Doom

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Doom, with average FPS figures well above the 60 FPS playability threshold across every tested resolution and preset combination. The data set includes measured average FPS for 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160, each at Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings, though minimum and maximum frame rates are not provided in the benchmark results. This combination ranks 37th out of 3,712 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 1% of all configurations evaluated.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces extraordinary frame rates that leverage the CPU's strong single-thread performance. The Low preset averages 458.3 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire data set. Moving up to Medium, the average drops to 399.5 FPS, while High yields 341.4 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding at this resolution, still averages 276.1 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a reduction of 182.2 FPS, or approximately 39.8%, indicating that the GPU is not the limiting factor here; the frame rates are so high that CPU overhead and game engine constraints likely dominate.

At 2560x1440, the averages remain extremely high but begin to show more GPU influence. The Low preset averages 301 FPS, which is a notable drop from the 458.3 FPS seen at 1080p. Medium averages 257.9 FPS, High averages 222.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 180.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 120.2 FPS, which is a smaller absolute gap than at 1080p but still substantial. The progression from 1080p to 1440p at the Low preset (458.3 to 301 FPS) represents a 34.3% decrease, showing that resolution scaling has a significant impact even at these high frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary performance driver. The Low preset averages 162.7 FPS, Medium averages 139.7 FPS, High averages 121.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 95.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 67.1 FPS, which is proportionally smaller than at lower resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is nearing its throughput limits for this game. The transition from 1440p Ultra (180.8 FPS) to 4K Ultra (95.6 FPS) represents a 47.1% reduction, while the same transition at Low settings (301 to 162.7 FPS) shows a 45.9% drop, indicating consistent scaling behavior across presets.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i9-14900K, based on average benchmark scores, include the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79,371 with a delta of -0.3% relative to the i9-14900K's average of 79,097. This means the KF variant is slightly faster by 0.3%, a negligible difference in real-world gaming. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79,574, which is 0.6% higher, while the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80,041, sitting 1.2% above. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77,740, which is 1.7% lower than the i9-14900K. For gaming workloads like Doom, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates when paired with the same GPU, as the differences are all within 2%.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, the nearest rivals based on average benchmark scores are quite different in nature. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, which is 0.3% higher than the RTX 5090's 79,842 average, while the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, 0.6% lower. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940, 1.1% lower, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X scores 80,959, 1.4% higher. These are professional and mobile parts that happen to have similar aggregate benchmark scores, but their gaming performance in Doom would likely diverge significantly from the RTX 5090 due to architectural differences. The data does not include measured FPS for these alternatives, so direct gaming comparisons cannot be made.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals a clear shift in component importance as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the CPU's role is magnified because the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can feed it. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 458.3, which is 2.8 times higher than the 4K Low average of 162.7. This scaling suggests that at 1080p, the i9-14900K's strong single-core performance (evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2,655 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,262.5) is essential to reach such high frame rates. If a weaker CPU were paired with the RTX 5090, the 1080p results would likely be bottlenecked by the CPU, not the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts toward the GPU, but the CPU still matters. The average FPS at 1440p Low is 301, which is 34.3% lower than at 1080p Low, showing that the GPU is starting to become a limiting factor. However, the gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p (301 to 180.8 FPS) is 120.2 FPS, which is a moderate range that indicates both components are contributing to performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates the performance equation. The average FPS at 4K Ultra is 95.6, which is only 41.2% of the 1080p Ultra average of 276.1. This substantial drop (65.2% reduction from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra) demonstrates that the RTX 5090's rendering throughput is the primary constraint at 4K. The CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for this game at any resolution, and the data shows that the i9-14900K does not become a bottleneck even at the highest settings.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 458.3, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the most performance-oriented configuration in the data set.

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

A: Yes, the data shows an average FPS of 95.6 at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, which is well above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Low (458.3 FPS) is 182.2 FPS faster than Ultra (276.1 FPS). At 1440p, Low (301 FPS) is 120.2 FPS faster than Ultra (180.8 FPS). At 4K, Low (162.7 FPS) is 67.1 FPS faster than Ultra (95.6 FPS).

Q: Which resolution shows the largest performance drop when moving from Low to Ultra?

A: The absolute drop is largest at 1920x1080, where the difference between Low and Ultra is 182.2 FPS. The proportional drop is also largest at 1080p, with Ultra being 39.8% slower than Low.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for achieving high frame rates in this game?

A: At 1920x1080, the data indicates the CPU is more important, as frame rates are extremely high (up to 458.3 FPS) and likely CPU-limited. At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary factor, with frame rates dropping to 95.6 FPS at Ultra, showing GPU throughput constraints.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 37th out of 3,712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the top 1% of all configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 37 out of 3,712 tested combos in Doom. This places the configuration in the 99th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms 99% of the other 3,711 combinations in the database. The rank reflects the aggregate measured FPS across all tested resolutions and settings, weighted by the playability threshold of 60 FPS. Given that every single resolution and preset combination exceeds 95 FPS on average, the high rank is consistent with the data. The top 36 combos likely include configurations with even higher-end CPUs or more specialized gaming hardware, but the differences are marginal at these extreme performance levels.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 276.1 FPS. This is the optimal setting for 1080p because it provides the highest visual quality while still delivering over four times the playability threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra also remains the best choice, averaging 180.8 FPS, which is three times the 60 FPS threshold. At 3840x2160, Ultra is again the most demanding preset that clears 60 FPS, with an average of 95.6 FPS. This is 35.6 FPS above the threshold, providing a comfortable margin for demanding scenes, though the data does not include minimum FPS values to confirm frame pacing stability.

The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra) are playable at every resolution, as the average FPS never drops below 95.6. The best settings per resolution are all Ultra, meaning users can maximize visual quality without sacrificing playability. The data suggests that this system has significant headroom even at 4K Ultra, as the average FPS is 35.6 FPS above the playability threshold.

The Verdict

This PC can definitively run Doom at exceptional performance levels across all tested configurations. The verdict by resolution indicates that all four settings at each resolution (1080p, 1440p, and 4K) are playable, with average FPS values ranging from 95.6 to 458.3. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset averages 95.6 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS playability threshold. At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 180.8 FPS, and at 1920x1080, Ultra averages 276.1 FPS. The lowest average FPS in the entire data set is 95.6 at 4K Ultra, meaning there is no scenario in the measured data where this combo falls below the playability threshold. The system's rank of 37 out of 3,712 combos further confirms its high standing, and the data shows that the i9-14900K provides sufficient CPU performance while the RTX 5090 delivers the GPU throughput needed for high refresh rate gaming at any resolution.