Doom

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers a highly capable Doom experience, with the data showing that the Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p and 1440p, while High settings provide the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate at 4K. The benchmark results indicate that this combo ranks in the 56th percentile of all tested configurations, placing it firmly in the upper half of the database. The measured FPS reveals a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions but capable of exceptional performance at 1080p, where the CPU’s strong single-threaded and multi-threaded scores come into play.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for this combo shows a clear hierarchy across presets, with the optimal choice depending heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 136.3 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the High preset at 172.2 FPS and Medium at 199.6 FPS offer substantially higher headroom, making them better choices for competitive play where frame time consistency matters more than marginal visual improvements.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset still holds up with an average of 88.7 FPS, but the High preset jumps to 111.1 FPS, a 25% improvement that makes it the recommended setting for most users. The data shows that the jump from High to Ultra at this resolution costs roughly 22 FPS, which is a significant trade-off for visual gains that are often imperceptible in fast-paced action. For 4K gaming, the High preset at 57.5 FPS is the only reasonable option, as Ultra drops to 48.5 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider the minimum for a responsive experience.

The Low preset at 4K yields 82.9 FPS, but the visual downgrade is severe enough that it undermines the game’s atmosphere. The Medium preset at 68.8 FPS offers a middle ground, but the data suggests that High is the sweet spot for 4K, providing playable frame rates while retaining enough graphical detail to appreciate the game’s art direction. Overall, the recommended settings are High for 4K, High or Ultra for 1440p depending on refresh rate, and Ultra or High for 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 945 out of 1681 tested combinations places it in the 56th percentile of all systems in the database. This is a solid result, indicating that the i7-12700K and RX 6700 XT outperform a majority of other pairings tested in Doom. The CPU itself holds the 89th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 35684, while the GPU sits in the 77th percentile with an average score of 33721. The slight gap between these percentiles suggests that the GPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing, a conclusion supported by the FPS data at higher resolutions.

When comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the i7-12700K’s average score of 35684 is a mere 0.3% below the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845’s 35802, and 0.7% above the Intel Core i7-13700T’s 35468. This puts it in a tightly contested performance band where differences are negligible in real-world gaming. The GPU’s nearest rivals show a similar pattern, with the RX 6700 XT’s 33721 average score being 0.7% higher than the RX 6800’s 33493 and 1.3% higher than the RTX A5000’s 33294. These small deltas indicate that the combo’s ranking is more a function of the overall system balance than any single component’s dominance.

The 56th percentile ranking is respectable for a mid-range to upper-mid-range setup, and the data confirms that this pairing is well-suited for Doom, which is known for its excellent optimization. The combo outperforms a majority of tested systems, though it falls short of the top-tier configurations that feature higher-end GPUs. In practice, this means users can expect strong performance at 1080p and 1440p, with playable 4K only achievable at reduced settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is the primary driver of frame rates at higher resolutions, and its specifications align with the measured results. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for Doom’s texture-heavy environments at 4K. The memory clock runs at 2000 MHz with an effective speed of 16 Gbps, and the core clock operates at a base of 2321 MHz with a boost of 2581 MHz and a game clock of 2424 MHz.

The GPU’s 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s. These figures translate to a raw compute capability of 13.21 TFLOPS FP32, which is more than adequate for a 2016 title like Doom. The 40 ray accelerators are present but largely unused in this game, as Doom does not feature ray tracing, meaning the GPU’s traditional rasterization performance is what matters most here.

