Doom

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a robust 1080p experience in Doom, but the data reveals a distinct shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution climbs. At 1920x1080, the combination achieves an average of 155.1 FPS on High settings, demonstrating that the hardware is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors at this resolution. However, the scaling to 4K exposes the GPU as the limiting factor, with frame rates dropping to 58 FPS at High settings, a reduction that aligns with the increased pixel throughput demands. The benchmark results indicate a system that is CPU-bound at lower resolutions and GPU-bound at higher ones, a common trait for this class of hardware in a fast-paced FPS title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected progression of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 155.1 FPS at 1080p to 102.5 FPS at 2560x1440, a substantial drop of 52.6 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average FPS plummets to 58, which represents a 62.6% reduction from the 1080p figure. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the RTX 2070 SUPER's rendering throughput is the primary constraint.

The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the system achieves 210.6 FPS at 1080p, but this falls to 135.1 FPS at 1440p and 71.8 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is 75.5 FPS, while the delta between 1440p and 4K is 63.3 FPS. This indicates that the performance penalty is not linear, with the jump to 4K being particularly punishing. The data suggests that the CPU, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, has sufficient headroom at higher resolutions to feed the GPU, as the frame rate drops are primarily attributable to the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The scaling from Ultra settings further emphasizes the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p Ultra, the system averages 126.1 FPS, which is 84.5 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra result of 44.2 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at 4K is 13.8 FPS, while at 1080p it is 29 FPS. This suggests that the GPU's compute resources (2560 shading units) and memory bandwidth (448.0 GB/s) are saturated at 4K, making the impact of additional graphical features more pronounced. The overall trend indicates that for optimal 4K performance, users would need to lower settings significantly, as even Medium settings only yield 64.8 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the central component in determining frame rates at higher resolutions. With a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, the GPU's performance is heavily influenced by its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for the textures and assets in Doom, but the data shows that at 3840x2160, the GPU's capabilities are stretched. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU's average benchmark score of 22206 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with a relative performance of -2.3% compared to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile and +2.5% compared to the AMD Radeon RX 5700.

The GPU's role as the primary bottleneck at 4K is evident from the FPS data. At Ultra settings, the 4K average of 44.2 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting the GPU is struggling to maintain smooth gameplay. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 27.6 FPS, which is a significant performance swing that highlights the GPU's sensitivity to settings. The architecture, based on the TU104 chip with 40 RT cores and 320 Tensor cores, provides a foundation for modern rendering techniques, but the frame rates indicate that the raw throughput is the limiting factor. The GPU's pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s are the key specifications that determine its ability to handle the increasing resolution.

The data shows that the RTX 2070 SUPER is more than capable at 1080p, where it can push well beyond 120 FPS on all settings. However, the transition to 1440p and 4K reveals a steep drop-off. The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as being 0.9% faster than the GTX TITAN Z, does not change the fact that it is an end-of-life product that is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming. The launch MSRP of 499 USD reflects its original high-end positioning, but the measured FPS data indicates that 4K Ultra is not a realistic target for this hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, plays a supportive role in this configuration, particularly at lower resolutions. The CPU's base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz, combined with a 12 MB shared L3 cache, provide adequate processing power for Doom's game logic and physics. The benchmark data shows that the CPU achieves a single-thread score of 893 in 3dmark and a multicore score of 4051 in the 16-thread test, indicating strong per-core performance. Its average benchmark score of 13516 places it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, with a performance that is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, showing a delta of -0.1%.

The CPU's impact on frame rates is most apparent at 1080p, where the system achieves 210.6 FPS at Low settings. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this scenario, as the GPU is still able to output frames at a high rate. However, the data also shows that the CPU's performance is sufficient to keep up with the GPU's demands across all resolutions. The 3dmark single-thread score of 893 and the cinebench r23 single-core score of 1681 indicate that the CPU has strong single-thread performance, which is critical for a game like Doom that relies on a primary game thread.

The CPU's role becomes less significant as resolution increases, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor. At 4K, the frame rates are constrained by the GPU's rendering capabilities, not the CPU's processing power. The CPU's 3dmark 8-thread score of 4026 and the passmark multithread score of 14015 suggest that it can handle the game's multi-threaded workloads without issue. The data indicates that this CPU-GPU pairing is well-balanced, with the CPU providing enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck at any resolution tested. The CPU's 58W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory also contribute to its flexibility in various system configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system is capable of high frame rates across the board. The Low preset delivers an average of 210.6 FPS, which is the highest recorded. Medium settings reduce this to 182.8 FPS, while High settings yield 155.1 FPS. The Ultra preset, which typically includes more demanding effects, still manages an average of 126.1 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are significant but the system remains playable. The Low preset averages 135.1 FPS, while Medium settings average 119.8 FPS. High settings produce 102.5 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 81.2 FPS. These numbers suggest that 1440p is a viable resolution for this combination, especially if users are willing to adjust settings to maintain higher frame rates. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 53.9 FPS, highlighting the GPU's workload.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become evident. The Low preset is the only one that averages above 60 FPS, with a result of 71.8 FPS. Medium settings average 64.8 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS threshold. High settings drop to 58 FPS, and Ultra settings average 44.2 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for many users. The data shows that 4K gaming requires significant compromises in settings, as even the High preset cannot maintain a consistent 60 FPS. The overall combo rank in game is 1045 out of 1681, indicating that this is a mid-tier configuration for Doom.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this hardware?

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, as the system achieves an average of 155.1 FPS on High settings and 126.1 FPS on Ultra. This provides a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors.

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

A: At 3840x2160, the system can only average 58 FPS on High settings and 44.2 FPS on Ultra. While Low settings reach 71.8 FPS, the overall 4K experience requires significant settings reductions to maintain playable frame rates.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The benchmark results show that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the system can reach 210.6 FPS on Low, indicating the CPU has enough headroom. However, at 4K, the frame rate drops are attributed to the GPU's rendering limits.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 22206 is 2.3% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile and 2.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5700. This places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

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

A: For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 81.2 FPS, while High settings average 102.5 FPS. Users seeking higher frame rates can use Medium settings for 119.8 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU's 4-core/8-thread configuration limit performance?

A: The data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor, as the system achieves high frame rates at 1080p. The CPU's single-thread performance, with a 3dmark score of 893, is sufficient to avoid bottlenecks in Doom.