Doom

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB pairing in Doom presents a study in imbalance. The CPU is a modern 6-core, 12-thread Zen 5 part with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost of 5.40 GHz, built on a 4 nm process. It carries 32 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory. Its benchmark pedigree is solid: it scores 25,525 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,603 in single-core, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The GPU, however, is a different story. The RTX 3050 4 GB is an Ampere-based card with 2,048 shading units, a 128-bit memory bus, and a modest 4 GB of GDDR6 VRAM. Its memory clock runs at 1500 MHz (12 Gbps effective), delivering 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s base clock is 1545 MHz with a boost of 1740 MHz, and it sits at the 50th percentile of all GPUs.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Ryzen 5 9600X brings six physical cores and twelve threads to the table. For a 2016 title like Doom, which was designed to scale well across multiple cores, this configuration is more than sufficient. The CPU’s high boost clock of 5.40 GHz and robust single-thread performance—evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 3,363—are the key assets here. Doom’s engine is known for being CPU-efficient, and the data supports that this processor is never the primary bottleneck. The CPU’s 3DMark scores show scaling from 2,456 with two threads up to 7,590 with max threads, indicating strong multi-threaded capability that prevents frame pacing issues.

In the context of this game’s results, the CPU’s role is to feed frames to the GPU without hesitation. The Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 10,720 and the Passmark multi-thread score of 30,027 confirm that the 9600X has ample headroom. The nearest rivals in CPU performance are the Intel Core i5-13490F (deltaPct 0.3) and the AMD Ryzen 5 230 (deltaPct 0.3), both essentially tied with the 9600X, while the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS trails by 0.4%. This means the 9600X is performing at the top of its class, and any frame rate limitations in Doom are unlikely to stem from the processor. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 4 nm process also suggest efficient operation, though the benchmark results do not directly quantify thermal throttling.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The RTX 3050 4 GB is the limiting component in this pairing. With only 4 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 128-bit bus, its bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s is adequate for 1080p but becomes strained at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 2,048 shading units and 32 ROPs provide a pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s, which is the hardware ceiling for fill-rate-dependent scenes. In Doom, a fast-paced FPS with heavy particle effects and large textures, the VRAM capacity is the primary constraint. At 4K Ultra settings, the game demands more than 4 GB of memory, leading to a significant performance drop.

The GPU’s 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is respectable for its class, but the data shows it struggles when the resolution climbs. The memory clock of 1500 MHz, while effective at 12 Gbps, is not enough to compensate for the narrow bus width. The RTX 3050 4 GB was released in early 2022 and is now end-of-life, meaning its architecture lacks the memory compression efficiencies of newer generations. The GPU’s 90 W TDP and dual-slot design are modest, but the benchmark results indicate that the card’s raw throughput is simply insufficient for 4K gaming. The percentile ranking of 50 for all GPUs underscores that this is a mid-pack card, and its performance in Doom reflects that positioning.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling curve. At 1080p High settings, the combo averages 101.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops the average to 67.3 FPS, a 34% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 37.2 FPS, a 63% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU’s performance headroom is not being utilized at higher resolutions. The same pattern appears across all settings. For Low settings, 1080p yields 136.7 FPS, 1440p yields 85.5 FPS, and 4K drops to 46.8 FPS. The consistent percentage drops—roughly 37% from 1080p to 1440p and another 45% from 1440p to 4K—are characteristic of a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth.

The scaling also highlights the VRAM limitation. At 4K, the difference between Low (46.8 FPS) and Ultra (26.8 FPS) is 20 FPS, a 43% penalty. This gap is larger than the 1080p spread, where Low (136.7 FPS) to Ultra (78.4 FPS) represents a 43% penalty as well, but the absolute numbers are much lower at 4K. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU can partially mask GPU limitations, but at 4K, the GPU’s 4 GB frame buffer becomes a hard wall. The resolution scaling is not linear, indicating that memory pressure and fill-rate limits combine to throttle performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 136.7 FPS, which is smooth for competitive play. Medium settings drop to 115.5 FPS, still excellent. High settings yield 101.8 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 78.4 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 58.3 FPS, showing that the GPU has enough headroom at this resolution to handle settings changes without collapsing.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes more moderate. Low settings average 85.5 FPS, which is still fluid. Medium settings average 73.5 FPS, and High settings average 67.3 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 50.6 FPS, which is borderline for a fast-paced shooter. The gap between Low and Ultra is 34.9 FPS, indicating that settings now have a more pronounced effect on performance as the GPU works harder.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. Low settings average 46.8 FPS, which is barely playable. Medium settings average 42.2 FPS, High settings average 37.2 FPS, and Ultra settings plummet to 26.8 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 20 FPS, but all values are below the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows that 4K is not viable for this pairing, even at the lowest settings. The 1080p Ultra result of 78.4 FPS is the highest playable setting combination, while 1440p Ultra at 50.6 FPS is the edge of acceptability.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Ryzen 5 9600X and RTX 3050 4 GB ranks 1530 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the bottom 9% of all tested pairings, which is a stark indictment of the GPU’s limitations. The rank reflects the measured FPS data, particularly the poor 4K performance and the mid-range 1440p results. While the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU drags the overall combo down.

The ranking is consistent with the GPU’s 50th percentile standing among all GPUs, but the combo’s position is worse than the GPU’s individual percentile, suggesting that Doom is particularly demanding on memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity. The data indicates that this combo is outclassed by most others in the database, including those with older CPUs but more capable GPUs. The 1530th rank out of 1681 means that 151 other combos performed worse, likely with even less capable GPUs. However, the vast majority of tested combos—over 90%—delivered better frame rates.

The ranking also reveals that the CPU’s strengths are wasted in this configuration. The 9600X’s 85th percentile CPU score does not translate into a competitive combo rank because the GPU cannot leverage the CPU’s speed. For Doom, the bottleneck is unequivocally the RTX 3050 4 GB. The benchmark results show that this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates, but it is not a viable solution for 4K or even high-refresh 1440p gaming. The combo’s rank serves as a warning that pairing a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU yields diminishing returns in graphics-intensive titles.