Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Doom with the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 580 show a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 104.2 FPS, but this drops to 65.4 FPS at 1440p and further to 37.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a 37.2% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and another 43.3% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is steep, indicating that the RX 580 becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Looking at the High settings preset, the same trend emerges: 73.4 FPS at 1080p falls to 50.9 FPS at 1440p (a 30.7% drop) and then to 25.5 FPS at 4K (a 49.9% drop from 1440p). The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling, starting at 63 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 39 FPS at 1440p, and falling to 22.5 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K results widens as settings increase, which suggests that the GPU's compute resources are being saturated by both resolution and graphical complexity simultaneously.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the system is reasonably balanced, with even the most demanding Ultra preset achieving 63 FPS. However, the steep decline at 1440p and 4K points to the RX 580's 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance being insufficient for higher pixel counts. The 4K results across all settings fall below 37.1 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced FPS title like Doom. The 1080p results, by contrast, show that the i7-12700KF has ample headroom, as evidenced by the CPU's strong benchmark scores, including a passmark_multithread score of 34092 and a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 28979.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is built on the Polaris 20 chip using GCN 4.0 architecture with a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries. It operates at a base clock of 1257 MHz with a boost clock of 1340 MHz, and its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory runs at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. These specifications place the GPU at the 53rd percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13559. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (avgScore 13564, deltaPct 0), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 (avgScore 13549, deltaPct 0.1), AMD Radeon Pro 455 (avgScore 13416, deltaPct 1.1), and NVIDIA P106-090 (avgScore 13716, deltaPct -1.1). The RX 580 effectively sits in a tight performance cluster, within 1.1% of all four rivals.

In Doom specifically, the RX 580's memory configuration plays a role in the observed scaling. The 8 GB frame buffer is sufficient for 4K textures, but the 256.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a constraint as resolution increases. The measured results show that at 4K, even Low settings only achieve 37.1 FPS, which is only 35.6% of the 1080p Low result. This disproportionate drop suggests that memory bandwidth, not capacity, is the limiting factor at 4K. The GPU's 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units are also being pushed hard, as indicated by the texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s.

The GPU's DirectX 12 support (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3 support are relevant for Doom, which is known to use Vulkan effectively. However, the benchmark results show that the RX 580's overall compute capability, as reflected in its passmark_g3d score of 8813 and passmark_gpu_compute score of 3488, is the determining factor. The 4K Ultra result of 22.5 FPS is particularly telling—it shows that the GPU is fully saturated at that configuration, leaving no room for additional graphical effects.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Doom?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where all settings presets achieve playable frame rates. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset manages 63 FPS, while Low reaches 104.2 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (65.4 FPS) and Medium (58.3 FPS) stay above 55 FPS, and at 4K, all presets fall below 37.1 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 13559, placing it at the 53rd percentile. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, scores 13564 with a 0% deltaPct, meaning they are effectively tied. The GTX 950 is just 0.1% behind, while the AMD Radeon Pro 455 is 1.1% behind and the NVIDIA P106-090 is 1.1% ahead.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: At 1080p, the CPU shows it can handle the workload, given its strong benchmark scores (cinebench_r23_multicore of 28979, passmark_multithread of 34092). However, the steep FPS drops at higher resolutions—from 73.4 FPS at 1080p High to 25.5 FPS at 4K High—indicate the GPU becomes the limiting component as pixel count rises.

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

A: At 1440p, Low settings produce 65.4 FPS, while Ultra produces 39 FPS. This is a difference of 26.4 FPS, or a 40.4% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest preset. Medium sits between them at 58.3 FPS, and High achieves 50.9 FPS.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM affect performance at 4K?

