Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination delivers exceptional performance in Doom, with all tested resolutions and presets clearing the 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures no bottleneck at lower settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the Intel Core i5-14600K, benchmark averages place it within a tight cluster of comparable processors. The nearest rival is the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, which scores 0.2% lower, while the AMD EPYC 4345P is 0.3% faster. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX trails by 0.7%, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 leads by 0.8%. In practical terms, any of these CPUs would deliver near-identical frame rates in Doom, as the game's engine rarely stresses more than a few cores at 1080p. The 14-core, 20-thread configuration of the i5-14600K is far beyond what Doom requires, so swapping to a rival within this performance band would produce no measurable difference in gameplay.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5090's nearest rival is the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which scores 0.3% lower, followed by the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is 1.1% behind, while the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X is 1.4% ahead. These deltas are all within a 2.5% band, meaning the RTX 5090 and its closest competitors are effectively interchangeable for Doom's rendering workload. However, the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth dwarf the older Tesla parts, which matters for future titles even if it does not affect this 2016 release. The benchmark data indicates that the RTX 5090 ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 90th percentile, making this a top-tier pairing.

CPU and GPU Roles

At 1080p, the CPU plays a more significant role because frame rates are so high that even brief processor stalls can limit output. The data shows the RTX 5090 pushing 445.9 FPS at Low settings in 1920x2160 — wait, 1920x1080. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p is substantial: 445.9 FPS drops to 277.3 FPS, a 37.8% reduction that is almost entirely GPU-driven. The i5-14600K's single-core Cinebench R23 score of 2064 ensures it never becomes a limiting factor, but the scaling between presets reveals that the GPU is already the primary constraint even at 1080p.

Moving to 1440p, the GPU's dominance becomes more pronounced. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 340.6 FPS at 1080p to 221.3 FPS, a 35% reduction. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 299 FPS versus 182.1 FPS, a 39.1% spread. At 4K, the GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck: Ultra settings produce 97.6 FPS, which is 64.8% lower than the 1080p Ultra result of 277.3 FPS. This scaling pattern — where performance degrades more steeply with resolution than with preset changes — confirms that the RTX 5090 is the component that matters most across all tested configurations. The CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases, but it never becomes irrelevant, as the 14-core processor's throughput is sufficient to feed the GPU even at 445.9 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data covers three resolutions and four presets, with all results representing average frame rates. At 1920x1080, the RTX 5090 produces extraordinary numbers. Low settings yield 445.9 FPS, Medium drops to 402.3 FPS, High achieves 340.6 FPS, and Ultra dips to 277.3 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 168.6 FPS, indicating that Doom's visual settings have a meaningful impact on GPU load even at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the results remain extremely high but show the expected decline. Low settings hit 299 FPS, Medium reaches 261.2 FPS, High delivers 221.3 FPS, and Ultra settles at 182.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 116.9 FPS, a narrower gap than at 1080p because the higher pixel count already strains the GPU. The 1440p High result of 221.3 FPS is still more than triple the 60 FPS playable threshold, leaving enormous headroom for demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5090 finally encounters a workload that approaches its limits, though it never comes close to failing. Low settings produce 164.2 FPS, Medium drops to 142.6 FPS, High achieves 116.3 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 97.6 FPS. The Ultra result is the lowest in the entire dataset, yet it still exceeds the 60 FPS threshold by 62.7%. The 4K scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 40.6% performance loss, which is consistent with the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capabilities. No minimum or maximum frame rates are available in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average FPS, but the consistency across presets suggests stable performance.

The Verdict

This PC can run Doom at every resolution and preset combination tested, and it does so with overwhelming margin. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: at 3840x2160, all four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with Ultra delivering 97.6 FPS as the best visual option. At 2560x1440, all settings are playable, and Ultra achieves 182.1 FPS. At 1920x1080, all settings are playable, with Ultra producing 277.3 FPS. The 60 FPS threshold is cleared by at least 37.6 FPS even at the most demanding configuration — 4K Ultra — which means the system never dips below playable performance.

The data indicates that users can select Ultra presets at any resolution without concern. The RTX 5090's 32 GB of memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provide ample headroom for texture streaming, while the i5-14600K's 24 MB of L3 cache and 5.30 GHz boost clock ensure consistent frame pacing. For competitive play at high refresh rates, the 1080p Low setting at 445.9 FPS exceeds the capability of virtually any display, and even the 4K Ultra result of 97.6 FPS is sufficient for 90 Hz panels. This is a definitive yes — the system is not merely playable but exceptionally overqualified for Doom.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system handle Doom at 4K with maximum settings?*

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average frame rate is 97.6 FPS, which is 62.7% above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming?

A: Ultra at 2560x1440 produces 182.1 FPS, making it the optimal choice. All lower presets also exceed 60 FPS, but Ultra provides the highest visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: No. The i5-14600K's single-core Cinebench R23 score of 2064 supports frame rates up to 445.9 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that the GPU remains the primary bottleneck even at the lowest settings.

Q: How much performance is lost between 1080p and 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 277.3 FPS at 1920x1080 to 97.6 FPS at 3840x2160, a 64.8% reduction. This is consistent with the fourfold increase in pixel count.

*Q: Is the RTX 5090 overkill for a 2016 game like Doom?*

A: The data shows it is, but the margin is intentional. Even at 4K Ultra, the system delivers 97.6 FPS, and at 1080p Low it reaches 445.9 FPS. The hardware far exceeds the game's requirements, but the headroom ensures future-proofing.

Q: Which component matters more at 4K?

A: The GPU. Moving from 1440p Ultra (182.1 FPS) to 4K Ultra (97.6 FPS) causes a 46.4% performance drop, while the CPU's workload remains nearly constant. The RTX 5090 is the limiting factor at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 41st out of 3712 tested configurations for Doom, placing it in the top 1.1% of all systems. This rank reflects the GPU's percentile of 92 and the CPU's percentile of 90, both of which are near the top of their respective charts. The combo's average benchmark score of 48618 for the CPU and 79842 for the GPU positions it well above the median, and the measured frame rates confirm that the rank is earned through actual gameplay performance rather than synthetic metrics alone.

The rank of 41 indicates that a few dozen combinations outperform this pairing, likely those with higher-end CPUs such as the Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9 parts. However, the delta in Doom would be marginal, as the game does not scale significantly with more than 14 cores. The RTX 5090 is the dominant factor, and its 1.1% deltaPct versus the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT shows that even near-rival GPUs would produce similar results. This combo sits in the elite tier of gaming systems, with only the most extreme hardware — such as dual-GPU setups or overclocked flagship CPUs — ranking higher. For any practical purpose, this is a top-tier configuration for Doom and will remain so for years.