Doom

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a capable combination for running Doom, but the experience depends heavily on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all tested presets, with the Ultra preset averaging 103.3 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset still holds above the playable threshold at 66.2 FPS, making high-refresh gaming viable. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset reaches the playable threshold, averaging 60.2 FPS, while higher settings fall short. The data indicates this hardware pairing is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K limited to lower presets for smooth play.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 103.3 FPS. This leaves substantial headroom above the playable threshold, so users can enjoy maximum visual quality without compromising frame rates. The Low preset averages 175.5 FPS, Medium averages 151.8 FPS, and High averages 130.6 FPS. All four presets comfortably exceed the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution, making 1080p the most flexible environment for this combo.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also remains the best playable option, averaging 66.2 FPS. While this is above the 60 FPS threshold, the margin is narrower than at 1080p. The High preset averages 84.5 FPS, Medium averages 97.1 FPS, and Low averages 115.1 FPS. All settings remain playable, but the Ultra preset at 66.2 FPS is the recommended choice for users prioritizing visual fidelity, as it still exceeds the playable threshold with a small buffer.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes significantly. The only preset that achieves at least 60 FPS is Low, averaging 60.2 FPS. The Medium preset averages 51.7 FPS, High averages 47.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 37.5 FPS. These lower settings fall short of the playable threshold, so users targeting 4K must accept the Low preset to maintain smooth gameplay. The data shows a steep performance drop at 4K, with the Ultra preset delivering roughly 62% of the Low preset’s average frame rate.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals how the CPU and GPU each contribute to this game’s frame rates. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 103.3 at Ultra to 175.5 at Low, showing that the GPU is the primary constraint at lower resolutions. The CPU, an Intel Core i3-12100F with 4 cores and 8 threads, boosts up to 4.30 GHz, and its benchmark scores indicate strong single-thread performance. For example, the Cinebench R23 single-core score is 1674, while the multi-core score is 11860. This CPU has enough headroom to feed the RTX 2060 at 1080p, where the GPU’s workload dominates.

At 2560x1440, the FPS range narrows: Low averages 115.1 FPS, Medium 97.1 FPS, High 84.5 FPS, and Ultra 66.2 FPS. The relative drop from Low to Ultra is about 42%, which is smaller than at 1080p, where the drop is about 41%. This suggests the GPU is still the main bottleneck, but the CPU’s role becomes slightly more pronounced as resolution increases. The RTX 2060’s memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s and 6 GB GDDR6 memory handle the higher pixel count, while the CPU’s four cores remain sufficient for Doom’s workloads.

At 3840x2160, the FPS range is tighter: Low averages 60.2 FPS, Medium 51.7 FPS, High 47.1 FPS, and Ultra 37.5 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is about 38%, the smallest relative difference across resolutions. This indicates the GPU is overwhelmingly the limiting factor at 4K. The RTX 2060’s 1920 shading units and 6.451 TFLOPS FP32 performance are pushed to their limits, while the CPU has plenty of spare capacity. The data shows that Doom becomes increasingly GPU-bound as resolution rises, with the CPU playing a secondary role even at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded measurements show a clear hierarchy across presets. The Low preset delivers the highest average at 175.5 FPS, followed by Medium at 151.8 FPS, High at 130.6 FPS, and Ultra at 103.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 72.2 FPS, representing a 41% reduction in frame rate when moving from the least to most demanding settings. All values remain far above the 60 FPS playable threshold, so users have complete freedom in choosing settings at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the measurements are: Low averages 115.1 FPS, Medium averages 97.1 FPS, High averages 84.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 66.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 48.9 FPS, a 42% reduction. The Ultra preset’s 66.2 FPS is the closest any setting comes to the playable threshold at this resolution, but it still clears it by 6.2 FPS. The data shows a consistent scaling pattern, with each preset step reducing frame rates by roughly 14 to 18 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the measurements are: Low averages 60.2 FPS, Medium averages 51.7 FPS, High averages 47.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 37.5 FPS. The Low preset barely clears the playable threshold by 0.2 FPS, making it the only viable option for smooth gameplay. Medium falls 8.3 FPS short, High falls 12.9 FPS short, and Ultra falls 22.5 FPS short. The performance cliff between Low and Medium is 8.5 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 9.6 FPS, showing that each preset tier imposes a significant frame rate penalty at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 2931 out of 3712 tested combos in the database for Doom. This places it in the lower portion of the overall distribution, meaning the majority of tested hardware configurations outperform it. However, the rank reflects the absolute performance ceiling, not the playability at common resolutions. At 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, this combo delivers playable frame rates across all presets, which is a more relevant metric for most users.

The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 68, indicating it outperforms 68% of tested processors. The GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs is 58, meaning it outperforms 58% of tested graphics cards. These percentiles suggest the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU within this combo. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 13494, while the GPU’s average benchmark score is 15290. The gap between these scores indicates the GPU contributes more raw compute power, but the CPU’s single-thread efficiency helps maintain frame pacing in Doom.

The combo rank of 2931 out of 3712 means that about 79% of tested combinations deliver higher average FPS in Doom. This is expected given the RTX 2060’s position as a mid-range GPU from 2019 and the i3-12100F’s budget-tier status. Still, the recorded FPS data shows that this pairing is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, even if it is not competitive with higher-end configurations.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494. The Intel Core 3 N355 scores 13492, just 0% different, making it a near-identical match in CPU-bound tasks. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, which is 0.3% lower, so it would perform almost the same in Doom’s CPU-heavy scenes. The Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, 0.7% higher, and the Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, 1.1% lower. These small deltas mean that swapping the i3-12100F for any of these CPUs would result in virtually unchanged frame rates, especially since Doom is more GPU-bound at higher resolutions.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 scores 15283, a 0% difference, so it would deliver essentially identical performance in Doom despite being an older architecture. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, 0.1% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, 0.8% lower. These alternatives would produce very similar FPS numbers in the tested settings, with differences of less than 1% in aggregate benchmark scores. Users with any of these GPUs paired with the i3-12100F can expect comparable Doom performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 103.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets at this resolution exceed 60 FPS, with Low averaging 175.5 FPS, Medium 151.8 FPS, and High 130.6 FPS.

Q: What is the best setting for 2560x1440 gaming?

A: The Ultra preset is the best playable option at 2560x1440, averaging 66.2 FPS. While High (84.5 FPS), Medium (97.1 FPS), and Low (115.1 FPS) all perform better, Ultra still clears the 60 FPS threshold and provides the highest visual quality.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: At 3840x2160, only the Low preset achieves at least 60 FPS, averaging 60.2 FPS. Medium (51.7 FPS), High (47.1 FPS), and Ultra (37.5 FPS) all fall below the playable threshold, so 4K is limited to the lowest settings.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance in Doom?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has a single-thread benchmark score of 1674 in Cinebench R23, and its percentile versus all CPUs is 68. At lower resolutions like 1920x1080, the GPU is the main bottleneck, but the CPU’s 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient to avoid limiting frame rates, as shown by the consistent scaling across presets.

Q: What GPUs perform similarly to the RTX 2060 in this game?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has an average benchmark score of 15283, which is 0% different from the RTX 2060’s 15290. The AMD Radeon 680M (15270, 0.1% lower), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199, 0.6% lower), and AMD Radeon RX 7600 (15171, 0.8% lower) are also close matches, meaning they would produce nearly identical frame rates in Doom.

Q: What is the overall rank of this combo?

A: This combo ranks 2931 out of 3712 tested combinations in the database for Doom. The GPU outperforms 58% of all tested GPUs, while the CPU outperforms 68% of all tested CPUs, showing that the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU within this pairing.