Doom

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination delivers exceptional performance in Doom, placing it in the top percentile of all tested configurations. The data indicates a system capable of handling the game’s most demanding settings at high refresh rates, though the relationship between CPU and GPU roles shifts significantly depending on resolution. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, component contributions, and optimal settings based strictly on the provided benchmark data.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide substantial on-die storage for game assets and instructions. In Doom, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU can render frames quickly enough to expose any processor bottleneck. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 453 FPS, indicating the CPU is capable of feeding the RTX 5090 D with a massive number of draw calls and physics calculations without becoming a limiting factor.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance, as measured by synthetic benchmarks, is strong. For instance, the Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 30745, and the 3DMark max-threads score is 12412. These numbers suggest that Doom, which benefits from multiple threads for AI, particle effects, and game logic, will run smoothly even in complex scenes. However, the single-thread performance is equally critical for older game engines. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and Geekbench single-core score of 2529 indicate that the i7-13700K's high boost clock ensures that the primary game thread is processed efficiently. This is reflected in the 1080p Ultra result of 292 FPS, which, while lower than the Low preset, still demonstrates that the CPU can maintain high frame pacing even with increased draw calls from higher detail settings.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the i7-13700K sits in a tight performance cluster. It trails the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 by a negligible 0.2% in average benchmark score (46881 vs 46971) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 by 0.3% (46881 vs 47022). Conversely, it leads the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 by 0.5% each (46881 vs 46654 and 46653, respectively). This places the i7-13700K in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, confirming that it is a high-end processor that will not hold back the RTX 5090 D in Doom at any resolution tested. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is still 102, which is well above playable thresholds, further proving that the CPU has ample headroom.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this config, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock is 2407 MHz, and it contains 21760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation pipelines. These specifications directly translate to the high frame rates observed in Doom. The GPU is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. Its FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS indicates raw compute power that easily handles the game's lighting and shadow calculations.

The GPU's role is most evident when analyzing the scaling of frame rates with resolution. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 453, which is a staggering number. When the resolution is increased to 1440p Low, the average drops to 314 FPS, a reduction of 139 FPS. Further increasing to 4K Low yields 170 FPS. This scaling shows that even with the fastest consumer GPU available, rendering resolution becomes the primary constraint. The 32 GB VRAM is far more than Doom requires, meaning there is no risk of texture thrashing or memory-related stutters at any settings. The 28 Gbps effective memory speed and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensure that texture streaming and data transfer to the GPU cores are never bottlenecks.

The RTX 5090 D's synthetic benchmark scores are equally impressive, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14326 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 376915. It sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database, however, show some interesting anomalies. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT is listed as 1.1% faster in average benchmark score (76904 vs 77712), while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.6% slower (78940 vs 77712). The NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants are 2.1% and 2.4% slower, respectively. These deltas are small and likely reflect differences in specific benchmark workloads rather than real-world gaming performance, as the RTX 5090 D's gaming results in Doom are exceptionally high.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 18 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom. This places the configuration in the top 0.6% of all systems tested for this game, indicating that it is one of the fastest pairings available. The rank reflects the synergy between the CPU's high single-thread performance and the GPU's immense rasterization power. While the CPU is not the fastest on the market, its ability to maintain high frame throughput at 1080p (453 FPS on Low) ensures that the GPU is not idling waiting for data.

