Doom

AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a fascinating performance profile in Doom, one that reveals a shifting bottleneck between the CPU and GPU as resolution scales. The data presents a clear narrative: at 1080p, the combination produces extraordinarily high frame rates that strain the CPU's limits, while at 4K, the GPU takes over as the primary constraint, though the overall experience remains impressively fluid. This analysis breaks down the measured results to explain what the numbers imply about this pairing's behavior in this classic FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic and predictable decline as resolution increases, but the rate of that decline tells a compelling story about where the performance ceiling lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits an average of 349 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops that to 226 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 123 FPS, which is a further 46% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep scaling pattern—from 349 to 226 to 123—indicates that the GPU is becoming progressively more saturated, which is expected given the massive pixel count increase from 2 million to 8.3 million.

However, the scaling behavior shifts dramatically when looking at Ultra settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 210 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it's 136 FPS (a 35% drop), and at 4K Ultra, it's 74 FPS (a 46% drop from 1440p). The percentage drops are nearly identical between Low and Ultra settings across resolution steps, which suggests that the rendering workload scales uniformly regardless of quality level. This uniformity implies the game's engine is well-optimized for this hardware, with no sudden inefficiencies appearing at higher settings.

The most revealing comparison comes from the 1080p to 1440p transition. At Low settings, the drop from 349 to 226 FPS is a 123 FPS loss. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 210 to 136 FPS, a 74 FPS loss. The absolute loss is smaller at Ultra because the starting point is lower, but the percentage loss is consistent. This consistency indicates that the bottleneck is primarily GPU-bound even at 1080p, though the extremely high frame rates suggest the CPU is still keeping pace. The 9800X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, are clearly sufficient to feed the RTX 4070 SUPER even at 349 FPS.

At 4K, the GPU is unquestionably the limiting factor. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily, and the 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is what ultimately caps the frame rate. The data shows that even at 4K Low, the combo only manages 123 FPS, which is still a very playable number, but the scaling from 1440p suggests that further increasing resolution would yield diminishing returns. The performance cliff between 1440p and 4K is steep, confirming that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the component that dictates the upper bounds of this system's capabilities in Doom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 607 out of 3712 tested combinations places this pairing in the top 16.4% of all tested hardware configurations for Doom. This is a strong showing, though not an elite top-tier placement, which makes sense given that the RTX 4070 SUPER is not the most powerful GPU available. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU's exceptional single-thread performance and the GPU's high-end midrange capabilities.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this ranking. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23230 and a single-core score of 2080. Its Geekbench single-core score of 2964 is notably high. In contrast, the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 29995 is solid but not exceptional for a high-end card. The combination's rank of 607 indicates that while this system is very fast, there are 606 other combos that deliver higher frame rates in Doom, likely featuring more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or higher-tier cards.

What's more interesting is how this rank compares to the component's individual percentiles. The CPU sits in the 87th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. The combo rank of 607 out of 3712 (top 16.4%) is actually better than either component's individual percentile might suggest, indicating that this pairing is well-matched for Doom. The game appears to benefit from the CPU's strong cache architecture (96 MB of shared L3 cache) and the GPU's efficient Ada Lovelace design. The rank implies that users with higher-tier GPUs will see better results, but the 9800X3D ensures that the RTX 4070 SUPER is never left waiting for data.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 SUPER's specifications play a crucial role in the measured performance. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, the card delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Doom's texture-heavy environments. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz are relatively high for a midrange card, and the 7168 shading units provide substantial compute throughput. The 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the key metric for rasterization-heavy games like Doom, and the data shows this is sufficient for 4K Ultra at 74 FPS average.

The GPU's memory configuration is particularly relevant at 4K. The 12 GB capacity is adequate for the game's demands, as evidenced by the playable frame rates at 4K Ultra. However, the 192-bit bus width and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are modest compared to higher-tier cards, which likely explains why 4K Ultra drops to 74 FPS. The GPU's 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs are also contributing factors, as they handle pixel output and texture filtering respectively. At 4K, the 198.0 GPixel/s pixel rate becomes a constraint, limiting how quickly the GPU can fill the screen.

