Doom

Doom’s 2016 release still serves as a demanding benchmark for modern hardware, and the measured data for the Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER provides a clear picture of how this combination handles the game. The dataset covers three resolutions and four quality presets, yielding twelve distinct average frame rate measurements. This analysis breaks down those results, focusing on the roles of the CPU and GPU, scaling behavior across resolutions, and practical settings guidance based strictly on the observed frame rates.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12th Gen Alder Lake desktop processor built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It offers 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The chip’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 25 MB L3 cache. This configuration places it in the 89th percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 35684.

In synthetic tests, the i7-12700K shows strong multi-threaded performance: it scores 12281 in Cinebench R20 multi-core and 29241 in Cinebench R23 multi-core. Single-thread performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R20 single-core score of 1733 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2561. For a game like Doom, which is known to scale well with both core count and single-thread speed, these numbers suggest the CPU is more than capable of feeding the GPU, especially at lower resolutions where CPU overhead becomes more relevant.

Looking at its nearest rivals, the i7-12700K sits within a tight performance band. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 by just 0.3% in average benchmark score, and it is 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T. The delta against the Intel Core i5-14500HX is -0.7%, and it leads the Intel Core i7-13800H by 0.8%. These margins are small, meaning that in CPU-bound scenarios, swapping between these processors would yield nearly imperceptible differences in Doom’s frame rate. The data indicates that the i7-12700K’s 12-core/20-thread layout, combined with its 5.00 GHz boost capability, ensures that frame pacing is not limited by the processor in most of the measured settings, particularly at 1440p and 4K.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is an Ada Lovelace architecture GPU built on TSMC’s 5 nm process, featuring 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. It ships with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The core runs at a base clock of 2295 MHz and boosts to 2550 MHz, while memory operates at an effective 23 Gbps. The GPU offers 10240 shading units, 320 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units, along with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores.

In the database, the RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, is only 0.2% behind, while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M trails by 0.4%. The RTX 4080 SUPER leads the AMD Radeon RX 7700S by 2.1% and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti by 2.9%. These deltas suggest that the RTX 4080 SUPER is a high-end card, though not at the absolute top of the range, and its performance in Doom will be dictated heavily by the chosen resolution and preset.

For Doom specifically, the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for any of the tested presets, including Ultra at 4K, where the average frame rate drops to 82.8 FPS. The card’s high pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s allow it to handle the game’s fast-paced rendering demands without apparent bottlenecks in the measured data. The boost clock of 2550 MHz ensures that the card maintains high throughput in sustained load, which is consistent with the strong frame rates observed even at 4K High.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates reveal a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 400.2 FPS, which drops to 257 FPS at 1440p and 139.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35.8% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45.9% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The massive frame rate at 1080p Low (400.2 FPS) strongly indicates a CPU or game-engine limit, as even the most powerful GPUs would struggle to push beyond that in many titles.

At High settings, the scaling is similar: 295.7 FPS at 1080p, 189.1 FPS at 1440p, and 101.4 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36.0%, and from 1440p to 4K is 46.4%. For Ultra settings, the numbers are 238.2 FPS, 153.9 FPS, and 82.8 FPS respectively, with reductions of 35.4% and 46.2%. The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary scaling factor as resolution increases, while the CPU’s influence remains constant.

The data implies that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, evidenced by the fact that even at Ultra (238.2 FPS), the GPU has headroom. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting component, especially at Ultra, where the average frame rate falls below 90 FPS. The transition point appears to be around 1440p, where the system balances CPU and GPU loads more evenly, yielding frame rates that are still highly playable (153.9 FPS at Ultra). Overall, the scaling shows a typical behavior: resolution increases shift the bottleneck from the i7-12700K to the RTX 4080 SUPER.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700K strong enough to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4080 SUPER in Doom?

A: At 1080p, the data suggests yes, but only up to a point. The 400.2 FPS result at Low settings is likely a CPU or engine cap, but at Ultra (238.2 FPS), the CPU still keeps up. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as frame rates scale smoothly with GPU load.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its closest rival in terms of raw GPU benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 53610 on average, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (53489) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (53414). It is 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S and 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.

Q: What is the biggest FPS drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings?

A: The largest relative drop occurs at Low settings, where the frame rate falls from 400.2 FPS at 1080p to 139.1 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 65.2%. At Ultra, the drop is from 238.2 FPS to 82.8 FPS, a 65.2% reduction as well.

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at every tested preset. The lowest average is 82.8 FPS at Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. High settings yield 101.4 FPS, and Medium provides 123.4 FPS.

Q: Which resolution offers the best balance of frame rate and visual quality based on the data?

A: 1440p appears optimal. At High settings, the average frame rate is 189.1 FPS, and even at Ultra it maintains 153.9 FPS. This is significantly smoother than 4K Ultra (82.8 FPS) while offering much higher visual fidelity than 1080p.

Q: Does the CPU’s synthetic benchmark score correlate with its performance in Doom?

A: The i7-12700K’s average benchmark score of 35684 places it in the 89th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.8% of its score. In Doom, the CPU’s role is evident at 1080p Low, where the frame rate caps at 400.2 FPS, but beyond that, the GPU dominates the results.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the data points to 1440p as the sweet spot. At 1440p Ultra, the system delivers an average of 153.9 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors and provides the full visual experience. For players prioritizing maximum smoothness, 1440p High at 189.1 FPS offers a 22.9% increase in frame rate over Ultra with only a minor reduction in visual quality settings.

At 4K, the choice is clearer. Ultra settings yield 82.8 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced competitive play. Dropping to High at 4K brings the average up to 101.4 FPS, a 22.5% improvement, making it the recommended preset for 4K users who want a balance of fidelity and responsiveness. Medium at 4K (123.4 FPS) is an option for those seeking even higher frame rates, but the visual degradation from High to Medium is more noticeable than from Ultra to High in most games.

At 1080p, the system is overkill for Doom. Even Ultra settings produce 238.2 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of almost all monitors. The data suggests that players at 1080p should simply enable Ultra, as there is no meaningful performance penalty, and the CPU is likely the limiting factor at lower presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes the exact average frame rates from the dataset for each resolution and settings combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 101.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 139.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 123.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 82.8 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 189.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 257 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 222.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 153.9 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 295.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 400.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 350 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 238.2 |

The data shows a consistent pattern: at each resolution, Low settings provide the highest frame rate, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is largest at 1080p (161.9 FPS difference) and smallest at 4K (56.3 FPS difference), indicating that the GPU becomes more dominant as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 82.8 FPS, which is 17.2 FPS below the 100 FPS threshold often considered ideal for high-refresh-rate displays, but still perfectly playable for a single-player title like Doom.