Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a remarkably fluid experience in Doom across all tested configurations. The data shows this combination is capable of pushing frame rates well beyond standard display refresh rates at 1080p, while still maintaining excellent playability at 4K. The selection of an optimal preset depends heavily on the target resolution, as the performance scaling between settings is not linear and reveals different bottlenecks at different pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations

For the most balanced experience, the High preset stands out as the recommended starting point. At 3840x2160, High yields an average of 75.4 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This is particularly notable because the jump from High to Ultra at 4K costs 13.0 FPS (from 75.4 to 62.4), representing a significant 17.2% performance penalty for what is typically a marginal visual improvement. Conversely, dropping from High to Medium at this resolution only gains 17.2 FPS (from 75.4 to 92.6), suggesting that High offers the best visual fidelity per frame.

At 2560x1440, the High preset produces 142.9 FPS, which aligns perfectly with high-refresh-rate 144Hz monitors. The Ultra setting at this resolution still achieves a very strong 119.2 FPS, so players with 120Hz displays may prefer Ultra. However, the Low preset at 1440p reaches 193.2 FPS, which could benefit competitive players seeking maximum responsiveness, though the visual compromise is substantial.

The 1920x1080 results show that all presets are exceptionally fast, with the Low setting hitting 280.4 FPS and High at 218.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers 180.7 FPS, making it entirely viable for high-refresh gaming. Interestingly, the gap between Medium (260.8 FPS) and Low (280.4 FPS) is only 19.6 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is 41.9 FPS. This suggests that Medium is a sweet spot at 1080p for those who want high frame rates without sacrificing too much visual quality. Overall, the data implies that High is the most versatile preset, offering a strong balance across all three resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Ryzen 7 3700X and RTX 3080 achieves a rank of 549 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places the pairing in the upper third of all configurations, indicating that it is a robust performer for this title. The percentile data for individual components corroborates this: the CPU sits in the 85th percentile among all processors, while the GPU resides in the 80th percentile among all graphics cards. Both components are strong individually, and their combined ranking reflects a well-balanced system.

The nearest rival data for the CPU provides context for its position. The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 28631, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-12600 (score of 28654, deltaPct of -0.1) and the Intel Core i5-12600H (score of 28666, deltaPct of -0.1). It also sits close to the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (score of 28591, deltaPct of 0.1) and the AMD EPYC 7203P (score of 28583, deltaPct of 0.2). This indicates that the 3700X remains competitive within its generation, though it is not a standout leader.

For the GPU, the RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 35787. Its closest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (score of 35860, deltaPct of -0.2) and the AMD Radeon 880M (score of 35646, deltaPct of 0.4). The deltaPct values are minimal, suggesting that these GPUs perform nearly identically in synthetic benchmarks. The ranking of 549 out of 1681 combos suggests that while this pairing is strong, there is ample room for higher-end configurations to outperform it, particularly those with newer generation CPUs and GPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, fabricated on an 8 nm process by Samsung. It houses 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz. Memory is a critical factor for high-resolution gaming, and this card is equipped with 10 GB of GDDR6X across a 320-bit bus, delivering a substantial bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s.

In Doom, the GPU's memory configuration appears sufficient, as the measured frame rates do not indicate any memory-related stuttering. The 10 GB capacity is likely ample for this title, given its 2016 release. The boost clock of 1710 MHz is the primary driver of performance, and the data suggests that it scales effectively with resolution. At 4K Ultra, the GPU produces 62.4 FPS, which is a demanding scenario, yet the card maintains playable performance. The FP32 compute capability of 29.77 TFLOPS provides ample raw horsepower for the game's rendering workload.

