Doom

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a remarkably consistent performance profile in Doom, but the data reveals a clear hierarchy where resolution dictates whether the CPU or GPU is the primary constraint. This combination, ranking 1050th out of 1681 tested combos, places it in the upper-middle tier of systems, offering a smooth experience that scales predictably with graphical demands.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, but the rate of decline is not uniform across presets. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 203.1 FPS, which drops to 131.7 FPS at 1440p and further to 71.5 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 45% reduction from 1440p to 4K for the Low preset. The steepness of this decline indicates that at lower settings, the GPU’s raw throughput becomes the limiting factor once pixel count rises.

However, the Ultra preset tells a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the system hits 121.2 FPS, which falls to 77.1 FPS at 1440p (a 36% drop) and then to 42.2 FPS at 4K (a 45% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across presets suggest that the scaling is primarily GPU-bound, as the CPU’s 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient to feed the graphics card even at high frame rates. The data implies that the RX 6650 XT’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 280.3 GB/s bandwidth are being fully utilized at 4K, where the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to just 29.3 FPS (71.5 vs 42.2), compared to an 81.9 FPS gap at 1080p (203.1 vs 121.2).

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest refresh rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 203.1 FPS, which is more than double the 4K Ultra result of 42.2 FPS. However, the Medium preset offers a compelling middle ground, providing 173 FPS at 1080p and 114.2 FPS at 1440p, both of which are well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 1440p achieves 93.6 FPS, which is a solid balance for visual fidelity and performance.

The data suggests that Ultra settings are only viable at 1080p, where 121.2 FPS remains playable, but the 29.3 FPS deficit compared to High at 4K indicates that the GPU struggles with the most demanding configuration. For a consistently high frame rate experience, Medium settings at 1440p appear to be the sweet spot, as the 114.2 FPS result is only 12.4% lower than the 1080p Medium score of 173 FPS. The measured rows show that the gap between Medium and High is relatively small at 1440p (114.2 vs 93.6), suggesting that players can drop from High to Medium with minimal visual impact while gaining 20.6 FPS.

CPU Role

The Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores reveal a strong single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2224 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681. This is critical for Doom, which is a fast-paced FPS that benefits from high per-core performance. The CPU’s 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 is notably higher than its 2-thread score of 1659, indicating that it can utilize all four cores effectively.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this combination, even at 1080p Low where the system reaches 203.1 FPS. The processor’s Passmark single-thread score of 3444 and multithread score of 14015 suggest it has enough headroom to keep the GPU fed. However, the CPU’s 58W TDP and 12 MB of shared L3 cache indicate that it is a budget-oriented part, and the benchmark results confirm that it performs within 1.8% of the Intel Core i7-7700K in average score. This means that while the CPU is capable, the GPU is the primary driver of performance differences across resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 1050 out of 1681 tested combinations, this system sits in the 62nd percentile of all tested combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier, outperforming a significant portion of the database while still trailing high-end configurations. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 72, and the GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is also 72, indicating that both components are well-matched in relative performance. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 29024 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, which has a deltaPct of 0, suggesting that the desktop RX 6650 XT is comparable to that mobile flagship.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 13516 is within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which is a much more expensive and powerful processor. This demonstrates that the i3-12100F punches above its weight class in synthetic benchmarks, though real-world gaming performance is more dependent on the GPU. The combination’s rank of 1050 indicates that there are 631 combos that perform better, but the measured FPS data shows that this system still delivers excellent frame rates in Doom, particularly at 1080p and 1440p.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is based on the Navi 23 chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, featuring 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. Its boost clock of 2635 MHz and game clock of 2410 MHz provide substantial compute power, with a FP32 throughput of 10.79 TFLOPS. The GPU’s 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs are well-suited for Doom’s rendering demands, and the 280.3 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming is not a bottleneck.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, where even the Low preset only achieves 71.5 FPS. This is a significant drop from the 1080p Low result of 203.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU’s pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s is unable to keep up with the 4K pixel count. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 17166 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1859 confirm that it is a mid-range card, and the data suggests that it is best utilized at 1440p or lower. The GPU’s 176W TDP and dual-slot design indicate that it is a power-hungry component, but the 450W suggested PSU provides adequate headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 203.1 FPS on Low, 173 FPS on Medium, 148.2 FPS on High, and 121.2 FPS on Ultra. These results show a clear progression where each preset tier costs approximately 25-30 FPS, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 81.9 FPS. The 1440p results follow a similar pattern: 131.7 FPS on Low, 114.2 FPS on Medium, 93.6 FPS on High, and 77.1 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 54.6 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the system achieves 71.5 FPS on Low, 63.6 FPS on Medium, 53.4 FPS on High, and 42.2 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 29.3 FPS, which is the smallest of all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is heavily constrained. The data shows that the system can maintain playable frame rates at 4K with Low settings, but for a smoother experience, 1440p Medium or High is the recommended configuration. The 1080p results are all above 120 FPS, making this an ideal resolution for high-refresh-rate monitors.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Doom?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1080p is the best resolution, with all presets exceeding 121 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 203.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset still hits 121.2 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but only with reduced settings. At 4K Low, the system achieves 71.5 FPS, which is playable. However, 4K Ultra drops to 42.2 FPS, which may be below the desired threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX and 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i7-1250U. It is 1.8% faster than the Intel Core i7-7700K.

Q: Is the GPU more powerful than its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 29024, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 470 and 0.5% lower than the Intel Arc A370M. It is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon RX 6800M.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium settings at 1440p provide 114.2 FPS, which is a good balance of visual quality and performance. High settings at 1440p achieve 93.6 FPS, which is still smooth, but Ultra drops to 77.1 FPS.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K?

A: At Low settings, 1080p is 131.6 FPS faster than 4K (203.1 vs 71.5). At Ultra settings, 1080p is 79 FPS faster than 4K (121.2 vs 42.2), showing that the performance gap widens at lower settings.