Doom

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 places at rank 1314 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom, putting it in the 55th percentile of all system configurations analyzed. This is a solidly mid-pack result. It tells us that while this pairing is far from the top of the leaderboard, it decisively outperforms a large portion of the tested field. The ranking suggests a balanced pairing rather than one that is lopsided toward CPU or GPU dominance. Given that Doom is a fast-paced FPS, landing in the upper half of the field is a respectable position, though enthusiasts chasing the highest refresh rates at maximum settings will likely find themselves looking upward at more powerful configurations.

What makes this rank even more interesting is the context provided by the individual component scores. The CPU sits in the 89th percentile against all processors, while the GPU is only in the 58th percentile against all graphics cards. This discrepancy is telling: the processor is clearly a high-end part, but the graphics card is more mid-range in the grand scheme. The combo rank of 1314/2930 reflects that the GPU is likely the anchor holding back the overall result. If the data were purely CPU-driven, one would expect a higher combo rank. The fact that the pairing lands in the middle of the pack points to the graphics card limiting the system's ceiling in this title.

# GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 brings 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a substantial amount of VRAM for a card in this class, and it matters for Doom. The game's texture-heavy environments and particle effects can be demanding on memory capacity at higher resolutions. With 16 GB available, the card is unlikely to hit a memory ceiling even at 4K Ultra settings. The memory clock runs at 2438 MHz, which translates to 19.5 Gbps effective, providing the bandwidth needed to feed the GPU's 2560 shading units.

The clock speeds tell a story of a card that can boost aggressively. The base clock is 1900 MHz, the game clock is 2041 MHz, and the boost clock reaches 2459 MHz. In practice, this means the card will typically sit somewhere between the game and boost clocks under load, depending on thermal headroom and power limits. The 200 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest a card that is power-efficient for its performance class, though the 2x 8-pin power connectors indicate it needs a proper power supply connection. The GPU's architecture is RDNA 3.0 on a 5 nm process from TSMC, with 40 ray tracing cores, though Doom's release predates the widespread use of ray tracing in the series. The FP32 performance of 25.18 TFLOPS gives a theoretical measure of raw compute capability that aligns with the measured frame rates in this title.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 178 FPS on average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 115 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 62 FPS, which is a 65% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is steep, and the delta between 1440p and 4K is even steeper in absolute terms. This indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as pixel count increases, which is expected given the RX 7700's mid-range standing relative to the CPU's high-end positioning.

The Low settings tell a similar story but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 241 FPS average. At 1440p Low, it drops to 156 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 4K Low, it falls to 85 FPS, a 65% drop from 1080p. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings is notable. It suggests that the GPU is the bottleneck at all settings, and reducing graphics quality does not shift the balance toward the CPU. If the CPU were the limiter, we would expect to see the FPS gap between resolutions narrow at lower settings, since the GPU would have more headroom. The data does not show that pattern. Instead, the scaling is uniform, pointing to a system where the RX 7700 is the performance ceiling from 1080p all the way to 4K.

# FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High settings, the average FPS is 62, which is playable on a standard 60 Hz display. However, at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 51 FPS, which may feel less smooth. For 4K, Medium settings provide a more comfortable 74 FPS average with a minimum of 63 FPS.

Q: How does this combo perform at 1080p for competitive play?

A: The data shows strong performance at 1080p. Even at Ultra settings, the average FPS is 145. Dropping to High yields 178 FPS, and Low settings push it to 241 FPS. These numbers are well above 144 Hz, making this combo suitable for high-refresh-rate competitive play at 1080p.

Q: What is the bottleneck in this system for Doom?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary limiter. The CPU is in the 89th percentile, while the GPU is only in the 58th percentile. The FPS scaling across resolutions is consistent with GPU-bound behavior, as frame rates drop proportionally with increasing pixel count regardless of settings.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 15852. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 370X, scores 15862, a delta of -0.1%. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 scores 16014, which is 1% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, which is 1.7% higher. These are very close margins.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark standing relative to similar processors?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022, which is 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX scores 46654, which is 0.5% lower. The Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46653, also 0.5% lower.

