Doom

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a formidable performance profile in Doom, with benchmark results indicating that the combination is heavily skewed toward GPU-bound performance at higher resolutions while retaining immense headroom for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern of scaling that highlights the strengths and limitations of this specific hardware pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three tested resolutions reveals a predictable yet steep decline as pixel count increases, characteristic of a system where the graphics card becomes the primary bottleneck at higher settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 284 FPS, which drops to 184 FPS at 1440p and further to 99 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 46% reduction from 1440p to 4K, demonstrating that the RX 7800 XT's rendering workload scales almost linearly with resolution.

When examining the High preset, the scaling trend continues but with slightly different proportions. The 209 FPS average at 1080p falls to 135 FPS at 1440p, a 35% drop, and then to 73 FPS at 4K, a 46% drop from 1440p. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the limiting factor remains the GPU's pixel throughput rather than any CPU-side constraint. The 4K Ultra preset is the most demanding scenario in the dataset, yielding only 60 FPS average, which is exactly half of the 1080p Low result.

The data indicates that the i5-12600KF has ample headroom to feed the RX 7800 XT even at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 280 FPS. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz appear sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck, as the frame rate scaling between resolutions is smooth and consistent. If the CPU were limiting performance, the 1080p results would show less variation between Low and Ultra settings, but the 113 FPS spread between those two presets at 1080p confirms the GPU is doing the heavy lifting.

The transition from Medium to High at each resolution shows a modest performance penalty, while the jump from High to Ultra is more severe. For instance, at 1440p, the Medium preset averages 160 FPS, High drops to 135 FPS, and Ultra falls to 110 FPS. This pattern suggests that the Ultra preset introduces additional graphical effects that disproportionately impact the GPU's compute units, particularly at higher resolutions where the pixel shader workload is already substantial.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT serves as the dominant performance driver in this configuration, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory subsystem is crucial for the higher resolution results, as the 4K Medium preset maintains a 74 FPS minimum and 100 FPS maximum, indicating that the frame buffer capacity and bandwidth are sufficient to handle the texture and geometry data without stuttering.

The GPU's clock behavior shows a boost clock of 2430 MHz and a game clock of 2124 MHz, which are the figures that determine sustained performance during actual gameplay. The measured results at 4K Ultra, averaging 60 FPS, demonstrate that the GPU is being pushed to its limits when all visual features are enabled. The pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s provide the theoretical throughput, and the benchmark numbers confirm that the architecture can deliver on these specifications in practice.

The RX 7800 XT's position in the broader GPU landscape, with a 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs, places it in the mid-to-upper tier of graphics hardware. Its average benchmark score of 11627 is remarkably close to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, which scores 11680, a delta of only -0.5%. This proximity is surprising given the generational difference, but the Doom results show the RX 7800 XT performing far beyond what that aggregate score might suggest, indicating that the game is well-optimized for the RDNA 3.0 architecture.

The 4K results are particularly telling regarding the GPU's role. The spread between Low (99 FPS) and Ultra (60 FPS) at 4K is 39 FPS, which is the largest absolute gap across all resolutions. This demonstrates that the GPU's shader complex, comprising 3840 shading units and 60 ray accelerators, is fully utilized when rendering at 4K with high-quality settings. The 16 GB VRAM capacity ensures that even the most texture-heavy scenes at 4K Ultra do not exceed the frame buffer, allowing the GPU to maintain consistent frame pacing.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 284 FPS at 1080p with Low settings. The next best is the Medium preset at 247 FPS, followed by High at 209 FPS and Ultra at 171 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to the 1080p Low performance?

A: The 4K Ultra preset averages 60 FPS, which is 224 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result of 284 FPS. This represents a 79% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lightest to the heaviest tested configuration.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the Medium preset at 1440p averages 160 FPS, while High drops to 135 FPS. This 25 FPS difference indicates that the High preset introduces a noticeable but manageable increase in GPU workload compared to Medium.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 4K Medium?

A: The 4K Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 74 and a maximum of 100, with an average of 87 FPS. This narrow range suggests consistent frame delivery without major dips.

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

A: The combination ranks 1238th out of 3712 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the upper third of all hardware pairings. This rank reflects the strong performance of both the CPU and GPU components.

Q: Which resolution provides the best balance of high FPS and visual quality?

A: The 1440p High preset, averaging 135 FPS, offers a strong balance. It delivers more than double the frame rate of 4K Ultra while maintaining high visual fidelity, and it stays well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this combination spans three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a thorough picture of performance scaling.

