Doom

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 delivers playable performance in Doom, but only within specific settings and resolution boundaries. The benchmark data shows this combination is heavily GPU-limited, with the CPU’s substantial headroom going largely unused as the RX 580 becomes the primary constraint at every tested resolution. For the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the clear choice, delivering 101.2 FPS on average, while Ultra at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 25 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that Low settings provide the most consistent and highest performance across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Low achieves 101.2 FPS, which is 24.4 FPS higher than Medium (88.8 FPS) and a substantial 40.4 FPS above Ultra (60.8 FPS). The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 12.4 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 12.0 FPS, showing diminishing returns as settings increase. For players prioritizing smoothness, Low at 1080p is the only preset that exceeds the 100 FPS threshold in this dataset.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more constrained. Low still leads with 66.8 FPS, but Medium drops to 55.6 FPS and High falls to 47.1 FPS. Ultra at 1440p produces 37.5 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS mark that many consider the minimum for acceptable action gameplay. The data suggests that Medium at 1440p is the highest preset that maintains a playable frame rate above 50 FPS, though Low remains the safest option for maintaining a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, all presets fall below 36 FPS. Low achieves 35.0 FPS, Medium 33.2 FPS, and High 26.3 FPS, while Ultra drops to 24.7 FPS. None of these configurations provide a consistently smooth experience for a fast-paced FPS like Doom, indicating that 4K is not viable with this combo. The recommendation is to use Low at 1080p for the best experience, with Medium at 1440p as a compromise for higher resolution without sacrificing too much performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This CPU sits in the 93rd percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 47282. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scores 47334, placing the 13700K just 0.1% behind. The AMD EPYC 4364P scores 47131, putting the 13700K 0.3% ahead, while the Intel Core i9-12900F scores 47081, making the 13700K 0.4% faster.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is largely secondary due to the game’s 2016 release and its engine’s scalability. The measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 101.2 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 35.0 FPS, a reduction that aligns with GPU-bound behavior rather than CPU limitations. The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a Passmark multithread score of 45887, are far beyond what Doom requires at these settings. Single-thread performance, measured at 5505 in Cinebench R23 singlecore and 4333 in Passmark single-thread, is also more than sufficient for the game’s logic and draw call processing.

The data indicates that the i7-13700K is not the limiting factor in any configuration tested. Even at Ultra 1080p, where the GPU produces 60.8 FPS, the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames faster. The 3.40 GHz base clock and 5.40 GHz boost clock provide strong per-core performance, and the 30 MB of shared L3 cache helps with game data locality. In short, the CPU’s contribution to this combo is to ensure that the RX 580 is always the bottleneck, which is a positive outcome for stability but also highlights the GPU’s age.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a Polaris 20 chip built on a 14 nm process, featuring 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1257 MHz with a boost clock of 1340 MHz, and memory runs at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The GPU sits in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13559. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, which scores 13564, a 0% delta, indicating near-identical performance. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 scores 13549, putting the RX 580 0.1% ahead, while the AMD Radeon Pro 455 scores 13416, making the RX 580 1.1% faster.

In Doom, the RX 580 is clearly the limiting component. The FPS scaling across resolutions and settings follows the GPU’s capabilities closely. At 1080p Low, the GPU delivers 101.2 FPS, but this drops to 76.8 FPS at High, showing a 24.4 FPS penalty for higher quality textures and effects. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra, the combination of higher resolution and maxed settings overwhelms the GPU, resulting in 24.7 FPS. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 6.175 TFLOPS and texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s are modest by modern standards, but they align with the observed results.

