Doom

# Doom: Intel Core i5-12600KF + AMD Radeon RX 6600 — Benchmark Analysis

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 delivers a highly capable Doom experience across most resolutions, with the data showing a clear performance ceiling at 4K Ultra that falls below ideal smoothness thresholds. This combo ranks 1390th out of 1681 tested configurations for this game, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all possible pairings, though the measured frame rates tell a more nuanced story depending on resolution and quality settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the strongest resolution, with average FPS ranging from 103.5 at Ultra to 175.4 at Low. At 2560x1440, the combo still delivers playable results, with averages between 66.5 and 115.2 FPS depending on settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1390th out of 1681 tested combos for Doom, placing it in roughly the 17th percentile of all pairings. This indicates a below-average overall position, though the specific game's optimization and the combo's strengths mitigate this ranking in practice.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo achieves 42.8 FPS on High and 63.1 FPS on Low, but drops to 34.4 FPS on Ultra. These numbers suggest 4K is only viable at Low settings for smooth play, with higher presets falling below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Which CPU benchmark scores are most relevant for gaming?

A: The Core i5-12600KF scores 7956 in 3dmark_16_threads and 1016 in 3dmark_single_thread, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23444. The single-thread performance is particularly relevant for Doom's engine, which typically scales well with per-core speed.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 6600's average benchmark score of 25235 is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon 890M (25246, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (25287, -0.2% delta). It sits slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (25120, 0.5% delta).

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking?

A: The Core i5-12600KF ranks in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27827. This places it well above the median, indicating strong overall processing capability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1390 out of 1681 tested configurations places it in the lower 17% of all pairings for Doom. This ranking might seem surprising given the strong individual component scores, but it reflects the specific demands of Doom's engine and how these two components interact. The CPU's 84th percentile standing (average benchmark score 27827) and GPU's 69th percentile (average benchmark score 25235) individually suggest capable hardware, yet the combined result in this game is modest.

The data indicates that the bottleneck lies primarily in the GPU, particularly at higher resolutions. The RX 6600's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors at 4K, where Ultra settings yield only 34.4 FPS. At 1080p, however, the combo performs far more respectably, with even Ultra settings reaching 103.5 FPS. This suggests the rank is dragged down by the system's inability to maintain high frame rates at demanding settings, rather than an inherent incompatibility.

Compared to the CPU's nearest rivals — the Intel Core i9-10900K (27829 avg score, 0% delta), Core i5-12600K (27851, -0.1%), and Core Ultra 5 125H (27872, -0.2%) — the i5-12600KF is statistically indistinguishable in raw processing power. The GPU's rivals show a similar pattern, with the RX 6600 essentially matching the Radeon 890M and RX 580 2048SP. This means the combo's rank reflects the hardware tier rather than any specific pairing inefficiency.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It packs 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 28 ray-tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz, delivering 8.928 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

Memory configuration is critical for Doom's performance. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, yielding 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. This bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gameplay, as evidenced by the measured results, but becomes a constraint at 4K. The pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s provide sufficient fill rates for the game's fast-paced environments.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 69th among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25235, places it just above the midpoint of tested hardware. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 890M (25246, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (25287, -0.2% delta), showing that the RX 6600 sits in a competitive but not dominant position. The 0.5% advantage over the RTX 3060 Ti (25120) is marginal and likely not perceptible in real-world gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 103.5 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This makes Ultra the recommended choice for 1080p users who prioritize visual fidelity without sacrificing responsiveness.

For 2560x1440, the Ultra preset drops to 66.5 FPS, which remains playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 83.6 FPS provides a better balance, offering near-Ultra visuals with a more comfortable frame rate cushion. Given the data, High is the recommended preset for 1440p, as it maintains consistently smooth performance while preserving most graphical enhancements.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The High preset manages 42.8 FPS, while Ultra falls to 34.4 FPS — both below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 54.3 FPS is closer but still short, while Low achieves 63.1 FPS, barely crossing the threshold. For 4K, the data suggests Low settings as the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience, with Medium being acceptable for players who tolerate slightly lower frame rates.

The Low presets across all resolutions show significant headroom: 175.4 FPS at 1080p, 115.2 FPS at 1440p, and 63.1 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the combo can adapt to competitive play scenarios where maximum frame rates take priority over visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. The Low preset achieves 175.4 FPS average, Medium reaches 152.4 FPS, High hits 127.2 FPS, and Ultra manages 103.5 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 41% reduction in frame rate, from 175.4 to 103.5 FPS, demonstrating the performance cost of higher quality settings.

The 2560x1440 results show a similar pattern with reduced absolute numbers. Low averages 115.2 FPS, Medium reaches 97.9 FPS, High achieves 83.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 66.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 42%, slightly steeper than at 1080p, indicating that resolution scaling amplifies the settings impact.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve becomes more compressed. Low achieves 63.1 FPS, Medium reaches 54.3 FPS, High manages 42.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 34.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 45%, the largest relative gap across all resolutions, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are increasingly strained at 4K.

Comparing resolutions at the same settings reveals the resolution scaling efficiency. At Ultra, moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces FPS by 36% (103.5 to 66.5), and from 1440p to 4K by 48% (66.5 to 34.4). At Low, the drops are 34% (175.4 to 115.2) and 45% (115.2 to 63.1) respectively. These numbers indicate that the 4K transition is disproportionately costly, likely due to the GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth ceiling.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration and connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes.

The cache hierarchy is substantial: 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 20 MB shared L3. This large cache allocation benefits gaming workloads, where data reuse patterns are common. The CPU's benchmark scores demonstrate strong performance: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 23444, while single-core scores hit 3309. Geekbench results show 12373 multicore and 2529 single-core, with 3dmark tests ranging from 1016 (single-thread) to 7956 (16-thread).

In Doom, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The single-thread score of 1016 in 3dmark and 3309 in Cinebench R23 indicate strong per-core performance, which is crucial for the game's engine. The CPU's percentile ranking of 84th among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 27827, places it in the upper tier of available CPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals show negligible performance differences: the Core i9-10900K averages 27829 (0% delta), the Core i5-12600K scores 27851 (-0.1%), and the Core Ultra 5 125H achieves 27872 (-0.2%). The Core i7-13700H lags slightly at 27716 (0.4% delta). This tight clustering indicates that the i5-12600KF provides essentially identical compute capability to its closest competitors, making the GPU the primary differentiating factor in this combo's gaming performance.