Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination delivers a decisive performance profile in Doom, with measured frame rates that scale predictably across resolutions and settings. The data indicates a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the processor’s strong single-thread capabilities ensure that even at 1080p, the experience remains fluid. The measured results place this combo at rank 424 out of 1681 tested combinations, with the CPU sitting in the 94th percentile overall and the GPU in the 83rd percentile, positioning this pairing as a high-end solution for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear and expected pattern of performance degradation, driven primarily by the increasing pixel workload on the GPU. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces 234 FPS, but this drops to 150.9 FPS at 1440p and further to 80.6 FPS at 2160p. This represents a 35.5% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 65.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering demands at higher resolutions are significantly taxing the RTX 3080 Ti. The frame rate curve is not linear; the jump from 1440p to 4K incurs a 46.6% performance loss, which is steeper than the drop from 1080p to 1440p, suggesting that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are becoming increasingly critical at 4K.

The scaling pattern across settings further reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the workload at higher resolutions. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is substantial, with the Low preset achieving 111.9 FPS and Ultra dropping to 66.3 FPS. This 45.7 FPS gap highlights how much headroom the GPU has at lower settings, but also shows that even at the highest quality preset, the system maintains a playable frame rate. At 1440p, the spread narrows in percentage terms: Low yields 201.9 FPS, Medium 175.1 FPS, High 150.9 FPS, and Ultra 121.6 FPS. The scaling from Medium to High at 1440p is a 13.8% drop, while High to Ultra is a 19.4% drop, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a disproportionately higher cost.

At 1080p, the performance ceiling is far higher, with Low settings reaching 314.8 FPS and High at 234 FPS. The fact that the 1080p Low result is nearly double the 4K Ultra result suggests that the CPU is far from being a bottleneck at this resolution. The data shows that the Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 1286 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6555. The limiting component at 1080p is clearly the GPU’s ability to process frames, but the high frame rates indicate that the processor is not holding the system back.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti plays the central role in determining performance in Doom, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 384-bit memory bus providing a 912.4 GB/s bandwidth. This memory configuration is critical for handling the texture and geometry loads at 4K resolution, where the difference between Low and Ultra settings is most pronounced. The GPU’s boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1365 MHz, combined with 10240 shading units, deliver the raw compute power needed to maintain high frame rates. The benchmark results show that the RTX 3080 Ti performs within a narrow margin of its nearest rivals, with a 0.5% deficit compared to the RTX 3090 and a 1.1% deficit versus the RTX 5070, based on average benchmark scores.

The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases, since the pixel workload grows exponentially. At 4K, the RTX 3080 Ti is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 66.3 FPS result at Ultra settings. This is a 45% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result of 189.5 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU’s compute resources are saturated at higher resolutions. The 80 ray tracing cores and 320 tensor cores, while not heavily utilized in this title, contribute to the overall architecture’s capability, but the traditional rasterization performance is what drives the results. The GPU’s 34.10 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the key metric for this game, and the measured frame rates align with what this compute throughput suggests.

The memory subsystem also plays a significant role. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Doom even at 4K Ultra, as the game’s textures do not exceed this limit, allowing the GPU to avoid any memory swapping that could cause stutters. The 912.4 GB/s bandwidth ensures that the GPU can quickly access texture data, which is particularly important when transitioning between Low and Ultra settings. The data shows that the GPU’s memory bandwidth is not a bottleneck, as the performance scaling from Medium to High at 4K is a 17.3% drop, which aligns with the increase in shader work rather than memory pressure.

FAQ

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9900X compare to its closest rivals in overall CPU performance?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 54450, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54681) and 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700F (54097). It also trails the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K by 1.5% and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF by 1.8%, indicating that it sits in the middle of this competitive group.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti a strong performer relative to other GPUs in the database?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti ranks in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 41224. It is 0.5% behind the RTX 3090 (41441), 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (41610), and 1.1% behind the RTX 5070 (41687), showing that it remains a competitive high-end option despite being from a previous generation.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 121.6 FPS at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings. This is a 19.4% drop from the High preset (150.9 FPS), but still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, making it a viable setting for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the frame rate drops from 234 FPS at 1920x1080 to 80.6 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 65.6% reduction. This significant loss highlights the GPU’s workload increase, but the 4K result remains playable, indicating that the RTX 3080 Ti can handle this title at 4K.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at 1080p in Doom?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor at 1080p. The Ryzen 9 9900X achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6555 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1286, which are robust figures. The 1080p Low result of 314.8 FPS indicates the GPU is the primary constraint, as the processor can feed frames at a rate exceeding what the GPU can render.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo if I want to maximize frame rate?

A: The highest frame rates are achieved at 1920x1080, where even Ultra settings produce 189.5 FPS and Low settings reach 314.8 FPS. For players prioritizing refresh rate, 1080p is the clear choice, while 1440p offers a balanced experience with 121.6 FPS at Ultra, and 4K remains viable at 80.6 FPS with High settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance, starting with Low settings at 314.8 FPS. The Medium preset reduces this to 272.9 FPS, a 13.3% decrease, while High settings yield 234 FPS, another 14.3% drop. Ultra settings bring the frame rate down to 189.5 FPS, which is a 19.0% reduction from High, but still a highly playable result for competitive play.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected scaling. Low settings produce 201.9 FPS, which is a 35.9% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings achieve 175.1 FPS, High settings 150.9 FPS, and Ultra settings 121.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 80.3 FPS, indicating that the preset choice has a significant impact on performance. The scaling from Medium to High (13.8% drop) and High to Ultra (19.4% drop) shows that Ultra is the most demanding preset per increment.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop considerably, but remain playable. Low settings deliver 111.9 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 100 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 97.5 FPS, a 12.9% decrease, while High settings achieve 80.6 FPS, a 17.3% drop from Medium. Ultra settings bottom out at 66.3 FPS, which is a 17.8% reduction from High. The overall scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 40.8% performance loss, demonstrating that the GPU is heavily taxed at this resolution, but the minimum result of 66.3 FPS still provides a smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings depend on the target resolution and the player’s priority for frame rate versus visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers 189.5 FPS, which is sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor. The performance headroom is so large that there is no reason to compromise on quality, and the 314.8 FPS at Low settings offers no practical benefit unless the player is chasing extreme frame rates for esports, where the visual downgrade is unlikely to be worth it.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended default, providing 150.9 FPS, which comfortably exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate found on many monitors. The Ultra preset at 121.6 FPS is also viable for players with 120 Hz displays, but the 19.4% performance drop from High may not justify the marginal visual improvements. The Medium preset at 175.1 FPS is an option for those who want to maximize frame rate on a 165 Hz or 240 Hz monitor, but the visual quality reduction is noticeable when compared to High.

At 3840x2160, the High preset is the best balance, delivering 80.6 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target for most 4K displays. The Ultra preset at 66.3 FPS is also playable, but the 17.8% drop from High may result in more noticeable frame pacing issues on some displays. The Medium preset at 97.5 FPS offers a smoother experience for players who prioritize frame rate over maximum detail, and it is the recommended choice for those with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors. The Low preset at 111.9 FPS is viable, but the visual compromise is severe, and the performance gain over Medium is only 14.8%, making it a less attractive option.