Doom

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is an exceptionally potent combination for running _Doom_ (2016). Measured data indicates this system not only clears the 60 FPS playable threshold at every tested resolution and settings preset, but it does so with massive headroom, even at 4K Ultra settings where it maintains an average of 88 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run _Doom_ at 4K with maxed-out settings?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the measured average frame rate is 88 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS playable threshold. The data confirms all four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable at this resolution.

Q: How much performance headroom is there at 1080p?

A: The headroom is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 250 FPS on Ultra to 416 FPS on Low. Even the most demanding preset, Ultra, runs at more than four times the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 269 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of 162 FPS. This represents a performance cost of roughly 40% for the highest visual quality settings compared to the lowest.

Q: Are there any settings at any resolution where this combo drops below 60 FPS?

A: No. The verdict data lists every settings preset (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) as playable at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions. The lowest measured average is 88 FPS at 4K Ultra, which still comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested system configurations?

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 175th out of 3,712 tested combos for _Doom_. This places it in the top percentile of all configurations benchmarked for this game.

Q: Which component is the main performance driver in this game?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary scaling factor. This is evidenced by the significant frame rate drops as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU remains constant. The average FPS at Ultra settings falls from 250 at 1080p to 88 at 4K, a clear indication of GPU-bound scaling.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results for this pairing show a clear pattern where the GPU dictates performance scaling across resolutions, while the CPU provides a sufficiently strong foundation to avoid becoming a bottleneck at any tested setting. The frame rate progression at the Ultra preset illustrates this: 250 FPS at 1920x1080, 162 FPS at 2560x1440, and 88 FPS at 3840x2160. This steep decline with increasing pixel count is the hallmark of a GPU-bound workload, where the rendering load on the RTX 5080 grows faster than the CPU's frame generation responsibilities.

At 1080p, the system delivers between 250 FPS (Ultra) and 416 FPS (Low). The extremely high frame rates at this resolution indicate that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough draw calls to saturate its rendering capabilities. The Intel Core i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, provides ample computational headroom. When the resolution drops, the CPU workload per frame decreases, yet the total frame output remains massive, confirming that the processor is not limiting performance.

Moving to 1440p, the average FPS at High settings is 198, while Low settings hit 269. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly a 20-35% reduction in frame rate across all presets, which aligns with the increase in pixel count from 2.07 million to 3.68 million. This further emphasizes the GPU's role as the primary scaling factor.

At 4K, the picture becomes even more pronounced. The RTX 5080's workload quadruples in pixel count from 1080p, and the measured FPS drops correspondingly. At Ultra settings, the average falls to 88 FPS, while Medium stays at 127 FPS and Low reaches 146 FPS. The CPU's role here is to ensure consistent frame delivery without stutters; the fact that the minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 108 FPS (against a 127 average) indicates a stable frame pacing, which reflects the CPU's capability in maintaining a steady frame stream under heavy GPU load.

In summary, the RTX 5080 is the component that determines playability at higher resolutions, while the i9-14900K ensures that the system never becomes CPU-bound, even at low settings where frame rates exceed 400 FPS. This is a balanced pairing where the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, but the CPU provides enough overhead to push extreme frame rates at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 achieves a rank of 175 out of 3,712 tested combos in _Doom_. This places the system in the top 4.7% of all configurations benchmarked for this title. For context, the CPU itself sits in the 95th percentile among all tested CPUs in general performance, and the GPU is in the 87th percentile among all GPUs, so their pairing results in a combined performance that exceeds either component's individual percentile ranking.

The nearest rival CPUs to the i9-14900K include the Intel Core i9-14900KF (with an average score 0.3% lower) and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (0.6% lower). The AMD EPYC 7413 scores 1.2% higher, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 1.7% lower. These differences are minor, indicating that the CPU choice is not the primary differentiator in this game's performance. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (2.2% higher average score) and the AMD Radeon 8060S (0.6% lower), showing that the RTX 5080 is competitively positioned in its class.

Given that the game's engine scales heavily with GPU throughput, the high rank is largely attributable to the RTX 5080's raw rendering power. The CPU's contribution is to ensure that the system does not bottleneck, which it demonstrably does not, given the high frame rates even at 1080p. This rank suggests that very few other tested configurations can match this system's combined frame output at all resolutions, particularly at 4K where the GPU's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth provide ample resources for high-resolution textures.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run _Doom_. The measured data shows that every settings preset at every tested resolution achieves an average frame rate above the 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset runs at 250 FPS average, Medium at 363 FPS, High at 306 FPS, and Low at 416 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra delivers 162 FPS, Medium 235 FPS, High 198 FPS, and Low 269 FPS. Even at 3840x2160, the most demanding resolution, the Ultra preset maintains an average of 88 FPS, with Medium at 127 FPS, High at 107 FPS, and Low at 146 FPS.

The verdict data confirms that all four settings presets are playable at all three resolutions. The best settings at each resolution are the highest visual quality preset (Ultra), with average FPS values of 250 at 1080p, 162 at 1440p, and 88 at 4K. This means users can maximize graphical fidelity without sacrificing playability, as even the most demanding configuration stays well above the 60 FPS threshold. The minimum frame rates recorded at Medium settings (308 FPS at 1080p, 199 FPS at 1440p, 108 FPS at 4K) further indicate that frame pacing is consistent and there are no severe drops.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS values for each resolution and settings preset. Minimum and maximum FPS were only recorded for the Medium preset in this dataset.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 146 FPS average
• Medium: 127 FPS average, 108 FPS minimum, 146 FPS maximum
• High: 107 FPS average
• Ultra: 88 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 269 FPS average
• Medium: 235 FPS average, 199 FPS minimum, 270 FPS maximum
• High: 198 FPS average
• Ultra: 162 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 416 FPS average
• Medium: 363 FPS average, 308 FPS minimum, 417 FPS maximum
• High: 306 FPS average
• Ultra: 250 FPS average

These numbers reveal a consistent scaling pattern. Moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces average FPS by approximately 35-40% across all presets, while moving from 1440p to 4K reduces it by another 45-50%. The Medium preset's minimum FPS values show that even the most demanding moments in the game (likely heavy combat scenes) do not dip below 108 FPS at 4K, which is still nearly double the playable threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is the Ultra preset. This is the highest visual quality option available in the game's settings.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Best settings: Ultra
• Average FPS: 88 FPS
• This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset approaches the 60 FPS threshold, but it still clears it by a comfortable 28 FPS margin.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Best settings: Ultra
• Average FPS: 162 FPS
• The Ultra preset at 1440p provides a high refresh rate experience, well-suited for 144Hz monitors.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Best settings: Ultra
• Average FPS: 250 FPS
• At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 250 FPS, which is ideal for 240Hz displays and provides substantial headroom for any future engine updates or mods that might increase GPU load.

The data indicates that users should select the Ultra preset at any resolution for the best visual experience, as the performance cost is never prohibitive. The RTX 5080's 16 GB of VRAM and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to handle the game's textures and effects at 4K without compromising frame rates. The i9-14900K's high single-thread performance (2,262.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core) ensures that the game's simulation and physics logic never become a limiting factor, even at the high frame rates seen at 1080p. This combination offers an uncompromised _Doom_ experience across all display resolutions.