Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, but the data indicates that the 4K Ultra preset is the only setting where the combination struggles to maintain high refresh rates. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, examines the roles of the CPU and GPU, and contextualizes the results against other tested combinations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combination shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, which is typical for a game of Doom's era. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 221 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops the average to 143 FPS, a reduction of 78 FPS. The jump to 4K High results in 78 FPS, which is a further drop of 65 FPS. This scaling suggests that the rendering load is scaling almost linearly with pixel count, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system reaches 301 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate. At 1440p Low, the average falls to 195 FPS, and at 4K Low, it drops to 105 FPS. This progression reveals that even on the lowest settings, the 4K resolution demands significantly more from the hardware than 1440p. The gap between 1080p and 1440p Low is 106 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K Low is 90 FPS, showing a consistent scaling penalty.

The Medium settings row provides the only complete min/max data in the pack. At 1080p Medium, the average is 262 FPS with a minimum of 223 FPS and a maximum of 301 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 170 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS and a maximum of 195 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 106 FPS. The minimum FPS values are particularly telling: at 4K Medium, the minimum of 78 FPS is notably lower than the 1440p minimum of 144 FPS, indicating that the 4K resolution introduces frame time spikes that are less prevalent at lower resolutions.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings shows the steepest decline. The system achieves 181 FPS at 1080p Ultra, 117 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and only 63 FPS at 4K Ultra. This 63 FPS average at 4K Ultra is the only measured data point below 78 FPS across the entire pack. The data indicates that while the RTX 3080 is capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, the 4K Ultra preset is the boundary of this combination's capability for smooth, high-refresh gaming.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 architecture with a 5 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The L3 cache is 64 MB shared, and the memory bandwidth is rated at 83.2 GB/s. In the context of Doom, which was released in 2016, this processor's specifications far exceed the requirements of the game's engine.

The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 91st percentile against all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 29300, and its single-core score is 2016.5. The Geekbench multicore score is 19267, and the single-core score is 2617. These scores indicate a high level of multi-threaded and single-threaded performance, both of which are relevant for a game that can utilize multiple cores but still benefits from strong single-core performance for game logic and draw calls.

Given the measured FPS data, the CPU role is not the limiting factor in this combination. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 301 FPS. This high frame rate, even at a resolution that reduces GPU load, suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to sustain such high frame rates. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1093 and the 2-thread score of 2137, while not game-specific, support the idea that the processor has ample single-core performance for this title.

The 24 threads of the Ryzen 9 7900X provide headroom for background tasks and game engine threads. The Passmark multithread score of 51406 and the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29300 demonstrate the processor's ability to handle heavy multi-threaded workloads, but Doom's engine from 2016 is unlikely to fully utilize all 24 threads. The data indicates that the CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck, as the FPS scales almost entirely with resolution and settings, which are GPU-centric variables.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is a high-end graphics card from the GeForce 30-series, based on the Ampere architecture with an 8 nm process. It features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, with a memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz, with a memory clock of 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The card is equipped with 8704 shading units, 272 TMUs, and 96 ROPs.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a percentile rank of 68 against all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 25086. Its compute score is 14397, and the DirectX 12 score is 100. The FP32 performance is rated at 29.77 TFLOPS. These metrics indicate a strong GPU, but the percentile rank of 68 suggests that while it is capable, it is not at the very top of the performance hierarchy in the database.

The GPU's role in this combination is clear from the resolution scaling data. The average FPS drops from 301 at 1080p Low to 105 at 4K Low, a reduction of 196 FPS. This substantial drop indicates that the GPU is the component most affected by the increase in pixel count. The VRAM capacity of 10 GB and the bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s are sufficient for the textures and data required by Doom's settings, but the raw compute power is what determines the frame rate at higher resolutions.

