Doom

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this configuration, pairing the Intel Core i9-14900K with the Intel Arc B390, shows a clear performance ceiling that scales predictably with resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest results. The Low preset averages 107 FPS, which is the highest average recorded across all tests. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS and a maximum of 107 FPS. The High preset averages 78 FPS, while the Ultra preset still clears the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 64 FPS. At this resolution, every single preset, from Low to Ultra, remains playable.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance picture changes considerably. The Low preset averages 69 FPS, which is still above the playable threshold. The Medium preset averages exactly 60 FPS, with a minimum of 51 FPS and a maximum of 69 FPS. The High preset falls to 51 FPS on average, and the Ultra preset drops further to 41 FPS. The data shows that only Low and Medium presets maintain an average at or above 60 FPS at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the configuration struggles across the board. The Low preset averages 37 FPS, the Medium preset averages 33 FPS with a minimum of 28 FPS and a maximum of 37 FPS, and the High preset averages 28 FPS. The Ultra preset is the slowest, averaging just 22 FPS. None of the presets at this resolution reach the 60 FPS playable threshold, and even the best case, Low at 37 FPS, falls far short of a smooth experience.

The min and max FPS data, available only for the Medium preset at each resolution, shows consistent framing behavior. At 1080p Medium, the spread from 79 to 107 FPS indicates moderate variance. At 1440p Medium, the spread from 51 to 69 FPS shows a similar pattern but at a lower overall level. At 4K Medium, the spread from 28 to 37 FPS is narrow, suggesting the GPU is saturated and frame delivery is steady but slow.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the Intel Arc B390 is the dominant performance limiter in this configuration. Evidence for this comes from the resolution scaling pattern. At 1080p, the system achieves 107 FPS on Low and 64 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, the same presets yield 69 FPS and 41 FPS respectively. At 4K, they produce 37 FPS and 22 FPS. This halving of performance as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load scales with pixel count.

The Intel Core i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is not the constraint here. The CPU benchmarks in the database show a 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5. This level of processing power is far beyond what Doom, a 2016 release, requires for frame generation. The game's engine is well optimized, and the CPU has ample headroom even at lower resolutions where CPU load typically matters more.

The preset scaling within each resolution further supports the GPU-bound conclusion. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS from 107 to 64, a drop of roughly 40 percent. At 1440p, the same preset change drops performance from 69 to 41 FPS. At 4K, it drops from 37 to 22 FPS. The consistent percentage reduction across resolutions indicates that the GPU's shading units, texture units, and raster operations are the limiting factor, not the CPU's ability to feed frames.

The Arc B390's specifications align with this interpretation. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its FP32 throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS. These figures place it in the lower tier of the GPU benchmark database, with a percentile ranking of 9 among all GPUs. The single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 confirms its modest rendering capability.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best settings that maintain 60 FPS or higher are Ultra, which averages 64 FPS. This is the most demanding preset available, and the configuration handles it with a small margin above the playable threshold. The data shows that all presets at this resolution clear 60 FPS, so users can select Ultra without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are Medium, which averages exactly 60 FPS. The Low preset also clears the threshold with 69 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while still meeting the playability requirement. High and Ultra fall below 60 FPS, so they are not recommended at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The best average among the tested presets is Low at 37 FPS, but this still fails to meet the playable threshold. The verdict data confirms that the playable settings list is empty at this resolution, meaning the configuration cannot deliver a smooth experience at 4K regardless of preset selection.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Doom, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution. At 1920x1080, the configuration is fully capable, with all four presets clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold. The Ultra preset averages 64 FPS, providing the best visual quality while maintaining smooth gameplay. Users at 1080p can play with maximum settings without concern.

At 2560x1440, the configuration remains playable but with restrictions. The playable settings are Low and Medium, with Medium being the best option at exactly 60 FPS average. High and Ultra presets fall to 51 FPS and 41 FPS respectively, which are below the playable threshold and would introduce noticeable stutter or frame pacing issues. Users at 1440p should stick to Medium or lower for a consistent experience.

At 3840x2160, the configuration cannot run the game at a playable frame rate. None of the presets reach 60 FPS, and the best average, Low at 37 FPS, is well below the threshold. The verdict data lists no playable settings at 4K. Users attempting 4K resolution will need to accept a significantly reduced frame rate or consider alternative hardware. The overall combo rank in the database is 3300 out of 3712 combinations, placing this configuration in the lower quartile for Doom performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i9-14900K provide context for CPU performance, though the GPU remains the bottleneck in this pairing. The Intel Core i9-14900KF scores an average of 79371 in the database, which is 0.3 percent lower than the i9-14900K's average score of 79097. This makes the KF variant essentially identical in performance, and users with that chip would see no meaningful difference in Doom. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, 0.6 percent higher, and the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, 1.2 percent higher. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7 percent lower. All of these CPUs are within a narrow performance band, and none would alter the game's frame rates given the GPU constraint.

For the Intel Arc B390, the nearest rivals are all NVIDIA discrete GPUs from older generations. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, which is 1.3 percent lower than the Arc B390's 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5 percent lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5 percent lower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7 percent lower. These deltas are small, meaning all four rivals would produce nearly identical frame rates in Doom. The data suggests that swapping the Arc B390 for any of these GPUs would not meaningfully change the playability conclusions at any resolution. The measured frame rates would remain below 60 FPS at 4K, marginal at 1440p, and playable at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Doom at 1920x1080 with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 64 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All presets at this resolution, including High at 78 FPS, Medium at 93 FPS, and Low at 107 FPS, clear the threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset is the best option at 1440p, averaging exactly 60 FPS. It is the most demanding preset that maintains playable performance. The Low preset averages 69 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while still meeting the threshold.

Q: Is 4K resolution playable with this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best average frame rate is 37 FPS on the Low preset. The Medium preset averages 33 FPS, High averages 28 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. None of the presets reach the 60 FPS playable threshold, and the verdict data confirms no playable settings at this resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX is 1.3 percent slower, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M is 1.5 percent slower, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5 percent slower, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 is 2.7 percent slower. These differences are small enough that frame rates in Doom would be nearly identical.

Q: Does the CPU affect performance in this game?

A: The data indicates the CPU is not the limiting factor. The Intel Core i9-14900K ranks in the 95th percentile among all CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5. The performance scaling across resolutions and presets follows a GPU-bound pattern, showing that the Arc B390 determines the frame rates.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 79. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 51 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 28 FPS. These values are only recorded for the Medium preset in the database.