Doom

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a peculiar case in Doom. The data shows a system where the processor is a high-end desktop part, while the graphics solution is an integrated-class GPU. The benchmark results across resolutions and settings reveal a significant bottleneck that shifts depending on the workload, but the overall experience is consistently constrained by the graphics hardware. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the combo’s ranking, and the specific roles the CPU and GPU play in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and predictable decline as resolution increases, which is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 78 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that average to 51 FPS, a reduction of 27 FPS. At 4K (3840x2160), the average falls further to 28 FPS. This scaling pattern—where performance is nearly halved at each major resolution step—demonstrates that the rendering pipeline is heavily dependent on the graphics processor’s fill rate and shading capabilities.

The trend is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 107 at 1080p, to 69 at 1440p, and down to 37 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is a 38 FPS loss, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is a 32 FPS loss. This linear degradation in performance is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the limiting component; the CPU is not able to offset the increased pixel load. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K average remains below 40 FPS confirms that the GPU is saturated well before the resolution becomes a factor for the processor.

Furthermore, the scaling between settings at a fixed resolution is also telling. At 1080p, moving from Low to High costs 29 FPS (from 107 to 78), and moving to Ultra costs another 14 FPS (from 78 to 64). At 4K, the same progression from Low to High costs only 9 FPS (from 37 to 28), and to Ultra costs another 6 FPS (from 28 to 22). The smaller absolute differences at higher resolutions indicate that the GPU is already working at its limit; increasing the settings has diminishing returns on the frame rate because the hardware is fully occupied. This behavior points to a system that is entirely GPU-limited, with the CPU having ample headroom to handle the game’s logic and draw calls even at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Doom, this specific pairing does not fare well. The combo ranks at 2580 out of 2930 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 12% of all systems tested for this game, indicating that while it is playable at lower resolutions, it is far from competitive in terms of raw performance.

The low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s performance class. The Intel Arc B390 has a percentile rank of 9 against all tested GPUs, meaning it performs better than only 9% of the graphics cards in the database. Its average benchmark score is 1482, which is practically in a dead heat with its nearest rivals. The data shows it is just 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M, and 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM. These are all legacy, entry-level parts, which puts the Arc B390’s performance into stark perspective.

Conversely, the Intel Core i7-12700K is a much more capable component. It holds a percentile rank of 84 against all tested CPUs, outperforming 84% of processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T and the Intel Core i7-12700KF, with performance deltas of -0.1% and -0.2% respectively. This means the CPU’s performance is essentially equivalent to those parts, placing it firmly in the upper echelon of desktop processors. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a bottom-tier GPU results in a system that is fundamentally unbalanced for gaming, leading to the low overall ranking.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Doom at 4K?

A: Technically, yes, but the experience is poor. The data shows an average FPS of 28 at 4K with High settings and 22 FPS with Ultra settings. These frame rates are below the threshold for smooth, responsive gameplay, so while the game will run, it will not be a pleasant experience.

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this hardware?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1080p is the only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p with High settings, it hits an average of 78 FPS, which is generally considered smooth. At 1440p, the average drops to 51 FPS, which is borderline, and at 4K it falls below 30 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its direct competitors?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is only marginally faster than its closest rivals. The data shows it is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M, and 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM. Its performance is effectively in the same tier as these very old, low-end cards.

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Arc B390 has a low performance percentile (9) and its FPS scales linearly with resolution, which is a hallmark of a GPU bottleneck. The i7-12700K, on the other hand, is a high-end processor (84th percentile) and is unlikely to be the cause of any frame rate limitations.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium settings?

A: At 1080p with Medium settings, the system reports an average FPS of 93, with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS. This indicates a fairly stable frame rate, with less variance than what might be seen if the CPU were struggling.

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

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K is virtually tied with its nearest competitors. It is 0.1% slower than the Intel Core i5-13600T, 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-12700KF, and 0.4% slower than the Intel Core 5 213PE. This shows that the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its class.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact performance of the Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel Arc B390 combination in Doom.

At 1080p (1920x1080), the system delivers its best results. With Low settings, the average FPS is 107. Raising the settings to Medium yields an average of 93 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS. High settings produce an average of 78 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, brings the average down to 64 FPS. This shows a clear gradient where the player can trade visual quality for higher frame rates, but even at Ultra, the game remains playable.

At 1440p (2560x1440), the performance drops significantly. Low settings result in an average of 69 FPS. Medium settings average 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 69. High settings average 51 FPS. Ultra settings push the average down to 41 FPS. The frame rates here are playable at Low and Medium, but High and Ultra start to feel less fluid, especially in fast-paced action sequences.

At 4K (3840x2160), the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 37 FPS. Medium settings average 33 FPS, with a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 37. High settings yield an average of 28 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of just 22 FPS. None of these results meet the 60 FPS target that most players would prefer, and even the 30 FPS baseline is only met at Low settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck in this system. Its specifications reveal a part designed for low-power, integrated use. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, but it relies on "System Shared" memory, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which means its performance can vary wildly based on the system’s RAM configuration. This is a critical weakness for a game like Doom, which benefits greatly from dedicated, high-bandwidth video memory.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are also limited. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster output units (ROPs). Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. These numbers are extremely low for a modern gaming GPU, explaining why the FPS drops so sharply when resolution and settings are increased. The GPU is responsible for the entire frame render, and its limited fill rate and shading power are the direct cause of the low average FPS at 1440p and 4K.

The GPU’s benchmark score is 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This score places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its position at the very bottom of the performance spectrum. The fact that it is an "IGP" with a TDP of 80 W and no power connectors further reinforces that this is not a part intended for high-end gaming. The data suggests that the GPU’s performance is entirely consistent with its hardware profile, and it is the sole reason the combo ranks so poorly in Doom.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is an exceptionally powerful processor that is entirely underutilized in this pairing. It features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This is a desktop-class processor from the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. In contrast to the GPU, its performance profile is that of a high-end enthusiast part.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are consistently strong. In Cinebench R23, it scores 19784 points in multi-core and 1850.5 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 15790 multi-core and 2308 single-core. Its 3DMark scores are also robust, including 9979 for max threads and 1043 for single thread. These results place the CPU in the 84th percentile of all tested processors, showing that it is capable of handling any modern game’s CPU demands without breaking a sweat.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls. Given the high single-thread and multi-thread scores, the i7-12700K is more than capable of feeding the GPU with data. The fact that the FPS scales so directly with resolution and settings confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor; there is no point where the processor is causing a frame rate stall. The CPU is essentially waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame, leaving a massive amount of headroom unused. This is a case where the processor’s potential is completely wasted by the graphics adapter it is paired with.