The measured FPS data shows that at 4K Ultra, the GPU can only sustain 63 FPS. This is the lowest average in the entire measured set and indicates that the RTX 3080 is being pushed to its limits at this resolution and preset. The fact that the 4K Medium setting yields 92 FPS while 4K High yields 78 FPS suggests that the Ultra preset imposes a significant additional load on the GPU, likely due to increased shadow quality, lighting effects, and texture filtering. The data supports the conclusion that the GPU is the primary determinant of performance in this game, especially at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 1054 out of 3712 measured combos for Doom. This places the combo in the upper third of all tested configurations, which is a solid position for a system with this hardware. The rank of 1054 indicates that there are 1053 other combos that achieve higher performance in this specific game, but there are also over 2600 combos that perform worse.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its individual performance. The AMD EPYC 7313P has an average score of 53206, which is 0.2% higher than the Ryzen 9 7900X's average score of 53288 (the deltaPct is 0.2, meaning the rival is 0.2% faster). The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 has a score of 53469, which is 0.3% slower than the Ryzen 9 7900X. The Intel Xeon 634 has a score of 52974, which is 0.6% faster, and the Intel Core i7-14700F has a score of 53620, which is 0.6% slower. These deltas are minimal, showing that the CPU's synthetic benchmark performance is very close to its immediate rivals.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a different pattern. The NVIDIA P106-100 has an average score of 23249, which is 0.3% slower than the RTX 3080's average of 23172. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 has a score of 23250, which is 0.3% slower. The AMD Radeon RX 6600M has a score of 23273, which is 0.4% slower, and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X has a score of 23276, which is 0.4% slower. These data points indicate that the RTX 3080's synthetic benchmark performance is slightly below these specific rivals, but the differences are within 0.4%.

The combo rank of 1054 out of 3712 suggests that while the individual components are strong, the pairing is not optimal for Doom's specific engine. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck, so the rank is likely influenced by the GPU's performance ceiling at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 63 FPS is a weak point in the combo's overall performance profile, as many other combos likely achieve higher frame rates at this setting.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1080p is 301 FPS, achieved with the Low settings preset.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the average FPS at 4K Ultra is 63 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p High and 4K High?

A: The average FPS at 1080p High is 221 FPS, while at 4K High it is 78 FPS, representing a difference of 143 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest minimum FPS at 1440p?

A: The Medium settings preset at 1440p provides a minimum FPS of 144, which is the highest minimum FPS recorded for that resolution in the measured data.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for Doom?

A: The combo ranks 1054 out of 3712 tested combinations.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS is 63 FPS, recorded at 4K resolution with Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 4K gaming, the High preset provides an average of 78 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 4K offers 92 FPS, which is a better experience if the player can tolerate the visual reduction from High to Medium. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 63 FPS, which is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes, as the minimum FPS data is not provided for this preset. The Low preset at 4K yields 105 FPS, but the visual quality loss is substantial.

For 1440p, the High preset achieves 143 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 1440p offers 170 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS, making it the safest choice for consistent performance. The Ultra preset at 1440p provides 117 FPS, which is still very smooth, but the Medium preset's higher average and documented minimum FPS make it a more reliable choice for competitive play. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 195 FPS, but it sacrifices visual fidelity.

At 1080p, all presets deliver high frame rates. The High preset gives 221 FPS, the Medium gives 262 FPS, and the Low gives 301 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p provides 181 FPS, which is still above the refresh rate of most monitors. The data recommends using the High preset at 1080p for a balanced visual experience, as it already exceeds 200 FPS.

Given the measured rows, the best experience for a 60 Hz 4K display is the Medium preset at 4K, as it provides 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS, ensuring no drops below 60 FPS. For 1440p 144 Hz displays, the Medium preset is the best choice, as it maintains an average of 170 FPS with a minimum of 144 FPS, which exactly matches the refresh rate. For 1080p 240 Hz displays, the Low preset at 301 FPS is the only setting that exceeds the monitor's refresh rate, but the Medium preset at 262 FPS is a better visual compromise.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is organized by resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 301 FPS with no min/max data provided. The Medium preset at 1080p has an average of 262 FPS, a minimum of 223 FPS, and a maximum of 301 FPS. The High preset at 1080p has an average of 221 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p has an average of 181 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 195 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p has an average of 170 FPS, a minimum of 144 FPS, and a maximum of 195 FPS. The High preset at 1440p has an average of 143 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p has an average of 117 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves an average of 105 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has an average of 92 FPS, a minimum of 78 FPS, and a maximum of 106 FPS. The High preset at 4K has an average of 78 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K has an average of 63 FPS.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max measurements across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 223 FPS, which is 39 FPS lower than the average. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 144 FPS, which is 26 FPS lower than the average. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 78 FPS, which is 14 FPS lower than the average. This pattern indicates that as resolution increases, the frame time variance decreases, making the minimum FPS closer to the average. This is a sign that the GPU is becoming the sole bottleneck at higher resolutions, reducing the impact of CPU-induced frame hitches. The maximum FPS at 4K Medium is 106, which is only 14 FPS above the average, showing a tight distribution. The 1080p Medium maximum of 301 FPS matches the Low preset average exactly, suggesting that the 301 FPS ceiling is a hard limit for this combo, likely due to a VSync or engine cap.