The FPS data shows a clear GPU bottleneck at 4K, where the average frame rate drops from 232.1 FPS at 1080p Low to 57.5 FPS at 4K High. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-limited scenario, where the rendering resolution directly impacts the workload on the graphics card. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in Doom, as even at 4K Ultra the game’s memory footprint stays well within this budget, allowing the GPU to operate without texture swapping or stuttering.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings provides an excellent balance, with an average of 111.1 FPS. For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 136.3 FPS is viable, while 4K is limited to High settings at 57.5 FPS.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684, which is 0.3% below the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and 0.7% above the Intel Core i7-13700T. These are negligible differences in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: Yes, the FPS drop from 232.1 at 1080p Low to 57.5 at 4K High indicates a classic GPU-bound scenario. The CPU’s performance remains sufficient, as evidenced by its high benchmark scores.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking among all tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 945 out of 1681 tested combinations, placing it in the 56th percentile. This means it outperforms a majority of other systems tested in Doom.

Q: Can this setup handle Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 yields an average of 88.7 FPS, which is playable. However, dropping to High increases this to 111.1 FPS, a 25% improvement.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have and is it sufficient?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 192-bit bus and 384.0 GB/s bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for Doom at all tested settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a significant drop as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited workload. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 232.1 FPS at 1080p to 147.7 FPS at 1440p, a 36% reduction, and then to 82.9 FPS at 4K, a further 44% reduction. This steep decline indicates that the RX 6700 XT’s rendering capabilities are being pushed to their limits at higher pixel counts.

At High settings, the same pattern emerges: 172.2 FPS at 1080p drops to 111.1 FPS at 1440p (a 35% decrease) and then to 57.5 FPS at 4K (a 48% decrease). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU’s workload does not scale with resolution. The i7-12700K’s strong single-threaded score of 1043 in 3DMark and its 89th percentile ranking among CPUs mean it can easily feed the GPU at all resolutions tested.

The resolution scaling data confirms that 1080p is where this combo shines, delivering frame rates well above the 144 Hz refresh rate threshold even at Ultra settings. At 1440p, the system remains highly capable, with High settings providing over 100 FPS. The transition to 4K is where performance becomes constrained, with only the Low preset exceeding 80 FPS and the High preset barely maintaining 57.5 FPS. This analysis suggests that users with 4K displays should either lower settings or consider a more powerful GPU, while 1080p and 1440p users will find this combo more than adequate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K plays a supporting role in Doom, as the game’s engine is not particularly demanding on the processor. The CPU features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, based on the Alder Lake architecture. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3, which provides ample bandwidth for game logic and AI calculations.

In benchmark tests, the i7-12700K achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 29241 and a single-core score of 4128, indicating excellent multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The Geekbench multicore score of 13892 and single-core score of 2561 further underscore its capabilities. For Doom, which is a single-threaded-heavy game at its core, the CPU’s rapid boost clock and high single-core performance ensure that frame times remain consistent, even when the GPU is under heavy load.

The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 35684, places it well above the needs of this game. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and Intel Core i7-13700T, show nearly identical performance, with deltas under 1%. This means that in Doom, the CPU is never the limiting factor, and the measured FPS is almost entirely determined by the GPU’s rendering speed at each resolution and settings combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 232.1 FPS, which is the highest measured score in the entire dataset. Medium follows at 199.6 FPS, High at 172.2 FPS, and Ultra at 136.3 FPS. All of these numbers exceed the 120 FPS threshold, making 1080p ideal for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. The Low preset averages 147.7 FPS, Medium at 131 FPS, High at 111.1 FPS, and Ultra at 88.7 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra represents a 20% performance loss, which is significant enough that most users will prefer High for the smoother experience. The Low preset at 147.7 FPS is still well above 60 FPS, indicating that even the most demanding settings at 1440p are playable.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The Low preset averages 82.9 FPS, which is the only setting above 60 FPS. Medium drops to 68.8 FPS, High to 57.5 FPS, and Ultra to 48.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 34.4 FPS, representing a 41% performance spread. This data suggests that users targeting 4K should stick to Low or Medium settings for a playable experience, while High is borderline and Ultra is not recommended. The overall pattern across all resolutions confirms that the RX 6700 XT is the limiting component, with the CPU providing ample headroom for the GPU to operate at its full potential.