Doom

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a commanding performance in Doom, firmly establishing itself as a high-refresh-rate powerhouse. The benchmark data shows this combination handles the game’s demanding Vulkan-based engine with ease, offering frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS target at nearly every setting and resolution. For a game released in 2016, this modern hardware combination proves that Doom remains a scalable title, capable of utilizing the immense headroom provided by this CPU and GPU pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern, though the RX 7800 XT’s substantial memory bandwidth and compute power keep the performance curve remarkably flat. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo produces 246 FPS, which drops to 158.5 FPS at 1440p and further to 84.3 FPS at 4K. This represents a 36% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 47% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling suggests that while the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions, it is not being overwhelmed—the frame rates remain playable even at the most demanding 4K Ultra preset, which still manages 61.7 FPS.

The data indicates that this pairing is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, as the 132 FPS at High settings demonstrates an ideal compromise between visual fidelity and refresh rate. At 4K, the scaling becomes more pronounced, with the gap between Low (101.3 FPS) and Ultra (61.7 FPS) widening to 39.6 FPS. This spread indicates that the GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM and 624.1 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to feed the render pipeline without hitting a hard memory wall, but the compute units are clearly working harder as pixel count increases.

Interestingly, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings (281.7 to 182.4 FPS) shows a 35% drop, which is slightly steeper than the drop at Medium settings (246 to 158.5 FPS, a 36% reduction). This suggests that at lower settings, the CPU’s role becomes more prominent, but the i7-12700KF’s 12 cores and 20 threads are more than capable of keeping up, preventing any significant CPU bottleneck from emerging.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT’s specifications align closely with the measured results, showcasing a GPU that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p and capable 4K gaming. The card’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves ample for Doom’s texture-heavy environments. The boost clock of 2430 MHz, combined with 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs, allows the card to maintain high pixel throughput, as evidenced by the 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate.

The GPU’s RDNA 3.0 architecture and 5 nm process node contribute to its efficiency, though the 263 W TDP indicates it draws significant power under load. The benchmark results show the card performing in the 76th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32619. Its nearest rivals in the database—the AMD FirePro S9300 X2, NVIDIA P104-100, and NVIDIA T600 Mobile—are all within a 0.7% delta of its average score, indicating that the RX 7800 XT sits in a tightly contested performance tier.

In Doom specifically, the GPU’s role becomes clear when examining the FPS differences between settings at the same resolution. At 1440p, the jump from Ultra (110.2 FPS) to High (132 FPS) yields a 19.8% improvement, while the jump from High to Medium (158.5 FPS) yields a 20.1% improvement. This consistent scaling indicates that the GPU is the sole bottleneck at these settings, with the CPU providing ample headroom to process the game’s AI and physics without interfering.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 632nd out of 1681 tested combinations in the database for Doom. This places it in the top 37.6% of all configurations, which is a strong showing given the game’s age and the wide variety of hardware tested. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU’s 89th percentile standing among all CPUs and the GPU’s 76th percentile among all GPUs, suggesting that the pairing is well-matched without one component significantly overshadowing the other.

The combo’s rank is particularly impressive when considering that the i7-12700KF’s nearest CPU rivals—the Intel Core i5-14400, Intel Core i7-13800H, and Intel Core i9-12900HX—all have average benchmark scores within 0.3% of each other. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this configuration, as any of these processors would likely produce similar results in Doom. The GPU’s rivals similarly show tight clustering, meaning the RX 7800 XT’s performance is representative of its tier rather than an outlier.

For a game that is not particularly demanding by modern standards, this rank suggests that the hardware is being utilized efficiently. The 632nd position out of 1681 combos indicates that while there are faster configurations available, this pairing offers a level of performance that would satisfy most gamers seeking high frame rates at 1440p or smooth 4K experiences.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 281.7 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings follow closely at 246 FPS, representing a 12.7% reduction. High settings yield 209 FPS, a 15% drop from Medium, while Ultra settings produce 167 FPS, a 20.1% reduction from High. These results indicate that even at the most demanding 1080p preset, the system maintains frame rates well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain highly playable. Low settings produce 182.4 FPS, which is a 35.2% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings yield 158.5 FPS, a 35.6% drop from 1080p Medium. High settings produce 132 FPS, a 36.8% reduction from 1080p High. Ultra settings drop to 110.2 FPS, a 34% reduction from 1080p Ultra. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings confirms that the GPU is the primary scaling factor at this resolution.

At 4K, the system remains viable for gaming, though the frame rates become more modest. Low settings produce 101.3 FPS, which is a 44.5% reduction from 1440p Low. Medium settings yield 84.3 FPS, a 46.8% drop from 1440p Medium. High settings produce 71.1 FPS, a 46.1% reduction from 1440p High. Ultra settings drop to 61.7 FPS, a 44% reduction from 1440p Ultra. This data shows that the RX 7800 XT can handle 4K gaming, but the experience is best suited for 60 Hz displays rather than high-refresh-rate panels.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF’s role in this configuration is to provide a stable foundation that never bottlenecks the GPU. With 12 cores and 20 threads, the processor offers substantial multi-threading capabilities that are reflected in its benchmark scores. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, while its single-core score of 4091 demonstrates strong per-thread performance that is crucial for gaming.

The CPU’s boost clock of 5.00 GHz and base clock of 3.60 GHz provide the high frequency necessary for Doom’s single-threaded engine components. The 25 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for the game’s level streaming and entity management. The processor’s 10 nm Alder Lake architecture and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory ensure that the system has ample memory bandwidth, though the exact memory configuration was not part of the measured data.

The CPU’s nearest rivals—the Intel Core i5-14400, Intel Core i7-13800H, and Intel Core i9-12900HX—all have average benchmark scores within 0.3% of the i7-12700KF. This tight clustering suggests that the CPU’s performance is well-understood and consistent. In Doom, the 3DMark 16-thread score of 9282 and the PassMark multithread score of 34092 indicate that the processor can handle the game’s background tasks without impacting frame pacing, allowing the GPU to operate at its full potential.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the High preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combination. The 132 FPS at High settings provides a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors, while maintaining the graphical fidelity that Doom’s atmospheric environments benefit from. The jump from High to Medium at 1440p yields a 20.1% performance increase (132 to 158.5 FPS), but the visual difference is often imperceptible in fast-paced action.

For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p delivers an exceptional 281.7 FPS, which is ideal for maximizing input responsiveness on 240 Hz or 360 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p, producing 167 FPS, is still more than sufficient for most gaming displays and offers a significantly enhanced visual experience with improved lighting and shadow effects.

At 4K, the High preset is the recommended choice, as the 71.1 FPS it produces is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K, with 61.7 FPS, is playable but leaves little margin for frame drops during intense combat sequences. The Medium preset at 4K, at 84.3 FPS, provides a safer margin above 60 FPS while still offering substantial visual improvements over Low settings. For those prioritizing frame rate over visuals at 4K, the Low preset at 101.3 FPS ensures a consistently smooth experience, though the reduction in texture quality and draw distances is noticeable.