Doom

The Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT pairing delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Doom, with the data showing a clear hierarchy where resolution and settings dictate whether the CPU or GPU becomes the limiting factor. This combination sits at rank 920 out of 1681 tested combos in this game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all possible pairings. The benchmark results indicate that this setup is capable of pushing well beyond 60 FPS at 4K and exceeding 200 FPS at 1080p, making it a versatile option for both competitive and visual fidelity-focused play.

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

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor built 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 give it substantial headroom for gaming workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979 and a single-core score of 4091, with a Passmark multithread score of 34092 and a single-thread score of 3984. These numbers place the chip at the 89th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the i7-12700KF is effectively tied with the Intel Core i5-14400, showing a delta of just 0.1% in average benchmark score. It edges out the Intel Core i9-12900HX by 0.2% and the Intel Core i5-13600T by 0.3%, while trailing the Intel Core i7-13800H by a negligible 0.2%. For Doom, which is a title from 2016 with a fast-paced engine, the CPU's strong single-thread performance is critical. The 3dmark single-thread score of 1043 and 2-thread score of 2065 indicate that the processor can handle the game's primary simulation thread without bottlenecking the GPU, particularly at lower resolutions where frame rates climb above 200 FPS.

The 20-thread count and high boost clock ensure that even with background tasks or streaming overhead, the CPU maintains consistent frame pacing. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 229.9 FPS, which is only possible when the CPU can rapidly feed draw calls to the GPU. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 4K, where frame rates drop to 52-81 FPS depending on settings, but it becomes more relevant at 1080p where the GPU has more headroom to work with.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 22 chip, featuring a base clock of 2321 MHz, a game clock of 2424 MHz, and a boost clock of 2581 MHz. It comes equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs provide a raw compute throughput of 13.21 TFLOPS FP32. In synthetic tests, it scores 19786 in Passmark G3D and 108032 in Geekbench Vulkan, placing it at the 77th percentile of all GPUs.

The RX 6700 XT's nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 6800, which is 0.7% faster, and the NVIDIA RTX A5000, which trails by 1.3%. Interestingly, the older AMD Radeon HD 7950 and RX 480 show a 1% higher average score, though this is likely due to driver-specific benchmark differences rather than real-world gaming performance. For Doom, the 12 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient, even at 4K Ultra settings, where the game's textures are modest by modern standards.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 384.0 GB/s proves adequate for the game's engine, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from Low to Ultra settings. At 1080p, the transition from Low to Ultra costs 90.3 FPS (from 229.9 to 139.6), while at 4K the same transition costs 29.2 FPS (from 81.2 to 52.0). This pattern suggests that at lower resolutions, the GPU has enough headroom to render extra effects, but at 4K, the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become more pressing constraints. The card's 165.2 GPixel/s pixel rate and 413.0 GTexel/s texture rate are the key specifications driving Doom's performance, as the game relies heavily on texture sampling and overdraw.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases. At High settings, the combo delivers 170.4 FPS at 1080p, 110.1 FPS at 1440p, and 57.9 FPS at 4K. This represents a 35.4% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 66.0% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the numbers are 229.9 FPS, 146.3 FPS, and 81.2 FPS respectively, showing a 36.4% drop to 1440p and a 64.7% drop to 4K. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

The most telling comparison comes from the Ultra settings, where the frame rate falls from 139.6 FPS at 1080p to 92.1 FPS at 1440p and 52.0 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops here are 34.0% and 62.8% respectively. Since Doom is a well-optimized title, these drops are almost entirely attributable to the GPU's pixel processing capabilities rather than CPU limitations. The fact that the CPU can maintain 229.9 FPS at 1080p Low without dipping suggests it has substantial headroom, and the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck as resolution increases.

