom, which relies on a few heavily loaded threads for the main game logic.

The multi-threaded capabilities are less critical here. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4605 and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045 show that the CPU has plenty of headroom for background tasks, but Doom is not a title that scales perfectly across 12 threads. The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary constraint at 4K, as the frame rate drops significantly when moving from 1440p to 4K, which is a purely GPU-bound transition. However, at 1080p, the CPU’s limits are visible, as the gap between Low and Ultra settings is smaller than expected if the GPU were fully saturated.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end Ampere architecture GPU with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. Its boost clock is 1665 MHz, and it has 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. The GPU’s benchmark results place it in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41187. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, which scores 40870 (a delta of 0.8%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, which scores 40377 (a delta of 2%). The RTX 3080 Ti is clearly a top-tier performer, but its relative position shows that newer cards have caught up.

The GPU’s role in Doom is defined by the 4K results. At 4K High, the average FPS is 81, which is a playable frame rate but not exceptionally high. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 66 FPS, which is below the 70 FPS threshold that many gamers consider the minimum for a smooth experience on a high-refresh-rate display. The 12 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor in this game, as Doom’s textures are not excessively demanding, and the bandwidth is more than sufficient for the data throughput required.

The GPU’s performance scaling from High to Ultra at each resolution follows a consistent pattern. At 1080p, the drop from High to Ultra is 42 FPS; at 1440p, the drop is 27 FPS; and at 4K, the drop is 15 FPS. This diminishing impact of Ultra settings at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is being pushed closer to its absolute limits at 4K, where the shading and memory bandwidth demands of Ultra settings leave less headroom for additional workload.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four settings presets. For players targeting the highest possible frame rates, particularly for competitive play or 240 Hz displays, the Low preset at 1080p offers an average of 268 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. However, this comes at a visual cost that many players will find unacceptable for a single-player experience.

The High preset represents the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, it delivers 230 FPS average, which is only 38 FPS less than Low but provides significantly better graphical fidelity. At 1440p, High delivers 149 FPS average, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. At 4K, High delivers 81 FPS average, which is a solid result for a 60 Hz or 75 Hz display, and it is 15 FPS higher than Ultra.

The Medium preset is a viable alternative for players who want a slight performance boost over High without the full visual sacrifice of Low. At 1080p, Medium averages 255 FPS, and at 1440p, it averages 176 FPS. The minimum FPS data for Medium shows that it maintains stable frame pacing, with a 217 FPS minimum at 1080p and a 150 FPS minimum at 1440p.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for players with a 4K 60 Hz display who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over frame rate headroom. The 66 FPS average at 4K Ultra is technically playable, but it leaves no room for frame rate dips, and the minimum FPS data is not available for this preset to confirm stability. At 1080p and 1440p, Ultra still delivers high frame rates of 188 FPS and 122 FPS respectively, so it is a viable option for those resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested CPU and GPU combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 1031 out of 3712 total combinations in Doom. This places it in the top 27.8% of all tested systems, which is a strong result given that the CPU is a mid-range part from 2019 and the GPU is a high-end part from 2021.

The ranking suggests that the combination is well-balanced for this game, despite the CPU being several generations older than the GPU. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU’s exceptional performance, as the RTX 3080 Ti’s 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs compensates for the CPU’s more modest 71st percentile ranking. The data shows that in Doom, the GPU has a larger impact on overall performance than the CPU, which is typical for a well-optimized FPS title.

The rank of 1031 out of 3712 also indicates that there are many combinations that outperform this pairing, likely those with newer, higher-end CPUs such as the Ryzen 7 or Core i7 series paired with flagship GPUs. However, the fact that this combination still ranks in the top third of all tested systems confirms the RTX 3080 Ti’s raw power and the Ryzen 5 3600’s ability to feed it adequately at most resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combination achieves in Doom?

A: The highest average frame rate measured is 268 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Doom at playable frame rates?

A: Yes, the system achieves an average of 81 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings and 66 FPS with Ultra settings, both of which are playable on a 60 Hz 4K display.

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

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p, as the frame rate at Low settings (268 FPS) is exceptionally high and the gap between Low and Ultra (80 FPS) is smaller than the gap seen when moving to higher resolutions.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rival in aggregate performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17035, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-1260P (17007) and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i5-11400 (17067).

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 81 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with the Medium settings preset. No min FPS data is available for the other resolution and settings combinations.

Q: What is the difference in performance between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 149 FPS average, while the Ultra preset delivers 122 FPS average, a difference of 27 FPS in favor of High settings.