Doom

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a compelling 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, but the data shows that 4K Ultra demands more than this GPU can comfortably provide. The benchmark results paint a clear picture of a system where the CPU has ample headroom, leaving the RTX 3070 as the definitive bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, confirming that the rendering load scales almost entirely with pixel count. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 261.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 165.3 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 37%, and then further to 88.3 FPS at 3840x2160, a 66% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern indicates that even at the lowest graphical preset, the RTX 3070 is being pushed hard as resolution increases.

Moving to High settings, the scaling is similar: 191.1 FPS at 1080p drops to 121.9 FPS at 1440p and finally to 68 FPS at 4K. The fact that the 4K High result is less than half of the 1080p High result highlights the GPU's limited pixel throughput. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with its 3DMark max threads score of 10067 and single-thread score of 1212, is clearly not the limiting factor here; the data suggests that the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the primary constraints at 4K.

The most telling comparison is between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, Ultra still achieves 158.3 FPS, which is a very playable frame rate. However, at 4K, Ultra drops to 57.7 FPS. This 100.6 FPS difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra demonstrates how the combination of high settings and high resolution compounds the load on the GPU. The scaling behavior shows that this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p or 1440p, with 4K reserved for lower presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the workhorse of this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured frame rates. With a base clock of 1500 MHz and a boost clock of 1725 MHz, the Ampere-based GA104 chip provides a solid foundation. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus yields a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The benchmark results indicate that this memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result of 57.7 FPS suggests that the memory capacity and bandwidth are stretched thin when handling the higher resolution textures and effects.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with 5888 shading units and an FP32 performance of 20.31 TFLOPS. However, Doom's engine appears to be more sensitive to memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate than raw compute. The pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s are the specs that likely dictate performance at 4K. The data shows that the RTX 3070 sits in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28238, placing it in a competitive but not top-tier position.

In comparison to its nearest rivals, the RTX 3070 is 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, according to average benchmark scores. This slight edge over the RX 6600 XT is reflected in the measured FPS, though the performance gap narrows at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth becomes more critical. The GPU's 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores are present but not heavily utilized in this game, as the measured data focuses on traditional rasterization performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 1440p stands out. It delivers an average of 121.9 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on most high-refresh-rate monitors. Moving up to Ultra at 1440p yields 101.4 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices a noticeable amount of performance for marginal visual gains.

At 1080p, the High preset is the sweet spot for competitive play, offering 191.1 FPS. This gives significant headroom for a 144Hz or 165Hz display. The Medium preset at 1080p, which achieves 224.7 FPS, could be preferred by esports-focused players who prioritize maximum frame rates over visual fidelity. The Low preset at 1080p provides 261.6 FPS, which is excessive for most displays but shows the CPU's capability to push frames when the GPU load is reduced.

For 4K, the data suggests that the High preset is the most viable option, with 68 FPS being just above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 79.5 FPS also provides a comfortable margin, but the Ultra preset at 57.7 FPS falls below ideal smoothness. The recommendation is to use High at 4K for a stable experience, or Medium if you prefer a higher frame rate buffer. The Low preset at 88.3 FPS is a fallback for those who prioritize performance above all else, but it negates the visual benefits of the higher resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Starting with 1920x1080, the results are exceptional across all presets. The Low setting achieves an average of 261.6 FPS, the Medium setting reaches 224.7 FPS, and the High setting delivers 191.1 FPS. Even the Ultra setting maintains a robust 158.3 FPS, indicating that the combination of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RTX 3070 is more than capable of handling this resolution without compromise.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's limits. The Low setting averages 165.3 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium setting drops to 143.9 FPS, and the High setting falls to 121.9 FPS. The Ultra setting, at 101.4 FPS, is the first to dip below the 120 FPS mark, but it remains a smooth experience for most users.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more modest. The Low setting averages 88.3 FPS, the Medium setting achieves 79.5 FPS, and the High setting manages 68 FPS. The Ultra setting, with an average of 57.7 FPS, is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less ideal for a consistently smooth experience. The data shows a clear pattern: each step up in resolution has a larger impact than each step up in settings, emphasizing the GPU-bound nature of 4K gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of tested combinations, this pairing ranks 783 out of 1681 combos in Doom. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested. The ranking reflects a balance of the CPU's high performance and the GPU's mid-range capabilities. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with its 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 37780, is a top-tier processor that ensures no CPU-related bottlenecks.

The GPU's 72nd percentile ranking, with an average score of 28238, is the limiting factor in the overall combo rank. The combination of a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU means the system excels in CPU-light or GPU-bound scenarios but cannot compete with combos featuring higher-tier GPUs in demanding games like Doom at 4K. The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals show it is virtually tied with the Intel Xeon 6353P (-0.1%), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (-0.1%), Intel Core i9-13900HK (-0.6%), and Intel Core i5-13600KF (-0.7%), confirming its position at the top of the CPU hierarchy.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro S7150 (-0.6%), AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (0.9%), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (1%), and AMD Radeon R9 M295X (-1.1%). The RTX 3070's slight edge over the RX 6600 XT in synthetic benchmarks translates to the measured FPS data, but the differences are small, indicating that these cards are closely matched in real-world performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve high frame rates?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates, with the Low preset reaching 261.6 FPS and the High preset maintaining 191.1 FPS. Even at Ultra, the 1080p result of 158.3 FPS is excellent.

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

A: Yes, but with limitations. The High preset at 3840x2160 averages 68 FPS, and the Medium preset achieves 79.5 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 57.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9800X3D compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The CPU is virtually tied with the Intel Xeon 6353P and Intel Core Ultra 5 225, both with a deltaPct of -0.1%. It is also within 0.7% of the Intel Core i5-13600KF, showing it is a top-tier performer.

Q: Is the RTX 3070's 8 GB of VRAM sufficient for Doom?

A: The benchmark results indicate it is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, where High settings deliver 191.1 FPS and 121.9 FPS respectively. At 4K, the 8 GB capacity appears to be a limiting factor, as the Ultra preset drops to 57.7 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 averages 165.3 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 101.4 FPS. This represents a 63.9 FPS difference, showing a significant performance cost for maximum visual quality.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Doom?

A: It ranks 783 out of 1681 tested combos, placing it in the upper-middle tier. The ranking is influenced by the GPU's mid-range position, despite the CPU being in the 90th percentile.