Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a dominant 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, but the data reveals a predictable shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the combo is purely CPU-bound at low settings, while at 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the definitive limiter, presenting a clear trade-off between frame rate and visual fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a distinct pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, with the most dramatic scaling occurring between 1440p and 4K. At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 114.7 FPS at 2560x1440 to 63.7 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 51 FPS or roughly 44%. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 3080’s rendering pipeline is heavily taxed at 4K, with the 10 GB GDDR6X memory buffer and 320-bit bus being pushed to their limits.

Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra paints a slightly less severe picture: 180.7 FPS falls to 114.7 FPS, a 66 FPS drop. This still represents a substantial 36.5% performance loss, but the absolute frame rates remain high enough to suggest the CPU is still contributing meaningfully at 1440p. At 1080p, the scaling from Low to Ultra is 301.3 FPS down to 180.7 FPS; the fact that even at Ultra the combo exceeds 180 FPS signals that the Ryzen 7 5800X’s single-thread performance is keeping the GPU well-fed.

The real story emerges when comparing the Low and Ultra presets. At 1080p, Low yields 301.3 FPS versus Ultra’s 180.7 FPS, a 120.6 FPS gap. At 4K, the same comparison shows 104 FPS versus 63.7 FPS, a 40.3 FPS gap. The shrinking absolute gap at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint; the CPU has less headroom to exploit when the GPU’s pixel throughput drops. The 4K High preset (77.8 FPS) sits between Medium (91.6 FPS) and Ultra (63.7 FPS), reinforcing that each step up in settings has a measurable cost.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its 32 MB of L3 cache and 7 nm process node contribute to strong single-thread performance, which is critical for Doom’s engine. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 943 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3327 indicate that it can sustain high instruction throughput, which directly translates to the high frame rates seen at 1080p.

In this game, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 301.3 FPS result is a clear indicator that the processor is not the limiting factor; the GPU is capable of rendering frames faster than the engine can feed them. However, the Ryzen 7 5800X’s 16 threads are not fully utilized, as Doom’s workload is more dependent on single-core speed than multi-core scaling. The CPU’s Passmark single-thread score of 3445 and 3DMark 2-thread score of 1846 suggest that the first few cores are doing the heavy lifting, but the 8-core design provides headroom for background tasks.

The data shows that even at 1440p Medium (168.6 FPS), the CPU is still delivering enough throughput to avoid bottlenecking the GPU. It is only at 4K, where the GPU’s fill rate drops, that the CPU’s advantage becomes less relevant. The Ryzen 7 5800X’s 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27606, confirms it is a high-end part, but the game’s results show that its performance is most visible when the resolution is low enough to expose the GPU’s limits.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 533rd out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 68th percentile of all tested systems. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU; while neither component is the absolute fastest in its class, the pairing produces a cohesive result that outperforms a majority of tested configurations.

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 5800X sits within 0.8% of the Intel Core i5-12600KF’s average score, with a delta of -0.8%. It is also 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800 and 0.4% behind both the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE and Intel Core i7-13700H. These margins are negligible, suggesting that the choice between these CPUs would have minimal impact on Doom’s frame rates. The GPU’s nearest rivals show a similar pattern: the RTX 3080 is 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro Duo and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon 880M, but it trails the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE by 0.9% and leads the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile by 1%.

The rank of 533 out of 1681 is more telling than the individual component percentiles. It indicates that the combination is well-matched, but not optimally so. The CPU’s 84th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 80th percentile ranking both fall below the top tier, so the combo’s 68th percentile result is slightly lower than each component’s individual standing. This suggests that Doom is sensitive to the interaction between these two parts, and that a faster GPU or CPU could push the combo higher, but the current pairing still delivers an excellent experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are consistently high: Low yields 301.3 FPS, Medium drops to 263.5 FPS, High falls to 221.2 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 180.7 FPS. These numbers indicate that the combo is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p without any compromise, even at the highest preset.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show a clear step-down. Low produces 195.2 FPS, Medium delivers 168.6 FPS, High reaches 141.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 114.7 FPS. The jump from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 35% performance at each setting, which is expected given the increased pixel count. The 1440p Ultra result of 114.7 FPS is still above 100 FPS, making it viable for competitive play.