When comparing Medium to High settings, the FPS difference at 1080p is 31.9 FPS (202.3 vs 170.4), but at 4K it narrows to 14.9 FPS (72.8 vs 57.9). This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that additional settings changes have a smaller relative impact. The data supports the conclusion that this combo is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it maintains over 90 FPS at Ultra and over 110 FPS at High, while still offering playable 4K performance at 52-57 FPS on the highest settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT achieves a rank of 920 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 54.7th percentile of all pairings. This ranking is solidly mid-pack, which may surprise some given the individual component strengths. The explanation lies in the fact that Doom is a highly optimized game that does not scale perfectly with hardware; many lower-tier GPUs can still achieve high frame rates due to the game's efficient Vulkan and OpenGL rendering paths.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and the GPU's 77th percentile ranking do not translate directly to a top-tier combo rank because the game's engine is more sensitive to GPU raw throughput than to CPU core count. The 12-core, 20-thread i7-12700KF is overkill for Doom, which primarily uses a few threads. Meanwhile, the RX 6700 XT's 13.21 TFLOPS is substantial, but cards with higher memory bandwidth or more ROPs may scale better in this specific title. The combo's rank of 920 suggests that while it outperforms many budget-oriented pairings, it is not in the top half of high-end configurations.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU's average benchmark score of 35355 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-14400's 35336, yet the i5-14400 might pair differently with other GPUs to achieve a better or worse rank depending on the combination. The GPU's average benchmark score of 33721 is close to the AMD Radeon RX 6800's 33493, but the 0.7% delta is unlikely to shift the combo rank significantly in-game. For a builder looking at this pairing, the rank indicates a balanced setup that will not embarrass itself in Doom, but there are 761 other combinations that deliver higher frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 229.9, which provides a comfortable margin above 144 Hz monitors. Medium settings yield 202.3 FPS, High settings produce 170.4 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 139.6 FPS. All of these numbers are well above 60 FPS, and even Ultra settings remain playable on high-refresh displays, though the 90.3 FPS gap between Low and Ultra demonstrates the GPU's workload scaling.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU's limits. Low settings average 146.3 FPS, Medium settings hit 132.5 FPS, High settings reach 110.1 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 92.1 FPS. The 54.2 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is substantial, but even the lowest figure keeps the game fluid on standard 60 Hz displays and most 144 Hz monitors. The step from High to Ultra costs 18.0 FPS, which is a meaningful trade-off for visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the combo transitions from high-refresh territory to standard playability. Low settings average 81.2 FPS, Medium settings achieve 72.8 FPS, High settings manage 57.9 FPS, and Ultra settings dip to 52.0 FPS. The 29.2 FPS spread between Low and Ultra is narrower than at 1080p, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint. For 4K gaming, the data suggests using Medium or High settings to maintain a stable 60+ FPS, while Ultra settings will hover just below that threshold at 52 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but with caveats. The measured data shows 52.0 FPS at 4K Ultra settings, 57.9 FPS at High, 72.8 FPS at Medium, and 81.2 FPS at Low. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, Medium settings are the practical ceiling at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35355, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i5-14400's 35336, 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i9-12900HX's 35289, and 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-13600T's 35256. It trails the Intel Core i7-13800H by 0.2%.

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

A: The data indicates 1440p is the sweet spot. At 2560x1440, the combo delivers 146.3 FPS at Low, 132.5 FPS at Medium, 110.1 FPS at High, and 92.1 FPS at Ultra, providing high-refresh performance across all settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, frame rate drops from 170.4 FPS at 1080p to 57.9 FPS at 4K, a 66.0% reduction. At Low settings, it falls from 229.9 FPS to 81.2 FPS, a 64.7% reduction. This confirms the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

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

A: This pairing ranks 920 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the upper-middle range of all possible CPU and GPU combinations. It outperforms many lower-tier setups but does not crack the top half.

Q: What is the GPU's raw compute capability for this game?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT delivers 13.21 TFLOPS FP32 performance, with a pixel rate of 165.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 413.0 GTexel/s. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 384.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is ample for Doom's textures.