Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Doom with the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 shows a clear, predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces 154.4 FPS, but dropping to Low settings at the same resolution pushes the average to 261 FPS. This 106.6 FPS spread between the lowest and highest quality presets at 1080p indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution; instead, the processor's capability to feed frames becomes the bottleneck. The Core i3-12100F, with its 4 cores and 8 threads, delivers a single-thread benchmark score of 893 in 3dmark, which is substantial, but the frame rates above 200 FPS at Low settings suggest the CPU is working near its ceiling.

Moving to 1440p, the scaling becomes more GPU-bound. At High settings, the average FPS is 121.5, while at Low it reaches 168 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 69.1 FPS, which is narrower than the 106.6 FPS gap at 1080p. This tightening indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU workload grows, and the RTX 3070 begins to play a more significant role in determining performance. The RTX 3070's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this title, but the data shows the card is not fully saturated until higher resolutions.

At 4K (3840x2160), the trend completes its shift. Ultra settings yield 57.2 FPS, while Low settings produce 92.3 FPS. The difference between presets here is only 35.1 FPS, the smallest spread across all resolutions. This compression of frame rates at 4K strongly suggests that the GPU is now the primary limiting component. The RTX 3070's compute capabilities, including 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, are being fully taxed at this resolution, especially with Ultra settings that require more shading work. The data shows a drop from 66 FPS at High to 57.2 FPS at Ultra at 4K, a modest 13.3% reduction, which is typical when the shader units and ROPs are already heavily loaded.

The implication is clear: at 1080p, the i3-12100F holds back the RTX 3070, especially at lower settings where the GPU has headroom. At 4K, the balance flips, and the GPU becomes the constraint. The 1440p resolution represents a middle ground where both components contribute more equally to the final frame rate, making it the most balanced scenario for this pairing in Doom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. Its base clock is 1500 MHz, boosting to 1725 MHz, and during gaming the memory operates at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective data rate. The card's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications directly influence the Doom results. The 8 GB capacity is not a limiting factor in this game, as the measured FPS at 4K Ultra remains playable at 57.2 FPS, indicating the memory pool is sufficient for the textures and assets used.

The GPU's 5888 shading units and 96 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s. These figures explain why the card performs well at 1440p, where it sustains 98.9 FPS at Ultra settings. The drop to 57.2 FPS at 4K Ultra shows the pixel throughput being taxed, as the card must fill over 8 million pixels per frame. The RTX 3070's 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores are present, but Doom's traditional rasterization workload does not heavily utilize them; the performance scaling is driven by the standard shader and texture units.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its gaming behavior. The passmark G3D score of 22214 places it in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 28238 is close to the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, which scores 27985, a delta of 0.9%. This near-parity with the RX 6600 XT in synthetic tests aligns with the gaming data, where the RTX 3070 shows strong but not class-leading performance. The GPU's end-of-life production status and launch MSRP of 499 USD are noted, but the focus here is on the measured results.

At 1080p Low, the GPU is underutilized, as the CPU becomes the bottleneck. The 261 FPS average is likely beyond the CPU's ability to consistently feed, given the i3-12100F's 4-core design. The GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution climbs, and the data shows that at 4K, the RTX 3070's 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the deciding factor. The card's performance in Doom is strong across all settings, but the balance of the system shifts from CPU-limited at 1080p to GPU-limited at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Doom?

A: The highest average FPS is 261, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is 72.9 FPS higher than the next best preset at the same resolution, which is Medium at 227.5 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 57.2. This is the lowest recorded average across all tested configurations, indicating that the RTX 3070 is the limiting factor at this extreme resolution and quality level.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the system appears balanced, with High settings producing 121.5 FPS and Low producing 168 FPS. The 46.5 FPS gap between these presets suggests both components are contributing, with the GPU becoming more significant than at 1080p but not fully dominant as at 4K.

Q: What is the difference in FPS between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 188.1 at 1920x1080 to 66 at 3840x2160. This represents a 64.9% reduction in frame rate, highlighting the substantial GPU workload increase at 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 3070's synthetic benchmark score relate to its gaming performance?

A: The GPU's passmark G3D score is 22214, placing it at the 72nd percentile. Its average benchmark score of 28238 is 0.9% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, which scores 27985. This close synthetic parity is reflected in the gaming data, where the RTX 3070 delivers strong but not top-tier frame rates in Doom.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations for Doom?

A: This combo ranks 771 out of 1681 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the field. This rank reflects the balance between the i3-12100F's CPU performance and the RTX 3070's GPU capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 in Doom spans three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 261 FPS, Medium produces 227.5 FPS, High produces 188.1 FPS, and Ultra produces 154.4 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 106.6 FPS drop, with each quality tier reducing performance by a substantial margin. The step from Low to Medium is 33.5 FPS, from Medium to High is 39.4 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 33.7 FPS. These relatively uniform steps indicate that the CPU is consistently limiting performance at this resolution, as the GPU has enough headroom to handle the increased quality without major frame rate penalties.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 168 FPS, Medium at 148.5 FPS, High at 121.5 FPS, and Ultra at 98.9 FPS. The total spread from Low to Ultra is 69.1 FPS, narrower than at 1080p. The step from Low to Medium is 19.5 FPS, from Medium to High is 27 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 22.6 FPS. The larger drop from Medium to High suggests that specific settings within the High preset, such as shadow quality or texture filtering, have a more pronounced effect on the GPU at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 92.3 FPS, Medium at 81.3 FPS, High at 66 FPS, and Ultra at 57.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 35.1 FPS, the smallest of any resolution. The step from Low to Medium is 11 FPS, from Medium to High is 15.3 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 8.8 FPS. The compressed scaling here confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the quality presets have diminishing returns on frame rate when the shader units are already saturated. The 4K results show that even at Low settings, the card cannot reach 100 FPS, while at 1080p, it exceeds 250 FPS, demonstrating the massive resolution impact on the RTX 3070.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 771 out of 1681 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the 46th percentile of all configurations. This middle-tier ranking is consistent with the component specifications. The CPU's average benchmark score is 13516, which is 72nd percentile among all CPUs, and its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX with a score of 13534, a negligible delta of -0.1%. The GPU's average benchmark score is 28238, also 72nd percentile, with its nearest rival being the AMD FirePro S7150 at 28409, a -0.6% delta.

The combo's rank of 771 suggests that while each component is individually capable, the pairing does not reach the top tier of performance in Doom. The i3-12100F's 4-core, 8-thread design, despite a strong single-thread score of 1681 in Cinebench R23, may limit performance in CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions. The RTX 3070's 72nd percentile GPU ranking indicates solid mid-to-high-end performance, but it is not among the fastest cards available.

Compared to other combos, this setup sits above the median but well below the top 100. The data shows that at 4K, the combo achieves playable frame rates even at Ultra settings (57.2 FPS), which is a positive indicator for its overall capability. However, at 1080p, the CPU bottleneck prevents the GPU from fully flexing its muscle, as evidenced by the 261 FPS ceiling at Low settings. The rank of 771 reflects this imbalance: the system is neither CPU-starved nor GPU-starved at all resolutions, but it does not excel in any single scenario. The measured FPS data confirms that for Doom, this combo is a competent but not exceptional performer, with the best balance occurring at 1440p where both components contribute meaningfully to the final frame rate.