Doom

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a formidable performance profile in Doom, with the data showing a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions but capable of extraordinary frame rates at 1080p. The measured FPS values reveal a clear hierarchy where the GPU's rendering workload dominates, while the CPU's 10-core, 16-thread configuration provides ample headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck in this fast-paced FPS title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about system balance. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 273 at 1920x1080 to 177 at 2560x1440, a significant 35% reduction. Moving to 3840x2160, the average falls further to 96 FPS, which represents a 65% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary limiting component as resolution increases, with the CPU's performance becoming less relevant at higher pixel counts.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the system achieves 371 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 240 FPS at 1440p and 130 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is 46%, which is slightly less severe than the 52% drop seen at High settings. This suggests that at lower settings, the CPU begins to play a more significant role in limiting performance, though the GPU still drives most of the scaling behavior.

At Ultra settings, the system produces 223 FPS at 1080p, 144 FPS at 1440p, and 78 FPS at 4K. The 4K to 1080p ratio here is 2.86x, meaning the system loses roughly two-thirds of its performance when moving from the lowest to highest resolution tested. This is remarkably consistent with the High preset's 2.84x ratio, indicating that the GPU's architecture handles the increased pixel workload uniformly regardless of the quality settings applied.

The data reveals an interesting inflection point between 1440p and 4K. At 1440p, the system still delivers frame rates above 144 FPS at all settings except Ultra, which hits exactly 144 FPS. This suggests that 1440p is the sweet spot where the GPU can still flex its muscles without being completely overwhelmed. At 4K, however, the system falls below 100 FPS for High and Ultra settings, which is a critical threshold for competitive play.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF features 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its architecture is Alder Lake, built on Intel's 10 nm process, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. The CPU's benchmark results show a multi-threaded Cinebench R23 score of 23391 and a single-thread score of 3302, which positions it as a strong performer for gaming workloads.

In the context of Doom, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the frame rate differences between settings presets at the same resolution. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium settings increases average FPS from 371 to 323, a 13% decrease. This modest drop suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at these frame rates, and the limiting factor is primarily the GPU's ability to process the additional visual effects.

The CPU's single-thread performance is particularly relevant for Doom, a game that traditionally scales well with strong per-core performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3302 both indicate robust IPC (instructions per clock) capabilities. This is reflected in the fact that even at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 371 FPS, which is likely approaching the game engine's upper frame rate limits.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the i5-12600KF sits within a tight performance band. Its average benchmark score of 27799 is only 0.3% below the Intel Core i9-10900K and 0.3% above the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE. The closest competitor is the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which scores 27896, just 0.3% higher. These tiny deltas suggest that for Doom, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates, reinforcing that the GPU is the dominant factor in this system's performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-12600KF and RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks at position 409 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom. This places the system in the top 11% of all configurations, which is a strong result for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The rank reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates across all resolutions, though it also shows that there are many other combinations that achieve even higher performance.

Breaking down the rank further, the system's placement at 409 suggests that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's performance is the primary driver of its position. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 31811 and its 76th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicate that it is a capable performer, but not the absolute fastest available. The CPU's 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs is slightly higher, suggesting that the CPU has more headroom relative to its peers than the GPU does.

The combination's performance in Doom is particularly noteworthy because the game is known for its optimized Vulkan API and ability to scale across hardware. The system's ability to exceed 200 FPS at 1080p Medium settings (323 FPS) and maintain over 140 FPS at 1440p Ultra settings demonstrates that this combo can handle both competitive and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios. The rank of 409 out of 3712 combos also implies that there is a significant performance gap to the top-tier combinations, likely those featuring higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4090 or newer Blackwell architecture.

FAQ

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the system achieves 371 FPS on Low settings and 223 FPS on Ultra settings, representing a 40% reduction in average frame rate when moving to the highest quality preset.

Q: Is the system capable of 4K gaming at playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 the system delivers 96 FPS on High settings and 78 FPS on Ultra settings. While these are below the 144 FPS threshold for high-refresh displays, they are well above the minimum for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, which is 0.3% below the Intel Core i9-10900K and 0.3% above the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, just 0.3% higher.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and how does it affect performance?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s. This high bandwidth supports the system's ability to maintain strong frame rates at 4K resolution, where memory throughput becomes critical.

