Doom

The data for the Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT in Doom reveals a configuration that is heavily skewed toward high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p play, while still maintaining playable 4K performance. The measured frames per second across the four presets and three resolutions show a system that scales predictably, but the margin between presets narrows dramatically as resolution increases, pointing to a shift in bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows indicate that the Ultra preset is the most demanding, but also the most visually rewarding, and the data supports its use at 1080p and 1440p. At 1920x1080, Ultra delivers an average of 170.2 FPS, which is still far above the refresh rate of most standard monitors and leaves substantial headroom for competitive play. Moving to 2560x1440, Ultra drops to 109.3 FPS, which remains smooth and playable on high-refresh-rate panels, making it the optimal choice for users who prioritize image quality over raw frame rates.

However, at 3840x2160, the Ultra preset falls to 60.7 FPS, which is on the edge of the playable threshold for many users. The data suggests that for 4K, the High preset is the better recommendation, as it provides 72.9 FPS, a 20% improvement over Ultra while still offering a quality visual experience. The Medium preset at 4K (84.4 FPS) is also viable, but High offers a better balance of fidelity and performance. At 1080p and 1440p, the Low and Medium presets are only useful for pushing extreme frame rates (284 FPS and 244.4 FPS at 1080p, respectively), which might appeal to esports enthusiasts, but the visual compromise is significant. For the best experience, the data points to Ultra at 1440p and High at 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture and features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a critical asset in Doom, a game known for its fast-paced, texture-heavy environments. At 4K, the GPU’s memory bandwidth and capacity allow the card to maintain solid performance, as evidenced by the 72.9 FPS at High settings. The boost clock of 2430 MHz and the game clock of 2124 MHz are the driving forces behind the card’s ability to handle the geometry and particle effects of Doom’s engine.

The GPU’s role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution scales. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (up to 284 FPS on Low) that the CPU is likely the limiting factor. However, as the resolution increases to 1440p and then 4K, the GPU’s workload grows, and the FPS drops accordingly. The gap between Low and Ultra presets at 1080p is 113.8 FPS (284 vs 170.2), but at 4K, this gap shrinks to 38.8 FPS (99.5 vs 60.7). This compression indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the pixel fill rate and shading demands outpace the CPU’s ability to feed it frames. The 96 ROPs and 240 TMUs are working hard to deliver the 233.3 GPixel/s pixel rate, which is sufficient for 4K but requires the user to dial back settings for consistent 60+ FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. In Doom, a game that is not particularly CPU-intensive by modern standards, this processor is never the primary bottleneck. The benchmark results show that the CPU’s single-thread performance is exceptional, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2850. These scores are critical for Doom’s engine, which relies heavily on a single main thread for game logic and scene management.

The CPU’s multi-threading capabilities are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000, but Doom does not appear to leverage all 24 threads effectively. The evidence for this is in the frame rate scaling. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 284 FPS, which is likely near the engine’s ceiling or the CPU’s limit for frame generation. When moving to 1440p Low, the FPS drops to 180.3, a 36.5% decrease, which is a larger drop than the resolution increase alone would suggest, indicating that the GPU is starting to take over the role of the limiting factor.

The CPU’s 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain low latency for the game’s assets, but the data shows that the i7-13700K is more than capable of feeding the RX 7800 XT at all but the lowest resolution and settings. The CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo; it provides a stable foundation that allows the GPU to scale its performance with resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos, this pairing of the i7-13700K and RX 7800 XT ranks 631st out of 1681 combos for Doom. This places it in the top 37.5% of all tested configurations, which is a solid result given the GPU’s 76th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs. The rank suggests that while the individual components are strong, the combination is not in the absolute top tier for this specific game. This is likely due to the game’s age and its ability to run well on a wide range of hardware, meaning that higher-end GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX would naturally score higher.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show it is closely matched with the i7-13700KF, which is 0.1% faster in average benchmark scores, and the AMD EPYC 4364P, which is 0.3% slower. This indicates that the CPU is performing as expected, and the combo’s rank is likely determined by the GPU’s performance relative to other graphics cards in the database. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 and NVIDIA P104-100, have very similar average scores (within 0.7%), which shows that the RX 7800 XT is in a tightly contested performance bracket. For Doom specifically, this combo’s rank of 631 out of 1681 reflects its balance, but it does not break into the top tier that would be reserved for flagship GPUs.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p High, the system achieves 205.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the FPS drops to 137, a 33.4% reduction. Moving to 4K High, the FPS drops to 72.9, a 46.8% reduction from 1440p. This scaling is expected, but the magnitude of the drop from 1440p to 4K is significant and indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at these resolutions.

For the Low preset, the scaling is even more pronounced: 284 FPS at 1080p, 180.3 FPS at 1440p, and 99.5 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36.5%, and from 1440p to 4K is 44.8%. This suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU’s pixel processing capabilities are stretched at higher resolutions. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling: 170.2 FPS at 1080p, 109.3 FPS at 1440p, and 60.7 FPS at 4K, with the drop from 1440p to 4K being 44.5%.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU is not being fully utilized. At 1440p, the balance shifts, and at 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. This is typical for a modern mid-to-high-end GPU paired with a top-tier CPU. The takeaway is that users targeting 1080p or 1440p with high refresh rates will get excellent performance, while 4K users must be selective with settings to maintain playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 284 FPS, achieved with the Low preset.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 4K with this combo?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 60.7 FPS, which is just at the threshold of playability for many users, but the High preset at 72.9 FPS is a safer choice for a smoother experience.

Q: How does the i7-13700K compare to its nearest rival, the i7-13700KF?

A: The i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 47282, while the i7-13700KF scores 47334, making the KF variant 0.1% faster in average scores.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and how does it impact 4K performance?

A: The RX 7800 XT has a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s, which is sufficient for 4K textures, as evidenced by the 72.9 FPS at High settings.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking among all tested combos for Doom?

A: This combo ranks 631st out of 1681 total tested combos for Doom, placing it in the top 37.5% of all configurations.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU become the bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting component, as frame rates drop significantly from 1440p across all presets, indicating the GPU is maxed out.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 72.9 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 99.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 84.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 60.7 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 137 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 180.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 158.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 109.3 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 205.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 284 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 244.4 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 170.2 |

This data confirms that the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, with the Ultra preset at 1440p providing a robust 109.3 FPS. At 4K, the High preset is the recommended choice to stay above the 60 FPS mark, while the Ultra preset is only for those who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is smooth, with no anomalies, and the performance is consistent with what one would expect from a 16-core CPU and a 16 GB GPU.