Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers exceptional performance in Doom, with benchmark results showing the combination comfortably exceeding the 60 FPS playability threshold across every tested resolution and settings preset. The measured frame rates indicate a system with substantial headroom, capable of driving the game at maximum visual fidelity even at 4K resolution, where the most demanding preset still maintains an average well above the target.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160 (4K), the Ultra preset is the most demanding option tested, and it achieves an average of 94 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS threshold by a significant margin, making Ultra the recommended choice for this resolution without any need to compromise on visual quality. The data confirms that all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at 4K, but Ultra provides the highest fidelity while still holding a comfortable average frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440 (1440p), the Ultra preset delivers an average of 173 FPS. This represents a substantial increase over the 4K result, showing that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. The recommendation remains Ultra, as the frame rate is nearly three times the playability threshold, leaving no reason to select lower settings for performance reasons.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the Ultra preset produces an average of 267 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded across all resolution and settings combinations, and it makes Ultra the clear choice for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays. The benchmark results show that even at the most demanding settings, the system is nowhere near a performance ceiling at this resolution.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern, with the CPU providing more than enough throughput to avoid becoming a limiting factor. At 1080p Ultra, the average frame rate is 267 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 173 FPS; and at 4K Ultra, it falls further to 94 FPS. This consistent decline as resolution increases indicates that the rendering load is shifting progressively onto the GPU, while the CPU maintains its ability to feed frames at all three resolutions.

The Intel Core i5-14600KF, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, shows strong synthetic performance that supports this interpretation. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and single-core score of 4594 place it in the 90th percentile among all tested CPUs, suggesting it can handle the game's simulation and draw-call overhead without bottlenecking the RTX 4090. The PassMark physics score of 2449 further reinforces that the CPU has sufficient computational headroom for game logic.

The RTX 4090, meanwhile, demonstrates its dominance in GPU-bound scenarios. Its PassMark G3D score of 38194 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9223 indicate massive rendering throughput, which explains why the system can push 94 FPS at 4K Ultra. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows roughly a 65% reduction at Ultra settings, which aligns with the pixel count increase from 2.07 million to 8.29 million, confirming that the GPU is the primary performance driver at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured average frame rates are 156 FPS at Low, 136 FPS at Medium, 115 FPS at High, and 94 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS, providing a frame time consistency that keeps even the lowest dips well above the playability threshold. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 62 FPS drop, representing a 40% reduction in average frame rate, which is a moderate cost for the visual improvements offered by higher settings.

At 2560x1440, the averages climb to 287 FPS at Low, 250 FPS at Medium, 211 FPS at High, and 173 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 213 FPS and a maximum of 288 FPS, indicating that even the worst-case frame times remain far above any concern for stuttering. The gap between Low and Ultra is 114 FPS, a 40% reduction that mirrors the 4K scaling pattern.

At 1920x1080, the results are 444 FPS at Low, 387 FPS at Medium, 327 FPS at High, and 267 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 329 FPS and a maximum of 445 FPS, which means the frame rate never drops below the average of the High preset at this resolution. The difference between Low and Ultra is 177 FPS, again a 40% reduction, showing consistent scaling behavior across all three resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 88th out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top 2.4% of all systems evaluated for this game. This ranking reflects the synergy between the high-end CPU and flagship GPU, where neither component drags down the overall performance in a meaningful way.

The CPU's 90th percentile standing among all processors indicates it is not a weak link, while the GPU's 88th percentile among all graphics cards shows similar strength. When paired together, they achieve a combo rank that is consistent with both components' individual standings, suggesting balanced performance without any significant bottleneck. The high ranking also implies that only a small fraction of tested systems can match or exceed this frame rate output in Doom.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores an average of 49228, which is 0.3% lower than the i5-14600KF's average benchmark score of 49394. This makes the Ryzen 9 7900 a nearly identical performer for gaming workloads. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G trails by 0.4%, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% behind. On the higher side, the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 leads by 0.8%, meaning any of these processors would deliver essentially the same frame rates in Doom when paired with the RTX 4090.

For the GPU, the nearest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60, which scores 60326 versus the RTX 4090's 60347, a negligible 0% difference in average benchmark score. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% behind, and the AMD Radeon PRO V710 is 2.9% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 2.5% ahead. None of these alternatives would produce a measurable change in Doom's frame rates, as the performance deltas are all within a few percentage points.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K resolution?

A: Yes. The benchmark results show all four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—are playable at 3840x2160, with the Ultra preset averaging 94 FPS, well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the highest frame rate this combo achieves in Doom?

A: The maximum recorded average is 444 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p reaches a maximum of 445 FPS, which is the highest single frame rate value in the measured data.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival for this game?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900's 49228. The performance difference is negligible, so either processor would yield nearly identical results in Doom.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 significantly faster than its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4090 scores 60347 in average benchmarks, while the Intel Arc Pro A60 scores 60326, a 0% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% behind, so all these GPUs would perform essentially the same in Doom.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for maximum visual quality?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 173 FPS, making it the best choice. It clears the 60 FPS threshold by nearly three times, so there is no performance reason to select lower settings.

Q: How does the system rank among all tested combos in Doom?

A: It ranks 88th out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.4% of all systems benchmarked for this game.

The Verdict

This PC can run Doom with exceptional ease. The verdict by resolution confirms that all settings presets are playable at every resolution tested, with the best settings being Ultra in each case. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 94 FPS; at 2560x1440, it averages 173 FPS; and at 1920x1080, it averages 267 FPS. Every result clears the 60 FPS playability threshold by at least 34 FPS, with the 1080p figure more than quadrupling the requirement.

The system's rank of 88 out of 3712 combos further validates its position as a top-tier configuration for Doom. The combination of the i5-14600KF's 90th percentile CPU performance and the RTX 4090's 88th percentile GPU performance creates a balanced platform where neither component limits the other. Players can confidently enable Ultra settings at any resolution and expect a smooth, high-frame-rate experience that maximizes both visual fidelity and responsiveness.