Doom

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti delivers a dominant performance in Doom, consistently achieving high frame rates that prioritize the GPU as the primary bottleneck across most settings. Benchmark results show this combination ranks in the 61st percentile (rank 655 out of 1681 tested combos), a solid mid-to-upper tier placement that reflects the hardware’s ability to push the id Tech engine to its limits. The data indicates a system where the CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom, while the GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 21.75 TFLOPS of compute power drive frame rates well above playable thresholds, even at 4K Ultra settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario, with the scaling curve steepening as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 273.6 FPS, which falls to 174.7 FPS at 1440p and further to 97.1 FPS at 4K—a 64.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 3070 Ti’s 608.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 169.9 GPixel/s pixel rate become the limiting factors at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s single-thread performance (3dmark_single_thread score of 1016) is more than sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 167.1 FPS at 1080p drops to 104.1 FPS at 1440p (a 37.7% loss) and then to 59.3 FPS at 4K (a 64.5% loss from 1080p). The fact that 4K Ultra still maintains nearly 60 FPS suggests the GPU is operating near its limits, with the 1770 MHz boost clock and 6144 shading units working at full capacity. Conversely, the relatively small gap between 1080p Low (273.6 FPS) and 1080p High (198.9 FPS) indicates that at lower resolutions, the GPU is still the primary constraint, but the CPU’s 4.90 GHz boost clock ensures no bottleneck occurs until frame rates exceed 270 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K Ultra settings smoothly?

A: Yes, with an average of 59.3 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra, it delivers a playable experience, though it sits right at the 60 FPS threshold. Dropping to High raises this to 72.7 FPS, providing more headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 Ti compare to its nearest rival in this game?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 30849 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (31112), with a deltaPct of -0.8%, indicating performance parity. The NVIDIA Quadro M5000 (31142) is also within 0.9% of the RTX 3070 Ti’s score.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The gap is substantial. Low settings produce 174.7 FPS, while Ultra drops to 104.1 FPS, a 40.4% reduction. This shows that Ultra settings impose a significant load on the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 21.75 TFLOPS compute.

Q: Is the i5-12600KF a bottleneck for this GPU in Doom?

A: No. The CPU’s 3dmark_max_threads score of 7952 and single-thread score of 1016 are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking, as evidenced by 1080p Low reaching 273.6 FPS without CPU limitations.

Q: How does the combo’s rank in Doom compare to its overall CPU and GPU percentiles?

A: The combo ranks 655 out of 1681 (61st percentile), while the CPU sits in the 84th percentile and the GPU in the 74th percentile. The game-specific rank is lower than individual component percentiles, suggesting Doom’s engine is well-optimized for this hardware.

Q: Does lowering settings from High to Low at 4K provide a meaningful FPS boost?

A: Yes, from 72.7 FPS to 97.1 FPS, a 33.6% increase. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM capacity is a factor, as Low settings reduce memory pressure.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the decisive component in this configuration, with its 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s bandwidth proving adequate for Doom’s demands at all tested settings. The GPU’s 1575 MHz base clock and 1770 MHz boost clock, combined with 6144 shading units, deliver a compute throughput of 21.75 TFLOPS, which directly correlates with the high frame rates observed. At 4K High, the GPU produces 72.7 FPS, demonstrating that its 96 ROPs and 192 TMUs are well-utilized for the game’s texture-heavy scenes.

The memory subsystem is particularly relevant when comparing settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low (273.6 FPS) and Ultra (167.1 FPS) is 106.5 FPS, a 38.9% reduction that accompanies higher VRAM usage. The 19 Gbps effective memory speed and 256-bit bus width provide the necessary bandwidth to avoid stutter, but the 8 GB capacity becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the average drops to 59.3 FPS. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 23356 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3478 support its position as a high-end Ampere part, though its 74th percentile ranking versus all GPUs indicates it is not at the absolute top tier.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings yield 273.6 FPS, Medium produces 237.7 FPS, High reaches 198.9 FPS, and Ultra still maintains 167.1 FPS. These figures indicate that at 1080p, the RTX 3070 Ti is rarely stressed, and the i5-12600KF’s 10 cores (with a 4.90 GHz boost) ensure no CPU limitation occurs, even at the highest frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the data shows a noticeable but manageable decline. Low settings drop to 174.7 FPS, Medium to 151.1 FPS, High to 131.1 FPS, and Ultra to 104.1 FPS. The 1440p results show a more linear scaling between settings, with a 40.4% difference between Low and Ultra, reflecting the GPU’s increased workload. At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens further: Low produces 97.1 FPS, Medium 83.3 FPS, High 72.7 FPS, and Ultra 59.3 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that the GPU is the sole limiting factor, as even the lowest settings cannot exceed 100 FPS, confirming the CPU has ample headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 655 out of 1681 tested combinations places it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested in Doom. This ranking is notably lower than the individual component percentiles—the CPU ranks in the 84th percentile and the GPU in the 74th percentile—which suggests that Doom’s engine is particularly well-optimized for higher-end hardware, narrowing the performance gap between this combo and top-tier systems. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-10900K, has an average benchmark score of 27829, which is essentially identical to the i5-12600KF’s 27827 (0% deltaPct), indicating that this combo’s CPU performance is on par with a former flagship.

The GPU’s nearest rival data is more revealing: the AMD Radeon RX 590 GME (30755) is 0.3% slower, while the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (31112) is 0.8% faster. This narrow deltaPct range (from -1.2% to +0.3%) suggests that the RTX 3070 Ti’s performance in Doom is closely matched by several other GPUs, making the combo’s rank more dependent on the CPU. The data shows that this system is well-balanced for Doom, with neither component dramatically outperforming the other, but the game’s high frame rates at 1080p indicate a system that can handle competitive play with ease.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF provides robust processing power that prevents any CPU bottleneck in Doom. Its 10 cores and 16 threads, based on the Alder Lake architecture, deliver a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23444 and a single-core score of 3309, ensuring that the game’s physics and AI calculations are handled without delay. The 3.70 GHz base clock and 4.90 GHz boost clock are particularly effective for Doom’s engine, which benefits from high single-thread performance, as evidenced by the 3dmark_single_thread score of 1016.

The CPU’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core provide low-latency access to frequently used data, which is critical for maintaining high frame rates in fast-paced FPS scenarios. The PassMark multithread score of 27575 and physics score of 1539 indicate that the CPU can handle complex scenes without stuttering, even when the GPU is pushing over 200 FPS. The i5-12600KF’s 84th percentile ranking against all CPUs confirms it is a capable partner for the RTX 3070 Ti, and the data shows no scenario in Doom where CPU performance limits the GPU’s output.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K Ultra settings, the combo delivers 59.3 FPS, which is playable but close to the edge of smoothness. The data suggests that 4K High (72.7 FPS) is the optimal balance for visual fidelity and frame rate, providing a 22.6% improvement over Ultra while maintaining high quality. At 1440p, Ultra settings (104.1 FPS) are recommended for the best experience, as the frame rate remains well above the 60 FPS threshold and the visual upgrade over High (131.1 FPS) is noticeable. For 1080p, all settings are viable, but Ultra (167.1 FPS) offers the best experience for high-refresh-rate monitors, while Low (273.6 FPS) is only necessary for extreme frame rate targets. The data indicates that Medium settings provide a balanced default across all resolutions, with 237.7 FPS at 1080p, 151.1 FPS at 1440p, and 83.3 FPS at 4K, making it the safest recommendation for users seeking consistency across different display configurations.