Q: What settings are recommended for a smooth 1440p experience?

A: At 1440p, High settings produce 115 FPS average, while Ultra yields 94 FPS. Both are above 60 FPS and suitable for most displays. For a 144 Hz monitor, dropping to Low settings achieves 156 FPS average. Medium settings provide 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It operates at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boosts up to 5.40 GHz. This is a high-end desktop CPU with a 125 W TDP, and it sits in the 89th percentile against all processors tested. The benchmark data shows a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and a single-core score of 2116, which are strong numbers. In the context of Doom, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU, as the game is not typically CPU-bound at high resolutions. However, at 1080p with Low settings, the CPU must work harder to feed the GPU. The data shows the combo achieves 241 FPS at 1080p Low, which indicates the CPU can keep up with high frame rates without bottlenecking.

The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score are all within a tight margin. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 is 0.2% ahead, and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 is 0.3% ahead. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 are both 0.5% behind. This clustering suggests that the i7-13700K sits in a competitive tier where performance differences are minimal. The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample cache for game data. The memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5, along with a dual-channel memory bus, means the CPU is flexible in terms of platform configuration. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but irrelevant for gaming with a discrete GPU installed.

# Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across settings at each resolution provides a clear picture of what to prioritize. At 4K, Medium settings give an average of 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is the sweet spot for a smooth experience on a 60 Hz display. High settings at 4K yield 62 FPS average, which is borderline for 60 Hz, while Ultra dips to 51 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth motion. Low settings at 4K give 85 FPS, but the visual quality sacrifice is significant. For 4K, Medium is the recommended preset.

At 1440p, the choice depends on the display's refresh rate. For 60 Hz, High settings at 115 FPS are more than sufficient, and Ultra at 94 FPS is also playable. For 144 Hz, Medium settings deliver 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS, which is the best balance of quality and smoothness. Low settings at 156 FPS are an option for competitive play, but the visual downgrade may not be worth it for most players. At 1080p, all settings are playable. For 144 Hz displays, High settings at 178 FPS are ideal. For 240 Hz displays, Low settings at 241 FPS are necessary, but Medium at 210 FPS with a minimum of 179 FPS is a strong alternative if visual quality matters more than hitting the absolute maximum refresh rate.

The data suggests that Medium settings provide the most consistent frame times across all resolutions. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings, and at 1080p the minimum is 179 FPS, at 1440p it is 116 FPS, and at 4K it is 63 FPS. These minimums are all above 60 FPS, indicating smooth performance with no severe frame drops. For players who prioritize stability over maximum visual fidelity, Medium is the safest recommendation across the board.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The full measured FPS data is as follows. At 3840x2160, High settings produce an average of 62 FPS. Low settings at 4K yield 85 FPS average. Medium settings at 4K give 74 FPS average with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K drop to 51 FPS average. At 2560x1440, High settings produce 115 FPS average. Low settings at 1440p give 156 FPS average. Medium settings at 1440p yield 136 FPS average with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p produce 94 FPS average. At 1920x1080, High settings give 178 FPS average. Low settings at 1080p yield 241 FPS average. Medium settings at 1080p give 210 FPS average with a minimum of 179 FPS and a maximum of 242 FPS. Ultra settings at 1080p produce 145 FPS average.

These numbers show a consistent pattern. Each settings tier reduces performance by a similar margin across resolutions. Comparing High to Ultra, the drop is roughly 18-20% at each resolution. Comparing Medium to High, the drop is roughly 15-18%. The gap between Low and Medium is the largest, at roughly 13-15%. This indicates that the biggest performance gain comes from dropping from Medium to Low, while the step from High to Ultra is relatively smaller. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings at each resolution are notably close to the average, suggesting stable frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 63 FPS is only 11 FPS below the average of 74 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 116 FPS is 20 FPS below the average of 136 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 179 FPS is 31 FPS below the average of 210 FPS. This stability reinforces the recommendation for Medium settings as the most reliable preset for consistent performance across all resolutions.