The 3840x2160 results reveal the GPU’s limits. Low yields 104 FPS, Medium produces 91.6 FPS, High falls to 77.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 63.7 FPS. The transition from High to Ultra at 4K is particularly steep, with a 14.1 FPS difference, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional graphical effects are disproportionately expensive. The 4K Low result of 104 FPS is the only 4K setting that exceeds 100 FPS, suggesting that players targeting 4K will need to accept lower settings to maintain high refresh rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, featuring 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. Its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus provides 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a key factor in the 4K results. The GPU’s boost clock of 1710 MHz and FP32 performance of 29.77 TFLOPS place it in the upper echelon of graphics cards, but the data shows that 4K Ultra is a demanding workload.

The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 25086 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4407 confirm its raw compute capability. Its 80th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35787, indicates it is a strong performer, but not the absolute best. The measured FPS data at 4K Ultra (63.7 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider ideal, suggesting that the RTX 3080’s 10 GB VRAM buffer and 320-bit bus are insufficient for the most demanding settings at 4K.

The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is not the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 301.3 FPS Low result. At 4K, the GPU’s pixel throughput and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors, and the CPU’s performance is less relevant. The RTX 3080’s 68 ray tracing cores and 272 tensor cores do not directly impact Doom’s rasterized performance, but they contribute to the card’s overall capability. The GPU’s predecessor is the GeForce 20 series, and its successor is the GeForce 40 series, but the data shows that the RTX 3080 still holds its own in this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 301.3 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This indicates that the combo is heavily CPU-bound at this resolution and preset.

Q: Does the combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset yields an average of 63.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but leaves little headroom for frame drops.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance affect the results?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800X’s 3DMark single-thread score of 943 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3327 indicate strong single-core performance, which is crucial for maintaining high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

Q: What is the largest FPS drop between settings at 4K?

A: The largest drop at 4K is from High (77.8 FPS) to Ultra (63.7 FPS), a decrease of 14.1 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset adds significant graphical overhead.

Q: Is the combo better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming?

A: The data shows that 1440p Ultra (114.7 FPS) still delivers a high refresh rate experience, while 1080p Ultra (180.7 FPS) offers even more headroom. Both resolutions are well-served, but 1080p provides the highest frame rates.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 533rd out of 1681 tested combos, placing it in the 68th percentile. This indicates that it outperforms the majority of systems in Doom.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing the highest possible frame rates, the 1080p Low preset provides the best measured result at 301.3 FPS. This setting is ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, as it eliminates any GPU-related bottlenecks. However, most users will prefer the 1080p Medium preset at 263.5 FPS, which offers a balance between visual quality and performance without a significant frame rate penalty.

At 1440p, the Medium preset (168.6 FPS) is the recommended choice for a smooth experience, as it provides a substantial improvement over High (141.3 FPS) while maintaining a high refresh rate. For players with G-Sync or FreeSync displays, 1440p High at 141.3 FPS is also viable, but Medium offers more headroom for demanding scenes. The 1440p Ultra preset at 114.7 FPS is playable, but the drop from Medium is 54 FPS, which is noticeable.

At 4K, the Low preset (104 FPS) is the only setting that breaks the 100 FPS barrier, making it the best option for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors. The Medium preset (91.6 FPS) is a reasonable compromise, offering better visual fidelity while remaining above 90 FPS. The High preset (77.8 FPS) is acceptable for 60 FPS gaming, but the Ultra preset (63.7 FPS) is the most demanding and should only be used for single-player experiences where frame rate is less critical. The data suggests that the 4K Ultra preset, while technically playable, leaves little margin for error, and players should consider dropping to High or Medium for a more consistent experience.