The high ranking is corroborated by the measured FPS data. Even at the most demanding preset (4K Ultra), the combo produces an average of 102 FPS, which is excellent for a 2016 title. The fact that the combo ranks 18th overall suggests that only a handful of other configurations, likely using even newer or higher-clocked CPUs, can surpass these results. The data shows that the performance gap between this combo and the top-ranked ones is minimal, as the frame rates are already close to the practical limits of the game engine. The 89th percentile CPU and 92nd percentile GPU scores align with the 18th rank, confirming that both components are top-tier but not absolute peak hardware. This combo is a high-end enthusiast setup that delivers near-maximum performance in Doom.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings yield an average of 453 FPS, Medium settings produce 422 FPS (with a minimum of 359 and maximum of 486), High settings achieve 357 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 292 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a reduction of 161 FPS, or a 35.5% decrease. This indicates that the GPU is capable of handling the increased visual complexity without a catastrophic drop, but the Ultra preset does demand significantly more shader work.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 314 for Low, 273 for Medium (minimum 232, maximum 314), 231 for High, and 189 for Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra here is 125 FPS, representing a 39.8% reduction. When comparing the same settings across resolutions, the 1440p results are notably lower than 1080p. For example, Ultra settings drop from 292 FPS at 1080p to 189 FPS at 1440p, a decrease of 103 FPS. This is a 35.3% reduction, showing that the increased pixel count directly impacts GPU workload.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are 170 for Low, 148 for Medium (minimum 126, maximum 170), 125 for High, and 102 for Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a reduction of 68 FPS, or 40%. Comparing 1440p to 4K for the same settings, Low drops from 314 to 170 FPS (a 45.9% reduction), Medium from 273 to 148 (a 45.8% reduction), High from 231 to 125 (a 45.9% reduction), and Ultra from 189 to 102 (a 46.0% reduction). These consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that the GPU is the primary limiting factor when moving to higher resolutions, as the CPU has already been shown to be capable of higher frame rates at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Analyzing the resolution scaling reveals a clear pattern about which component is the bottleneck. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all settings drops by approximately 30-35%. For example, High settings go from 357 to 231 FPS, a 35.3% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more pronounced at approximately 45-46% for all settings. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The number of pixels increases by 2.25x from 1080p to 1440p, but the FPS does not drop proportionally; it drops by less than half. This is because the GPU has enough raw power to partially compensate, but the trend is clear.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting component at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 453 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1440p and 4K Low, but we see 314 and 170 FPS, respectively. The fact that the FPS drops by over 60% from 1080p Low to 4K Low (453 to 170 FPS) proves that the GPU's rendering throughput is the deciding factor. The RTX 5090 D, despite its enormous bandwidth and compute capabilities, cannot maintain the same level of performance when the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

Conversely, the CPU's influence is most visible at 1080p, where the frame rates are exceptionally high. The difference between 1080p Low (453 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (292 FPS) is 161 FPS, which is a 35.5% drop. This drop is due to the increased CPU workload from higher detail settings, such as more complex geometry and AI calculations, in addition to the GPU load. However, at 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is only 68 FPS (170 to 102), a 40% drop. The percentage is similar, but the absolute difference is smaller, suggesting that at 4K, the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor, and CPU load differences have a relatively smaller impact on the final frame rate. The limiting component is definitively the GPU at 1440p and 4K, while at 1080p, the system is well-balanced, with both components contributing to the high scores.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Doom?*

A: The data shows that the combo achieves 357 FPS at 1080p High and 231 FPS at 1440p High, making either resolution suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 4K High, the average is 125 FPS, which is still smooth but leaves less headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 77712, which is 1.1% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76904) but 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940). It also outperforms both NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (12 GB and 16 GB) by 2.1% and 2.4%, respectively.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 D in this game?

A: No. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 453 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU efficiently. The CPU's benchmark score of 46881 is only 0.2% to 0.5% away from its nearest rivals, placing it in the 89th percentile, which is sufficient for Doom.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 453, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1080p is 359, with a maximum of 486.

Q: How much does performance drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 292. At 4K Ultra, it is 102. This represents a 65.1% reduction in frame rate, highlighting the GPU load increase from the higher resolution.

*Q: What is the combo's overall rank among all tested systems in Doom?*

A: The combo ranks 18th out of 2930 tested configurations. This places it in the top 0.6% of all systems, indicating it is one of the fastest pairings for this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. For players with a 1080p monitor, the High preset at 357 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Low (453 FPS) while still maintaining a frame rate far above any display's refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 292 FPS is also viable, but the 65 FPS difference between High and Ultra may be more noticeable during fast-paced action than the visual increment from High to Ultra. For 1440p users, the High preset at 231 FPS is again the sweet spot, balancing image quality with a frame rate that exceeds most 144Hz and 165Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 273 FPS is also excellent if a slightly higher frame rate is preferred over visual fidelity.

At 4K resolution, the choice depends on the refresh rate of the display. The Ultra preset at 102 FPS is the most visually impressive and is suitable for a 120Hz display, as it reaches near that threshold. The High preset at 125 FPS is a better option for a 144Hz monitor, providing a 23 FPS boost over Ultra with a minor visual compromise. The Low preset at 170 FPS is the best choice for competitive play or a 165Hz+ display, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. The Medium preset at 148 FPS offers a balanced middle ground, ensuring smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate 4K displays. Given that the minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 126, this preset guarantees no frame drops below most high-refresh thresholds. The data suggests that High settings provide the most consistent experience across all resolutions, with the only caveat being that Ultra at 4K is still highly playable if maximum visuals are the priority.