Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a compelling, high-refresh-rate experience in Doom (2016), a title whose id Tech 6 engine scales efficiently across a wide range of hardware. The measured data shows a combination that is clearly GPU-limited at 4K, but which transitions to a more balanced, CPU-sensitive profile at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the performance characteristics, focusing on resolution scaling, component roles, and optimal settings based strictly on the provided benchmark figures.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 155 FPS. Moving to 1440p, that figure drops to 100 FPS, a reduction of 55 FPS. The scaling to 4K is even more severe, with the Ultra preset yielding just 54 FPS, which is a 46 FPS drop from the 1440p result. This steep decline indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070’s rendering throughput becomes the primary constraint as pixel count increases.

The data points to a significant shift in bottleneck behavior. At 1080p, the average FPS of 258 on Low settings suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at a very high rate. However, the spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial—a 103 FPS difference—which is largely attributable to the GPU's workload. At 4K, the story changes completely. The gap between Low (90 FPS) and Ultra (54 FPS) narrows to 36 FPS, showing that even at Low settings, the GPU cannot overcome the 4K pixel fill-rate demands.

Examining the 1440p data reinforces this conclusion. The High preset achieves 123 FPS, while the Medium preset hits 145 FPS. These figures sit comfortably between the 1080p and 4K extremes, suggesting a balanced load where neither the CPU nor GPU is completely overwhelmed. The trend is linear: each resolution step up approximately halves the headroom above 60 FPS, making 4K a demanding target for this specific hardware combo, while 1440p emerges as the sweet spot for high-refresh gaming.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 1725 MHz. In Doom, the GPU's role is most evident in the 4K results, where its raw compute and memory subsystems are stressed. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the textures and geometry at these settings, as no min FPS anomalies are recorded at 4K Medium (67 FPS min), indicating the frame buffer is not being exhausted.

The GPU's performance percentile is 61, and its average benchmark score is 17208. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, scores 17083, a delta of 0.7%. This places the RTX 3070 in a competitive mid-range tier. In Doom specifically, the GPU's shading units (5888) and texture units (184) handle the game's Vulkan-based rendering pipeline effectively. The 20.31 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is a key driver for the high frame rates seen at 1080p, where the GPU is not the limiting factor.

The performance delta between settings at 4K is telling. Moving from Low to Medium yields a 11 FPS gain, but going from Medium to High costs 12 FPS. The Ultra preset, which likely enables more advanced lighting and post-processing effects, imposes a further 25 FPS penalty compared to High. This suggests that the GPU's compute units are heavily taxed by the highest fidelity features, and the memory bandwidth becomes a bottleneck at 4K Ultra, resulting in a 54 FPS average.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + RTX 3070 combo able to hit 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 67 FPS at 4K High settings and 79 FPS at 4K Medium. However, the Ultra preset falls below the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 54 FPS.

Q: Which resolution provides the best balance of visual quality and performance?

A: The 1440p resolution is the most balanced. At High settings, it delivers 123 FPS, and at Medium, it reaches 145 FPS, both of which are well above the 100 FPS mark. This provides a smooth experience without the extreme frame rate drop seen at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to its closest rival in the benchmark database?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, which is 0.7% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT's score of 17083. This indicates near-identical synthetic performance, though in-game results may vary.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the GPU appears to be the limiting factor. The average FPS on Low settings is 258, while on Ultra it drops to 155. This large gap indicates that the GPU's workload is the primary constraint, as the CPU is capable of feeding frames at a higher rate.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 1440p Medium?

A: The 1440p Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 124 and a maximum of 167, with an average of 145. This tight range indicates consistent frame pacing, which is beneficial for a fast-paced FPS like Doom.

Q: Does the combo rank highly among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1226 out of 2930 tested combinations, placing it in the 58th percentile of all configs. This is a solid mid-to-upper tier ranking, suggesting it outperforms more than half of the tested systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear matrix of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 258 FPS average
• Medium: 225 FPS average, with a min of 191 and max of 258
• High: 190 FPS average
• Ultra: 155 FPS average

These figures show that even the most demanding 1080p preset is comfortably playable on high-refresh monitors. The step from Low to Medium costs 33 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 35 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong:

• Low: 167 FPS average
• Medium: 145 FPS average, with a min of 124 and max of 167
• High: 123 FPS average
• Ultra: 100 FPS average

The 1440p results show a consistent 22 FPS drop between each successive settings tier from Low to High. The Ultra preset, however, imposes a larger penalty, dropping 23 FPS from High.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly stressed:

• Low: 90 FPS average
• Medium: 79 FPS average, with a min of 67 and max of 91
• High: 67 FPS average
• Ultra: 54 FPS average

The 4K data shows diminishing returns from lowering settings. The jump from Ultra to High is 13 FPS, while the jump from High to Medium is 12 FPS. The Low preset provides a playable 90 FPS, but with a significant visual quality reduction.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its 128 MB of L3 cache is a significant asset for gaming workloads. In Doom, the CPU's role is most apparent at 1080p, where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The 258 FPS result on Low settings demonstrates the CPU's ability to handle the game's draw calls and physics calculations without introducing a frame rate cap.

The CPU's benchmark scores underscore its strength. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 47737, and its single-core score is 6739. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and max-thread score of 13795 indicate robust performance across both lightly and heavily threaded workloads. In Doom, which is known for its efficient multi-threading, the 12-core configuration ensures that no single core becomes a limiting factor.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the CPU's average benchmark score is 54762. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF scores 55093, a delta of -0.6%, meaning the Ryzen is slightly behind. Conversely, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K scores 54053, a delta of 1.3%, placing the Ryzen slightly ahead. This indicates the 9900X3D is competitive with these mainstream parts, but its high cache and clock speeds provide a tangible benefit in frame rate consistency at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 1080p Low and Medium results.

Settings Recommendations

Based strictly on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 4K displays, the High preset is the recommended choice. It delivers an average of 67 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset offers a higher 79 FPS average and a minimum of 67 FPS, making it the best option for those seeking a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset's 54 FPS average is too low for consistent smoothness, and the Low preset's visual compromises are not worth the 23 FPS gain over High.

For 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot. The 123 FPS average is ideal for 120Hz displays, and the visual quality is high. If a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor is in use, the Medium preset at 145 FPS is a better fit, with a minimum of 124 FPS ensuring minimal stutter. The Ultra preset at 100 FPS is still excellent, but the visual difference between High and Ultra is often subtle compared to the 23 FPS drop.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset is the clear choice. The 155 FPS average is sufficient for most high-refresh displays, and the maximum fidelity is fully realized. If a 240Hz monitor is available, the Medium preset at 225 FPS provides a substantial frame rate increase, though the Low preset's 258 FPS is the only way to truly max out a 240Hz panel.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1226 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the upper half of all configurations, specifically at the 58th percentile. This ranking reflects the balance between the high-end CPU and the mid-range GPU.

The ranking is driven by the CPU's exceptional ability to feed frames at lower resolutions, allowing the RTX 3070 to operate at its maximum potential. At 1080p, the combo outperforms many configurations with more powerful GPUs but weaker CPUs, as the CPU is not a limiting factor. However, at 4K, the ranking is held back by the GPU's performance ceiling, which is a common trait of mid-range graphics cards.

The delta between the GPU and its rivals is small, with the RX 7600 XT being only 0.7% behind in synthetic benchmarks. This suggests that swapping the GPU for a slightly faster model would improve the 4K results and the overall rank. Conversely, the CPU's performance is so strong that it would not be a limiting factor in any configuration until paired with a significantly faster GPU. The data shows that this combo is a well-matched pairing for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K being a compromise for the GPU's capabilities.