At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 73 FPS, while Low achieves 99 FPS. The Medium preset records an average of 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 100. Ultra is the most demanding, dropping to an average of 60 FPS. This 39 FPS spread from Low to Ultra at 4K shows the GPU's sensitivity to graphical complexity at high pixel counts.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results improve substantially. Low settings produce 184 FPS average, Medium reaches 160 FPS with a minimum of 136 and maximum of 184, High averages 135 FPS, and Ultra settles at 110 FPS. The 74 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is proportionally similar to the 4K spread but represents a larger absolute gap due to the higher baseline performance.

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates exceptional headroom for high-refresh-rate displays. Low settings deliver 284 FPS average, Medium hits 247 FPS with a minimum of 210 and maximum of 284, High achieves 209 FPS, and Ultra still manages 171 FPS. The minimum FPS at 1080p Medium is 210, which is higher than the average FPS at 4K High, highlighting the massive performance benefit of gaming at lower resolutions.

The scaling between settings within each resolution follows a consistent pattern: Low to Medium incurs a penalty of roughly 13-15%, Medium to High another 8-16%, and High to Ultra a more substantial 18-22% reduction. This suggests that the Ultra preset includes effects that are disproportionately expensive to render, likely involving advanced lighting or shadow techniques that stress the GPU's compute units.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database ranks this specific combination at 1238 out of 3712 total tested combos for Doom, placing it in the 67th percentile of all configurations. This rank is impressive given the mid-range positioning of both components, indicating that the pairing is well-matched for this particular game engine.

The CPU's individual standing shows an average benchmark score of 27799, which places it at the 79th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K with a score of 27872 and a delta of -0.3%, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D at 27896 with a -0.3% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U at 27887 with a -0.3% delta. The i5-12600KF essentially trades blows with these higher-tier processors, showing that its 10-core and 16-thread configuration provides competitive compute performance for gaming workloads.

On the GPU side, the RX 7800 XT's average benchmark score of 11627 places it at the 51st percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660, scores 11680 with a delta of -0.5%, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M trails at 11528 with a +0.9% delta. The RX 7800 XT also sits close to the NVIDIA Tesla K20c (11479, +1.3% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (11842, -1.8% delta). Despite this middling aggregate ranking, the Doom results show the GPU performing at a level that far exceeds what these synthetic scores might predict, suggesting the game is particularly well-suited to the RDNA 3.0 architecture.

The combination of a 79th percentile CPU with a 51st percentile GPU yields a 67th percentile ranking in this game, which indicates that the CPU's strength helps compensate for the GPU's mid-tier positioning. The high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p suggest that this combo is optimized for high-refresh-rate gaming rather than maximum visual fidelity at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF provides a robust foundation for this gaming configuration, with its Alder Lake architecture featuring 10 cores and 16 threads. The CPU's base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz ensure that single-threaded performance, which is critical for game logic and draw call processing, remains high. The benchmark scores reflect this strength, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3302.

The multi-threaded capabilities are equally impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 12137. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7956 and max-thread score of 7952 confirm that the CPU can handle heavily threaded workloads, though the game's engine appears to rely primarily on fewer cores, given the scaling patterns observed in the FPS data.

The CPU's cache hierarchy, featuring 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3, provides sufficient capacity for the game's data streams. The 20 MB L3 cache is particularly beneficial for maintaining high frame rates in scenes with complex geometry and AI routines. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow for potential overclocking, though the stock boost clock of 4.90 GHz already delivers strong performance in this title.

The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any tested resolution. The consistent FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K, combined with the high absolute frame rates at 1080p, suggests that the i5-12600KF can feed the RX 7800 XT with sufficient data to keep the GPU saturated. Even at 1080p Low with 284 FPS average, the CPU maintains frame delivery without introducing a bottleneck, as evidenced by the smooth minimum frame rate of 210 FPS at Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's display resolution and refresh rate priorities.

For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 209 FPS average is the recommended starting point, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium (247 FPS) while still maintaining frame rates that exceed most high-refresh-rate monitors' capabilities. The Ultra preset at 171 FPS remains viable for those seeking maximum visual quality, as it still comfortably exceeds 144 Hz displays.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 135 FPS average, which is ideal for 144 Hz monitors and provides a good balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Medium preset at 160 FPS offers additional headroom for competitive play, while Ultra at 110 FPS is suitable for 120 Hz displays. The 4K resolution is best served by the Medium preset at 87 FPS with a 74 FPS minimum, which ensures smooth gameplay on 60 Hz displays while maintaining decent visual quality. The High preset at 73 FPS is also acceptable, though the Ultra preset at 60 FPS should only be used if visual fidelity takes absolute priority over frame rate consistency.

The data suggests that for most users, the High preset at 1440p provides the best overall experience, combining high detail settings with a frame rate that exceeds typical display refresh rates. Those with 4K displays should opt for Medium to maintain frame pacing above 70 FPS, while competitive players at 1080p can push to Ultra without sacrificing the high frame rates needed for responsive gameplay.