Doom

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 29th out of 1681 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the top 2% of all configurations. This is an exceptionally strong pairing for this title, with the data showing that the combination of a high-end Alder Lake CPU and the flagship Ada Lovelace GPU produces frame rates that will overwhelm virtually any display on the market. The ranking reflects that while there are a handful of faster combinations, this setup sits in the upper echelon of what is achievable in this game, delivering a level of performance that leaves very little on the table for most users.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 29 out of 1681 places this system in the 98th percentile of all tested configurations for Doom. This is a dominant position, indicating that the i7-12700K and RTX 4090 together are far more than sufficient for this game's engine. The data shows this pairing is not merely capable, but rather it is positioned to deliver maximum frame rates at any resolution. The performance gap between this combo and the vast majority of others is substantial, as the top 29 spots are likely occupied by configurations with even more extreme hardware, but for practical purposes, this rank signifies that the system is not the bottleneck in any realistic gaming scenario for Doom. The percentile ranking of the CPU itself is 89, meaning it outperforms 89% of all processors tested, and the GPU sits at the 91st percentile, solidifying that both components are top-tier, which is reflected in the overall combo ranking.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant force in this pairing, featuring 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. With a boost clock of 2520 MHz, the card's raw compute power is immense, evidenced by its 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. In Doom, a title that is not particularly demanding by modern standards, the RTX 4090 is able to run at incredibly high frame rates. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the card pushes an average of 422.6 FPS, and even at the most demanding preset (Ultra) at 4K, it maintains an average of 94.4 FPS. The GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are far beyond what Doom requires, ensuring that there is no texture streaming or bandwidth bottleneck. The benchmark results indicate that the limiting factor at lower resolutions is not the GPU, but rather the CPU's ability to feed it frames, as evidenced by the relatively smaller gains when dropping from 1440p to 1080p at lower settings.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo overkill for playing Doom at 1080p?

A: The data indicates yes. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 422.6 FPS. Even at Ultra settings, it maintains 269.4 FPS. These figures are far beyond the refresh rates of most monitors, suggesting the hardware is not being fully utilized at this resolution.

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on High settings provides an excellent balance, yielding an average of 210.9 FPS. This is a significant jump from the 112.5 FPS at 4K High, while still maintaining a very high level of visual fidelity. For those with 1440p high-refresh monitors, this is the sweet spot.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4090's average benchmark score is 66473. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, has an average score of 66733, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 is 0.9% lower, and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 is 1.3% lower. The differences are negligible, placing them in the same performance tier.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700K's multi-threaded performance compare to similar CPUs?

A: The i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 is its closest competitor with a score of 35802, which is 0.3% faster. The Intel Core i7-13700T is 0.6% slower, and the Intel Core i5-14500HX is 0.7% faster. The i7-12700K is essentially on par with these rivals.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K?

A: The data shows a significant difference. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 156.2 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 94.4 FPS. This represents a 61.8 FPS drop in average frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra, a 39.6% reduction in performance.

Q: Can this system achieve a stable 144 FPS at 4K?

A: Based on the measured data, it cannot maintain that on all presets. At 4K with High settings, the average is 112.5 FPS, and on Ultra it drops to 94.4 FPS. To reach 144 FPS at 4K, you would need to use the Low preset, which averages 156.2 FPS, or the Medium preset, which averages 135 FPS, which is still below 144.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, the data points to the High preset at 2560x1440. This configuration yields an average of 210.9 FPS, which is a superb target for high-refresh-rate gaming. It provides a substantial visual upgrade over the Medium preset (251.1 FPS) while still offering a massive performance buffer. At 4K, the High preset is the most balanced choice, delivering 112.5 FPS, which is playable but does not hit the 144 FPS mark. The Ultra preset is only recommended for users who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over frame rate, as it still delivers a very playable 94.4 FPS at 4K and 174.8 FPS at 1440p. The data suggests that the Low preset is unnecessary for this hardware, as the performance gains it offers (e.g., 156.2 vs 135 FPS at 4K) are not worth the significant reduction in visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates scale from 156.2 FPS on Low to 135 FPS on Medium, 112.5 FPS on High, and finally 94.4 FPS on Ultra. This shows a consistent performance cost for each step up in visual quality, with the largest drop occurring between Medium and High.

At 2560x1440, the system is exceptionally fast. The Low preset averages 286.7 FPS, Medium averages 251.1 FPS, High averages 210.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 174.8 FPS. These numbers indicate that the GPU is still the primary driver of performance, but the CPU is becoming more relevant.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are incredibly high, ranging from 422.6 FPS on Low, 391.1 FPS on Medium, 330 FPS on High, and 269.4 FPS on Ultra. The relative differences between settings are smaller than at 4K, suggesting that the CPU is starting to limit the frame rate more significantly at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its 25 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a versatile and powerful chip. In Doom, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The benchmark data reveals that at 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate is 422.6 FPS, which is a clear indication of CPU involvement. The fact that the frame rate increases from 269.4 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 422.6 FPS at 1080p Low shows that the CPU is capable of handling a massive number of frames per second. Its single-threaded performance, as indicated by a Passmark single-thread score of 4013, is crucial for this game's engine, and the data suggests it is more than adequate to keep the RTX 4090 well-fed at all but the most extreme frame rates. The CPU's performance relative to its peers is very tight, with a 0.3% difference to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and a 0.6% difference to the Intel Core i7-13700T, confirming it is a top-tier gaming processor.