Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Doom with the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 shows a clear progression as resolution climbs. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 221 FPS on average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 143 FPS, and at 4K High the average falls to 78 FPS. That is a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a steep scaling curve. The pattern indicates that the RTX 3080 becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises, while the CPU has enough headroom to keep feeding frames at lower resolutions.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is even more dramatic. At 1080p Low, the system hits 301 FPS average. At 1440p Low, it drops to 195 FPS, and at 4K Low it settles at 105 FPS. The 301 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low suggests the CPU can push far beyond what the GPU can render at higher settings. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D has 8 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, so it is not the bottleneck here. The RTX 3080, with its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 320-bit bus, starts to show its limits as resolution increases.

The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution also tells a story. At 1080p, Low runs at 301 FPS while Ultra runs at 181 FPS — a 120 FPS difference. At 1440p, the gap narrows to 78 FPS (195 vs 117). At 4K, the gap shrinks to 42 FPS (105 vs 63). This narrowing gap indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so heavily loaded that settings changes have less relative impact. The 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS is below the 78 FPS 4K High result, showing that Ultra settings impose a significant cost at this resolution.

The Medium preset provides the only min/max data points in the pack. At 4K Medium, the average is 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 and maximum of 106. At 1440p Medium, the average is 170 FPS with a minimum of 144 and maximum of 195. At 1080p Medium, the average is 262 FPS with a minimum of 223 and maximum of 301. These ranges indicate that the frame pacing is reasonably stable, with the minimum never falling below 78 FPS even at 4K. That is a playable floor for most monitors.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K smoothly?

A: Yes, at High settings the average is 78 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. At Medium settings, the average rises to 92 FPS, and at Low it reaches 105 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that dips below 60 FPS territory, averaging 63 FPS.

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

A: At 1080p, the data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The 301 FPS Low result at 1080p is far higher than the 221 FPS High result, indicating the CPU can push more frames than the GPU can render. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D has 8 cores and 16 threads, which is ample for Doom's workload.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play?

A: For maximum frame rates, 1080p is the clear choice. Even at Ultra settings, the average is 181 FPS, which exceeds most high-refresh monitors. At Low settings, the 301 FPS average is well beyond what any current display can show.

Q: How does the Medium preset compare to High in terms of FPS gain?

A: At 4K, Medium delivers 92 FPS versus 78 FPS on High — a 14 FPS gain. At 1440p, Medium hits 170 FPS versus 143 FPS on High — a 27 FPS gain. At 1080p, Medium reaches 262 FPS versus 221 FPS on High — a 41 FPS gain. The relative benefit of dropping from High to Medium increases at lower resolutions.

Q: Does the RTX 3080's memory capacity affect 4K performance?

A: The 10 GB GDDR6X memory with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for this game at 4K. The measured results show playable frame rates at all settings except Ultra, which averages 63 FPS. The memory bus width of 320 bit supports the bandwidth needed for 4K textures.

Q: Is there a large difference between Low and Ultra settings?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1080p, Low runs at 301 FPS while Ultra runs at 181 FPS — a 66% increase in frame rate. At 4K, Low runs at 105 FPS while Ultra runs at 63 FPS — a 67% increase. The relative scaling is consistent across resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a Zen 5 architecture part with 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 4.70 GHz and boost clock is 5.60 GHz, which are high frequencies for a desktop processor. The 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a notable feature for gaming workloads, as it reduces memory latency for frequently accessed data. The processor supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration and has an 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth.

In Doom, the CPU's role is evident from the 1080p results. The 301 FPS average at Low settings indicates that the processor can feed the GPU faster than the RTX 3080 can render. This is typical for a game from 2016, which is not heavily threaded. The Ryzen 7 9850X3D's single-thread performance, reflected in a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2228, is more relevant than multi-core throughput. The multi-core score of 22807 is strong, but Doom's engine does not scale perfectly across 16 threads.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 92 versus all CPUs puts it in the top tier. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M with a delta of 0.1%, the Intel Xeon w5-2545 with a delta of -0.2%, and the Intel Core i9-14900 with a delta of 0.5%. These deltas are small, indicating that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D performs similarly to those parts in general benchmarks. However, the 3D V-Cache technology, which gives the 96 MB L3 cache, is not present in those rivals, and that can matter in games.

The fact that the 1080p Low result hits 301 FPS and the 1080p Medium max is also 301 FPS suggests the CPU can sustain very high frame rates. The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 223, which shows that even in demanding scenes, the CPU does not cause frame drops below that level. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 144 FPS, and at 4K Medium, the minimum is 78 FPS. These minimums follow the GPU's scaling, confirming that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The processor's TDP is 120 W, which is modest for a high-end desktop part. It uses the AMD Socket AM5 platform with PCIe Gen 5 support (24 lanes from the CPU). The integrated Radeon Graphics are present, but they are not used in this configuration. The launch MSRP is $499.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with this combo, the data points to High settings as the sweet spot. At 4K High, the average is 78 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS standard. At 1440p High, the average is 143 FPS, which suits 144 Hz monitors. At 1080p High, the average is 221 FPS, which exceeds even 240 Hz displays. High settings offer a balance between visual quality and frame rate that is hard to beat.

