Doom

# Doom with AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti pairing delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Doom, with the data showing a system that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. This combo ranks in the 51st percentile of all tested configurations (1420th of 2930 combos), placing it squarely in the middle of the pack — a position that reflects the balance between a strong 8-core Zen 5 CPU and a now-end-of-life Ampere GPU. The measured FPS reveals a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet surprisingly capable at 1080p where the CPU's single-thread strength (4691 in PassMark single-thread) and 5.50 GHz boost clock can stretch the frame rate into territory normally reserved for more expensive pairings. The investigation below breaks down exactly where this combo excels, where it struggles, and what the numbers imply about the limiting component at each setting.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K tells a classic story of GPU saturation. At 1080p with Low settings, this combo produces 236 FPS average — a figure that drops to 153 FPS at 1440p and 83 FPS at 4K. That represents a 35% reduction moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46% reduction moving to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets: the frame rate roughly halves from 1080p to 4K, which indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck at every resolution.

Look closer at the Medium settings row, the only one with complete min/max data. At 1080p Medium, the average is 206 FPS with a min of 175 and max of 237. At 1440p Medium, average drops to 133 FPS with min 113 and max 153. At 4K Medium, average is 72 FPS with min 61 and max 83. The min-to-max spread narrows as resolution increases — at 1080p the spread is 62 FPS, at 1440p it's 40 FPS, and at 4K it's 22 FPS. This tightening range suggests that at higher resolutions, the frame time variability becomes more consistent because the GPU is working closer to its full capacity, leaving less headroom for CPU-induced variance.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep. For High settings, 113 FPS at 1440p becomes 61 FPS at 4K — a 46% drop. For Ultra settings, 92 FPS becomes 50 FPS, a 46% drop as well. Compare this to the 1080p-to-1440p transition: High goes from 174 to 113 FPS (35% drop), and Ultra from 142 to 92 FPS (35% drop). The consistent 35% vs. 46% split across two resolution transitions strongly implies that pixel count — not CPU overhead — is the dominant factor. The Ryzen 7 9700F, with 8 cores and 16 threads on Zen 5 architecture, is simply not the limiting factor here, even at 1080p where CPU load typically peaks.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1420 out of 2930 tested configurations places this pairing at roughly the 51.5th percentile. This is a middle-of-the-road result that might surprise given the CPU's strong PassMark scores — the Ryzen 7 9700F achieves a multithread score of 36470 and a single-thread score of 4691, both of which place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. The discrepancy between CPU performance and overall combo rank suggests that the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is holding back the system in Doom.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (avg score 16014, delta 0.7%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (avg score 16351, delta -1.4%), and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (avg score 16361, delta -1.4%). These deltas are extremely tight — the RTX 3060 Ti's average benchmark score of 16129 is within 1.7% of three different GPUs. This clustering suggests that in Doom, the GPU is performing exactly as its raw compute capabilities would predict, and the combo's middle-tier rank reflects the GPU's 59th percentile standing among all GPUs.

What's notable is the delta between CPU and GPU percentiles: the CPU sits at 94th percentile while the GPU sits at 59th percentile. In a game like Doom, which the data shows is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, this 35-percentage-point gap explains why the combo doesn't crack the upper ranks. The CPU has ample headroom — its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (delta 0.2%), Intel Core i7-14700KF (delta -0.2%), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (delta 0.7%) — all within 1% of the 9700F's average score of 69996. The processor is in elite company, but the GPU anchors the overall combo ranking.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, based on the GA104 chip with Ampere architecture, brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1410 MHz are modest by modern standards, but the 4864 shading units and 152 texture mapping units provide substantial raw throughput. The data shows this configuration delivers 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which translates to the measured frame rates in Doom.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is worth examining in the context of Doom's resolution scaling. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 50 FPS average, which is the lowest measured result. While the data doesn't explicitly show VRAM usage, the steep performance cliff from High (61 FPS) to Ultra (50 FPS) at 4K — an 18% drop — suggests that the Ultra preset may be pushing against the memory capacity or bandwidth limits. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is substantial, but at 4K with high-resolution textures, the 8 GB pool could be a limiting factor.

The GPU's benchmark results corroborate its mid-tier positioning. Its PassMark G3D score of 20349 and PassMark GPU compute score of 10006 place it at the 59th percentile of all GPUs. The DirectX 12 score of 78 and Vulkan score of 47784 (from Geekbench) are the relevant metrics for Doom, which uses modern graphics APIs. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2626 provides additional context for how this GPU handles contemporary rendering workloads.

The RTX 3060 Ti's end-of-life production status and 200 W TDP indicate it was designed for the previous generation, yet the measured FPS in Doom shows it remains capable. At 1080p, it delivers over 140 FPS on every preset, and even at 1440p it stays above 90 FPS on all settings. The 4K Ultra result of 50 FPS average is the only sub-60 FPS outcome, suggesting that 4K gaming on this GPU requires settings compromises.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured dataset provides a detailed picture of performance across twelve configurations (three resolutions × four settings presets).

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers: Low 236 FPS, Medium 206 FPS (min 175, max 237), High 174 FPS, and Ultra 142 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 40% performance drop, from 236 to 142 FPS. The Medium preset's min of 175 FPS indicates that even in the most demanding scenes, the system stays well above 144 Hz refresh rates. The max of 237 FPS on Medium nearly matches the Low preset's average, suggesting that the Low preset is hitting a ceiling — likely CPU or engine-level frame rate limits rather than GPU constraints.

