Doom

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Doom, with the data showing a clear progression from a smooth 4K experience to a blistering high-refresh-rate 1080p performer. The benchmark results indicate that this combination is well-balanced, though the scaling patterns reveal precisely where each component’s influence begins and ends.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable yet revealing decline as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 178 FPS, which drops to 115 FPS at 1440p and further to 62 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating a smooth scaling curve rather than a cliff-edge drop.

The scaling behavior points directly to the GPU as the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the system produces 178 FPS on High, but at 4K the same preset yields only 62 FPS — a 65% performance loss. This magnitude of decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the Radeon RX 6750 XT’s rendering throughput becomes the bottleneck. The GPU’s 12 GB of VRAM and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game’s demands at all tested resolutions, so the FPS drop is attributable to raw pixel-pushing capability rather than memory constraints.

Conversely, the scaling from 1440p to 1080p shows a smaller relative gain — 115 FPS to 178 FPS on High — which suggests that the CPU begins to assert its influence at lower resolutions. The i3-12100F’s 4 cores and 8 threads are adequate, but the data implies that at 1080p the CPU is approaching its ceiling, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs. The 242 FPS result at 1080p Low versus 145 FPS at 1080p Ultra illustrates a 40% spread, which is wider than the 1440p spread of 156 FPS to 94 FPS (40% difference), indicating that at 1080p, settings changes have a more pronounced effect on the CPU’s ability to feed the GPU.

The 4K scaling tells a simpler story. At Low settings, the system manages 85 FPS, dropping to 74 FPS on Medium, 62 FPS on High, and 51 FPS on Ultra. The 40% gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is nearly identical to the 1080p gap, but the absolute numbers are much lower. This suggests that the GPU’s compute resources — 2560 shading units and 160 TMUs — are the primary constraint, with the CPU having sufficient headroom to keep up even at the lowest settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Alder Lake-S architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 68th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. The single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23 at 1674, is strong for a quad-core part, and this proves relevant in Doom, a game that benefits from high IPC and moderate thread utilization.

The data shows that the CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) contribute to its ability to maintain consistent frame delivery. The 3DMark scores — 893 for single-thread and 4051 for 16 threads — indicate that while the CPU can handle multi-threaded workloads, its strength lies in single-core responsiveness. Doom’s engine leverages this effectively, as evidenced by the frame rates achieved at 1080p.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the i3-12100F is essentially tied with the Intel Core 3 N355 (deltaPct 0) and the Intel Core i5-9500 (deltaPct 0.3). It edges out the Intel Core 7 1250U by 1.1% and trails the Intel Core 5 120UL by 0.7%. These margins are negligible, meaning the i3-12100F’s CPU performance is squarely in line with its peers, neither a standout nor a laggard. In the context of this game, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, and the 1080p results — 242 FPS on Low — suggest it does so without creating a hard bottleneck, though the 40% drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p hints that the CPU’s 4 physical cores are being taxed by the higher settings’ increased object counts and AI routines.

The processor’s 58 W TDP and 10 nm process node are not directly reflected in FPS, but the benchmark data implies efficient operation. The passmark single-thread score of 3444 supports the notion that this CPU can drive high frame rates, but the multi-thread score of 14015 suggests that pushing beyond 200 FPS consistently could strain the 4-core design. The measured 242 FPS at 1080p Low is likely near the CPU’s practical limit for this title, as the GPU is capable of far more at that resolution, yet the system cannot exceed this figure.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the dominant partner in this pairing, with its RDNA 2.0 architecture and 2560 shading units providing the bulk of the rendering muscle. The GPU’s base clock of 2150 MHz and boost clock of 2600 MHz, along with a game clock of 2495 MHz, translate to a peak FP32 throughput of 13.31 TFLOPS. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves ample for Doom at all tested settings.

The GPU’s benchmark credentials are solid, with a 71st percentile ranking among all GPUs and an average score of 26011. Its nearest rivals — the AMD Radeon R9 M395X (deltaPct 0.5), AMD FirePro W7100 (deltaPct 0.6), AMD FirePro D700 (deltaPct 0.7), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile (deltaPct 1.1) — are all within 1.1% of its score, indicating that the RX 6750 XT sits in a tight performance band. This is reflected in the game results, where the GPU consistently delivers playable frame rates even at 4K.

