Doom

The Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT pairing delivers a remarkably consistent experience in Doom, with the data showing that the combination is capable of pushing well beyond 60 FPS at 1440p High settings, though the 4K Ultra preset remains a challenge. The measured FPS across resolutions illustrates a GPU-bound scenario where the RDNA 2 architecture’s 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory interface become the primary limiting factors at higher graphical loads.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p High is 148.1, indicating that this configuration is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at the most common resolution.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 40.4 on Ultra to 67.3 on Low, meaning that 4K gaming is only viable when settings are reduced to Medium or below.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 2560x1440?

A: The gap is substantial; the average FPS drops from 127.6 on Low to 80.8 on Ultra at 1440p, a decrease that highlights the significant graphical load variation within the game’s presets.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score of 32508 is virtually identical to the Intel Core i7-12800H, which scores 32513, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, which scores 32446 with a deltaPct of 0.2.

Q: What is the GPU’s benchmark percentile ranking?

A: The GPU holds a percentile of 72 versus all other GPUs, indicating it outperforms a majority of the database but does not reach the top tier of graphics hardware.

Q: What are the GPU’s memory specifications?

A: The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s, with a memory clock of 2190 MHz (17.5 Gbps effective).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh generation, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The data indicates that this CPU is more than adequate for Doom, as the game’s engine is not heavily threaded; the processor’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample fast storage for game instructions. In the broader benchmark context, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 32508 places it at the 88th percentile of all tested CPUs, suggesting it is a high-performing part that won't bottleneck the GPU in most scenarios.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12800H with a score of 32513 and a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are statistically tied in average performance. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 trails slightly with a deltaPct of 0.2, while the AMD Ryzen 7 250 is ahead by the same margin. For a game like Doom, which relies more on single-core performance for physics and AI, the CPU’s strong single-thread results—evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093—ensure that frame pacing remains consistent even when the GPU is under heavy load. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the memory bandwidth is not specified, and its 65 W TDP indicates efficient power delivery. This hardware combination is not the limiting factor in the measured FPS; rather, the scaling of frame rates across resolutions points directly to the GPU as the primary performance arbiter.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a 7 nm process, featuring 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s, which is a decisive factor in Doom’s performance at higher resolutions. The GPU’s boost clock is 2635 MHz, with a game clock of 2410 MHz, and it delivers 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The data shows that the GPU’s average benchmark score is 29024, placing it at the 72nd percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, achieving a nearly identical score of 29011.

The performance degradation from 1080p to 4K is steep and directly correlates with the memory bus width and VRAM capacity. At 1920x1080, the GPU is able to maintain an average of 200.4 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 50.3 FPS at 3840x2160 on High. This 75% reduction in frame rate is characteristic of a GPU that is saturated by the increased pixel count and texture data, where the 128-bit bus becomes a bottleneck. The GPU’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility are relevant for Doom, as the game’s Vulkan renderer can leverage the hardware efficiently. The 32 ray accelerators present on the GPU do not significantly impact Doom, as the game does not utilize ray tracing, but they contribute to the card’s overall feature set. The measured FPS data confirms that for smooth 4K gameplay, settings must be lowered to Medium (63.5 FPS) or Low (67.3 FPS), while 1440p Ultra remains playable at 80.8 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 1078 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places the pairing in the lower-middle tier of the database, which is consistent with the GPU’s 72nd percentile standing and the CPU’s high performance. The ranking suggests that while the CPU is capable of supporting much faster graphics cards, the RX 6650 XT caps the overall system performance in this specific title. The data implies that the combo is not among the top performers for 4K gaming, but its rank is not indicative of poor performance; rather, it reflects the mid-range positioning of the GPU relative to the entire pool of tested hardware.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is likely outperformed by systems with higher-end GPUs like the Radeon RX 6800M, which is a direct rival to the RX 6650 XT in average GPU score. The deltaPct of 0 between the two GPUs suggests that swapping the RX 6650 XT for an RX 6800M would yield identical benchmark results, but in actual gaming, the difference may be more pronounced due to memory bandwidth. The combo’s rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s limitations at 4K, where the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus struggle with the high-resolution textures. At 1080p and 1440p, however, the rank would be significantly higher due to the excellent frame rates achieved, indicating that the combo is better suited for these resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo’s capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. At the native 1080p, the performance is exceptional: the average FPS is 200.4 on Low, 174.5 on Medium, 148.1 on High, and 118.5 on Ultra. These numbers indicate that the RX 6650 XT is not fully utilized at this resolution, allowing the CPU to drive frame rates well beyond the 144 Hz refresh rate of most monitors. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p incurs a 20% performance penalty, which is a modest cost for the visual upgrade.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU begins to show its limits. The average FPS drops to 127.6 on Low, 115.7 on Medium, 96.5 on High, and 80.8 on Ultra. This resolution is the sweet spot for the combo, as even the Ultra preset maintains a frame rate above the 60 FPS threshold that is considered the baseline for smooth gameplay. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p represents a 36% reduction in performance, which is a significant but manageable trade-off for higher fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is firmly the bottleneck. The average FPS falls to 67.3 on Low, 63.5 on Medium, 50.3 on High, and 40.4 on Ultra. The data shows that only the Low and Medium presets are playable at 4K, and even then, the frame rates hover around the 60-65 FPS mark. The High preset’s 50.3 FPS average is below the ideal smoothness threshold, and the Ultra preset’s 40.4 FPS average is borderline unplayable for a fast-paced FPS. The variance between resolutions highlights the GPU’s memory bandwidth limitations, as the frame rate drops are more pronounced than what would be expected from pixel count alone. The data confirms that this combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the 4K experience reserved for less demanding settings.