The GPU's performance relative to its closest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (deltaPct of -0.2) and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (deltaPct of -0.9), shows it is operating within a tight competitive band. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 3080 is a capable 4K gaming solution for Doom, with the High preset being the most efficient use of its resources. The pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s provide a solid foundation for the game's fast-paced, texture-heavy environments.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 62.4 FPS on Ultra to 106.2 FPS on Low. The progression is: Low (106.2), Medium (92.6), High (75.4), and Ultra (62.4). This represents a 43.8 FPS difference between the highest and lowest settings, which is a substantial 41.2% variation relative to the Low preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance improves significantly. The Low preset achieves 193.2 FPS, while Medium, High, and Ultra deliver 170.9, 142.9, and 119.2 FPS respectively. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 74.0 FPS, which is a larger absolute gap than at 4K, but the percentage difference (38.3%) is slightly smaller. This indicates that the GPU is less constrained at 1440p, allowing settings to have a greater impact on raw frame rate.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high. The Low preset hits 280.4 FPS, with Medium (260.8), High (218.9), and Ultra (180.7) following. The gap between Low and Ultra is 99.7 FPS, which is substantial, but the percentage difference (35.5%) continues the downward trend. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU begins to play a more significant role, limiting the maximum achievable FPS even at Low settings. The data shows that the RTX 3080 is capable of driving frame rates well above 200 FPS in this title, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate esports-style play.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Doom?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 offers an excellent balance, with the High preset delivering 142.9 FPS and Ultra at 119.2 FPS. This provides high frame rates with substantial visual fidelity, making it ideal for most users.

Q: How much performance is lost by using Ultra settings?

A: Across all resolutions, the Ultra preset incurs a significant penalty. At 4K, Ultra is 13.0 FPS slower than High (62.4 vs 75.4). At 1440p, the drop is 23.7 FPS (119.2 vs 142.9), and at 1080p, it is 38.2 FPS (180.7 vs 218.9).

Q: Is the RTX 3080's 10 GB VRAM sufficient for Doom?

A: The measured results indicate no VRAM-related issues, as the frame rates remain consistent. The 10 GB of GDDR6X memory with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth appears adequate for this title at all tested settings.

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

A: This pairing ranks 549th out of 1681 combos, placing it in the top third. The CPU is in the 85th percentile and the GPU in the 80th percentile, indicating a strong, well-matched system.

Q: What settings should be used for 4K gaming?

A: The High preset is recommended for 4K, as it achieves 75.4 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 62.4 FPS, which is still playable but offers a lower margin above 60 FPS.

Q: Does the game scale well with lower settings?

A: Yes, the data shows a clear scaling trend. At 4K, dropping from High to Low provides a 30.8 FPS increase (from 75.4 to 106.2), and at 1440p, the gain is 50.3 FPS (from 142.9 to 193.2).

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture (Matisse), manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU features a 32 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 19087 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2694 in single-core, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 22458.

In Doom, the CPU's role becomes increasingly apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high, with the Low preset reaching 280.4 FPS. This suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to sustain these frame rates. However, the scaling from 1440p to 1080p is not proportional. For instance, at High settings, the FPS only increases from 142.9 to 218.9 (a 76.0 FPS gain), while the pixel count drops by 44%. This indicates that the CPU is beginning to become a limiting factor at 1080p.

The CPU's nearest rivals show it is competitive. The Intel Core i5-12600 has a deltaPct of -0.1, meaning the 3700X is essentially on par with it. The AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT is 0.1% ahead, while the AMD EPYC 7203P is 0.2% ahead. These tiny margins suggest that the 3700X is not a bottleneck in most scenarios. The single-threaded performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2694, is adequate for Doom's engine, which is well-optimized for multi-threading. The 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample parallel processing capability for the game's logic and physics.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the changing balance between CPU and GPU load. At the Low preset, the frame rates are 280.4 (1080p), 193.2 (1440p), and 106.2 (4K). This represents a 31.1% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 45.0% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 62.1%. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the workload increases significantly with pixel count.

At the High preset, the scaling is slightly different. The frame rates are 218.9 (1080p), 142.9 (1440p), and 75.4 (4K). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 34.7%, and from 1440p to 4K is 47.2%. The total drop is 65.6%, which is larger than at Low settings. This suggests that the higher visual fidelity of the High preset places additional stress on the GPU, exacerbating the resolution scaling.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. Frame rates are 180.7 (1080p), 119.2 (1440p), and 62.4 (4K). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 34.0%, and from 1440p to 4K is 47.7%. The total drop is 65.5%, similar to High. This pattern indicates that the GPU is consistently the bottleneck at 4K, regardless of settings. The data suggests that while the CPU is capable of high frame rates, the RTX 3080's performance is what ultimately limits the system at higher resolutions. The relatively smaller percentage drops at lower settings (62.1% for Low vs 65.5% for Ultra) imply that the CPU has more headroom to compensate at lower graphical loads, but the GPU's 4K performance is the defining factor for this combo.