Doom

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers an exceptional experience in Doom (2016), with benchmark results showing that every tested resolution and preset combination exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold. The data indicates this combo ranks 74th out of 3712 tested combinations for this title, placing it in the top 2% of all systems evaluated.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest graphics preset that maintains 60 FPS at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset runs at an average of 92.9 FPS, which is the most demanding setting tested and remains well above the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881, placing it within 0.5% of its closest competitors. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022 (-0.3% delta), while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 both score slightly lower at 46654 and 46653 respectively (0.5% delta each).

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 445.4 FPS average, while the Ultra preset delivers 268.5 FPS average. This represents a 176.9 FPS difference, showing that the GPU has substantial headroom even at maximum settings.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 outperform its nearest GPU rivals significantly?

A: The RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60347 is nearly identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60326 (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 60140 (0.3% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores higher at 61896 (-2.5% delta relative to the 4090), while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores lower at 58657 (2.9% delta).

Q: What is the performance scaling from 1080p to 4K on Ultra settings?

A: Moving from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 on Ultra reduces the average frame rate from 268.5 FPS to 92.9 FPS, a drop of 175.6 FPS. This represents approximately 65% lower performance at 4K compared to 1080p.

Q: Which resolution provides the highest frame rate advantage over the 60 FPS threshold?

A: The 1920x1080 Low preset delivers 445.4 FPS average, which is 385.4 FPS above the 60 FPS playability threshold. Even at the most demanding configuration (4K Ultra), the system maintains 32.9 FPS of headroom above the threshold.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i7-13700K's average benchmark score of 46881 places it in a tight cluster with several AMD processors. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971, a mere 0.2% difference, making it the closest CPU alternative in raw compute performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at 47022 represents a 0.3% delta, while both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 score within 0.5% of the i7-13700K at 46654 and 46653 respectively. For gaming workloads in Doom, any of these processors would deliver statistically indistinguishable frame rates when paired with the same GPU.

On the graphics side, the RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60347 is virtually matched by the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60326 (0% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 60140 trails by only 0.3%, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 sits 2.9% lower at 58657. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M actually scores higher at 61896, representing a 2.5% advantage over the RTX 4090 in average benchmark score. In practice, these GPU alternatives would produce nearly identical frame rates in Doom, with differences likely within the margin of measurement error.

For users seeking comparable real-world performance, a system built around any of these CPU-GPU combinations would deliver similar results in Doom. The benchmark data suggests that the i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads provide ample processing power for this title, and the RTX 4090's 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance ensure no bottleneck at any tested resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination achieves a rank of 74 out of 3712 tested system configurations for Doom. This places the combo in the top 2% of all evaluated systems, indicating that only 73 other combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this title. The percentile standings for the individual components corroborate this: the CPU sits in the 89th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 88th percentile among all graphics cards.

Given that Doom is a 2016 title with relatively modest hardware demands compared to modern releases, this ranking reflects the substantial headroom this system possesses. The combo's position in the rankings is primarily limited by the game's engine capabilities rather than any hardware constraint. With average frame rates exceeding 268 FPS even at 1080p Ultra settings, the system is effectively operating far beyond what the game requires for smooth gameplay.

The gap between this combo and lower-ranked systems is substantial. At 4K Ultra, the system maintains 92.9 FPS average, which is 32.9 FPS above the playability threshold. This margin indicates that even if the game were to receive performance-heavy updates or mods, the system would likely maintain playable frame rates. The 3712 tested combos include a wide range of hardware configurations, and this specific pairing demonstrates near-flagship performance for this game.

The Verdict

Benchmark results confirm that this system can run Doom at maximum settings across all tested resolutions. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers 92.9 FPS average, clearing the 60 FPS threshold by a comfortable margin. The 2560x1440 resolution sees Ultra settings produce 175.9 FPS average, while 1920x1080 Ultra reaches 268.5 FPS average.

The verdict by resolution indicates that all four settings levels (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at every resolution tested. The best settings at each resolution are Ultra, with the system maintaining well above 60 FPS even in the most demanding configuration. Specifically, 4K Ultra runs at 92.9 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 175.9 FPS, and 1080p Ultra at 268.5 FPS.

This represents a definitive "yes" for running Doom at maximum quality. The minimum margins above the 60 FPS threshold are substantial, ranging from 32.9 FPS at 4K Ultra to 208.5 FPS at 1080p Ultra. Users with high-refresh-rate monitors will benefit most at lower resolutions, where the system can push well beyond typical display refresh rates.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals the GPU's dominant role in Doom's rendering workload. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 268.5 FPS, which drops to 175.9 FPS at 1440p (a 34.5% reduction) and further to 92.9 FPS at 4K (a 47.2% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline with increasing resolution indicates that the RTX 4090 is the primary performance driver, as pixel count scales geometrically with resolution.

The CPU's contribution is evident in the high frame rates achieved even at 1080p. The i7-13700K's multi-threaded performance, reflected in its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and PassMark multithread score of 45887, ensures that the CPU never becomes a bottleneck. The single-thread score of 2116 in Cinebench R23 indicates strong per-core performance that benefits game logic and draw call processing.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (445.4 FPS) and Ultra (268.5 FPS) is 176.9 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low (158.5 FPS) and Ultra (92.9 FPS) is 65.6 FPS. This pattern shows that at lower resolutions, the GPU has spare capacity to handle increased graphical complexity, while at 4K, the GPU becomes more fully utilized and setting changes have relatively less impact on absolute frame rates.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, running at 92.9 FPS average. This provides 32.9 FPS of headroom above the threshold, making it a safe choice for consistent performance. Users prioritizing higher frame rates can select High (116.1 FPS), Medium (134.3 FPS), or Low (158.5 FPS) for progressively faster rendering.

For 2560x1440, Ultra settings again provide the best visual quality while maintaining 175.9 FPS average. This resolution offers an excellent balance between image quality and performance, with the Ultra preset delivering nearly triple the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset runs at 214.8 FPS, Medium at 252.6 FPS, and Low at 287.5 FPS.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings produce 268.5 FPS average, which is sufficient for even the highest refresh rate gaming monitors available. The full range of options spans from 268.5 FPS (Ultra) to 445.4 FPS (Low), with Medium at 390.7 FPS and High at 330.1 FPS. In all cases, the system has abundant performance headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

3840x2160 (4K UHD):

• Low: 158.5 FPS average
• Medium: 134.3 FPS average
• High: 116.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 92.9 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 287.5 FPS average
• Medium: 252.6 FPS average
• High: 214.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 175.9 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 445.4 FPS average
• Medium: 390.7 FPS average
• High: 330.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 268.5 FPS average

The data shows a consistent scaling pattern across all resolutions. At each resolution, the frame rate decreases by roughly 15-20% when moving from Low to Medium, another 10-15% from Medium to High, and a further 15-25% from High to Ultra. The largest absolute differences occur at 1080p, where the range from Low to Ultra spans 176.9 FPS, while at 4K the range narrows to 65.6 FPS. This pattern confirms the GPU-bound nature of the workload at higher resolutions and the ample CPU capacity at lower resolutions.