Doom

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 delivers a playable experience across most settings in Doom, though the data reveals a system that is firmly balanced between CPU and GPU capabilities depending on resolution. At 1080p, the combination excels, pushing well past 100 FPS on medium settings, while 4K Ultra demands more than the GTX 1070 can reliably provide, dropping to 35.9 FPS. The benchmark results indicate a configuration that favors high refresh rate 1080p gaming but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K with maximum visual fidelity.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the sweet spot, with all settings presets achieving at least 97 FPS, and the Low preset reaching 158.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, performance remains solid but drops below 60 FPS on Ultra, while 3840x2160 only exceeds 54.1 FPS on the Low preset.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The GTX 1070 scores 12,331 on average, which is 1.4% behind the GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (12,504) and 1.7% behind the Tesla K20Xm (12,547). It sits 0.7% ahead of the Quadro K4200 (12,241), placing it in the 51st percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Is the Core i3-12100F a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The CPU's benchmark results suggest it is not a limiting factor at 1080p. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11,912 and single-core score of 1,681 are strong enough to support the high frame rates observed, with the 1080p Low preset hitting 158.6 FPS indicating headroom remains.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: This specific combination ranks 1409 out of 1681 total tested combos for Doom, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects the aging GPU more than the CPU, as the GTX 1070 is now end-of-life.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At High settings, average FPS drops from 118.5 at 1080p to 74 at 1440p, a reduction of 44.5 FPS. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 97 to 59.7 FPS, showing a consistent ~37-38% performance penalty when increasing resolution.

Q: Does the GTX 1070 support modern graphics APIs needed for Doom?

A: Yes, the GPU supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which covers the API requirements for Doom. The Vulkan benchmark score of 47,395 indicates the hardware can handle this modern API efficiently.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is built on the Pascal architecture with 1,920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It operates at a base clock of 1,506 MHz with a boost clock of 1,683 MHz, which are modest figures by modern standards. The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth, a critical factor for Doom's fast-paced texture streaming and high-resolution rendering.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 6.463 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s directly influence how many pixels it can process per frame. At 4K Ultra, the data shows 35.9 FPS, indicating the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and maximum settings. The texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s becomes a limiting factor when Ultra settings demand extensive texture detail across 8.3 million pixels at 3840x2160.

The GTX 1070's average benchmark score of 12,331 places it in the 51st percentile, showing it is an average performer today. Its nearest rivals include the GTX 1650 SUPER, which scores 1.4% higher, and the Tesla K20Xm at 1.7% higher. This positions the 1070 as a mid-range GPU that can handle 1080p gaming exceptionally well but shows its age at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 118.5 FPS, but this drops to 74 FPS at 1440p High — a 37.6% reduction. Moving to 4K High further reduces performance to 43.8 FPS, another 40.8% drop. This scaling behavior suggests the GTX 1070's pixel throughput becomes the primary constraint beyond 1080p.

The Low preset tells a similar story: 158.6 FPS at 1080p, 104 FPS at 1440p, and 54.1 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops between resolutions remain consistent (~34% from 1080p to 1440p, ~48% from 1440p to 4K), which is typical of GPU-bound scenarios. The i3-12100F's strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 2,224, ensures the CPU does not interfere with these scaling patterns.

At 4K, even the Medium preset (46.3 FPS) fails to reach 60 FPS, while Ultra drops to an unplayable 35.9 FPS. The data indicates that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo, with only the Low and Medium presets maintaining playable frame rates above 60 FPS. The GTX 1070's 8 GB VRAM and 256.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p but become stressed at 4K, where texture data exceeds comfortable memory allocation.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i3-12100F and GTX 1070 ranks 1409 out of 1,681 total tested combos for Doom, placing it in the 16th percentile of all configurations. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GPU, which ranks in the 51st percentile among all GPUs but is end-of-life and has been surpassed by newer architectures. The CPU, in contrast, ranks in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, indicating it is a comparatively stronger component in this pairing.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 13,516 puts it within 0.1% of the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13,534) and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10105 (13,430). This close grouping shows the i3-12100F delivers competitive multi-threaded performance despite its modest 4-core, 8-thread configuration. The GPU's score of 12,331 is 1.3% behind the GTX 880M (12,490) and 0.7% ahead of the Quadro K4200 (12,241), confirming its mid-pack standing.

The disparity between CPU and GPU rankings explains the combo's overall position. While the CPU could support more powerful graphics cards, the GTX 1070 limits the system to mid-range performance. In Doom, a game optimized for high frame rates, this combination ranks lower than more balanced pairings that feature newer GPUs with comparable CPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show strong performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves 158.6 FPS, Medium reaches 137.1 FPS, High delivers 118.5 FPS, and Ultra manages 97 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p gaming is smooth even at maximum settings, with the Ultra preset still exceeding 90 FPS for a comfortable experience on high refresh rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the data shows a noticeable performance drop. Low settings produce 104 FPS, Medium delivers 86.7 FPS, High reaches 74 FPS, and Ultra falls to 59.7 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p hovers near the 60 FPS threshold, making it borderline for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 86.7 FPS represents the best balance between visual quality and frame rate at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal. Low settings yield 54.1 FPS, Medium produces 46.3 FPS, High achieves 43.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 35.9 FPS. None of these presets reach 60 FPS, making 4K gaming impractical for this combo. The Low preset is the only option that exceeds 50 FPS, and even that falls short of ideal smoothness.

Settings Recommendations

For the best measured experience, the 1080p High preset at 118.5 FPS offers an ideal balance of visual fidelity and performance. This setting provides a substantial 21.5 FPS advantage over Ultra (97 FPS) while delivering significantly better image quality than Medium (137.1 FPS). The High preset ensures smooth gameplay on 120Hz displays and maintains frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 86.7 FPS is recommended, as it provides a 12.7 FPS improvement over High (74 FPS) while retaining better visual quality than Low (104 FPS). This configuration allows for responsive gameplay on 1440p monitors without sacrificing too much detail. Users prioritizing maximum visual quality could opt for High at 74 FPS, but the data suggests Medium offers the best experience.

For 4K, no preset achieves 60 FPS, so the Low preset at 54.1 FPS is the only viable option for playable frame rates. However, the 35.9 FPS on Ultra indicates the game becomes a slideshow at maximum settings. Users with 4K displays should consider this combo only for less demanding games or be prepared to accept significant graphical compromises.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F features 4 cores and 8 threads with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its Alder Lake architecture on a 10 nm process node includes 12 MB of shared L3 cache and a die size of 163 mm². The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate strong single-thread performance, which is critical for Doom's game logic and physics calculations.

The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11,912 and single-core score of 1,681 indicate the CPU can handle the demands of modern games. The Geekbench multi-core score of 7,413 and single-core score of 2,224 further confirm its capability. The 3DMark results show scaling from 1,659 (2 threads) to 4,026 (8 threads), with the max threads score of 4,023 nearly matching the 8-thread score, suggesting the CPU reaches its performance ceiling with 8 threads.

The CPU's 72nd percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms most processors in the database. Its nearest rival, the Core i7-7700K, scores 1.8% lower in average benchmarks, while the i3-10105 trails by 0.6%. This places the i3-12100F as a capable gaming CPU that does not bottleneck the GTX 1070 in Doom, as evidenced by the 158.6 FPS at 1080p Low settings where CPU overhead is minimal.