Doom

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti combination delivers exceptional performance in Doom, a 2016 FPS title that remains highly sensitive to both CPU and GPU capabilities. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings presets indicate a system that is well-balanced, though the scaling patterns reveal distinct bottlenecks depending on the workload. At 1080p, the CPU’s 12 cores and 24 threads drive frame rates into the high hundreds, while at 4K, the GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth become the primary arbiters of performance.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate degradation from 1080p to 4K is steep but predictable, highlighting the shift in bottleneck from the processor to the graphics card. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 278 at 1920x1080 to 180 at 2560x1440, a 35.3% reduction, and then further to 98 at 3840x2160, a 64.7% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern indicates that the RTX 5070 Ti’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower pixel counts. The Low preset shows an even more dramatic scaling curve: 378 FPS at 1080p falls to 245 FPS at 1440p (a 35.2% reduction) and then to 133 FPS at 4K (a 64.8% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across presets suggests that the resolution scaling is uniform, driven primarily by pixel count rather than settings complexity.

The Medium preset’s measured minimum and maximum frame rates provide additional insight into the scaling behavior. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 and a maximum of 133, which exactly matches the average FPS of the High preset at 4K (98) and the Low preset at 4K (133). This suggests that the Medium preset at 4K is hitting a ceiling imposed by the GPU’s compute units, as the frame time variance is narrow. At 1440p Medium, the average is 213 FPS with a range of 181 to 245, which brackets the High preset’s average of 180 and the Low preset’s average of 245. Similarly, at 1080p Medium, the average of 329 FPS spans from 280 to 379, aligning with the High preset’s 278 and the Low preset’s 378. These overlapping ranges indicate that the Medium preset is effectively a blend of the Low and High settings, with the CPU still capable of pushing beyond 300 FPS at 1080p.

The Ultra preset shows the most significant resolution penalty, with averages of 227 FPS at 1080p, 147 FPS at 1440p, and 80 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 35.2%, and from 1440p to 4K is 45.6%, which is steeper than the other presets. This suggests that the Ultra preset’s additional graphical features, such as higher texture filtering and shadow quality, disproportionately impact the GPU’s memory bandwidth at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 80 FPS is still playable, but it is 29.4% slower than the High preset at the same resolution, indicating that users targeting 4K should consider dropping to High to gain a meaningful FPS boost.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s 12 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for Doom, which is a game that scales well with multi-threaded performance but does not require extreme core counts. The CPU’s 4.40 GHz base clock and 5.50 GHz boost clock provide high single-threaded performance, as evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 3041 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739. In contrast, the multi-core scores are substantially higher, with Cinebench R23 multicore reaching 47737 and Geekbench multicore hitting 22884. This combination of strong single-thread and multi-thread performance ensures that the CPU can handle both the game’s main thread and its background rendering tasks without becoming a bottleneck.

The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 378 FPS, which approaches the limits of what most displays can show. This high frame rate is a direct result of the CPU’s ability to process game logic and issue draw calls faster than the GPU can render them at lower resolutions. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2512 and 4-thread score of 4885 indicate that the CPU’s individual cores are fast enough to sustain high IPC, while the 16-thread score of 12490 and max-thread score of 13795 show that the CPU can scale well with additional threads. In Doom, which uses the Vulkan API and can utilize multiple cores, the CPU’s 128 MB of L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, allowing the game’s engine to access frequently used data more quickly.

The CPU’s performance relative to its nearest rivals is notable. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D has an average benchmark score of 54762, which is 0.6% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF’s 55093, but 1.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K’s 54053. It also outperforms the Intel Xeon 6505P by 2.0% and the Intel Core i7-14700F by 2.1%. This places the CPU in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, indicating that it is among the top 9% of processors tested. While these rival comparisons are based on overall average scores rather than game-specific benchmarks, they provide context for the CPU’s general computing capability, which translates well to Doom’s CPU-intensive scenes with many enemies and particle effects.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate is 378 FPS, achieved with the Low settings preset at 1920x1080. The Medium preset reaches 329 FPS, High reaches 278 FPS, and Ultra reaches 227 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 80, which is 64.8% lower than the 1080p Ultra average of 227 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K with maximum settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU bottleneck the system in Doom?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the high frame rates (up to 378 FPS) that saturate the rendering pipeline. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, with the average FPS dropping to 80-133 FPS depending on settings, regardless of the CPU’s capabilities.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 245 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 147 FPS. This represents a 40.0% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra, highlighting the significant GPU load increase from higher graphical fidelity.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X3D’s multi-threaded performance adequate for Doom?

A: Yes, the CPU’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and Passmark multithread score of 56154 demonstrate strong multi-threaded capability. In Doom, this allows the game to utilize multiple cores for physics and AI, with the 24 threads ensuring no single core becomes a bottleneck.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti’s memory bandwidth affect 4K performance?

