Doom

The data presented here was measured for Doom (released 2016-05-12) using the Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB. This combination ranks 1504 out of 1681 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower half of the database. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads boosting up to 4.60 GHz, is a strong performer, sitting at the 82nd percentile among all CPUs. The GPU, however, is the limiting factor in this pairing, featuring only 4 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 128-bit memory bus. The measured FPS data across resolutions and settings tells a clear story about where this system excels and where it falls behind.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combination achieves at 1920x1080?

A: The highest recorded average FPS at 1920x1080 is 132.9, which occurs with the Low settings preset. This drops to 98.6 on High and 79.8 on Ultra, showing a significant performance cost for higher visual fidelity.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25236. This is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-13620H, which scores 25201 (a delta of 0.1%), and sits just 0.5% below the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, which scores 25365. It is also 0.5% above the AMD EPYC 9474F and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 98.6. At 2560x1440, it drops to 67.4, and at 3840x2160, it falls to 37.8. This represents a 62% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the RTX 3050 4 GB capable of running Doom at Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but only at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset yields an average of 79.8 FPS. At 2560x1440, this drops to 53.4 FPS, and at 3840x2160, the average falls below a playable threshold to 29.8 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's clock speed and memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB has a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1740 MHz. It has a memory bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s, which is a key factor in its performance scaling across resolutions.

Q: How does the 4 GB VRAM capacity affect the game's performance?

A: While the fact pack does not include VRAM usage metrics, the data shows a sharp decline in FPS at 3840x2160. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 29.8, whereas at 1080p Ultra it is 79.8. This suggests that the 4 GB frame buffer is insufficient for the higher memory demands of 4K textures, creating a bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how this hardware handles Doom's four presets across three resolutions. The performance hierarchy is consistent, with Low settings producing the highest frame rates and Ultra the lowest at every resolution.

At 1920x1080, the system is capable of high refresh rate gameplay. The Low preset delivers an average of 132.9 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset achieves 117.9 FPS, while the High preset yields 98.6 FPS. The Ultra preset, while still playable, drops to 79.8 FPS. This shows a 53.1 FPS difference between the Low and Ultra presets, indicating a substantial performance headroom for users who prefer smoother motion over visual effects.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates begin to show the strain on the GPU. The Low preset still manages a strong 90.7 FPS, keeping the experience fluid. Medium settings produce 77.7 FPS, and High settings drop to 67.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution yields 53.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS mark but still acceptable for a single-player experience. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 37.3 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but a larger percentage drop.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3050 4 GB is clearly overburdened. The Low preset averages 48.7 FPS, which is the only preset at this resolution that approaches playability. Medium settings drop to 43.5 FPS, and High settings fall to 37.8 FPS. The Ultra preset is the worst performer in the entire dataset, with an average of just 29.8 FPS. This resolution is not recommended for this hardware combination, as even the lowest settings struggle to maintain a consistent 60 FPS.

The data reveals a linear progression in performance scaling. For every resolution, the difference between consecutive presets is roughly 15-20 FPS at 1080p, but this gap narrows as resolution increases, indicating a GPU bottleneck that becomes more pronounced at higher pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual quality.

For 1920x1080, the High preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The 98.6 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 79.8 FPS is also viable for users with 144 Hz monitors who want maximum quality, as it still provides a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 117.9 FPS is ideal for competitive play or users who prioritize high refresh rates over graphics.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering 67.4 FPS. This provides a good compromise between the enhanced detail of higher settings and the need for responsive gameplay. The Medium preset at 77.7 FPS is also a strong option, offering a more stable frame rate with a minimal visual penalty. Users with 144 Hz displays should consider the Low preset at 90.7 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 53.4 FPS is not recommended for fast-paced action due to its sub-60 FPS average.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that no preset is truly ideal. The Low preset at 48.7 FPS is the only option that is remotely playable, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 43.5 FPS and High at 37.8 FPS are only suitable for slower, less action-heavy segments of the game. The Ultra preset at 29.8 FPS should be avoided entirely. Users with 4K displays would be better served by lowering the rendering resolution to 2560x1440 and using the High preset to achieve a better experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 provides clear evidence of the system's bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 98.6 at 1080p to 67.4 at 1440p, a 31.6% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, the FPS drops from 67.4 to 37.8, a 43.9% decrease. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 61.7%, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting component.

This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is constrained by its memory bandwidth and capacity. The RTX 3050 4 GB has a 128-bit memory bus and a bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s, which is insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is also likely a factor, as higher resolutions require larger texture buffers, leading to memory spills and performance degradation.

The CPU, in contrast, is not the limiting factor at these resolutions. The Core i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, has a single-thread score of 3634 in PassMark and a multi-thread score of 25032, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all CPUs. Its performance is more than adequate for Doom's engine, which is why the FPS drop is so pronounced when resolution increases. The data shows that the GPU's fill rate and memory system are the bottlenecks, not the CPU's processing power.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB plays the decisive role in this system's gaming performance. Its specifications include a base clock of 1545 MHz and a boost clock of 1740 MHz, with 2048 shading units and 64 TMUs. The GPU has a pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s, which are adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but fall short at higher resolutions.

The most critical limitation is the 4 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s. This is a modest amount of VRAM by modern standards, and Doom at 4K with Ultra settings likely exceeds this capacity, causing the frame rate to plummet to 29.8 FPS. The memory clock is rated at 1500 MHz with a 12 Gbps effective data rate, which is not sufficient to sustain high-resolution textures.

The GPU's FP32 performance is 7.127 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with Doom's modern rendering features. However, the data shows that the GPU's memory subsystem is the primary constraint. The FPS at 4K Low (48.7) is barely higher than the FPS at 4K Medium (43.5), suggesting that even reducing settings cannot overcome the memory bandwidth bottleneck. The GPU is ranked at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, which aligns with its mid-range positioning, but its 4 GB memory capacity makes it unsuitable for high-resolution gaming in this title.