Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a commanding performance profile for Doom, with measured frame rates that far exceed the 60 FPS playability threshold across every tested resolution and preset. The data shows a system capable of handling the game's demanding scenarios with substantial headroom, making it a top-tier configuration for this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database provide context for its processing capabilities. The Intel Core i5-14600K achieves an average benchmark score of 48618, placing it at the 90th percentile of all CPUs. The closest match is the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, which scores 48698, representing a negligible 0.2% difference. The AMD EPYC 4345P trails by a mere 0.3% with a score of 48470, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX sits 0.7% behind at 48287. On the other side, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 leads the i5-14600K by 0.8% with a score of 48995. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, indicating that any of these processors would deliver effectively identical CPU-bound performance in Doom.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 posts an average benchmark score of 56083, ranking at the 87th percentile of all GPUs. The AMD Radeon 8060S is the closest competitor at 55757, a 0.6% difference. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, also 0.7% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 2.3% with a score of 54828. Conversely, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE outperforms the RTX 5080 by 2.2%, scoring 57367. In practical terms for Doom, these GPU alternatives would produce frame rates within a few percentage points of the RTX 5080, though the measured FPS data specifically applies to the RTX 5080.

CPU and GPU Roles

For Doom, the GPU dominates performance scaling across resolutions, while the CPU provides sufficient headroom to avoid bottlenecking. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops by 29.7% from Low settings (149.6 FPS) to Ultra settings (92.3 FPS), demonstrating that graphical load is the primary constraint. This pattern intensifies at lower resolutions where the GPU has more capacity to spare.

The scaling between resolutions reveals the GPU-bound nature of the workload. At Ultra settings, moving from 1920x1080 (257.1 FPS) to 2560x1440 (166.8 FPS) reduces performance by 35.1%, and further to 3840x2160 (92.3 FPS) reduces it by another 44.7%. The same trend appears at High settings: 310.5 FPS at 1080p drops to 204 FPS at 1440p (34.3% reduction) and then to 107.4 FPS at 4K (47.4% reduction). These consistent percentage drops across resolutions indicate that the RTX 5080's rendering throughput, not the CPU, determines the frame rate.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings where frame rates exceed 400 FPS. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system reaches 428.2 FPS, which requires substantial per-frame processing from the i5-14600K. The CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, provide the single-thread performance needed for Doom's game logic at such high frame rates. However, since even the most demanding 4K Ultra preset stays above 90 FPS, the CPU never becomes the limiting factor in this configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5080 produces exceptional results across all presets. Low settings yield an average of 428.2 FPS, Medium settings deliver 368.4 FPS, and High settings achieve 310.5 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding configuration, still maintains an average of 257.1 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 40.1%, reflecting the increased shading, texture, and post-processing demands.

At 2560x1440, the system continues to deliver high refresh rate performance. Low settings average 274.6 FPS, Medium settings reach 239 FPS, and High settings produce 204 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 166.8 FPS, which is still nearly three times the 60 FPS playability threshold. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings is 35.1%, consistent with the increased pixel count from 2.07 million to 3.69 million.

At 3840x2160, performance remains robust despite the 8.3 million pixel workload. Low settings average 149.6 FPS, Medium settings achieve 130.1 FPS, and High settings hold at 107.4 FPS. The Ultra preset produces 92.3 FPS, comfortably above the playability threshold. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra settings shows a 44.7% reduction, which aligns with the 2.25x increase in pixel count, indicating the GPU is the primary throughput limiter at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 150th out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top 4% of all configurations in the database. This high ranking reflects the system's ability to maintain exceptional frame rates across all settings and resolutions. The combination's percentile placement is consistent with the individual component rankings: the CPU at the 90th percentile and the GPU at the 87th percentile.

This ranking indicates that the system outperforms the vast majority of tested hardware configurations for Doom. The 150th position suggests that only 149 other combinations achieve higher average performance, likely featuring newer or more specialized hardware. For a mainstream desktop CPU paired with a high-end consumer GPU, this result demonstrates excellent optimization and balanced performance for this title.

FAQ

*Q: Can this PC run Doom at 4K Ultra settings?*

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 92.3 FPS, which exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold by 53.8%.

Q: What is the highest FPS this combination produces?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 428.2 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the most demanding preset (4K Ultra), the average is 92.3 FPS.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 257.1 at 1920x1080 to 92.3 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 64.1%. At High settings, the drop is from 310.5 to 107.4 FPS, a 65.4% reduction.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. Performance scaling between resolutions and presets follows GPU workload patterns, with consistent percentage drops as resolution increases. The CPU provides sufficient headroom, as even the highest frame rates at 1080p Low settings (428.2 FPS) do not show CPU limitations.

Q: Does this system maintain 60 FPS at all settings and resolutions?

A: Yes. The lowest measured average FPS is 92.3 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. Every other configuration produces higher frame rates, so all 12 tested combinations (4 settings × 3 resolutions) exceed 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: The combination ranks 150th out of 3712 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the top 4.0% of all configurations in the benchmark database.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that maintains 60 FPS, achieving an average of 257.1 FPS. This provides maximum visual quality with substantial performance headroom for high refresh rate displays.

At 2560x1440, Ultra settings also remain viable with an average of 166.8 FPS. This is 2.8 times the playability threshold, allowing for smooth gameplay even during intense combat sequences.

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers 92.3 FPS on average, which is 53.8% above the 60 FPS threshold. This allows for full visual fidelity at 4K resolution without sacrificing playability.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination can definitively run Doom at exceptional performance levels. At 1920x1080, the system achieves a minimum of 257.1 FPS across all presets, with the Ultra setting providing the best visual experience at 257.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, all presets remain well above 60 FPS, with Ultra delivering 166.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system maintains 92.3 FPS at Ultra settings, which is the most demanding configuration tested.

The verdict by resolution confirms that every resolution and preset combination in the measured data exceeds the 60 FPS playability threshold. The Ultra preset at 4K, the most stressful scenario, still provides a 53.8% margin above the minimum playable frame rate. This configuration offers no compromises for Doom players, whether they prioritize competitive frame rates at 1080p or maximum visual fidelity at 4K. The data indicates this system is overqualified for the game, with performance headroom that would support even more demanding titles or future game updates.