Doom

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT paired with the Intel Core i5-12400F delivers a robust performance profile in Doom, with benchmark results clearly indicating a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates show a smooth scaling curve from 1080p to 4K, though the margin between settings narrows as pixel count increases, pointing to the graphics card as the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The data set provides a complete picture of how this combo behaves across four quality presets and three resolutions, offering clear guidance for users targeting specific frame rate goals.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a consistent and predictable performance drop across all settings presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 190.3 FPS at 1080p to 127.2 FPS at 1440p, then to 67 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The pattern is similar for Ultra settings, which start at 158 FPS at 1080p, drop to 101.8 FPS at 1440p, and bottom out at 57 FPS at 4K.

The scaling behavior at Low settings is particularly instructive. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 262.9 FPS, which drops to 170.5 FPS at 1440p and 93.9 FPS at 4K. The fact that Low settings at 1080p exceed 260 FPS while Ultra at 4K struggles to maintain 60 FPS strongly suggests the CPU (Intel Core i5-12400F) is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions, but rather the GPU (AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT) becomes the constraint as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 104.9 FPS (262.9 vs 158), whereas at 4K that gap narrows to 36.9 FPS (93.9 vs 57). This compression of the settings gap at higher resolutions is a classic indicator of GPU saturation.

The data also shows that Medium settings provide a balanced middle ground. At 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 148.3, which is 37.7% higher than High settings at the same resolution. However, at 4K, Medium drops to 80.9 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold but closer to the High preset's 67 FPS. This suggests that the GPU's rendering pipeline becomes the dominant cost factor at 4K, regardless of the quality preset chosen.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Doom?

A: The highest measured average is 262.9 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This indicates the combo can drive very high refresh rates at 1080p when visual fidelity is reduced.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 57 FPS, which falls just below the 60 FPS target. However, at 4K High settings, the average rises to 67 FPS, providing a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the i5-12400F compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-8700K (19210) and 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-1335U (19167). It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS by 0.7% (19364 vs 19221).

Q: What is the RX 7700 XT's standing relative to other GPUs in the database?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT holds a percentile rank of 73 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30097. It is statistically tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (deltaPct 0) and sits 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 570.

Q: Which resolution provides the largest performance headroom above 144 Hz?

A: At 1920x1080, all four settings presets exceed 144 Hz, with Low at 262.9 FPS, Medium at 231.1 FPS, High at 190.3 FPS, and Ultra at 158 FPS. This makes 1080p the only resolution where every preset comfortably clears 144 Hz.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from High to Ultra at 1440p?

A: The drop from High to Ultra at 2560x1440 is 25.4 FPS, from 127.2 FPS down to 101.8 FPS. This represents a 20% reduction in average frame rate for the Ultra preset.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT's specifications directly explain the observed performance patterns. With 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus providing 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the card has ample memory resources for Doom's textures at all tested settings. The base clock of 1435 MHz and boost clock of 2544 MHz (with a game clock of 2171 MHz) allow the GPU to scale its frequency based on workload, which is evident in the frame rate differences between Low and Ultra presets.

The GPU's 3456 shading units and 96 ROPs contribute to its pixel throughput of 244.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 549.5 GTexel/s. These figures are consistent with the card's ability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p, where the measured averages range from 101.8 FPS (Ultra) to 170.5 FPS (Low). The FP32 performance of 35.17 TFLOPS provides the raw compute headroom needed for Doom's rendering effects, though the fact that Ultra settings at 4K drop to 57 FPS indicates the card is fully utilized at that resolution.

The GPU's launch MSRP is 449 USD, and its 245 W TDP suggests a power-hungry design that aligns with its performance class. The 2x 8-pin power connectors and suggested 550 W PSU indicate the card's power delivery requirements, which are typical for this performance tier. The PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensures sufficient bandwidth for data transfer, though the benchmark results do not suggest any interface bottleneck given the strong scaling from 1080p to 1440p.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration of the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks 732 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the upper portion of the database. This ranking reflects the combination's overall capability across all measured scenarios, with the GPU's 73rd percentile standing among all GPUs being the primary driver of performance. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking among all processors complements the GPU well, as the i5-12400F's 6 cores and 12 threads provide sufficient processing power for Doom's engine without becoming a bottleneck.

The combo's ranking is particularly noteworthy when considering the GPU's nearest rivals. The RX 7700 XT is statistically identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (deltaPct 0) and only 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 570 in average benchmark scores. This suggests that swapping the GPU for either of these alternatives would yield nearly identical performance in Doom, assuming the CPU remains constant. Similarly, the CPU's position among its nearest rivals (all within 1.3% deltaPct) indicates that the i5-12400F's performance is well-established for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce 262.9 FPS average, which is the highest measured value in the entire data set. Medium settings reduce this to 231.1 FPS, High settings to 190.3 FPS, and Ultra to 158 FPS. The spread of 104.9 FPS between Low and Ultra at 1080p shows that the GPU has significant headroom even at the highest quality preset, with no preset dropping below 150 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain strong but begin to show the GPU's workload. Low settings yield 170.5 FPS, Medium 148.3 FPS, High 127.2 FPS, and Ultra 101.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p is the first configuration to drop below 120 FPS, suggesting that users targeting high refresh rates at this resolution should consider High settings or lower. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 68.7 FPS, narrower than at 1080p but still substantial.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. Low settings produce 93.9 FPS, Medium 80.9 FPS, High 67 FPS, and Ultra 57 FPS. The Ultra preset fails to reach 60 FPS average, making it unsuitable for smooth 4K gameplay. High settings barely clear the 60 FPS threshold, while Low and Medium provide comfortable margins above it. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at each preset is consistent, with Low dropping 64.3% (262.9 to 93.9), Medium 65% (231.1 to 80.9), High 64.8% (190.3 to 67), and Ultra 63.9% (158 to 57).

Settings Recommendations

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates at 1920x1080, the Low preset at 262.9 FPS is the clear choice, though Medium at 231.1 FPS offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. High at 190.3 FPS is still excellent for 144 Hz monitors, and even Ultra at 158 FPS exceeds 144 Hz. At 1080p, all presets are viable, making the choice purely about visual preference versus refresh rate headroom.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 148.3 FPS provides the best combination of quality and speed, easily supporting 144 Hz displays. High at 127.2 FPS is also strong, while Ultra at 101.8 FPS remains playable but may not satisfy users with 120 Hz or higher refresh rate monitors. Low at 170.5 FPS is the best option for esports-style play where frame rate trumps visuals.

At 3840x2160, users should avoid the Ultra preset entirely, as its 57 FPS average falls short of the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 80.9 FPS offers the best visual quality while maintaining a smooth experience above 60 FPS. High at 67 FPS is also acceptable, though it leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Low at 93.9 FPS provides the smoothest 4K experience, but the visual compromises may be noticeable given the resolution's detail level. The data clearly indicates that Medium is the sweet spot for 4K gameplay with this combo, balancing the GPU's workload against Doom's visual demands.