Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti produces a fascinating set of results in Doom (2016), a title whose Vulkan-based engine scales aggressively across hardware. The data reveals a system where the CPU’s exceptional cache architecture ensures frame rates remain high even when the GPU is clearly the primary bottleneck. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the combo’s standing among 1,681 tested pairings, and examines the specific role of the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that decline is heavily influenced by the graphics preset. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 194.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops performance to 122.5 FPS, a reduction that indicates the GPU is beginning to struggle with the additional pixel count. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 67.5 FPS, which is still very playable but represents a significant 35% drop from the 1440p figure.

The scaling becomes more pronounced with higher visual fidelity. At High settings, the transition from 1080p (140.7 FPS) to 1440p (93.2 FPS) shows a 33.7% performance loss, and further to 4K (47.8 FPS) another 48.7% loss. The Ultra preset tells the most telling story: 117.9 FPS at 1080p, 76.8 FPS at 1440p, and a demanding 40.1 FPS at 4K. This steep drop-off at 4K, particularly from 1440p to 2160p, confirms that the RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are saturated by the higher resolution, making the GPU the unequivocal limiting component at 4K.

Conversely, the relatively small gap between 1080p Low (194.7 FPS) and 1080p Medium (165.1 FPS) suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU’s 8 cores and 16 threads are still capable of feeding the GPU effectively. The 4K Ultra result of 40.1 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS reading, highlighting that while the processor is a powerhouse, the graphics card cannot sustain high frame rates at maximum settings in 4K. The data implies that for 1440p gaming, this combo is well-balanced, but 4K requires a reduction in settings to maintain fluid motion.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 1,681 tested CPU and GPU combinations for Doom, this pairing holds the 1188th position. This rank is notably low for a system featuring a top-tier processor, which indicates that the RTX 3060 Ti is holding back the overall potential of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. The GPU itself sits in the 69th percentile among all tested graphics cards, while the CPU is in the 90th percentile among all CPUs. This disparity is the core reason for the mediocre combo ranking.

The combo rank suggests that in Doom, the 3060 Ti’s performance ceiling is reached far before the 9800X3D’s capabilities are exhausted. For context, the GPU’s nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (deltaPct -0.2%), the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (deltaPct -0.5%), and the AMD Radeon 890M (deltaPct -0.5%). These are all cards that, like the 3060 Ti, are not designed for 4K Ultra gaming, which is why the combo struggles to climb the rankings.

The CPU’s nearest rivals — the Intel Xeon 6353P (deltaPct -0.1%), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (deltaPct -0.1%), and Intel Core i9-13900HK (deltaPct -0.6%) — all have similar average scores, reinforcing that the processor is not the source of the ranking bottleneck. The data shows that to improve this combo’s rank in Doom, a more powerful GPU would be necessary, as the 9800X3D has ample headroom. The 1188th rank out of 1681 places this system in the bottom third of tested configurations, a direct consequence of the GPU’s 69th percentile standing.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm TSMC process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.20 GHz are impressive, but the defining feature for gaming is the 96 MB of shared L3 cache. In Doom, a game that benefits from high memory bandwidth and low latency, this large cache likely allows the CPU to keep frequently accessed data on-die, reducing the need to fetch from system memory.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are exceptional. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 34004 and a single-core score of 4800, alongside a Geekbench multicore score of 18413. These numbers place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 90% of processors in the database. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10081 and the Passmark multithread score of 40009 further confirm its high compute throughput.

In the context of Doom, the CPU’s role is to maintain high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is less burdened. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 194.7 FPS, and even at 1440p Low, it holds 122.5 FPS. These figures suggest that the 9800X3D is not a limiting factor in these scenarios. However, the L3 cache size is a double-edged sword: while it provides excellent gaming performance, the lack of a 3D V-Cache variant (noted as null in the data) means it relies on its high boost clock and architecture efficiency. The 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5 support ensure the CPU can feed the GPU without stalling.

The data indicates that the CPU’s performance is consistent across all tested settings, as the frame rate differences between presets are more attributable to GPU load than CPU limitations. The 9800X3D’s 120 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it a versatile chip, but in this pairing, its primary job — delivering frames to the GPU — is completed without issue.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s capabilities. At 1080p, the system is exceptionally fast: Low settings produce 194.7 FPS, Medium 165.1 FPS, High 140.7 FPS, and Ultra 117.9 FPS. These numbers indicate that for 1080p gaming, the combo can easily drive high-refresh-rate monitors, even at maximum settings. The gap between Medium and High is 24.4 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 22.8 FPS, showing a consistent scaling pattern tied to GPU load.

At 1440p, the performance remains strong: Low settings yield 122.5 FPS, Medium 106.4 FPS, High 93.2 FPS, and Ultra 76.8 FPS. The 1440p results show a more linear scaling, with a 16.1 FPS difference between Low and Medium, 13.2 FPS between Medium and High, and 16.4 FPS between High and Ultra. This suggests that the GPU is becoming more of a factor, but the CPU still provides enough overhead to keep the system responsive.

At 4K, the limitations of the RTX 3060 Ti become apparent. Low settings produce 67.5 FPS, Medium 61.4 FPS, High 47.8 FPS, and Ultra 40.1 FPS. The drop from 1440p High (93.2 FPS) to 4K High (47.8 FPS) is a 45.7 FPS loss, representing the largest single-resolution penalty in the dataset. The 4K Ultra result of 40.1 FPS is the only reading below 50 FPS, making it the only configuration where the game might feel less smooth on a standard 60 Hz display. The data shows that for 4K gaming, users must choose between Low settings (67.5 FPS) or accept a sub-60 FPS experience at higher presets.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the data, 1440p is the sweet spot. Even at Ultra settings, the system maintains 76.8 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1080p Ultra, it hits 117.9 FPS, but the 1440p results offer a better balance of visual fidelity and performance.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Doom?*

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured FPS at 4K Low is 67.5 FPS, which is playable. However, 4K Medium produces 61.4 FPS, and 4K High and Ultra drop to 47.8 FPS and 40.1 FPS respectively, which may be too low for some users.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 37780. Its nearest rivals — the Intel Xeon 6353P (37811, deltaPct -0.1%), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (37831, deltaPct -0.1%), and Intel Core i9-13900HK (38020, deltaPct -0.6%) — are all within 0.7% of its score, indicating they are statistically equivalent in performance.

Q: Is the GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: Yes, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 69th percentile rank versus the CPU’s 90th percentile rank indicates a significant imbalance. The 4K results, where FPS drops sharply, confirm that the RTX 3060 Ti is the limiting component.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking among tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 1188th out of 1681 tested combinations for Doom. This low ranking is primarily due to the GPU’s performance ceiling, not the CPU, as the processor ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: How does the GPU’s performance compare to its rivals?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 25120. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (25180, deltaPct -0.2%) and AMD Radeon RX 6600 (25235, deltaPct -0.5%), showing that it is closely matched with these cards.