Doom

# Doom: Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

The Intel Core i7-13700K pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 to deliver exceptionally high frame rates in Doom, with measured results showing this combination ranks in the 94th percentile of all tested configurations. The data indicates that this pairing is heavily GPU-bound at lower resolutions, while the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance becomes more relevant at higher settings and resolutions where frame pacing matters most.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Doom?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combination reaches 401 average FPS, which is the highest measured result across all tested configurations in the data.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER's 54209 score, making the two essentially equivalent in raw compute performance.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance advantage over its nearest rival?

A: The Core i7-13700K scores 46881 on average, which is 0.5% higher than both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535, but 0.2% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900.

Q: What VRAM capacity does the RTX 4080 have, and is it sufficient for Doom?

A: The RTX 4080 features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth, which is more than adequate for Doom's Ultra settings at 4K based on the measured frame rates.

Q: What is the best measured settings preset for smooth 4K gameplay?

A: The High preset at 3840x2160 delivers 104 average FPS, which is the highest quality setting that maintains triple-digit frame rates at 4K resolution.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for Doom?

A: This configuration ranks 215th out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 5.8% of all systems tested in this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a chip containing 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2205 MHz and boosts to 2505 MHz, with memory running at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus. These specifications translate to a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is critical for Doom's fast-paced texture streaming and high-resolution rendering.

The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory provides ample headroom for Doom's Ultra settings, even at 3840x2160 where the game demands the most video memory. The GPU's 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s, both of which contribute to the high frame rates observed in the benchmark data. The 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are present but less relevant for Doom, which does not heavily utilize ray tracing or DLSS in this title.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with FP32 performance rated at 48.74 TFLOPS and FP16 at the same 48.74 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). The passmark G3D score of 34457 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 place the RTX 4080 in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. This places it 0.1% above the RTX 4080 SUPER, 1.1% below the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, and 2.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB in synthetic benchmarks.

In Doom specifically, the GPU's role becomes dominant at 1080p and 1440p, where the measured FPS scales almost linearly with settings reductions. The data shows that at 1920x1080, dropping from Ultra to Low increases average FPS from 241 to 401, a 66% improvement that reflects the GPU's ability to push massive frame rates when not constrained by CPU bottlenecks. At 2560x1440, the same settings change yields an increase from 156 to 260 average FPS, indicating that the GPU remains the primary performance driver even at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process with a die size of 257 mm². It operates at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boosts up to 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and its 30 MB of shared L3 cache, along with 2 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core, provides substantial on-chip storage for game data.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745 and a Geekbench multicore score of 19429. Single-thread performance is equally impressive, with Cinebench R23 single-core scoring 2116 and 3DMark single-thread reaching 1136. The PassMark multithread score of 45887 and average benchmark score of 46881 place the i7-13700K in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, 0.2% higher), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, 0.3% higher), AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, 0.5% lower), and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653, 0.5% lower).

In Doom, the CPU's role is less dominant than the GPU's, but it still matters for maintaining consistent frame times, especially at higher frame rates. The benchmark data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 401 average FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to sustain very high frame rates. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10717 and max-thread score of 12412 indicate the CPU's ability to handle the game's threading requirements, which are modest but benefit from the 16 cores and 24 threads.

At 3840x2160, the CPU becomes less of a factor as the GPU takes on more rendering load. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 85 average, which is well below the CPU's potential throughput, confirming that the RTX 4080 is the limiting factor at this resolution. However, the CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock and strong single-thread performance (PassMark single-thread score of 4333) ensure that even at 1080p with Low settings, the system can reach 401 FPS without the CPU becoming a bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing Doom's settings across different resolutions. At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 104 average FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at this resolution achieves 123 average FPS, while Ultra drops to 85 average FPS. For players with high-refresh-rate 4K monitors, the High preset is recommended as it maintains triple-digit frame rates while offering significantly better visual quality than Medium.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers 156 average FPS, which is sufficient for most 144Hz monitors. The High preset at this resolution reaches 191 average FPS, providing additional headroom for competitive play. For players with 240Hz 1440p displays, the Medium preset at 226 average FPS is the best choice, as it offers a substantial frame rate boost over High while still maintaining respectable visual quality.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset achieves 241 average FPS, which is more than enough for most 240Hz monitors. The High preset at 295 average FPS is recommended for players with 300Hz displays, while the Medium preset at 350 average FPS provides even more headroom. The Low preset at 401 average FPS is only necessary for extreme competitive play at 360Hz or higher refresh rates, where visual quality is sacrificed for maximum frame throughput.

The data suggests that the High preset offers the best overall experience across all three resolutions, as it consistently delivers high frame rates while maintaining visual fidelity. The Medium preset is a viable alternative for players who prioritize frame rate over graphics quality, particularly at 1440p and 4K where the differences between Medium and High are more noticeable.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 215th out of 3712 tested combinations for Doom, placing it in the top 5.8% of all systems tested. This ranking reflects the strength of both components, with the CPU in the 89th percentile and the GPU in the 86th percentile of their respective categories.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46881 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, which scores 46971 (0.2% higher). This means the i7-13700K is not a differentiator in this pairing, as any of the top-tier CPUs would perform similarly in Doom. The GPU, however, is more significant, as the RTX 4080's average score of 54247 is competitive with the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209, 0.1% lower) and other high-end graphics cards.

The combo's ranking in the top 5.8% of all tested systems indicates that this pairing is well-suited for Doom, delivering excellent performance at all resolutions and settings presets. The data shows that the system can handle 4K Ultra at 85 average FPS, which is playable, but the recommended High preset at 104 average FPS provides a better experience. At 1440p and 1080p, the system delivers frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of most monitors, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance across different configurations.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers 85 average FPS, which is the lowest measured result in the data. The High preset improves this to 104 average FPS, a 22% increase. The Medium preset achieves 123 average FPS with a minimum of 104 and maximum of 141, indicating some frame pacing variance. The Low preset reaches 141 average FPS, which is 66% higher than the Ultra preset. The scaling from Ultra to Low at 4K shows a clear progression: 85 → 104 → 123 → 141 FPS, with diminishing returns as settings are reduced.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers 156 average FPS, while the High preset achieves 191 average FPS, a 22% improvement. The Medium preset reaches 226 average FPS with a minimum of 192 and maximum of 260, showing similar variance to the 4K Medium result. The Low preset achieves 260 average FPS, which is 67% higher than the Ultra preset. The progression at 1440p is 156 → 191 → 226 → 260 FPS, with the same relative scaling as 4K.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 241 average FPS, while the High preset achieves 295 average FPS, a 22% improvement. The Medium preset reaches 350 average FPS with a minimum of 297 and maximum of 402, showing the largest frame time variance in the data. The Low preset achieves 401 average FPS, which is 66% higher than the Ultra preset. The progression at 1080p is 241 → 295 → 350 → 401 FPS, maintaining the same relative scaling across all three resolutions.

The consistent scaling pattern across resolutions indicates that Doom's performance is primarily GPU-bound, with the RTX 4080's capabilities determining the frame rates at each settings level. The CPU's role is to ensure that frame pacing remains consistent, as evidenced by the minimum FPS values at Medium settings being 82-85% of the average FPS across all resolutions. This suggests that the i7-13700K provides sufficient processing power to avoid CPU-induced stutters, even at the highest frame rates measured.