Doom

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 presents a striking imbalance in Doom, a 2016 FPS built on the id Tech 6 engine. The data shows a combination where a modest quad-core processor is paired with a flagship GPU, yielding frame rates that are exceptionally high across all tested resolutions. This analysis examines the measured performance, component roles, and what this specific pairing means for playability.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 93.2 FPS. While High settings reach 114.2 FPS, Medium delivers 137.6 FPS, and Low produces 153.7 FPS, the Ultra preset remains comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Therefore, the most visually intensive option is fully playable at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the data indicates that Ultra settings are again the best choice, with an average of 172.6 FPS. This is a significant margin over the playable threshold, and the lower presets scale as expected: High at 210.8 FPS, Medium at 248.8 FPS, and Low at 290.1 FPS. All settings clear the 60 FPS mark by a wide margin.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the Ultra preset yields an average of 269.6 FPS, making it the definitive best setting. The other presets are even faster, with High at 324.7 FPS, Medium at 346.1 FPS, and Low at 358.1 FPS. In every case, the frame rate is far beyond the 60 FPS requirement, suggesting the CPU becomes the limiting factor at this resolution, preventing even higher numbers.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a clear pattern regarding component roles. At 4K, the GPU is the dominant factor. The difference between Low and Ultra settings is 60.5 FPS (from 153.7 down to 93.2), showing that the graphics card's workload scales heavily with resolution and preset. The CPU, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, has enough headroom to feed the RTX 4090 at this resolution, as evidenced by the playable Ultra preset.

At 1440p, the GPU is still the primary constraint, but the CPU begins to show its limits. The scaling from 4K Ultra (93.2 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (172.6 FPS) is a 79.4 FPS increase, which is substantial. However, the scaling from 1440p Ultra to 1080p Ultra (269.6 FPS) is even larger at 97.0 FPS, indicating that as resolution drops, the CPU becomes more involved. The data suggests that at 1080p, the i3-12100F's performance ceiling is being approached.

At 1080p, the CPU role is most pronounced. The gap between Low (358.1 FPS) and Ultra (269.6 FPS) is 88.5 FPS, but the absolute numbers are so high that the GPU is rarely idle. The fact that the RTX 4090 cannot push past 358.1 FPS even at Low settings at 1080p strongly implies a CPU bottleneck. The i3-12100F, despite its strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674), simply cannot generate frames faster than this for the CPU-bound parts of the scene. The GPU is waiting on the processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured average frame rates are consistent across all settings and resolutions.

3840x2160:

• Low: 153.7 avg
• Medium: 137.6 avg
• High: 114.2 avg
• Ultra: 93.2 avg

The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decrease of roughly 20-23 FPS per tier, highlighting the GPU's workload at this high resolution.

2560x1440:

• Low: 290.1 avg
• Medium: 248.8 avg
• High: 210.8 avg
• Ultra: 172.6 avg

Here, the drop between presets is larger, around 38-41 FPS per tier, indicating that the GPU has more headroom to render at these lower pixel counts, but the CPU is starting to constrain the maximum possible frame rate.

1920x1080:

• Low: 358.1 avg
• Medium: 346.1 avg
• High: 324.7 avg
• Ultra: 269.6 avg

At 1080p, the differences between Low, Medium, and High are relatively small (12-21 FPS), which points to a CPU limitation. The larger gap between High and Ultra (55.1 FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset introduces GPU-intensive effects that the RTX 4090 still handles efficiently, but the overall frame rate is held back by the processor.

The Verdict

The question of whether this PC can run Doom is answered unequivocally by the data. According to `verdictByResolution`, all four settings at all three resolutions—3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080—are marked as playable. The playable threshold is 60 FPS, and every single measured average is above this mark.

The most demanding scenario, 4K Ultra, still produces an average of 93.2 FPS, which is 33.2 FPS above the threshold. This means a user can enable the highest preset at the highest supported resolution and still enjoy a smooth experience. The best settings, as defined by the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, are Ultra for all resolutions. This combination of CPU and GPU is, therefore, more than capable of running Doom at maximum quality, with significant performance headroom to spare.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The `nearestRivals` data provides context for the components in this build.

For the Intel Core i3-12100F, its average benchmark score of 13494 is closely matched by several other processors. The Intel Core 3 N355 has an average score of 13492, a delta of 0%, meaning performance is virtually identical. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452 (delta 0.3%), while the Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594 (delta -0.7%), and the Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351 (delta 1.1%). These results imply that if the i3-12100F were replaced with any of these CPUs, the frame rates in Doom would be extremely similar, as their overall compute capacity is comparable.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, the average benchmark score is 60347. The nearest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60 with a score of 60326 (delta 0%). Other close alternatives include the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 60140 (delta 0.3%), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M at 61896 (delta -2.5%), and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 at 58657 (delta 2.9%). These GPUs would likely produce nearly identical performance in Doom, given their similar average benchmark scores.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is ranked 161 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the top 4.3% of all configurations tested, which is a very strong result. The high rank is largely attributable to the RTX 4090's immense power, as the CPU is a lower-tier part. The data shows that this pairing achieves frame rates that are among the highest recorded, despite the potential CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions. The rank reflects the overall capability of the system to run this game at high settings and resolutions, which it does exceptionally well.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Doom at 4K with the highest settings?

A: Yes. The benchmark data shows that at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 93.2 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting to use at 1440p for this combo?

A: The most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 2560x1440 is Ultra, which delivers an average of 172.6 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: At 4K, the GPU is the primary workload driver, with frame rates scaling significantly with preset changes. At 1080p, the frame rate ceiling appears limited by the CPU, as even Low settings (358.1 FPS) cannot reach higher values.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core 3 N355 at 13492 (delta 0%) and the Intel Core i5-9500 at 13452 (delta 0.3%).

Q: Are there any other GPUs that would perform similarly to the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: Yes, the data lists the Intel Arc Pro A60 with an average score of 60326 (delta 0%) as the closest match, followed by the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 60140 (delta 0.3%).

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination for Doom?

A: The combo ranks 161 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the top percentile of all tested systems for this game.