Doom

The Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT pairing in Doom delivers a fascinating study in balance, with the data revealing how a powerful CPU can boost even a GPU-heavy title. The measured frame rates show this combo not only handles but dominates at standard resolutions, while the 4K results expose where the graphical load finally catches up to the processor's immense headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking pattern in the data is the dramatic FPS drop as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 290.3 FPS at 1080p to 190.5 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 102.2 FPS at 4K. This represents a 64.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the RX 6800 XT is being pushed progressively harder while the i7-12700K remains largely idle.

The Ultra preset tells a similar but steeper story. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 176 FPS, but this drops to 110.4 FPS at 1440p and just 59.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling—it is the only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS, suggesting that this is the point where the GPU's 16 GB of memory and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth become the defining constraint, rather than the CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads.

Notably, the scaling between Medium and High settings is nearly uniform across all resolutions. At 1080p, the gap between Medium (255.9 FPS) and High (211.9 FPS) is 44 FPS, while at 4K it narrows to just 9.3 FPS (87.4 vs 78.1). This convergence at higher resolutions strongly implies that the GPU's raw compute limits are being approached, whereas at lower resolutions the CPU's 5.00 GHz boost clock can still extract additional performance from the engine.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo achieves in Doom?

A: The highest measured average is 290.3 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is nearly 4.8 times higher than the lowest recorded average of 59.9 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the i7-12700K bottleneck the RX 6800 XT in this game?

A: At 1080p, the data suggests no CPU bottleneck. The combo reaches 290.3 FPS at Low and 176 FPS at Ultra, which are extremely high values. The CPU's 5.00 GHz boost clock and 20 threads provide ample headroom, as evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and settings rather than showing CPU-limited plateaus.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for Doom?

A: The combo ranks 580th out of 1681 tested combinations. This places it in the 65.5th percentile of all combos, indicating that while it is not a top-tier configuration, it significantly outperforms the majority of systems tested in this game.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 190.5 FPS, while Ultra drops to 110.4 FPS. The 80.1 FPS difference represents a 42.1% performance penalty for the highest visual quality, which is relatively modest given the graphical enhancements Ultra typically provides.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: Yes. At 4K, the combo achieves 102.2 FPS on Low, 87.4 FPS on Medium, and 78.1 FPS on High. Only the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS at 59.9 FPS, so gamers can comfortably play at 4K with High settings and still have substantial headroom above the 60 FPS threshold.

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

A: The i7-12700K's average benchmark score of 35684 is just 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845's 35802, and 0.6% higher than the Intel Core i7-13700T's 35468. This places it in a very tight performance band, with all four nearest rivals within 1.5% of its score.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data strongly favors High settings as the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance. At 1080p, High produces 211.9 FPS, which is only 29.9% lower than Low but still 20.3% higher than Ultra. At 1440p, High delivers 142 FPS, comfortably above the 110.4 FPS of Ultra while retaining the majority of visual quality improvements over Medium.

At 4K, High settings yield 78.1 FPS, which is 30.4% higher than Ultra's 59.9 FPS. This means that choosing High over Ultra at 4K maintains smooth gameplay while sacrificing only the most demanding graphical effects. Low settings at 4K achieve 102.2 FPS, but the visual downgrade is substantial, and the extra 24.1 FPS over High is unlikely to be perceptible on most displays.

For competitive play at 1080p, Low settings provide the 290.3 FPS needed for maximum responsiveness, but for the vast majority of players, High represents the sweet spot. The data indicates that Medium settings (255.9 FPS at 1080p) offer diminishing returns over High, making High the recommended preset across all resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 580 out of 1681 tested combos, this i7-12700K + RX 6800 XT configuration sits in the upper 34.5% of all systems benchmarked for Doom. This is a strong result, particularly considering the game's 2016 release date and the fact that many newer, more expensive combinations have been tested since.

The rank of 580 suggests that while this combo is not among the absolute elite—those would be configurations with newer flagship GPUs—it is remarkably competitive. The RX 6800 XT's 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the i7-12700K's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs both contribute to this solid overall position. The gap to the top is primarily driven by the GPU's 16 GB memory and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth, which are sufficient for Doom but less impressive than newer cards.

Interestingly, the combo's rank in Doom is slightly lower than the GPU's individual percentile (87th) would suggest. This implies that the game is not fully CPU-bound, and that the 580th position reflects the GPU being the primary driver of performance in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K brings substantial firepower to this pairing, with 12 cores, 20 threads, and a 5.00 GHz boost clock. In Doom, which is known for its well-optimized id Tech engine, these specifications provide enormous headroom. The CPU's 3dmark_single_thread score of 1043 and cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 4128 indicate exceptional per-core performance, which is critical for games that rely on a primary render thread.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any measured configuration. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work to do, the combo still reaches 290.3 FPS without appearing to hit a CPU ceiling. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache likely help maintain consistent frame delivery, while the 10 nm process node and 125 W TDP allow for sustained boost clocks during extended gaming sessions.

The benchmark results reinforce this view. With a passmark_multithread score of 34404 and passmark_single_thread of 4013, the i7-12700K is clearly capable of feeding the RX 6800 XT at any resolution used in this test. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking versus all CPUs, and its tight competition with the Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (just 0.3% difference), confirm it is a top-tier gaming processor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest averages: 290.3 FPS on Low, 255.9 FPS on Medium, 211.9 FPS on High, and 176 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 114.3 FPS, or 39.4% lower for the highest quality setting. This resolution showcases the CPU's ability to push frame rates well beyond typical display refresh rates, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to 190.5 FPS (Low), 166.3 FPS (Medium), 142 FPS (High), and 110.4 FPS (Ultra). The reduction from 1080p is consistent at roughly 34% for each setting, indicating that the GPU is scaling predictably with pixel count. The 1440p Ultra figure of 110.4 FPS still provides excellent smoothness for most gamers.

At 3840x2160, the results are 102.2 FPS (Low), 87.4 FPS (Medium), 78.1 FPS (High), and 59.9 FPS (Ultra). The 4K Ultra number is the only one below 60 FPS, which is a critical threshold for console-quality smoothness. The transition from Low to Ultra at 4K costs 42.3 FPS, or 41.4% of the Low average, showing that the GPU's compute units (4608 shading units) and 20.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance are heavily taxed at this resolution.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the performance driver in this analysis, with its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's 2250 MHz boost clock and 20.74 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are substantial, but the data shows that Doom at 4K Ultra pushes this card to its limits.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its capabilities. With a passmark_g3d score of 24980 and a 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 3689, the RX 6800 XT performs well but trails newer cards like the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, which scores 2.6% higher in average benchmarks. The GPU ranks in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, which is strong but not elite.

In Doom specifically, the GPU's role becomes dominant at 4K. The fact that 4K Ultra drops to 59.9 FPS while the CPU remains capable of far more suggests that the GPU's 128 ROPs and 288 TMUs are the bottleneck at that setting. The 7 nm process node and 300 W TDP allow for high clocks, but the 520 mm² die size and 26,800 million transistors indicate a large, power-hungry chip that is well-suited for high-resolution gaming, albeit with diminishing returns at the highest presets.