A: The 8 GB GDDR5 memory is not exhausted at 4K in terms of capacity, but the 256.0 GB/s bandwidth appears to be a constraint. The 4K results show a consistent pattern of lower frame rates across all presets, with the best 4K result (Low at 37.1 FPS) being only 35.6% of the best 1080p result (Low at 104.2 FPS), suggesting bandwidth limitations rather than capacity issues.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 1560 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the bottom 7.2% of all tested configurations, which is consistent with the GPU's mid-range positioning at the 53rd percentile.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 1560 out of 1681 tested combinations in Doom. This places it in the bottom 7.2% of all tested combos, which is a poor showing for a system with such a capable CPU. The i7-12700KF itself is a strong processor, ranking in the 89th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 35355. Its nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Core i5-14400 (avgScore 35336, deltaPct 0.1), Intel Core i7-13800H (avgScore 35416, deltaPct -0.2), Intel Core i9-12900HX (avgScore 35289, deltaPct 0.2), and Intel Core i5-13600T (avgScore 35256, deltaPct 0.3).

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile ranking and the combo's low rank in Doom underscores the extent to which the RX 580 holds back the system. The CPU's 3dmark_max_threads score of 9983 and passmark_single_thread score of 3984 indicate it is not the limiting factor in this game. Instead, the GPU, which sits at the 53rd percentile with an average benchmark score of 13559, is the bottleneck. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU results in a system that underperforms relative to its processor potential in this title.

When compared to the 1681 total combos, this pairing is clearly optimized for CPU-intensive workloads rather than high-resolution gaming. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p, the system can deliver smooth frame rates, but at 4K, it falls below 37.1 FPS across all settings. The rank of 1560 reflects this limitation, as the majority of other tested combos likely feature more balanced or GPU-focused configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset for this combo in Doom depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering 91.8 FPS while providing a significant visual improvement over Low (104.2 FPS). The High preset at 1080p still achieves a respectable 73.4 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High costs 18.4 FPS (a 20% reduction) for what is a modest visual upgrade in most games. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 63 FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing returns.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only option that stays comfortably above 60 FPS, achieving 65.4 FPS. The Medium preset at 58.3 FPS is close to the 60 FPS threshold and may be acceptable for some users, but it carries a 10.9% performance penalty compared to Low. The High preset at 50.9 FPS and Ultra at 39 FPS are both below the ideal range for a fast-paced FPS. For 4K, no preset achieves playable frame rates—the best result is Low at 37.1 FPS, which is below 40 FPS and would likely feel sluggish in combat scenarios.

For the best overall experience, the data suggests using Medium settings at 1080p. This configuration provides 91.8 FPS, which is 45.7% higher than the High preset's 63 FPS at 4K and offers a smooth experience. If visual fidelity is prioritized over frame rate, High at 1080p is the highest preset that maintains a playable frame rate, but Medium offers a better margin of safety. At 1440p, users should stick to Low settings to maintain frame rates above 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates for Doom with the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 580 is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 104.2 FPS
• Medium: 91.8 FPS
• High: 73.4 FPS
• Ultra: 63 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 65.4 FPS
• Medium: 58.3 FPS
• High: 50.9 FPS
• Ultra: 39 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 37.1 FPS
• Medium: 28.5 FPS
• High: 25.5 FPS
• Ultra: 22.5 FPS

The data reveals a consistent pattern across all settings: each resolution step from 1080p to 1440p to 4K results in substantial frame rate reductions. At 1080p, the spread between Low and Ultra is 41.2 FPS (from 104.2 down to 63). At 1440p, this spread narrows to 26.4 FPS (from 65.4 down to 39). At 4K, the spread is just 14.6 FPS (from 37.1 down to 22.5). This narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the dominant constraint, as the relative impact of settings diminishes when the pixel count alone overwhelms the GPU's capabilities.

The most efficient setting at each resolution is Low, which delivers 104.2 FPS at 1080p, 65.4 FPS at 1440p, and 37.1 FPS at 4K. The least efficient is Ultra, which delivers 63, 39, and 22.5 FPS at the same respective resolutions. The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with 91.8, 58.3, and 28.5 FPS. The High preset sits between Medium and Ultra, with 73.4, 50.9, and 25.5 FPS. Across all resolutions, the jump from Low to Medium costs roughly 12-19% of performance, while the jump from High to Ultra costs approximately 14-23%.