Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB produces a clear performance hierarchy in Doom, where the GPU becomes the dominant constraint as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers playable to high frame rates across all settings, with the Low preset hitting 136 FPS average and Ultra still maintaining 82 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop by roughly 35% across the board, with Ultra falling to 53 FPS and High settling at 65 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain fluid motion, as even the Low preset only reaches 48 FPS, and Ultra drops to 29 FPS.

The scaling pattern between 1080p and 4K reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions. The RTX 3050 4 GB’s 192.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are simply insufficient to feed the pixel throughput demanded by 3840x2160. The CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, has ample headroom, as evidenced by the relatively modest frame rate collapse from 1080p to 1440p compared to the steep drop from 1440p to 4K. At 1080p, the CPU can keep the GPU fed, but at 4K, the GPU’s 32 ROPs and 128-bit memory bus become the bottleneck, capping performance at 48 FPS even on Low settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable degradation pattern as resolution climbs, but the shape of that curve is telling. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS across all settings drops by approximately 35%, which is consistent with a GPU that is starting to hit its memory bandwidth ceiling. The 4 GB VRAM capacity also plays a role here, as the larger framebuffer requirements at 1440p can cause the card to spill into system memory, further reducing throughput.

The jump from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 is far more punishing, with average FPS falling by roughly 45% across all settings. At 4K, the Low preset averages 48 FPS, which is barely above the threshold for smooth gameplay, while the Ultra preset collapses to 29 FPS, which is stutter-prone. The data indicates that the limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU, as the Ryzen 7 9700F’s 5.50 GHz boost clock and 32 MB L3 cache provide more than enough single-thread performance for Doom’s engine.

The difference between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution also highlights the GPU’s limitations. At 1080p, the gap between Low (136 FPS) and Ultra (82 FPS) is 54 FPS, showing that the GPU can still process the extra visual effects but with diminishing returns. At 4K, the same gap narrows to 19 FPS (48 vs. 29), indicating that the GPU is so saturated that even reducing settings cannot unlock significant additional performance. This is a classic sign of a memory-bandwidth-bound scenario, where the 192.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for 4K textures and effects.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB ranks 2552 out of 2930 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the lower 13th percentile of all tested systems, meaning the overwhelming majority of other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates. The ranking reflects the GPU’s modest position in the overall hierarchy, as the RTX 3050 4 GB sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is far more capable, ranking in the 94th percentile among all CPUs.

The disparity between the CPU’s high percentile and the combo’s low rank underscores that the GPU is the primary performance limiter in this pairing. The Ryzen 7 9700F’s nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% higher score), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% higher), and Intel Core i7-14700K (0.9% higher). These rival CPUs all cluster within 1% of the 9700F’s average benchmark score of 69996, indicating that the CPU is not a differentiator in Doom’s performance.

The combo rank of 2552 out of 2930 suggests that users would need to either upgrade the GPU or lower resolution and settings to achieve a better standing. Since the CPU has substantial headroom, swapping the RTX 3050 4 GB for a more powerful GPU would move the combo up the rankings significantly. However, with the current hardware, the data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can consistently exceed 100 FPS, and even then, only on Medium or lower settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 60+ FPS?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 77 FPS and the Low preset averages 88 FPS, while the High preset averages 65 FPS. At 1920x1080, all presets except Ultra (82 FPS) exceed 100 FPS, with Low hitting 136 FPS and Medium reaching 118 FPS. For 4K, no preset achieves 60 FPS, with the best being Low at 48 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall processing power?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69996, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, 0.2% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF, 0.7% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, and 0.9% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700K. All four rivals fall within a 1.1% range of the 9700F’s score.

Q: Is the 4 GB VRAM sufficient for Doom at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only averages 48 FPS, while Medium averages 41 FPS and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The 4 GB GDDR6 memory with 192.0 GB/s bandwidth appears to be a limiting factor at this resolution, as the frame rates are consistently below playable thresholds.

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

A: The only min FPS values recorded are for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the min FPS is 100, at 2560x1440 it is 65, and at 3840x2160 it is 35. These values correspond to the average FPS of the High preset at the same resolution, suggesting a consistent floor.

Q: How does the GPU’s performance percentile compare to the CPU’s?

A: The RTX 3050 4 GB is at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, indicating average performance, while the Ryzen 7 9700F is at the 94th percentile among all CPUs, indicating top-tier processing power. This imbalance explains why the combo rank (2552 out of 2930) is much lower than the CPU’s percentile.