At 2560x1440, the numbers scale down proportionally: Low 153 FPS, Medium 133 FPS (min 113, max 153), High 113 FPS, and Ultra 92 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra drop is 40% (153 to 92 FPS), matching the 1080p pattern exactly. This consistency across resolutions reinforces that the settings presets impose a similar relative cost regardless of pixel count. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a min of 113 FPS, which would still support a high-refresh monitor, though not at the 144 Hz level achievable at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 83 FPS, Medium 72 FPS (min 61, max 83), High 61 FPS, and Ultra 50 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra drop here is 40% again (83 to 50 FPS), maintaining the exact same relative scaling as the lower resolutions. However, the absolute numbers tell a different story: even the Low preset at 4K (83 FPS) is slower than the Ultra preset at 1440p (92 FPS). The Medium preset's min of 61 FPS shows that 4K gaming is viable, but just barely at 60 Hz refresh rates, and only with settings compromises.

The Ultra preset at 4K delivers 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered the minimum for smooth gameplay. The data implies that users targeting 4K should avoid Ultra settings unless they can tolerate sub-60 FPS performance. The High preset at 4K (61 FPS) is the minimum recommended for 60 Hz displays, while Medium (72 FPS) provides some headroom.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz, combined with 32 MB of shared L3 cache, make it a powerful gaming CPU. The PassMark single-thread score of 4691 and multithread score of 36470 place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 69996 sits within 1% of the Ryzen 9 7940HX, Core i7-14700KF, Ryzen 9 7950X, and Core i7-14700K.

In Doom, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. The evidence: at 1080p Low, the combo produces 236 FPS, which is likely near the engine's practical limit for this configuration. The fact that raising the resolution to 1440p only drops the frame rate to 153 FPS — a 35% reduction — while the pixel count increases by 78% (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels) suggests the GPU is doing most of the heavy lifting. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would drop more slowly as resolution increases, because the CPU work per frame stays roughly constant.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth (dual-channel DDR5) are adequate for feeding the GPU. The 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample parallelism for Doom's engine, which can utilize multiple threads for physics, AI, and rendering tasks. The L3 cache of 32 MB shared across all cores is generous for a desktop processor and helps maintain high hit rates in game workloads.

The PassMark physics score of 2122 and floating-point math score of 77955 indicate strong computational throughput, though these are synthetic metrics. In real-world Doom gameplay, the CPU's single-thread performance (4691 in PassMark single-thread) is the most relevant metric, as game engines typically have a primary render thread that cannot be fully parallelized. The 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures that this thread executes at maximum speed.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1080p displays with 144 Hz refresh rates, the High preset (174 FPS average) is the sweet spot. It provides a 32 FPS improvement over Ultra (142 FPS) with minimal visual impact, and it stays well above the 144 FPS threshold. The Medium preset (206 FPS) is also viable for 165 Hz or 240 Hz displays, offering a 32 FPS improvement over High. The Low preset (236 FPS) exceeds the refresh rate capabilities of most monitors and should only be used for competitive play where frame rate is paramount over visuals.

For 1440p displays with 144 Hz refresh rates, the Ultra preset (92 FPS) is insufficient. The High preset (113 FPS) is closer but still below 144 FPS. The Medium preset (133 FPS) is the best choice for high-refresh 1440p gaming, though it falls short of a full 144 FPS average. For 60 Hz displays at 1440p, any preset works, with Ultra (92 FPS) providing the best visuals.

For 4K displays with 60 Hz refresh rates, the Ultra preset (50 FPS) is below the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset (61 FPS) just barely achieves 60 FPS average, but the margin is thin — any demanding scene could push it below. The Medium preset (72 FPS) provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, with a min of 61 FPS indicating the worst-case scenario still hits 60 FPS. The Low preset (83 FPS) offers headroom for 75 Hz displays if available.

The data suggests a clear pattern: Medium settings provide the most balanced experience across all resolutions, maintaining 206 FPS at 1080p, 133 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The min FPS values for Medium at each resolution (175, 113, 61 respectively) show that even the worst-case performance remains playable.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 72 with a minimum of 61, which is playable on 60 Hz displays. The High preset averages 61 FPS, right at the edge of 60 Hz. Ultra settings drop to 50 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p at 144 Hz?

A: The Medium preset delivers 133 FPS average at 1440p, which is the closest to 144 Hz among all presets. High runs at 113 FPS, and Ultra at 92 FPS. None of the presets reach a full 144 FPS average at 1440p, but Medium provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions and settings. Evidence includes the consistent 35% FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p and 46% drop from 1440p to 4K, which correlates with pixel count increases. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 59th percentile also supports this conclusion.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16129. It is 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (score 16014), 1.4% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (score 16351), and 1.4% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (score 16361). These are all within a 1.7% range, making them statistically equivalent.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM limit performance at 4K?

A: The data suggests a possible VRAM constraint at 4K Ultra, where FPS drops to 50 from 61 at High settings — an 18% reduction. The same preset-to-preset gap at 1080p and 1440p is roughly 18-19% (174 to 142 FPS at 1080p, 113 to 92 FPS at 1440p), so the 4K Ultra drop is consistent with the pattern, not exacerbated by VRAM limitations.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 1420th out of 2930 tested combinations in Doom, placing it at approximately the 51st percentile. The ranking reflects the GPU's mid-tier position (59th percentile among GPUs) rather than the CPU's high-end position (94th percentile among CPUs).