Q: Does the system maintain consistent frame rates at Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows that at Medium settings, the system has a minimum FPS of 275 at 1080p, 178 at 1440p, and 96 at 4K, with maximums of 372, 240, and 130 respectively. The variance between minimum and maximum is relatively consistent across resolutions.

Q: How does the combo rank compare to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 409th out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top 11% of all systems. This indicates that while there are faster combinations, this setup is well above average for this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring a chip with 45,900 million transistors. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2340 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory running at an effective speed of 21 Gbps. The memory bus width is 256 bit, providing a bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s, which is crucial for feeding the GPU's 8448 shading units at high resolutions.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with an FP32 performance of 44.10 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 689.0 GTexel/s. These specifications translate directly to Doom's performance, as the game's fast-paced action requires rapid texture fetches and shader processing. The 96 ROPs handle pixel output at a rate of 250.6 GPixel/s, which is sufficient to maintain high frame rates even at 4K resolution.

The GPU's benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 31811, placing it in the 76th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA TITAN RTX with a score of 31676 (1.9% higher) and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 4500 Blackwell at 31532 (1.4% higher). The deltaPct values indicate that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER performs within a narrow band of these competitors, suggesting that in Doom, the differences between these GPUs would be minimal in terms of frame rates.

The GPU's role as the primary performance driver is evident from the resolution scaling analysis. At 1080p, the system achieves frame rates that are likely CPU-bound in some scenarios, particularly at Low settings where the 371 FPS average approaches typical engine limits. However, at 4K, the GPU's workload increases dramatically, and the frame rates drop to levels that clearly indicate GPU limitation. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM capacity is also sufficient for Doom's texture requirements at all tested settings, preventing any potential memory-related bottlenecks.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium settings preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 323 FPS with a minimum of 275 FPS, which is well above any competitive gaming threshold. At 1440p, Medium achieves 209 FPS with a minimum of 178 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Even at 4K, Medium provides 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay on standard displays.

For players with 1080p high-refresh monitors (240 Hz or higher), the Low preset at 371 FPS is the most appropriate choice, as it maximizes frame rates for competitive advantage. However, the jump from Low to Medium only costs 48 FPS (from 371 to 323), which is a small price to pay for improved visual fidelity. The High preset at 273 FPS is still viable for 240 Hz displays but may show occasional dips.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 144 FPS is perfectly matched to 144 Hz monitors, providing the maximum visual quality without sacrificing the refresh rate. The High preset at 177 FPS offers a buffer for 144 Hz displays, while Medium at 209 FPS is suitable for 240 Hz panels. For 4K gaming, the High preset at 96 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a good balance of visual quality and frame rate, though players prioritizing frame rate should consider Medium at 113 FPS.

The data suggests that the system is versatile enough to handle any resolution and preset combination, but the optimal choice depends on the display's refresh rate. For the majority of users with 144 Hz monitors, the Medium preset at 1440p (209 FPS) or High preset at 4K (96 FPS) provides the best experience. For those with 240 Hz displays, the Medium preset at 1080p (323 FPS) is the sweet spot.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers the following average FPS values: Low settings produce 371 FPS, Medium produces 323 FPS, High produces 273 FPS, and Ultra produces 223 FPS. The Medium preset has a measured minimum of 275 FPS and maximum of 372 FPS, showing a tight frame time distribution. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent 50 FPS drop between each successive preset, indicating that each quality level adds a similar GPU workload.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 240 FPS, Medium at 209 FPS, High at 177 FPS, and Ultra at 144 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 178 FPS and maximum of 240 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with Low losing 35% of its performance, Medium losing 35%, High losing 35%, and Ultra losing 35%. This uniform reduction confirms that resolution scaling is independent of the quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values drop to: Low at 130 FPS, Medium at 113 FPS, High at 96 FPS, and Ultra at 78 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 96 FPS and maximum of 130 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper, with Low losing 46%, Medium losing 46%, High losing 52%, and Ultra losing 52%. This increased drop at higher settings suggests that the additional visual effects at High and Ultra require disproportionately more GPU resources at 4K.

The complete dataset shows that the system's performance envelope ranges from 78 FPS at 4K Ultra to 371 FPS at 1080p Low. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings across all resolutions are 275 FPS at 1080p, 178 FPS at 1440p, and 96 FPS at 4K, demonstrating that the system never drops below 96 FPS in any tested configuration. This makes the combo suitable for a wide range of gaming scenarios, from competitive esports at high refresh rates to immersive 4K gaming.