Doom

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 4 GB is a combination that lands in the lower tier of tested configurations for Doom, ranking 1527 out of 1681 combos. The data shows a system that can handle the game comfortably at 1080p but struggles significantly as resolution demands increase. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS results across resolutions and settings, focusing on where the bottleneck lies and what the numbers mean for practical gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with High settings, the system delivers an average of 99.6 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same High preset drops the average to 64.7 FPS, a reduction of roughly 35%. Pushing to 4K at High settings yields only 32.7 FPS, which is just under half of the 1440p result and about a third of the 1080p figure.

This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component. The frame rate drops are consistent with a graphics card that is running out of memory bandwidth and raw compute at higher pixel counts. The RTX 3050 4 GB has a memory bus width of 128 bit and a bandwidth of 192.0 GB/s. At 4K, the game's texture and shading demands exceed what this card can feed through its memory interface, causing the average FPS to fall below playable thresholds for most users.

The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is telling. Low produces 50 FPS on average, while Ultra drops to 27.4 FPS. This 22.6 FPS gap demonstrates that even at the lowest settings, the card cannot maintain a smooth 60 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less punishing — Low settings at 1440p hit 86.9 FPS, which is still playable — but the jump to 4K exposes the card's limitations regardless of preset.

GPU Role

The RTX 3050 4 GB is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA107 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process by Samsung. Its boost clock is rated at 1740 MHz, and it has 2048 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The memory configuration is 4 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 192.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's FP32 performance is 7.127 TFLOPS.

In Doom, these specs translate to a GPU that is adequate for 1080p gaming but not much beyond that. At 1080p with Medium settings, the system achieves 117.7 FPS on average, which is smooth for most displays. The 4 GB VRAM capacity is a notable constraint. Doom at 4K with Ultra settings likely requires more than 4 GB of video memory, which would cause the card to spill over into system memory, further hurting performance. The 27.4 FPS average at 4K Ultra reflects this limitation.

The card's pixel rate of 55.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 111.4 GTexel/s are modest figures. At 4K, the GPU must fill over 8 million pixels per frame, and the data shows it simply cannot keep up, even at Low settings where it averages only 50 FPS. The card's TDP of 90 W and suggested PSU of 250 W indicate it is designed for lower-power systems, which aligns with its performance ceiling in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake-S architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3. Its benchmark scores are strong: Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 28979 and single-core hits 4091.

In Doom, the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested. The measured FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are driven entirely by GPU load. At 1080p Low, the system hits 135.2 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's frame delivery limit for this game, but even then the GPU is still the limiting factor since the card's 4 GB memory and 192.0 GB/s bandwidth cap its output.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 89 against all CPUs indicates it is a high-performing part, with an average benchmark score of 35355. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14400 with a deltaPct of 0.1 and the Intel Core i9-12900HX at 0.2, meaning the 12700KF is statistically on par with these parts. For Doom, the CPU's 20 threads are overkill, as the game is not heavily threaded — but the high single-core performance helps maintain high minimum frame rates at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear picture of which settings offer the best experience. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 117.7 FPS on average, which is a strong balance. High settings only drop that to 99.6 FPS, still well above 60 FPS. Ultra at 1080p yields 81.4 FPS, which is playable but offers diminishing returns over High.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 76.3 FPS is the sweet spot. High settings at 64.7 FPS are still acceptable for most players, but Ultra drops to 56 FPS, which may feel less smooth. Low settings at 1440p reach 86.9 FPS, but the visual quality loss is usually not worth the extra frames in a game like Doom.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS on average. Low settings top out at 50 FPS, while Medium sits at 38.8 FPS. High and Ultra fall to 32.7 and 27.4 FPS respectively. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable target for this combination. Players with a 4K display should either lower the resolution to 1440p or accept sub-60 FPS performance with Low settings.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p with High settings at 99.6 FPS or 1440p with Medium at 76.3 FPS, depending on the monitor's native resolution. These settings provide a smooth frame rate while maintaining a decent visual fidelity.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all presets stay above 80 FPS on average. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium presets remain above 60 FPS. 4K is not recommended, as even Low settings only reach 50 FPS on average.

Q: Does the 4 GB VRAM limit the RTX 3050 in Doom?

A: The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 27.4, which is likely influenced by the 4 GB memory capacity being exceeded. The card's 192.0 GB/s bandwidth and 128-bit bus are also constraints at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF holding back the RTX 3050?

A: No. The CPU scores 28979 in Cinebench R23 multicore and ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows the GPU is the limiting component at every setting.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: Low settings average 135.2 FPS, while Ultra averages 81.4 FPS. The drop is 53.8 FPS, which is significant, but both are above 60 FPS, so the choice depends on visual preference.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, with caveats. Medium settings at 1440p produce 76.3 FPS on average, and High settings produce 64.7 FPS. Ultra settings at 56 FPS may be borderline for some players.

Q: How does this combo rank against other configurations?

A: This combo ranks 1527 out of 1681 tested combinations for Doom. The GPU sits in the 50th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 89th percentile, indicating the GPU is the weaker link.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers the following average frame rates: Low settings hit 135.2 FPS, Medium reaches 117.7 FPS, High achieves 99.6 FPS, and Ultra produces 81.4 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 53.8 FPS, showing a clear performance cost for higher visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 86.9 FPS, Medium at 76.3 FPS, High at 64.7 FPS, and Ultra at 56 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with approximately 35-40% fewer frames on average.

At 3840x2160, the averages fall sharply: Low at 50 FPS, Medium at 38.8 FPS, High at 32.7 FPS, and Ultra at 27.4 FPS. The 4K results show that even the lowest preset cannot maintain a 60 FPS average, and the Ultra preset produces less than half the frame rate of the 1080p Low setting.

The data indicates that this system is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can comfortably run High settings above 90 FPS. For 1440p, Medium settings are the practical maximum. The 4K results are only suitable for slower-paced gameplay or for players who prioritize resolution over frame rate.