The data shows a clear correlation between GPU workload and frame rate. At 1080p, the GPU can render frames at up to 349 FPS (Low settings), but this drops to 210 FPS at Ultra settings, a 40% reduction. This substantial drop at the same resolution indicates that the Ultra preset adds significant shading and texture work that taxes the GPU's compute units. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores are not heavily utilized in Doom since it's a traditional rasterization game, but the raw FP32 throughput is what matters most here.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings achieve an average of 349 FPS, while Medium drops to 304 FPS (with a min of 259 and max of 350). High settings produce 257 FPS, and Ultra brings the average down to 210 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 139 FPS, showing a 39.8% performance penalty for maxing out the settings. The Medium preset's min FPS of 259 is still well above 240 Hz, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high. Low settings yield 226 FPS, Medium produces 197 FPS (min 167, max 227), High delivers 166 FPS, and Ultra drops to 136 FPS. The performance spread between Low and Ultra is 90 FPS, which is a 39.8% penalty—identical to the 1080p percentage. This consistency suggests the game's settings scale linearly with resolution, and the GPU's 35.48 TFLOPS are being utilized efficiently. The Medium preset's min FPS of 167 ensures smooth gameplay even during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still playable but shows the GPU's limits. Low settings average 123 FPS, Medium produces 107 FPS (min 91, max 123), High achieves 90 FPS, and Ultra drops to 74 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 49 FPS, again a 39.8% penalty. The Medium preset's min FPS of 91 is above 60 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience, but the Ultra preset's 74 FPS average is the first time the combo dips below 100 FPS. The 4K data reveals that the RTX 4070 SUPER can handle 4K in Doom, but users wanting Ultra settings may need to consider a more powerful GPU for higher refresh rates.

FAQ

*Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the RTX 4070 SUPER a good match for 1080p gaming in Doom?*

A: Yes, the data shows exceptional performance at 1920x1080 across all settings. Low settings average 349 FPS, and even Ultra settings maintain a 210 FPS average, indicating the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution.

Q: What is the performance penalty for using Ultra settings instead of Low at 1440p?

A: The average FPS drops from 226 FPS at Low to 136 FPS at Ultra, a 90 FPS reduction. This represents a 39.8% performance penalty, which is consistent with the penalty observed at 1080p.

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

A: Yes, the results show playable frame rates at 3840x2160. The lowest average is 74 FPS at Ultra settings, while Low settings achieve 123 FPS. The Medium preset shows a min FPS of 91, ensuring smooth gameplay.

*Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's cache affect Doom performance?*

A: The CPU's 96 MB of shared L3 cache is likely beneficial for Doom's level streaming and texture loading, as evidenced by the high minimum FPS values at 1440p Medium (167 FPS) and 4K Medium (91 FPS).

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more important for achieving high frame rates in this game?

A: The data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is the primary constraint, as performance drops by 39.8% when switching from Low to Ultra. At 4K, the GPU is even more clearly the limiting factor, with the CPU's high single-thread score (2964 in Geekbench) ensuring it never becomes a bottleneck.

Q: What does the combo rank of 607 out of 3712 indicate about this pairing?

A: It places this system in the top 16.4% of all tested combos for Doom, indicating strong performance. The CPU's 87th percentile and GPU's 83rd percentile individually suggest a well-balanced pairing where neither component significantly hampers the other.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080 users, the Ultra preset is the clear choice. The 210 FPS average is still exceptionally high, and the visual fidelity gains from Ultra settings are substantial. With a 240 Hz monitor, this combo would still deliver smooth gameplay, though the 349 FPS at Low would be better suited for a 360 Hz display. The data suggests that at 1080p, there is no reason to compromise on settings since even Ultra maintains triple-digit frame rates.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset's 136 FPS average is still excellent and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. However, the Medium preset offers a compelling alternative with 197 FPS average and a min FPS of 167, which could provide a more consistent experience on a 240 Hz monitor. The High preset at 166 FPS strikes a balance between visual quality and performance, but the measured data shows that Ultra only costs 30 FPS compared to High, making it the better choice for most users with standard 144Hz displays.

At 3840x2160, the High preset at 90 FPS average is the recommended setting for a balanced experience, as it maintains high frame rates while delivering good visual quality. The Ultra preset at 74 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth on a 120 Hz display. The Medium preset at 107 FPS (min 91) is the best option for users prioritizing frame rate stability, as it offers a 45% improvement over Ultra while still looking good. For users with 60 Hz displays, Ultra at 74 FPS is perfectly adequate, but for higher refresh rates, Medium or High provides more headroom.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D's 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4 nm process, prove to be more than sufficient for Doom. The CPU's base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.20 GHz are high, and its benchmark scores reflect this: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2080 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2964. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1212 and 2-thread score of 2394 indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for a game like Doom that relies on a few main threads.

The CPU's cache hierarchy is particularly noteworthy. With 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a massive 96 MB of shared L3 cache, the 9800X3D is designed for gaming workloads that benefit from large data sets being held close to the cores. In Doom, this likely helps maintain high minimum FPS, as the measured data shows a min FPS of 259 at 1080p Medium and 167 at 1440p Medium. These high minimums indicate that the CPU can consistently feed data to the GPU without stuttering.

The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks further contextualizes its role. The PassMark multi-thread score of 40009 and single-thread score of 4430 are solid, but the 3DMark 16-thread score of 10081 and max-thread score of 10067 show that scaling beyond 8 threads is minimal, which is typical for gaming. The data suggests that in Doom, the 9800X3D is never the bottleneck, even at 349 FPS, as the GPU's rendering workload dominates the frame time. The CPU's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5 support ensure that data transfer to the GPU is not a limiting factor, allowing the RTX 4070 SUPER to operate at its full potential.