Doom

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 achieves a combo rank of 2540 out of 3712 tested combinations in Doom. This places the pairing in the lower third of all tested systems, indicating that while the hardware is capable of running the game, it does not deliver top-tier performance relative to the broader database of combinations. The rank reflects a system that sits below the median, meaning a substantial portion of other tested combos produce higher frame rates. However, the data shows this pairing still provides a fully playable experience across most settings, with the bottleneck shifting between the CPU and GPU depending on the resolution and preset selected.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2540 out of 3712 places this system in the 32nd percentile of all tested pairings for Doom. This is a modest result, suggesting that many other combinations—particularly those with higher-end GPUs or newer CPUs—achieve better performance. The rank is driven primarily by the GPU’s mid-range standing, as the RX 7600 sits at the 57th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-12400F holds a stronger position at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. The discrepancy between these percentiles indicates that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing, capping overall performance relative to what the processor could otherwise support. Within the context of the game’s launch date and the hardware’s release timeline, this rank is reasonable for a mainstream desktop setup, but it does not place the combo among high-refresh-rate or 4K-focused builds.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. Its clock speeds are listed as a base of 1720 MHz, a game clock of 2250 MHz, and a boost clock of 2655 MHz, with memory running at 2250 MHz or 18 Gbps effective. In Doom, these specifications translate to a GPU that handles 1080p and 1440p well but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, particularly on higher presets. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game at all tested resolutions, as Doom’s textures and geometry do not appear to exceed this limit, evidenced by the fact that performance scales consistently with resolution rather than showing sudden drops indicative of VRAM overflow. The GPU’s compute capabilities, measured at 21.75 TFLOPS for FP32, are more than adequate for a 2016 title, meaning the card is never fully saturated at lower resolutions, allowing the CPU to become the primary constraint in those scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound title. At 1080p, the average frame rates across settings range from 116 FPS on Ultra to 193 FPS on Low, indicating that the GPU is delivering high throughput but is not the sole bottleneck—the CPU’s single-thread performance begins to matter at these lower resolutions. Moving to 1440p, the averages drop to between 75 FPS on Ultra and 125 FPS on Low, a reduction of roughly 35% from 1080p, which aligns with the increased pixel count demanding more from the GPU. At 4K, the averages fall further to between 41 FPS on Ultra and 68 FPS on Low, representing a significant drop of over 60% from 1080p. This scaling suggests that at 1080p, the system is partially CPU-limited, as the frame rate differences between presets are smaller than the raw GPU workload would imply, whereas at 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting component, with the RX 7600’s 288.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB memory buffer struggling to keep up with the pixel throughput required.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows the following average frame rates across four presets: Low delivers 193 FPS, Medium delivers 168 FPS, High delivers 142 FPS, and Ultra delivers 116 FPS. The Medium preset includes minimum and maximum values of 143 and 193 FPS, respectively, which brackets the average tightly, indicating stable performance. The drop from Low to Ultra is 77 FPS, a 40% reduction, which is substantial but still leaves the game playable at all settings on a standard 60 Hz or even 144 Hz display. For 2560x1440, the averages are 125 FPS on Low, 109 FPS on Medium, 92 FPS on High, and 75 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset again provides a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 125 FPS, showing consistent frame delivery. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 35% across all presets, which is a predictable result of the increased pixel count. At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 68 FPS on Low, 59 FPS on Medium, 50 FPS on High, and 41 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset’s minimum and maximum are 50 and 68 FPS, respectively, and while the average remains above 60 FPS only on Low, the game is still technically playable on Medium with some frame drops. The step from High to Ultra at 4K is particularly steep, with a 9 FPS drop, indicating that Ultra settings impose a heavy load on the GPU’s 8 GB memory and limited bandwidth.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 60 FPS average in Doom?

A: At 2560x1440, all four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—average above 60 FPS, with Ultra at 75 FPS and Low at 125 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset averages above 60 FPS at 68 FPS, while Medium (59 FPS), High (50 FPS), and Ultra (41 FPS) all fall below that threshold.

Q: How does the RX 7600 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 15171. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, scores 15199, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro 560X scores 15082, which is 0.6% lower, and the AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, which is 0.7% higher.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p in Doom?

A: At 1080p, the data suggests the CPU plays a larger role in limiting performance than at higher resolutions. The frame rate differences between Low (193 FPS) and Ultra (116 FPS) are smaller than the GPU workload would suggest, and the i5-12400F’s single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark indicates it can become a constraint when the GPU is capable of producing very high frame rates.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all tested processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F ranks at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039. This places it well above the median, showing it is a strong performer for its class.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RX 7600 sufficient for Doom at 4K?

A: The data shows that 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for Doom at 4K, as the game runs without any signs of memory-related stuttering or crashes. The average frame rates scale consistently with resolution, indicating that the VRAM capacity is not being exceeded, and the performance drop is due to the GPU’s compute and bandwidth limitations rather than memory exhaustion.

Q: How stable are frame times at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 109, with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 125. This spread of 33 FPS indicates some variance but generally stable performance, with the minimum still well above 60 FPS, providing a smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the data points to Medium settings as the optimal choice for this combo. At 1080p, Medium delivers an average of 168 FPS, which is only 25 FPS below Low but 26 FPS above High, and the minimum of 143 FPS ensures no drops below the refresh rate of most monitors. At 1440p, Medium averages 109 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS, which is still high enough for a 144 Hz display, while High drops to 92 FPS and Ultra falls to 75 FPS. At 4K, Medium averages 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target but still playable, whereas High drops to 50 FPS and Ultra to 41 FPS. Therefore, Medium provides the most consistent experience across all resolutions, sacrificing only a small amount of visual fidelity compared to High while maintaining higher frame rates. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, Low at 1440p (125 FPS) or 1080p (193 FPS) is the clear choice, but Medium offers the best compromise.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. In Doom, the CPU’s role is most pronounced at 1080p, where the GPU is not fully saturated, and the frame rates are high enough that single-thread performance becomes a factor. The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680 indicate strong per-core performance, which is essential for a game that relies on a primary game thread. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU’s load decreases relative to the GPU, and the data shows that the frame rate differences between presets become larger, confirming that the GPU takes over as the limiting component. The CPU’s multi-thread capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 9472, are more than sufficient for Doom, which does not heavily utilize more than a few cores. This means the i5-12400F never becomes a significant bottleneck in this pairing, even at the highest frame rates measured, and its 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs supports its adequacy for this title.