Doom

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 produces a distinctive performance profile in Doom, one that is heavily dictated by the GPU’s age relative to the CPU’s modern architecture. The i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from Intel’s Core 14th Gen series, built on the Raptor Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide substantial headroom for gaming workloads. The CPU’s benchmark data supports this: it scores 21,914 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,093 in single-core, with a PassMark single-thread score of 3,723. These figures place the processor in the 88th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it is far from being a bottleneck in most scenarios. The RX 580, by contrast, is a Polaris 20 chip from 2017, built on a 14 nm process with 5,700 million transistors. Its 2,304 shading units and 32 ROPs are paired with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 8,813 places it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs, which is modest by modern standards.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F’s role in Doom is to supply enough single-thread throughput and core count to avoid limiting the RX 580, and the data confirms this is the case. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination achieves 102.7 FPS average. This is the highest frame rate recorded across all tested configurations, and it suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU well beyond what the RX 580 can render at higher quality presets. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.70 GHz is central to this; Doom is an FPS that responds strongly to high-frequency cores, and the i5-14400F’s single-core performance — evidenced by its 3,093 Cinebench R23 single-core score — is more than adequate for the game’s engine. The 10-core, 16-thread configuration also provides ample parallel resources, though Doom’s engine does not typically scale perfectly across that many threads. The CPU’s L3 cache of 20 MB shared and L2 cache of 1.25 MB per core help maintain low latency, which is beneficial for frame pacing in a fast-paced shooter.

However, the CPU’s capability is largely untapped in this pairing because the RX 580 becomes the primary constraint as settings increase. The data shows that at 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra drops the average frame rate from 102.7 FPS to 63.3 FPS, a reduction of 39.4 FPS. This drop is entirely attributable to the GPU’s rendering workload, not the CPU. The i5-14400F’s multi-core score of 21,914 in Cinebench R23 and its PassMark multithread score of 25,783 indicate it could handle far more demanding physics and AI workloads than Doom presents. In essence, the CPU is overqualified for this specific game title, and its performance headroom means that any frame rate variation across settings is a direct reflection of the RX 580’s limits rather than the processor’s. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 88 versus the GPU’s 53 percentile further underscores this imbalance.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Examining the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and frame rate appears at 1080p with Medium settings, where the average FPS is 87.2. This is a substantial improvement over the High preset’s 76.6 FPS and the Ultra preset’s 63.3 FPS, while still offering a meaningful upgrade over Low’s 102.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 15.5 FPS, which is noticeable but not as significant as the jump from Medium to High, which costs 10.6 FPS. For a 60 Hz display, the Medium preset at 1080p provides a comfortable margin above the refresh threshold, and the 87.2 FPS average suggests consistent frame delivery. The Ultra preset at 1080p, while visually superior, drops to 63.3 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS baseline but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1440p, the situation changes. The Medium preset delivers 60.6 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target, but the High preset drops to 49.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 43.1 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p produces 69.1 FPS, but the visual compromise is likely too steep for most players. The data suggests that 1440p is playable only at Low or Medium settings, with Medium being the better choice if visual quality matters. At 4K, all presets fail to reach 60 FPS, with the highest being Low at 36.2 FPS and the lowest being Ultra at 24.9 FPS. These figures indicate that 4K is not viable for smooth gameplay with this combination, and users should stick to 1080p or accept lower settings at 1440p. The best experience, considering both frame rate and image quality, is clearly 1080p Medium, as it offers the highest frame rate that still uses a meaningful portion of the GPU’s capabilities without sacrificing the visual polish that the High and Ultra presets provide.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling behavior reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. Starting at 1080p High with 76.6 FPS average, moving to 1440p High reduces the frame rate to 49.3 FPS, a drop of 27.3 FPS or roughly 35.6%. Further scaling to 4K High yields 28.6 FPS, another drop of 20.7 FPS from the 1440p figure. This pattern is consistent with a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as resolution increases. The RX 580’s 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 42.88 GPixel/s pixel rate are simply insufficient for 4K rendering, especially with the 8 GB frame buffer being taxed by higher resolutions. The fact that the CPU’s performance is static across these resolutions — its benchmark scores do not change with resolution — confirms that the i5-14400F is not the limiting factor.

The data shows a similar trend at other presets. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 102.7, which drops to 69.1 at 1440p Low and then to 36.2 at 4K Low. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 33.6 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is 32.9 FPS. This near-linear scaling with pixel count indicates that the GPU’s compute units are the primary bottleneck. The RX 580’s FP32 throughput of 6.175 TFLOPS is modest, and its 193.0 GTexel/s texture rate further limits performance at higher resolutions where more fragments and textures are processed. The CPU’s role in this scaling is negligible; the i5-14400F’s performance is independent of resolution, so the frame rate decline is almost entirely a function of the GPU’s rendering load. This is a textbook example of a GPU-limited configuration, where the CPU has ample headroom and the GPU’s architecture determines the playable resolution ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 580 ranks 1537 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This ranking places it in the bottom 8.6% of all configurations, which is a direct consequence of the GPU’s age and performance class. The RX 580’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 with an average score of 13,564 and a deltaPct of 0, the GTX 950 with 13,549 and a deltaPct of 0.1, and the AMD Radeon Pro 455 with 13,416 and a deltaPct of 1.1. These rivals are all older or lower-tier cards, and the RX 580’s average benchmark score of 13,559 is essentially on par with them, differing by less than 1.1%. This indicates that the GPU is performing exactly as expected for its class, with no surprising uplift or deficiency.

The CPU, on the other hand, is far more capable. The i5-14400F’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12800H with an average score of 32,513 and a deltaPct of 0, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 with 32,446 and a deltaPct of 0.2, and the AMD Ryzen 7 250 with 32,584 and a deltaPct of -0.2. These rivals are all processors from similar or newer generations, and the i5-14400F’s average benchmark score of 32,508 places it within 0.2% of them. This level of parity suggests that the CPU is not holding back the overall combo ranking; it is the GPU that drags the combined score down. The combo’s rank of 1537 out of 1681 reflects a configuration where a high-end modern CPU is paired with a low-end legacy GPU, resulting in a system that is far below the median for gaming performance in Doom. The data indicates that upgrading the GPU would yield a dramatic improvement in ranking, while the CPU would remain a non-factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo in Doom at 1080p?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 102.7, achieved at 1080p with Low settings. The next highest is 87.2 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 76.6 FPS at 1080p High.

Q: Can this combination run Doom at 4K with acceptable performance?

A: No. At 4K, the highest average FPS is 36.2 at Low settings, and the lowest is 24.9 at Ultra. None of the 4K presets reach 60 FPS, indicating the GPU is not capable of smooth 4K gameplay.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest rival, the GTX 570?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 13,559, while the GTX 570 scores 13,564, resulting in a deltaPct of 0. This means the two GPUs are statistically identical in performance, with no meaningful difference.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as 21,914 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,723 in PassMark single-thread, are far higher than what Doom requires. The frame rate drops across resolutions and settings are entirely attributable to the GPU’s limits.

Q: What is the best preset for a 60 Hz display at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 60.6 FPS average, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset drops to 49.3 FPS, so Medium is the only preset that maintains playable performance on a 60 Hz display.

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

A: This combo ranks 1537 out of 1681 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8.6% of all configurations. The low ranking is due to the GPU’s modest performance, as the CPU is in the 88th percentile globally.