Doom

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT ranks 1073rd out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places the combination in the lower-middle tier of the database, meaning that while it delivers playable performance, it is not a top-tier setup for this title. The ranking reflects a balance: the CPU is a strong performer in its own right, but the GPU holds the combo back from higher standings, particularly at higher resolutions where the graphics card's 128-bit memory bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 89th among all processors indicates a well-above-average component. Its average benchmark score of 35684 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35802, deltaPct -0.3) and the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35940, deltaPct -0.7). This shows that the i7-12700K is not a bottleneck in Doom, as its compute capabilities far exceed what the GPU can feed it in most scenarios. Conversely, the GPU's percentile ranking of 63rd among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 20146, is the more modest contributor. It sits within a narrow band of competitors: the AMD Radeon RX 460 (20088, deltaPct 0.3), the RX 7600 (20258, deltaPct -0.6), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER (19774, deltaPct 1.9). The tight deltas suggest that the RX 7600 XT is a mid-pack GPU, and the combo's overall rank reflects this ceiling.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the primary determinant of frame rates in Doom, especially at 4K. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is ample for this game, but the 128-bit bus width and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest by modern standards. The GPU's boost clock of 2755 MHz and game clock of 2470 MHz provide solid raw compute, with an FP32 throughput of 22.57 TFLOPS. However, the pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 352.6 GTexel/s indicate that fill-rate-bound scenarios, such as 4K Ultra, will strain the card.

Benchmark results show the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 17132 and DirectX 12 score of 65, which are unremarkable for a card in its class. In Doom, the GPU's performance scales predictably with settings: at 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 69 at Low to 44.1 at Ultra, a 36% reduction. This demonstrates that the GPU is fully utilized across the settings spectrum, with no CPU-induced plateau. At 1920x1080, the same settings range yields 202.7 to 118.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU remains the limiting factor even at lower resolutions, though the margin narrows. The 16 GB VRAM never becomes a constraint in Doom, as the game's textures are not particularly demanding, but the memory bandwidth does cap performance in high-fill-rate scenes.

FAQ

Q: How well does this combo perform at 4K in Doom?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo averages 49.3 FPS on High settings, 59.4 FPS on Medium, and 44.1 FPS on Ultra. Only the Low preset achieves a fluid 69 FPS, making 4K playable only at reduced settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K a bottleneck for the RX 7600 XT in Doom?

A: No. The CPU's average benchmark score of 35684 is within 0.8% of its nearest rivals, and its 3DMark max-thread score of 9979 shows ample headroom. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 17132 is the weaker link, and the FPS data confirms the GPU as the limiting component.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: For 2560x1440, the High preset yields 96.4 FPS, which is smooth. Ultra drops to 81.1 FPS, still playable, while Medium offers 111.8 FPS and Low 127.2 FPS. High provides the best balance of visual quality and frame rate.

Q: How does the RX 7600 XT compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 7600 XT's average benchmark score of 20146 is within 1.9% of the RTX 2060 SUPER (19774) and within 0.6% of the RX 7600 (20258). This indicates near-identical performance, with the RX 7600 XT slightly ahead of the RTX 2060 SUPER but slightly behind the RX 7600.

Q: Can this combo hit 200 FPS in Doom?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low settings, where it averages 202.7 FPS. At Medium, it drops to 176.9 FPS, and at High, 147.9 FPS. No 1440p or 4K preset reaches 200 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU's 12-core / 20-thread configuration matter for Doom?

A: Doom is not heavily multi-threaded, but the i7-12700K's single-thread performance is strong, with a PassMark single-thread score of 4013. This ensures the CPU never becomes a bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling across resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 202.7 FPS on Low, 176.9 FPS on Medium, 147.9 FPS on High, and 118.1 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that even at Ultra, the 1080p experience remains smooth for most displays, though the 118.1 FPS figure is 42% lower than the Low preset's output. The gap between settings narrows at higher resolutions: at 2560x1440, Low produces 127.2 FPS, Medium 111.8 FPS, High 96.4 FPS, and Ultra 81.1 FPS. This represents a 36% drop from Low to Ultra, showing that the GPU's workload scales with settings.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates fall further: Low averages 69 FPS, Medium 59.4 FPS, High 49.3 FPS, and Ultra 44.1 FPS. The 4K results show a compressed range, with only 24.9 FPS separating Low and Ultra. This compression suggests that the GPU is nearing its fill-rate limits, as the pixel rate of 176.3 GPixel/s cannot keep up with the 8.3 million pixels of 4K when settings increase. The data shows no min or max FPS values, so only averages are available, but the averages alone paint a consistent picture: the RX 7600 XT is a 1080p-to-1440p card, with 4K reserved for Low or Medium settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K's role in Doom is secondary but supportive. With 12 cores, 20 threads, a base clock of 3.60 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, the CPU provides more than enough compute for this game. Its Alder Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, delivers strong single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4128. These figures are crucial for Doom, which relies on a single main thread for game logic.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and a PassMark multi-thread score of 34404, are far beyond what Doom requires. This is confirmed by the FPS data: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 202.7 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine limit rather than a CPU bottleneck. The nearest CPU rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, scores 35802 (deltaPct -0.3), showing that the i7-12700K is on par with its peers. The CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide low-latency access to game data, but in Doom, the GPU's 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is the more critical factor. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs ensures it will not hold back the GPU in this title.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests prioritizing resolution over settings. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers 147.9 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of many monitors, while Ultra drops to 118.1 FPS. The visual difference between High and Ultra in Doom is modest, so High is the optimal preset for 1080p, as it maintains a high frame rate without sacrificing much image quality. For 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 96.4 FPS, which is smooth for most players. Ultra at 81.1 FPS is still playable, but the 15.3 FPS loss from High may not justify the extra visual fidelity. Medium at 111.8 FPS is the best choice for competitive play, but High offers the best balance.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The Low preset averages 69 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, while Medium drops to 59.4 FPS and High to 49.3 FPS. Ultra is the only preset that falls below 45 FPS, at 44.1 FPS, which is borderline. For 4K, the Medium preset is the best compromise, offering 59.4 FPS with acceptable visual quality. Low is the only preset that maintains a consistent 60+ FPS, but the visual hit is significant. The data shows that the RX 7600 XT is not a 4K Ultra card, so players should stick to 1440p High for the best overall experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the GPU as the limiting component. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 147.9 at 1920x1080 to 96.4 at 2560x1440, a 34.8% reduction, and then to 49.3 at 3840x2160, a further 48.9% reduction. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is bandwidth-limited: the 128-bit bus and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth struggle to feed the increasing pixel counts. From 1080p to 4K, the pixel count quadruples, and the FPS drops by 66.7% at High settings, indicating that the GPU's fill rate is the bottleneck.

At Low settings, the scaling is similar: 202.7 FPS at 1080p drops to 127.2 FPS at 1440p (37.2% reduction) and then to 69 FPS at 4K (45.8% further reduction). The consistent pattern across settings confirms that the CPU is not involved in the resolution scaling; the i7-12700K's performance is resolution-independent. The 4K Ultra result of 44.1 FPS is the lowest in the dataset, and it underscores that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p. The data indicates that the GPU's 22.57 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is sufficient for lower resolutions, but the memory bandwidth caps performance at 4K, making the RX 7600 XT a poor choice for 4K gaming in Doom.