Doom

The Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination delivers a highly playable experience in Doom, but the data reveals a clear performance hierarchy dictated by resolution and settings. At 1080p, the combo is exceptionally strong, while at 4K, it struggles to maintain high refresh rates, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The benchmark results show a system that is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, with the CPU providing ample headroom for the GPU to operate effectively.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and significant performance drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 132.1 FPS at 1080p to 84.5 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 47.6 FPS. This scaling continues to 4K, where the average drops further to 46.4 FPS. This pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario.

The most telling evidence of the GPU being the limiting factor is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the gap between Low (176.6 FPS) and Ultra (109.1 FPS) is 67.5 FPS, showing the settings have a massive impact. At 4K, the gap between Low (59.5 FPS) and Ultra (38.7 FPS) is 20.8 FPS. While the absolute frame rates are lower, the relative performance drop from Low to Ultra is more severe at 1080p, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU enough data at that resolution, and the GPU’s raw compute is the primary bottleneck.

The data strongly suggests that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 4K, even the Low preset only achieves 59.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the baseline for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K is the weakest result in the entire dataset at 38.7 FPS, confirming that the RX 6600 does not have the raw pixel throughput to handle 4K with high fidelity. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, with High settings dropping from 84.5 FPS to 46.4 FPS, a reduction of 45.1%. This steep decline highlights that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are quickly saturated at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. It features 20 MB of shared L3 cache. In the context of Doom, a fast-paced FPS, the CPU's single-thread performance is crucial for maintaining high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck.

The benchmark data supports this, as the CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093 and multi-core score of 21914 indicate strong performance. This is corroborated by its percentile rank of 88, meaning it outperforms 88% of all CPUs in the database. The high single-core performance ensures that the game's physics and AI routines are handled efficiently, allowing the GPU to receive a consistent stream of rendering commands.

However, the CPU’s role is diminished at higher resolutions. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, as evidenced by the fact that even a substantial reduction in settings from Ultra (38.7 FPS) to Low (59.5 FPS) does not bring the frame rate close to the 1080p results. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the performance would be more consistent across resolutions. The fact that frame rates scale dramatically with resolution confirms that the i5-14400F provides more than enough processing power for this game, and the RX 6600 is the component that determines the final performance ceiling. The CPU's 65W TDP and dual-channel memory support are sufficient for this workload.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience is achieved by balancing visual fidelity with frame rate. For players targeting 60 FPS or higher, the "High" preset is the clear winner at both 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p, High settings deliver an average of 132.1 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced action. At 1440p, High settings provide 84.5 FPS, which is still very smooth and offers a significant visual upgrade over lower presets.

The "Ultra" preset is not recommended for 4K gaming, as it yields an average of only 38.7 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. At 1440p, Ultra produces 69.1 FPS, which is acceptable but represents a significant performance cost over High. The data shows that the jump from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 15.4 FPS, a 18.2% reduction in performance for what is likely a marginal visual improvement. For a game as fast as Doom, prioritizing a high, consistent frame rate is more beneficial than the extra visual effects.

The "Medium" preset offers a good middle ground, particularly at 1440p, where it achieves 97.9 FPS. This is a solid choice for players with 144Hz monitors who want to get closer to that refresh rate without dropping to Low settings. The "Low" preset, while providing the highest frame rates (176.6 FPS at 1080p), is not recommended for the full experience as it substantially reduces visual quality. The sweet spot for this combination is High settings at 1440p, which offers an excellent balance of performance and image quality. For 1080p, High settings are more than sufficient to take full advantage of high-refresh-rate displays.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 1327 out of 1681 combos in Doom. This places it in the lower-middle tier of performance, which is consistent with the GPU's position in the market. The RX 6600 has a percentile rank of 69 against all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-range performer.

The combo's ranking reflects that while the CPU is a strong performer (88th percentile), the GPU holds the overall system back. The RX 6600's average benchmark score of 25235 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon 890M (25246, 0% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (25120, 0.5% delta). This indicates that the GPU is performing exactly as expected for its class. The ranking suggests that many other tested combos feature more powerful GPUs, which is why this system falls in the 79th percentile of all combos. The data implies that to improve this combo's ranking significantly, a GPU upgrade would be necessary, as the CPU has ample headroom for a more powerful graphics card.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Doom?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 are the most effective resolutions. At 1080p, High settings achieve 132.1 FPS, and at 1440p, High settings achieve 84.5 FPS, both of which are smooth and playable. 4K performance is limited, with the best result being 59.5 FPS on Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck at 4K. Evidence for this is the significant performance drop from 1440p to 4K (e.g., from 84.5 FPS to 46.4 FPS on High settings). If the CPU were the limit, frame rates would not scale so heavily with resolution. The CPU's strong single-core performance (3093 in Cinebench R23) is not the limiting factor.

Q: How does this combo's performance rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 1327 out of 1681 tested combinations in Doom. This places it in the lower-middle tier, primarily due to the GPU's mid-range performance. The RX 6600 has a 69th percentile rank among all GPUs, while the CPU has an 88th percentile rank.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the difference is substantial. The Low preset achieves an average of 176.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 109.1 FPS. This is a performance gap of 67.5 FPS, indicating that the visual settings have a massive impact on frame rate at this resolution.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Only with significant compromises. The average FPS at 4K on Low settings is 59.5 FPS, which is just under the 60 FPS mark. All other settings at 4K (Medium, High, Ultra) produce average frame rates below 56.5 FPS, making 4K gaming with this combo not recommended for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

Q: What is the performance headroom of the CPU in this game?

A: The CPU appears to have significant headroom. At 1080p, where the CPU load is typically highest, the combo still achieves over 100 FPS on all settings except Ultra (109.1 FPS). The performance scaling with resolution confirms the CPU is not the primary bottleneck, as the GPU's workload is the main factor in frame rate changes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | ------: |

| 3840x2160 | High | 46.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 59.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 56.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 38.7 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 84.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 113.0 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 97.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 69.1 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 132.1 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 176.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 154.0 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 109.1 |

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2491 MHz, with a game clock of 2044 MHz. The GPU has 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs. These specifications position it as a capable 1080p and 1440p card, but its 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are limiting factors at higher resolutions and settings.

The benchmark data confirms this. The GPU's performance in Doom is directly tied to its memory bandwidth and compute capabilities. The steep drop in frame rates from 1440p to 4K (e.g., from 84.5 to 46.4 FPS on High settings) indicates that the GPU's memory subsystem and compute units are being saturated. The 8 GB VRAM is also a factor at 4K, as the game's textures and assets at that resolution likely approach or exceed this limit, further reducing performance.

The RX 6600's average benchmark score of 25235 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon 890M (25246, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (25287, -0.2% delta). This indicates it is performing at the expected level for its class. The GPU's 69th percentile rank among all GPUs underscores that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is a solid mid-range option. In this specific game, the GPU is the primary determinant of frame rate, and its limitations are most evident at 4K resolution, where it cannot maintain playable frame rates on higher settings. The 132W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are adequate for its performance class.