Doom

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for Doom with the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional frame rates, with the Low preset reaching 230.6 FPS average, Medium at 200.4 FPS, High at 169.4 FPS, and Ultra still maintaining a robust 137.8 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, even the most demanding settings leave substantial headroom above the 60 FPS playability threshold, suggesting the system is not being pushed to its limits at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected scaling penalty. The Low preset averages 146.6 FPS, Medium drops to 130.8 FPS, High comes in at 105.5 FPS, and Ultra holds at 86.4 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 35-40% of the frame rate across presets, which is typical for a GPU-bound title when pixel count increases by approximately 78%. The Ultra preset at 1440p still clears the 60 FPS bar with a comfortable margin, making this resolution fully playable at any setting.

At 3840x2160, the picture shifts considerably. The Low preset averages 80.1 FPS, Medium drops to 66.6 FPS, and High barely clears the threshold at 62.1 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below playability at 46.6 FPS, marking the only configuration in the entire measured set that fails to reach 60 FPS. The delta between High and Ultra at 4K is 15.5 FPS, which represents a 25% performance hit for the highest quality tier — a significant cost that pushes the system out of the playable range. The min and max FPS values are not provided in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates, which may not fully capture stutter or frame-time variance.

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 achieves a combo rank of 1989 out of 3712 tested combinations in Doom, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database. This ranking means the system outperforms roughly 46% of all tested combos while trailing about 54% of them. Given that the RTX 4060 sits at the 61st percentile among all GPUs and the i7-14700K ranks at the 94th percentile among all CPUs, the combo's overall position is dragged down by the GPU rather than the processor.

The rank disparity is instructive. The CPU is a top-tier part, but the GPU is a mainstream offering, and Doom's engine scales heavily with graphics hardware. The data suggests that the combo's ranking would improve substantially with a stronger GPU, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed more frames. Conversely, pairing this GPU with a weaker CPU would likely produce similar FPS numbers, since the RTX 4060 appears to be the limiting factor at most resolutions and settings. The 1989th position out of 3712 combos indicates this is a balanced but not exceptional gaming configuration, with the GPU preventing the system from cracking the top quartile.

# CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling between resolutions and presets reveals which component governs performance in Doom. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low (230.6 FPS) and Ultra (137.8 FPS) is 92.8 FPS, a 67% difference. This substantial spread indicates that the GPU is doing heavy lifting even at lower resolutions, as the CPU is capable of feeding far more frames than the GPU can render. The i7-14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads, combined with its high single-thread performance (2160 in Cinebench R23 single-core), ensure that CPU bottlenecks are unlikely at any tested configuration.

At 2560x1440, the spread between Low (146.6 FPS) and Ultra (86.4 FPS) narrows slightly to 60.2 FPS, a 70% difference relative to the Low preset. The absolute frame rates drop across the board, confirming that the GPU is becoming more stressed as pixel count rises. However, the fact that even Ultra at 1440p stays above 86 FPS suggests the RTX 4060 retains significant headroom at this resolution.

The 3840x2160 results tell a different story. Here, the spread between Low (80.1 FPS) and Ultra (46.6 FPS) is 33.5 FPS, but the more telling metric is that High drops to 62.1 FPS and Ultra falls below the playability threshold. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint — the CPU's role diminishes as the render load increases, and the RTX 4060's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become limiting factors. The data implies that at 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, while at 4K, the GPU is the sole bottleneck, with the CPU contributing little to frame rate variation.

# The Verdict

Based on the measured FPS data and the 60 FPS playability threshold, this PC can run Doom at all three tested resolutions, but with caveats at 4K. At 1920x1080, every preset — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — clears 60 FPS comfortably, with the lowest result being 137.8 FPS at Ultra. This makes 1080p fully playable at maximum settings with substantial refresh-rate headroom, suitable for high-refresh displays.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is equally positive. All four presets maintain averages above 60 FPS, with Ultra at 86.4 FPS providing a smooth experience. Even the most demanding settings at 1440p leave a 26.4 FPS margin above the threshold, indicating stable performance without needing to compromise on visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the system is playable but requires settings management. The Low (80.1 FPS), Medium (66.6 FPS), and High (62.1 FPS) presets all clear 60 FPS, but Ultra at 46.6 FPS does not. The data indicates that High is the best playable setting at 4K, with a slim 2.1 FPS margin above the threshold. This margin is narrow enough that frame-time spikes could push it below 60 FPS in demanding scenes, so users seeking a more consistent experience might prefer Medium at 66.6 FPS. Overall, the system is a strong 1080p and 1440p performer, and a capable 4K machine when settings are dialed back from Ultra.

# Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i7-14700K provide context for CPU performance. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69288 in average benchmark score, a mere 0.1% below the i7-14700K's 69355. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, just 0.2% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69875 is 0.7% ahead. The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F at 69996 leads by 0.9%. These deltas are negligible in real-world gaming terms, meaning any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical FPS numbers in Doom when paired with the same GPU. The i7-14700K sits in a crowded field of high-performance processors where the differences are within measurement noise.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060's nearest rivals are surprising in their diversity. The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, just 0.2% above the RTX 4060's 17639 average. The AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics score 17588, 0.3% lower, while the AMD Radeon Pro 560 at 17551 trails by 0.5%, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 at 17509 is 0.7% behind. These comparisons suggest that the RTX 4060's raw benchmark score is similar to much older or integrated parts, but the RTX 4060's modern feature set — including DLSS-capable tensor cores and ray tracing hardware — would likely provide advantages in games that utilize those features, even if Doom's measured FPS is similar. For Doom specifically, any of these GPU alternatives would likely deliver comparable frame rates at the same settings and resolutions.

# FAQ

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

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 46.6 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold. To achieve playable 4K performance, you would need to use the High preset, which averages 62.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best 1440p setting for this combo?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 86.4 FPS, making it the most demanding setting that stays above 60 FPS. Since all four presets at 1440p clear the threshold, you can freely choose Ultra for maximum visual quality.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At the Ultra preset, the frame rate drops from 137.8 FPS at 1080p to 86.4 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 51.4 FPS or approximately 37%. The same preset at 4K drops further to 46.6 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Doom?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at all tested resolutions. At 4K, the Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS, and the 92.8 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p indicates the RTX 4060 is stressed even at lower resolutions. The i7-14700K's high benchmark scores suggest it has ample headroom.

Q: Does this system support high refresh rates?

A: At 1080p, yes. The Low preset averages 230.6 FPS, Medium 200.4 FPS, High 169.4 FPS, and Ultra 137.8 FPS, all of which exceed 120 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low preset at 146.6 FPS and Medium at 130.8 FPS exceed 120 FPS.

Q: What ranking does this combo hold among all tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 1989th out of 3712 tested combinations in Doom. This places it in the upper-middle tier, outperforming roughly 46% of all tested configurations.

# Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 137.8 FPS. This leaves a 77.8 FPS margin above the playability threshold, providing substantial headroom for demanding scenes and high-refresh displays.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset is again the best choice, averaging 86.4 FPS. The 26.4 FPS margin above 60 FPS is adequate for most gameplay, though users with variable refresh rate monitors may prefer to keep this setting.

At 3840x2160, the High preset is the most demanding playable option, averaging 62.1 FPS. However, the narrow 2.1 FPS margin above the threshold means frame-time spikes could cause dips below 60 FPS. For a more consistent experience, the Medium preset at 66.6 FPS offers a safer buffer of 6.6 FPS while still providing solid visual quality. The data suggests that 4K Ultra is not viable, but High represents the peak visual experience that remains technically playable.