The RX 580’s boost clock of 1340 MHz is relatively low, and the 256-bit memory bus cannot compensate for the lack of raw compute power at higher resolutions. The data shows that the GPU’s performance ceiling is around 101 FPS at 1080p Low, which is achievable but not exceptional. For Doom, which is known for its optimized Vulkan and OpenGL paths, the GPU’s DirectX 12 support (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3 API compatibility are adequate, but the hardware itself is simply outmatched by the demands of 1440p and 4K Ultra settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 1574 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the bottom 6% of all configurations. This low ranking is driven entirely by the GPU, as the CPU is in the 93rd percentile of all processors. The pairing of a high-end 2022 CPU with a mid-range 2017 GPU creates a significant mismatch, where the CPU’s potential is wasted on a GPU that cannot keep up.

The data suggests that this combo is not competitive with modern configurations. The RX 580’s nearest rivals, such as the GTX 570 and GTX 950, are similarly aged, and none of them can handle Doom at high settings beyond 1080p. The combo’s rank of 1574 out of 1681 means that 93.5% of tested combos perform better, which is expected given the GPU’s age. For context, the CPU alone would rank much higher, but the GPU drags the overall result down. This ranking indicates that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at low-to-medium settings, and it is not recommended for higher resolutions or maxed-out quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, confirming the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At Low settings, the combo delivers 101.2 FPS at 1080p, 66.8 FPS at 1440p, and 35.0 FPS at 4K. This represents a 34.4 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 31.8 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the numbers are 76.8 FPS, 47.1 FPS, and 26.3 FPS respectively, showing a similar pattern of roughly halving performance with each resolution step.

The scaling behavior points to a GPU that is overwhelmed by pixel count. From 1080p to 1440p, the pixel count increases by 77.8%, and the FPS drops by 34.0% at Low settings. From 1440p to 4K, the pixel count increases by 225%, and the FPS drops by 47.6% at Low settings. This non-linear scaling indicates that memory bandwidth and fill rate are being saturated. The RX 580’s 256.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for 4K workloads, and the 42.88 GPixel/s pixel rate limits fill-heavy scenes. The CPU’s role in this scaling is negligible, as the i7-13700K would have no trouble maintaining frame pacing even at 4K if the GPU could deliver higher FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best results. Low settings produce an average of 101.2 FPS, Medium 88.8 FPS, High 76.8 FPS, and Ultra 60.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 40.4 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring between Medium and High at 12.0 FPS. The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where Ultra exceeds 60 FPS, making it viable for players with 60 Hz monitors.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. Low averages 66.8 FPS, Medium 55.6 FPS, High 47.1 FPS, and Ultra 37.5 FPS. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 34.4 FPS, and the drop from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra is 23.3 FPS. At this resolution, only Low and Medium maintain above 50 FPS, and Ultra falls below 40 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, all settings are below playable thresholds for a fast-paced FPS. Low averages 35.0 FPS, Medium 33.2 FPS, High 26.3 FPS, and Ultra 24.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 10.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU is so saturated that settings changes have diminishing impact. The data strongly suggests avoiding 4K with this combo, as even the lowest settings cannot reach 40 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo in Doom?*

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 is the best, delivering 101.2 FPS on average. Medium at 1080p is also viable at 88.8 FPS, but High and Ultra drop to 76.8 and 60.8 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K or the AMD Radeon RX 580 the bottleneck?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile of all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 53rd percentile. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K follows GPU limitations, not CPU constraints.

Q: Can this combo handle 2560x1440 resolution?

A: Yes, but only at Low (66.8 FPS) or Medium (55.6 FPS) settings. High drops to 47.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 37.5 FPS, which is below the 40 FPS threshold for smooth action.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 13559. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, scores 13564, a 0% difference. The GTX 950 scores 13549, putting the RX 580 0.1% ahead.

*Q: What is the combo’s overall ranking in Doom?*

A: The combo ranks 1574 out of 1681 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 6% of all configurations. This is primarily due to the GPU’s age and performance level.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this setup?

A: No, not playably. The best 4K result is 35.0 FPS at Low settings, with Ultra falling to 24.7 FPS. All 4K presets are below the 40 FPS minimum for a smooth experience in a fast-paced FPS.