Doom

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a top-tier experience in Doom, with performance that scales predictably across settings and resolutions. The data shows that this combination ranks in the 89th percentile among all tested combos, placing it at 409 out of 3712, making it a formidable setup for this title. The measured frames per second are consistently high, even at 4K, and the system exhibits clear GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions while maintaining excellent headroom at 1080p. The following analysis breaks down the measured data to guide settings choices and explain the performance characteristics of this specific hardware pairing.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this combination offers a clear hierarchy of performance across four presets. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 371 FPS, which is a staggering figure that far exceeds the refresh rate capabilities of most monitors. However, the jump to High settings still yields an average of 273 FPS, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom. The data suggests that for 1080p users, the High preset is the optimal balance, as it provides a massive visual improvement over Low while maintaining an average frame rate that is still more than double the standard 144Hz refresh rate. The Ultra preset, while delivering 223 FPS, offers diminishing returns in visual fidelity for the performance cost, though it remains exceptionally playable.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves an average of 177 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Low preset at 240 FPS is a competitive advantage for esports-style play, but the visual compromise is significant. The Medium preset, with an average of 209 FPS and a minimum of 178 FPS, is a strong middle ground that ensures smooth gameplay even during intense scenes. For most users, the High preset is the recommended choice at this resolution, as it provides a robust visual experience without sacrificing the fluidity that Doom is known for. The Ultra preset still hits a respectable 144 FPS, making it viable for those who prioritize image quality above all else.

Moving to 4K, the performance landscape shifts. The High preset produces an average of 96 FPS, which is perfectly smooth for a single-player FPS. The Medium preset, with an average of 113 FPS and a minimum of 96 FPS, is the best choice for 4K, as it offers a significant performance boost over High while maintaining a high level of visual quality. The data shows that the jump from Medium to High costs 17 FPS, a 15% drop, while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 18 FPS, a 19% drop. The Ultra preset at 78 FPS is playable but falls below the 80 FPS threshold that many consider the floor for a fast-paced shooter. Therefore, the Medium preset at 4K is the clear winner for this combination, offering the best experience by balancing a high average frame rate with a solid minimum frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing for Doom, as evidenced by the performance scaling across resolutions. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than sufficient for this title, preventing any potential bottlenecks or texture pop-in at any tested setting. The memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s, coupled with the 256-bit bus, ensures that the card can feed its 8448 shading units efficiently, which is crucial for the rapid-fire rendering demands of Doom's fast-paced action.

The clock speeds of the GPU also play a role in the observed results. With a base clock of 2340 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, the card operates at high frequencies, translating directly to higher frame rates. This is particularly evident at 1080p where the GPU is not the limiting factor, and the high boost clock allows the card to push frame rates to the 371 FPS observed on the Low preset. The GPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 5569 and a Passmark G3D score of 31811, corroborates its strong rasterization capabilities, which are the primary driver for Doom's Vulkan-based engine.

The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the performance drop is more pronounced, indicating that the GPU is working harder to fill more pixels. This is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is not fully utilized at 1080p, as the frame rates are likely capped by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor, and the performance scaling between presets becomes more linear, as the architecture's compute and memory throughput are the primary constraints.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a significant GPU dependency. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 273 FPS at 1080p to 177 FPS at 1440p, a 35% decrease, and then to 96 FPS at 4K, a further 46% decrease. This steep decline is expected, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K. The data indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the i7-12700KF is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU at 1080p.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling. At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 209 FPS to 113 FPS, a 46% reduction. This aligns closely with the increased pixel count, suggesting that the GPU is being pushed to its limits in terms of raw fill rate. The 4K results are the most indicative of the GPU's true performance ceiling, as the CPU is no longer a contributing factor. The data shows that the frame rate differences between presets at 4K are more consistent, with a 17 FPS gap between Low and Medium, and a 17 FPS gap between High and Ultra, demonstrating that the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are the deciding factors.

At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-bound at lower settings. The Low preset at 371 FPS is an extraordinary figure, and the CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads are able to sustain this high frame rate. However, the fact that the High preset at 1080p is 98 FPS slower than Low suggests that the GPU is beginning to take on more work, but the CPU is still able to feed it adequately. The i7-12700KF's single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4071, is sufficient to avoid becoming a bottleneck in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a wide range of performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 371 FPS, with the Medium preset at 323 FPS (min 275, max 372) and the High preset at 273 FPS. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 223 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 148 FPS, or 40%, indicating that the GPU is the primary scaling factor even at this resolution. The minimum frame rate of 275 FPS at Medium settings is excellent, ensuring there are no noticeable hitches.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are still very high. The Low preset hits 240 FPS, with Medium at 209 FPS (min 178, max 240) and High at 177 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 144 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 96 FPS, or 40%, mirroring the scaling seen at 1080p. The minimum frame rate of 178 FPS at Medium settings is above the threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors, making it a safe choice for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the performance is more moderate but still impressive. The Low preset averages 130 FPS, with Medium at 113 FPS (min 96, max 130) and High at 96 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 78 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is 52 FPS, or 40%, consistent with the other resolutions. The minimum frame rate of 96 FPS at Medium settings is the most telling figure, as it represents the worst-case scenario for this preset, and it is still comfortably above 60 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 409 out of 3712 tested combinations places this system in the top 11% of all configurations tested. This is a strong result, reflecting the high performance of both the CPU and GPU. The i7-12700KF itself has a percentile ranking of 85 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35403 and is 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i5-13600T, which scores 35305 and is 0.2% slower. The data shows that the i7-12700KF is essentially on par with these newer, lower-TDP parts, indicating that its Alder Lake architecture remains competitive.

The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has a percentile ranking of 76 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 31087. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M5000, which scores 31206 and is 0.4% faster, and the NVIDIA TITAN RTX, which scores 31676 and is 1.9% faster. These rivals are professional or older flagship cards, yet the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER holds its own in synthetic benchmarks. In the context of Doom, the combination's rank of 409 suggests that there are only 408 other tested combos that can deliver higher frame rates, many of which likely feature more expensive, higher-tier components. This rank validates that this pairing is a high-end option for this game, offering performance that exceeds the needs of most displays.

FAQ

Q: Is this CPU-GPU combination capable of playing Doom at 4K with high refresh rates?

A: Yes, the data shows that at 4K with High settings, the average frame rate is 96 FPS. With Medium settings, the average rises to 113 FPS, with a minimum of 96 FPS, making it a strong candidate for 4K gaming on a 100Hz or 120Hz display.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for a smooth experience?

A: The High preset at 1440p delivers an average of 177 FPS, which is ideal for a 144Hz monitor. The Medium preset offers a higher average of 209 FPS, but the High preset provides a better visual quality-to-performance trade-off for most users.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The data suggests that at 1080p with the Low preset, the system achieves 371 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate. This indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU, but the GPU is not fully saturated at this resolution, suggesting a potential CPU bottleneck at very high frame rates.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA TITAN RTX, in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has an average benchmark score of 31087, while the TITAN RTX scores 31676. This makes the TITAN RTX 1.9% faster in synthetic tests, according to the data.

Q: Will the 16 GB of VRAM be sufficient for Doom at Ultra settings?

A: The data shows that at 4K Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 78 FPS. While the VRAM capacity is not directly measured, the 16 GB of memory is more than ample for this game, as the performance drop at Ultra is more likely due to the GPU's compute load rather than memory constraints.

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

A: At 4K, the High preset averages 96 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 78 FPS. This is a difference of 18 FPS, or approximately 19%, indicating that the Ultra preset demands significantly more from the GPU for a marginal visual improvement.