Q: What are the key architectural features of the CPU that affect Doom?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F uses the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) on a 4 nm TSMC process, with 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz, a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. These features provide strong single-thread performance, which is critical for Doom’s engine.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 136, followed by Medium at 118, High at 100, and Ultra at 82. The Medium preset has a recorded min FPS of 100 and max FPS of 136, which exactly matches the average FPS of the High and Low presets, respectively. This suggests that the Medium preset’s frame time variance is bounded by the performance of the adjacent presets.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 88 FPS, Medium averages 77 FPS, High averages 65 FPS, and Ultra averages 53 FPS. The Medium preset again shows a min FPS of 65 and max of 88, mirroring the High and Low averages. This pattern indicates that the GPU’s performance scales linearly with settings at 1440p, with each step down in quality yielding approximately 12 FPS improvement.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 48 FPS, Medium averages 41 FPS, High averages 35 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 35 and max of 48 match the High and Low averages, respectively. The 4K data shows a compressed range, with only 19 FPS separating the lowest and highest settings, compared to a 54 FPS range at 1080p. This compression is a direct result of the GPU being the bottleneck, as the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient to exploit the lower settings fully.

The settings progression at each resolution shows diminishing returns as quality increases. At 1080p, going from Low to Medium costs 18 FPS, from Medium to High costs 18 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 18 FPS, showing a linear trade-off. At 1440p, the same steps cost 11, 12, and 12 FPS, respectively. At 4K, the steps cost 7, 6, and 6 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU is so saturated that quality settings have less impact on overall performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F plays a supporting role in this combo, as its processing power far exceeds what Doom requires at the tested resolutions. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, the CPU has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The single-thread performance, as indicated by a Passmark single-thread score of 4691, is more than adequate for Doom’s engine, which typically scales well with high clock speeds.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 69996 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals all score within 1% of this figure. This means that the Ryzen 7 9700F is not the limiting factor in any of the measured frame rates. The L3 cache of 32 MB shared across the 8 cores provides fast access to game data, while the 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth for DDR5 ensures the CPU can feed the GPU without stalling.

The fact that the combo ranks 2552 out of 2930 despite having a top-tier CPU confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates that do not improve significantly when lowering resolution. However, the data shows that dropping from 1440p to 1080p improves average FPS by roughly 35%, which is a clear indication of GPU-bound performance. The CPU’s 16 threads also help ensure that background tasks and game logic do not cause frame drops, as evidenced by the consistent min FPS values matching the High preset averages.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the Low preset at 136 FPS is ideal for competitive play, but the Medium preset at 118 FPS offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. The High preset at 100 FPS is still smooth, while Ultra at 82 FPS may be acceptable for those who prioritize visuals over frame rate.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset at 88 FPS is the only way to stay above 60 FPS with significant headroom, while the Medium preset at 77 FPS is still comfortable. The High preset at 65 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 53 FPS should be avoided if smooth motion is required. At this resolution, choosing Medium or Low is recommended to maintain a stable frame rate above 60 FPS.

For 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS, so users must decide between playability and visual fidelity. The Low preset at 48 FPS is the best option, as it provides the highest frame rate, while the Ultra preset at 29 FPS is likely to feel stuttery. The Medium preset at 41 FPS offers a middle ground but still falls short of the 60 FPS target. Given that the GPU is the limiting factor, reducing resolution to 1440p is the most effective way to improve performance without sacrificing settings.

The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best overall experience across all resolutions, as it provides a consistent min FPS that matches the High preset’s average, indicating stable frame pacing. At 1080p, Medium’s 118 FPS average with a 100 FPS minimum is excellent, and at 1440p, the 77 FPS average with a 65 FPS minimum is still playable. At 4K, Medium’s 41 FPS average is the best compromise between quality and speed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is the definitive bottleneck in this system, as its performance characteristics directly explain the measured frame rates. The GPU has a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1740 MHz, with 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is the critical limitation at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s 7.127 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 111.4 GTexel/s texture rate are adequate for 1080p gaming, as evidenced by the 136 FPS average on Low settings. However, the 32 ROPs limit pixel fill rate to 55.68 GPixel/s, which becomes a constraint at 4K where the GPU must process four times as many pixels as 1080p. The memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s is also insufficient for 4K textures, leading to the steep performance drop observed.

The RTX 3050 4 GB sits at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, indicating it is an average performer overall. In Doom, this translates to playable 1080p and 1440p performance but inadequate 4K performance. The GPU’s 16 RT cores and 64 tensor cores are present but do not contribute meaningfully to Doom’s rasterized rendering. The 90 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it is a low-power card, which aligns with its performance ceiling.

The GPU’s memory configuration is particularly problematic for Doom at 4K, as the 4 GB capacity is likely exceeded by the Ultra preset’s texture requirements. This could lead to texture thrashing and lower frame rates, which is consistent with the 29 FPS average on Ultra at 4K. Even on Low settings at 4K, the 48 FPS average indicates that the GPU is still memory-bound, as the reduced texture quality should theoretically allow for higher frame rates if compute were the limit.