Doom

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers exceptional performance in Doom, a 2016 FPS title that remains highly demanding at higher settings. The measured data shows that this combination is not merely capable of running the game smoothly; it is geared towards obliterating frame rate targets at nearly every configuration. The core question for users is not whether this hardware can handle the game, but rather which settings provide the optimal balance between visual fidelity and the sheer headroom this combo offers, especially for high-refresh-rate displays.

Settings Recommendations

For this specific pairing, the benchmark data reveals a clear hierarchy of performance across the four tested presets. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset still produces an average of 237.9 FPS, which is a phenomenal result. However, the jump from High to Ultra at this resolution incurs a significant performance cost, dropping from 294.9 FPS to 237.9 FPS, a reduction of 57 FPS. Given the immense power available, the High preset at 1080p, with its 294.9 FPS average, makes a stronger case for maximizing frame rates on a 240Hz or higher monitor, as the visual difference between High and Ultra is often less impactful than the raw fluidity gained.

Moving to 2560x1440, the data shows a similar pattern. The Ultra preset delivers 155.4 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate gaming. Yet, the High preset at 193 FPS offers a more substantial frame rate buffer, which can be crucial for maintaining stability above 144Hz. The Medium preset at 226.5 FPS is also viable, but it sacrifices visual quality that the RTX 4080 SUPER can clearly afford at this resolution. The sweet spot for a balance of visuals and speed at 1440p is the High preset, as it provides a 24% performance uplift over Ultra while preserving most of the graphical enhancements.

At 4K (3840x2160), the calculus shifts. The Ultra preset drops to 82.5 FPS, which is below the 100 FPS threshold that many gamers now consider the standard for a premium experience. The High preset, however, comfortably clears this bar with an average of 101.3 FPS. This makes High the definitive recommendation for 4K gaming on this hardware, as it provides a smooth, high-refresh experience without the performance penalty of Ultra. The data indicates that for the best overall experience, prioritizing the High preset across all resolutions offers the most compelling combination of high frame rates and retained visual detail, with the option to explore Ultra only at 1080p where the performance cost is less consequential.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores are notably strong, particularly its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979 and a single-core score of 4091. This single-core performance is critical for gaming, as Doom's engine relies heavily on a few primary threads for game logic and physics. The high boost clock ensures that these threads can be processed as quickly as possible.

The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 399.7 FPS. This extreme frame rate indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with an enormous amount of data, keeping it fully utilized. The processor's 3dmark single-thread score of 1043 and passmark single-thread score of 3984 further corroborate its strength in handling the primary game thread. While its 12-core configuration is overkill for Doom, which is not heavily multithreaded, the high single-thread performance is the key attribute that allows this combo to reach such high frame rates, ensuring that the RTX 4080 SUPER is never left waiting on the processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the exceptional frame rates. It comes equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This is a massive amount of memory bandwidth, which is crucial for feeding the GPU's 10240 shading units at high resolutions. The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz, alongside its FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS, showcases its raw computational power.

The GPU's role becomes increasingly clear as resolution and settings increase. The transition from 1080p to 4K shows a significant drop in performance, which is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system hits 399.7 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 82.5 FPS. This massive scaling is driven by the GPU's need to render 4 times the number of pixels. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Doom at any setting, even at 4K, so the bottleneck is purely the GPU's rendering throughput. The data shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER is a formidable powerhouse that is only truly challenged by the most demanding 4K Ultra settings, making it the definitive performance driver in this system.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark data places this specific combination of hardware at rank 100 out of 1681 tested system combos for Doom. This puts it in the top 6% of all configurations tested, a formidable position. The high ranking is a direct result of the synergy between the top-tier CPU and GPU. The CPU's strong single-threaded performance prevents it from holding back the GPU, while the GPU's immense compute power allows for high frame rates at all but the most punishing settings.

This top-tier ranking is supported by the individual component benchmarks. The CPU's average benchmark score of 35355 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with a negligible 0.1% performance delta compared to the Intel Core i5-14400 and 0.2% over the Intel Core i9-12900HX. Similarly, the GPU's average benchmark score of 53610 puts it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, edging out the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT by a 0.2% delta. The combination of two components that are both in the top 12% of their respective categories results in a system that is exceptionally well-balanced for gaming, a fact that is confirmed by its high rank among the 1681 combos in the game's database.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the classic behavior of a GPU-limited system. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 294.9 at 1080p to 193.0 at 1440p, a decrease of 34.5%. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate drops further to 101.3, another 47.5% decrease. This steep decline is directly proportional to the pixel count increase, indicating that the GPU's rendering workload is the primary constraint.

This scaling pattern strongly implies that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution. If the CPU were a bottleneck, the frame rate would plateau or drop less significantly when moving from 1440p to 4K, as the GPU would have more time to render each frame. Instead, the consistent and large drop in FPS with each resolution increase shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER is working at its maximum capacity, with its performance scaling down as the pixel count goes up. The data confirms that this is a GPU-bound scenario, where the system's overall performance is dictated by the graphics card's ability to process pixels, not the processor's ability to calculate game logic.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured data provides a detailed look at the performance envelope of this combo.

1920x1080:

• Low: 399.7 FPS
• Medium: 346.5 FPS
• High: 294.9 FPS
• Ultra: 237.9 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 259.2 FPS
• Medium: 226.5 FPS
• High: 193.0 FPS
• Ultra: 155.4 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 138.6 FPS
• Medium: 122.5 FPS
• High: 101.3 FPS
• Ultra: 82.5 FPS

These numbers paint a picture of a system with remarkable headroom. Even at the most demanding configuration tested (4K Ultra), it maintains an average of 82.5 FPS, which is still playable. The data shows that the system is so powerful that at 1080p Low, it achieves nearly 400 FPS, a figure that is only relevant for the most extreme esports displays. The performance differences between presets are consistent, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest at every resolution, but the margin between them varies, highlighting the increasing GPU load at higher settings and resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 4K display?

A: The data indicates the High preset is optimal for 4K, delivering an average of 101.3 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 82.5 FPS, which is a more significant compromise for the visual gain.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: The data strongly suggests a GPU limitation. The large FPS drops when scaling from 1080p to 4K (e.g., 294.9 to 101.3 FPS on High) indicate that the rendering load is the primary constraint, as a CPU bottleneck would show less scaling.

Q: Can this system achieve a 240 FPS experience?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p. At Low, Medium, and High settings, the average FPS is 399.7, 346.5, and 294.9 respectively, all exceeding the 240 FPS target. At 1440p, only the Low preset at 259.2 FPS clears this threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other systems?

A: This combination is ranked 100th out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top 6% of all configurations in the database.

Q: Is there a large performance difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. At 1440p, the average FPS drops from 193.0 on High to 155.4 on Ultra. At 4K, the drop is from 101.3 on High to 82.5 on Ultra, representing a significant loss of smoothness.

Q: How much VRAM does the GPU have, and is it enough?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory. This is an ample amount for Doom at any of the tested settings and resolutions, and the data does not suggest any VRAM-related performance limitations.