Doom

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a curious case for running the 2016 FPS, Doom. The benchmark data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics component, yet the CPU demonstrates significant headroom across all tested scenarios. The recorded measurements show a clear hierarchy of performance that scales predictably with resolution and preset, but the absolute frame rates tell a story of a GPU struggling to keep pace with the processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the data indicates that this combination falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold in every preset. The Ultra preset produces an average of 22 FPS, which is the lowest recorded figure in the entire dataset. High settings improve the average to 28 FPS, while Medium yields 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 37. Low settings deliver the best 4K result at 37 FPS on average, yet this remains far from a smooth experience. The gap between the best and worst 4K presets is 15 FPS, showing that even drastic graphical reductions cannot bridge the divide to playability.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves markedly. Low settings achieve an average of 69 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold with a modest margin. Medium settings land exactly on the playable line at 60 FPS, with recorded minimum and maximum values of 51 and 69 respectively. High settings drop to 51 FPS on average, just below the target, while Ultra falls to 41 FPS. This resolution presents a bifurcated picture: the two lighter presets are viable, while the two heavier ones are not.

At 1920x1080, the combination becomes fully playable across all settings. Low settings lead with 107 FPS on average, followed by Medium at 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 and a maximum of 107. High settings deliver 78 FPS, and even the demanding Ultra preset maintains a 64 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra is 43 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, as the CPU has ample capacity to handle the frame generation demands.

The scaling patterns across resolutions are consistent. From 1080p to 1440p, average frame rates drop by roughly 26-31% depending on the preset. From 1440p to 4K, the decline steepens to approximately 45-46%. This nonlinear scaling suggests that the Arc B390's memory subsystem, which relies on shared system memory, becomes increasingly strained as pixel count rises.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K resolution?

A: No. The recorded data shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The best average is 37 FPS on Low settings, which is well below the 60 FPS playability threshold used in the database.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: Medium settings achieve exactly 60 FPS on average, with a recorded minimum of 51 FPS. Low settings are also playable at 69 FPS, but Medium is the most demanding preset that stays at or above the threshold.

Q: Does the Ultra preset reach 60 FPS at any resolution?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080. The Ultra preset produces an average of 64 FPS, which is the only resolution where this preset clears the playability threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the average drops from 107 FPS at 1920x1080 to 37 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 70 FPS. At Medium settings, the drop is from 93 FPS to 33 FPS, a reduction of 60 FPS.

Q: Which component limits performance in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the Intel Core i5-12600KF ranks in the 79th percentile among all CPUs. The frame rates scale heavily with resolution and preset, which points to graphics-bound performance.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for playable settings?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded for a playable setting is 51 FPS, observed at 2560x1440 with Medium settings. At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the minimum is 79 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-12600KF provide context for the CPU's capability. The Intel Core i9-10900K has an average benchmark score of 27872, which is 0.3% lower than the i5-12600KF's average score of 27799. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores 27712, a 0.3% deficit relative to the i5. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U scores 27887, putting it 0.3% ahead, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, also 0.3% ahead. These delta percentages show that the i5-12600KF sits in a tightly packed cluster of processors with near-identical average scores, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver comparable frame generation capability in Doom.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B390's nearest rivals are considerably older and weaker parts. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3% lower than the Arc B390's average score of 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, a 1.5% deficit. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These comparisons place the Arc B390 at the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum, and this is reflected in the measured FPS data where even the lightest settings struggle at higher resolutions.

The Verdict

The recorded data shows that this system can run Doom, but only under specific conditions. At 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra delivering 64 FPS on average. This makes 1080p the fully playable resolution for this combination. At 2560x1440, Low and Medium settings are viable, with Medium being the best playable preset at exactly 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, no settings achieve playability, as the highest average is 37 FPS on Low. The verdict by resolution confirms this: the database lists no playable settings for 4K, lists Low and Medium for 1440p with Medium as the best at 60 FPS, and lists all four presets for 1080p with Ultra as the best at 64 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU and GPU pairing ranks 3300 out of 3712 tested combinations in Doom. This places it in the lower 11% of all configurations in the database, which aligns with the GPU's low percentile ranking. The CPU is a strong performer, but the Arc B390 drags the overall combo down. In practical terms, this rank means that the vast majority of other tested systems deliver higher frame rates in Doom. The i5-12600KF has the processing power to handle much more demanding graphics hardware, but the Arc B390 caps the experience at mid-range 1080p and entry-level 1440p performance.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which runs at 64 FPS on average. This is the optimal configuration for Full HD, as it provides the highest visual fidelity while staying above the playability threshold. At 2560x1440, Medium is the best playable preset, achieving exactly 60 FPS on average. This represents the limit of the system's graphical capabilities at this resolution. At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS, so there is no recommended setting that meets the playability criterion. The data suggests that users targeting 4K would need to accept frame rates in the 22-37 range, which falls short of the smooth experience defined by the threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data clearly delineates the roles of the two components in Doom. The Intel Core i5-12600KF, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is never the limiting factor in these measurements. Its benchmark scores, including a multi-core score of 23391 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 3302, indicate substantial headroom for frame generation. The CPU's nearest rivals all score within 0.3% of it, confirming that it is a mid-to-high-tier processor relative to the database.

The Intel Arc B390, by contrast, is the clear bottleneck. Its average benchmark score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all over a decade old. The measured FPS scaling across resolutions and presets is characteristic of a GPU that is overwhelmed by pixel throughput demands. At 1080p, the GPU can keep up with the CPU's frame generation, as shown by the 107 FPS average on Low settings. At 1440p, the GPU begins to falter, with the average dropping to 69 FPS on Low and 60 FPS on Medium. At 4K, the GPU is clearly saturated, as even Low settings only manage 37 FPS.

The scaling between presets at each resolution further confirms this. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 43 FPS, a 40% reduction. At 1440p, the same comparison shows a 28 FPS difference, a 41% reduction. At 4K, the difference narrows to 15 FPS, a 41% reduction. This consistent percentage drop across resolutions indicates that the GPU's shading units, texture mapping units, and raster output units are all being pushed to their limits, regardless of resolution. The CPU's role is supportive, ensuring that frame pacing remains consistent whenever the GPU can produce frames above the threshold. The data implies that upgrading the GPU would yield dramatic improvements in Doom, while upgrading the CPU would provide no measurable benefit in this title.