If you prioritize frame rate over visuals, the Low preset provides the highest FPS at every resolution. At 4K Low, you get 105 FPS. At 1440p Low, you get 195 FPS. At 1080p Low, you get 301 FPS. The jump from High to Low is significant: at 4K, that is 27 FPS more; at 1440p, 52 FPS more; at 1080p, 80 FPS more. For competitive play, Low is the clear choice.

The Medium preset sits between the two and offers the only min/max data in the pack. At 4K Medium, the average is 92 FPS with a minimum of 78, which means even the worst-case frame time stays above 60 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 170 FPS with a minimum of 144. At 1080p Medium, the average is 262 FPS with a minimum of 223. The Medium preset provides a smooth experience with better visuals than Low.

Ultra settings are the most demanding. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 63 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS line but not comfortably above it. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 117 FPS, which is still smooth but 26 FPS less than High. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 181 FPS, which is 40 FPS less than High. The visual difference between Ultra and High is often subtle in practice, so the FPS cost is not always worth it.

For most users, the recommendation is to use High settings. It delivers over 60 FPS at 4K, over 140 FPS at 1440p, and over 220 FPS at 1080p. If you have a high-refresh monitor (144 Hz or higher), High at 1440p is a solid match. If you play at 4K on a 60 Hz display, High gives you headroom above the refresh rate. The Medium preset is a fallback if you want extra margin, especially at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combo ranks 787 out of 2930 tested combinations in Doom. That puts it in the top 27% of all combos in the database. Given that the RTX 3080 is an end-of-life product from 2020, this ranking is respectable. The CPU is newer, released in 2026, and has a high percentile ranking of 92 versus all CPUs.

The ranking suggests that there are many combos that perform better, but also a large number that perform worse. The RTX 3080's percentile versus all GPUs is 68, which means it is better than 68% of GPUs in the database. Its nearest GPU rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100 with a delta of -0.3%, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 with a delta of -0.3%, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M with a delta of -0.4%, and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X with a delta of -0.4%. These deltas are tiny, indicating that the RTX 3080 sits in a dense cluster of similar-performing GPUs.

The combo's rank of 787 out of 2930 means it is in the upper-middle tier. For a 4K gaming setup, this is a capable pairing. The data shows that at 4K High, the combo delivers 78 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, it delivers 143 FPS on High, which is excellent for high-refresh monitors. The CPU's strength ensures that the GPU is the primary constraint at all resolutions.

If you are building a system with this combo, the ranking indicates that you are not at the top of the performance pyramid, but you are far from the bottom. The combination of a strong CPU and a mid-to-high-tier GPU provides a balanced experience for Doom. The fact that the CPU has a 92nd percentile ranking while the GPU has a 68th percentile ranking means the system is not CPU-limited in most scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). All data points are averages, with some Medium presets also providing minimum and maximum values.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 301 FPS average
• Medium: 262 FPS average, 223 FPS minimum, 301 FPS maximum
• High: 221 FPS average
• Ultra: 181 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 195 FPS average
• Medium: 170 FPS average, 144 FPS minimum, 195 FPS maximum
• High: 143 FPS average
• Ultra: 117 FPS average

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 105 FPS average
• Medium: 92 FPS average, 78 FPS minimum, 106 FPS maximum
• High: 78 FPS average
• Ultra: 63 FPS average

The 1080p Low result of 301 FPS is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. The 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS is the lowest average. The spread between these two extremes is 238 FPS, which shows the wide range of performance this combo can deliver depending on settings and resolution.

The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data. At 1080p, the minimum is 223 FPS and the maximum is 301 FPS, giving a range of 78 FPS. At 1440p, the minimum is 144 FPS and the maximum is 195 FPS, giving a range of 51 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 78 FPS and the maximum is 106 FPS, giving a range of 28 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's workload becomes more consistent as it becomes the bottleneck.

Looking at the scaling from one resolution to the next, the drops are consistent. From 1080p to 1440p, the High preset drops from 221 FPS to 143 FPS — a 35% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, High drops from 143 FPS to 78 FPS — a 45% reduction. The Low preset drops from 301 to 195 (35%) and then to 105 (46%). The Ultra preset drops from 181 to 117 (35%) and then to 63 (46%). This consistent 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 45-46% drop from 1440p to 4K, is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where pixel count scales quadratically.

The data also shows that the difference between Low and Ultra at each resolution is roughly proportional. At 1080p, Ultra is 60% of Low's FPS (181 vs 301). At 1440p, Ultra is also 60% of Low (117 vs 195). At 4K, Ultra is 60% of Low (63 vs 105). This consistency suggests that the settings presets have similar relative costs across resolutions. The RTX 3080's 10 GB memory buffer is sufficient at 4K, as evidenced by the playable frame rates, but the GPU's compute throughput (29.77 TFLOPS FP32) limits Ultra performance at that resolution.