A: The GPU’s 896.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 16 GB of GDDR7 memory are sufficient for 4K textures, but the Ultra preset’s 80 FPS average suggests that the memory subsystem is heavily taxed. The High preset at 4K achieves 98 FPS, indicating that reducing memory-intensive settings improves performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. The Low preset averages 378 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded, indicating a stable frame delivery. The Medium preset averages 329 FPS, with a minimum of 280 and a maximum of 379, showing a slight variance but still well above 300 FPS. The High preset averages 278 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 227 FPS. These results demonstrate that the CPU is capable of pushing the GPU to its limits at this resolution, with the Ultra preset still exceeding 200 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates decrease but remain high. The Low preset averages 245 FPS, the Medium preset averages 213 FPS with a range of 181 to 245, the High preset averages 180 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 147 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 181 FPS is notably close to the High preset’s average, suggesting that the Medium settings are a balanced choice for users with 144Hz displays. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, averaging around 35%, which aligns with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The Low preset averages 133 FPS, the Medium preset averages 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 and a maximum of 133, the High preset averages 98 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 80 FPS. The Medium preset’s maximum of 133 matches the Low preset’s average, indicating that the GPU’s rendering pipeline is saturated at this resolution. The High preset’s 98 FPS is still playable, but the Ultra preset’s 80 FPS may be too low for competitive play. The data shows that users targeting 4K should use the Medium or High preset to maintain frame rates above 100 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti ranks 364th out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top 9.8% of all systems tested. This rank reflects the system’s ability to deliver high frame rates across all resolutions and settings, with the CPU’s strong single-thread performance and the GPU’s high memory bandwidth working in tandem. The rank is particularly impressive given the game’s age, as Doom’s optimization for modern hardware allows this combo to excel.

The combo’s rank is influenced by the CPU’s 91st percentile standing among all CPUs and the GPU’s 86th percentile among all GPUs. While the GPU’s percentile is slightly lower than the CPU’s, the RTX 5070 Ti’s average benchmark score of 49957 is within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64’s 50001, and it is 0.4% higher than the Intel Arc A550M’s 49737. However, it is 2.0% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT’s 50951 and 3.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT’s 48477. These rival comparisons are based on average scores across multiple benchmarks, but in Doom, the GPU’s real-world performance is strong, as evidenced by the 4K High average of 98 FPS.

The rank of 364 out of 3712 suggests that there are many faster combos, likely featuring higher-end GPUs like the RTX 5090 or more expensive CPUs. However, for a system in the mid-to-high tier, this ranking is solid, especially considering that Doom is not a particularly demanding game by modern standards. The combo’s ability to exceed 200 FPS at 1440p and maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra makes it a versatile choice for both competitive and visual fidelity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For users with a 1080p 144Hz monitor, the High preset is recommended, as it delivers 278 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate and provides a smooth experience without the visual degradation of Low settings. The Medium preset at 329 FPS is also acceptable, but the High preset offers a better balance of image quality and performance.

For 1440p displays, the High preset is the best choice, delivering 180 FPS, which comfortably exceeds 144Hz. The Medium preset at 213 FPS is also viable for 165Hz or 240Hz monitors, but the High preset’s visual improvements are worth the 15.5% performance cost. The Ultra preset at 147 FPS is still above 144Hz, making it a viable option for users who prioritize image quality over frame rate, but the High preset is the recommended sweet spot.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the best option, averaging 115 FPS with a minimum of 98 FPS. This provides a playable experience above 60 FPS, and the minimum frame rate ensures that there are no severe drops. The High preset at 98 FPS is also playable, but the Medium preset offers a 17.3% performance increase with only a slight reduction in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 80 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it falls below the 100 FPS threshold that many users consider optimal for fast-paced FPS games.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti’s role in Doom is primarily defined by its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth. The GPU’s 8960 shading units and 280 TMUs provide substantial raw compute power, with a FP32 throughput of 43.94 TFLOPS. This allows the GPU to handle the game’s textures and lighting effects efficiently, but the 4K results show that memory bandwidth is a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 80 FPS, which is 29.4% lower than the High preset’s 98 FPS, indicating that the Ultra settings’ increased memory usage (e.g., higher resolution shadows and anisotropic filtering) taxes the memory subsystem.

The GPU’s 2452 MHz boost clock and 2295 MHz base clock are moderate, but the 5 nm process node and 45,600 million transistors provide sufficient headroom for sustained performance. The Passmark G3D score of 32974 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 6604 reflect the GPU’s overall capability, with the Geekbench Vulkan score of 225122 indicating strong API-level performance. In Doom, which uses Vulkan, the GPU’s support for this API (version 1.4) ensures efficient draw call handling, contributing to the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

The GPU’s 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs is slightly lower than the CPU’s 91st percentile, but this does not translate to a significant bottleneck in Doom. At 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of rendering more frames than the CPU can feed. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, but the measured frame rates of 80-133 FPS are still respectable for a game from 2016. The GPU’s 300 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU indicate that it requires a substantial power supply, but the system’s overall performance in Doom justifies this requirement.