The GPU’s role becomes apparent when examining the 4K scaling. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages 51 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced FPS. At 4K High, the figure rises to 62 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it reaches 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS. The GPU’s 64 ROPs and 160 TMUs are the key components here, as they determine pixel fill rate (166.4 GPixel/s) and texture throughput (416.0 GTexel/s). These figures are sufficient for 4K at lower settings, but the Ultra preset’s increased texture and lighting demands push the GPU to its limits.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is not a limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios, as even at 4K Ultra the game’s memory footprint does not exceed the available capacity. The memory clock of 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) ensures that the 192-bit bus is fully utilized, providing the bandwidth needed for high-resolution textures. The data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of FPS differences across resolutions, with the 40% performance drop from Low to Ultra at both 1080p and 4K being consistent with GPU-bound behavior.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of this combo’s capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1080p, the system achieves 242 FPS on Low, 210 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 179 FPS and maximum of 242 FPS), 178 FPS on High, and 145 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset’s minimum of 179 FPS is notable, as it indicates that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate remains well above the 144 Hz threshold, making this an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, the figures are 156 FPS on Low, 136 FPS on Medium (minimum 116 FPS, maximum 157 FPS), 115 FPS on High, and 94 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset’s minimum of 116 FPS is still smooth for most displays, while the Ultra preset’s 94 FPS average suggests that 1440p Ultra is playable but not ideal for competitive play. The 1440p results show a 40% spread from Low to Ultra, mirroring the 1080p spread, which reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the scaling at this resolution.

At 4K, the system produces 85 FPS on Low, 74 FPS on Medium (minimum 63 FPS, maximum 85 FPS), 62 FPS on High, and 51 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium preset’s minimum of 63 FPS is borderline for a smooth experience, while the Ultra preset’s 51 FPS average is playable but may exhibit noticeable stutter in fast-action sequences. The 4K Low preset’s 85 FPS is the standout result, offering a smooth 4K experience for those willing to sacrifice visual fidelity.

The progression across settings is linear, with each preset step (Low to Medium, Medium to High, High to Ultra) yielding a consistent FPS reduction. At 1080p, the steps are 32 FPS (Low to Medium), 32 FPS (Medium to High), and 33 FPS (High to Ultra). At 1440p, the steps are 20 FPS, 21 FPS, and 21 FPS. At 4K, the steps are 11 FPS, 12 FPS, and 11 FPS. This uniformity suggests that each settings tier adds a similar computational load, with the absolute impact scaling proportionally to resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Doom, this pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT ranks 1696th out of 3712 combinations. This places it in the 54th percentile, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of all tested configurations. Given the CPU’s 68th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 71st percentile ranking, this mid-pack position indicates that the combination is not perfectly optimized, likely because the CPU’s quad-core design holds back the GPU’s potential at lower resolutions.

The rank of 1696 suggests that while this combo is capable, it is not a top-tier performer. The gap between the individual components’ high percentiles and the combo’s lower rank implies that a more powerful CPU would extract additional performance from the RX 6750 XT, particularly at 1080p where the CPU’s limitations are most apparent. Conversely, the 4K results, where the combo ranks more favorably, show that the GPU is the primary driver and the CPU’s role diminishes.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is likely competitive with systems featuring similarly-tiered CPUs and GPUs. The 1080p results of 178 FPS on High and 242 FPS on Low are strong for a quad-core CPU, but they fall short of what a 6-core or 8-core processor might achieve with the same GPU. The 1440p and 4K results are more indicative of the GPU’s capability, with the 4K High result of 62 FPS being respectable for this GPU class.

The data indicates that the combo’s rank is driven by the 1080p performance, where the CPU bottleneck is most pronounced. At higher resolutions, the rank would likely improve, as the GPU’s dominance masks the CPU’s limitations. However, the overall rank of 1696 out of 3712 reflects a balanced yet not exceptional system, one that prioritizes resolution over frame rate maximization.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on the user’s display and performance priorities. For 1080p displays, the Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 210 FPS and a minimum of 179 FPS. This ensures that even the most demanding scenes stay above 144 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming. The High preset at 178 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset’s higher minimum FPS (179 vs. unspecified for High) suggests more consistent frame delivery.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, delivering 136 FPS average with a minimum of 116 FPS. This provides a smooth experience on 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors, with the minimum FPS still exceeding the 100 FPS threshold for comfortable play. The High preset at 115 FPS is a close alternative, but the Medium preset’s 21 FPS advantage and better minimum FPS make it the superior choice. The Ultra preset at 94 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced play, but the Medium preset offers a significant frame rate cushion.

For 4K, the Low preset at 85 FPS is the only setting that guarantees a consistently smooth experience, as the Medium preset’s minimum of 63 FPS may dip below the 60 FPS threshold in intense sequences. The Low preset sacrifices visual quality but ensures that the game remains fluid, which is critical for a fast-paced FPS. The Medium preset at 74 FPS average is playable, but the minimum of 63 FPS introduces occasional hiccups. The High and Ultra presets at 62 FPS and 51 FPS respectively are best avoided for competitive play, as the frame rate drops risk impacting responsiveness.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize the Medium preset at 1080p and 1440p, as it provides the best combination of visual fidelity and performance headroom. For 4K, the Low preset is the pragmatic choice, as it maintains a playable frame rate without compromising the game’s core mechanics. The data clearly shows that this combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates across all settings, making it a versatile option for users with a 1440p display.