Doom

Doom is an exceptionally well-optimized title, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 demonstrates a wide range of performance across its three tested resolutions. The combination consistently delivers high frame rates, though the relationship between settings and resolution reveals where the hardware’s limits truly lie. The data shows a system that is clearly capable of smooth, high-refresh-rate gameplay at standard resolutions, but which begins to strain when pushed toward 4K with maximum graphical fidelity.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of which presets offer the best balance between visual quality and performance for this specific combo. At 1920x1080, the experience is uniformly excellent. The Ultra preset averages 105.3 FPS, which is already well above the threshold for smooth play on most displays. However, the data shows that dropping to High yields a significant improvement to 131.4 FPS, a 24.8% increase in headroom. This makes High the optimal choice at 1080p, as it provides a substantial performance buffer while remaining visually rich. The Medium preset at 150 FPS and Low at 176.6 FPS are available for those seeking maximum refresh rates, but the jump from Ultra to High is the most efficient trade-off.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but the margin tightens. The High preset delivers 85.5 FPS, which is still comfortably playable and visually impressive. Dropping to Medium yields 97.2 FPS, a 13.7% improvement. While Ultra at 68.8 FPS is playable, it sits close to the 60 FPS baseline, leaving little room for demanding scenes. The recommendation here is High, as it maintains a solid frame rate without sacrificing the visual fidelity that makes Doom’s environments so striking. Low at 113.2 FPS is an option for competitive play, but the visual cost is steep.

The 3840x2160 results change the calculus entirely. Only the Low preset, at 63.3 FPS, manages to stay comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium at 50.9 FPS and High at 43.4 FPS are playable but require a tolerance for lower smoothness. Ultra at 37.6 FPS is the only preset that falls below a playable standard. For 4K, the data strongly suggests using the Low preset if a consistent 60 FPS is the goal. However, the performance deltas between presets at this resolution are steep, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. Users prioritizing visual quality over frame rate might consider Medium, but Low is the only preset that fully utilizes the display's potential.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the defining component in this combo. It is a Turing-architecture GPU with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, offering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 1680 MHz and FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS place it in a specific performance tier. The benchmark data shows its average score is 16074, ranking it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600S at 15996 (0.5% faster) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15786 (1.8% slower).

The measured FPS data directly reflects this GPU’s capabilities. The 6 GB VRAM allocation is sufficient for Doom’s textures at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the strong performance at those resolutions. However, at 3840x2160, the GPU’s compute power and memory bandwidth become the limiting factor. The steep drop in FPS from 1440p to 4K — for instance, High drops from 85.5 to 43.4 FPS — indicates a classic GPU-bound scenario. The 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth is likely saturated at 4K, and the 6 GB frame buffer may also be a constraint with higher-quality textures. The data indicates that this GPU is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can fully flex its muscle, while 4K requires significant compromises in settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 1440p with maximum settings?

A: Yes, but with a caveat. The data shows the Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 68.8 FPS. This is playable, but it is the lowest of the 1440p presets and leaves less headroom for intense action sequences.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 60 FPS experience?

A: Based on the measured rows, 2560x1440 with High settings (85.5 FPS) provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (63.3 FPS) stays above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much of a performance gain is there between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The Low preset averages 176.6 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 105.3 FPS. This represents a 67.6% increase in frame rate when using Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game's performance?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary factor. The FPS scales almost linearly with resolution, dropping significantly as pixel count increases. This is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck, as the CPU's workload does not increase proportionally with resolution.

Q: Does the RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM cause issues in Doom?

A: The measured data does not show any explicit VRAM-related stuttering or crashes. The card performs well at 1080p and 1440p in all presets. At 4K, the frame rate drops significantly, which could be influenced by VRAM capacity, but the overall compute load is also a major factor.

Q: How does this GPU compare to its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S?

A: The average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The RTX 2060 scores 16074, while the RX 7600S scores 15996, making the RTX 2060 a marginal 0.5% faster in synthetic tests. In real-world gaming, the performance would be effectively indistinguishable.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination holds a rank of 1373 out of 1681 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the lower 18% of all tested configurations. This ranking is surprisingly low given the strong raw FPS numbers, but it makes sense when considering the entire field of combos. The database includes many high-end CPUs and GPUs that achieve much higher frame rates, particularly at 1080p where the CPU can be more of a factor.

The combo’s rank is a reflection of its position in the broader market. The RTX 2060 is an older, end-of-life product, and the i5-14400F, while recent, is a mid-range part. Together, they form a capable 1080p and 1440p gaming system, but they are outclassed by more modern and expensive hardware. The rank indicates that while the combo is perfectly playable, it is not competitive with the top-tier configurations in the database. The data implies that this is a sensible pairing for a mainstream gamer, but not one that will top any performance charts. The 18th percentile ranking for Doom specifically suggests that the game's excellent optimization allows even this mid-range combo to perform well, but the sheer number of higher-end parts in the database pushes it down the list.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three resolutions reveals a clear and predictable pattern of scaling. At 1920x1080, the High preset averages 131.4 FPS. At 2560x1440, it drops to 85.5 FPS, a 34.9% decrease. At 3840x2160, it falls to 43.4 FPS, a 66.9% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling is a textbook example of a GPU-bound workload.

The number of pixels increases by 78% from 1080p to 1440p, and by 78% again from 1440p to 4K. The frame rate drops in near-proportion to these pixel increases, indicating that the GPU's rendering throughput is the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads boosting to 4.70 GHz, is not the bottleneck here. If it were, we would see similar FPS numbers across resolutions. Instead, the data shows the FPS is intrinsically tied to the GPU's workload. This scaling behavior confirms that for this combo, lowering resolution is the most effective way to increase performance, more so than adjusting in-game settings. The fact that the FPS nearly halves from 1440p to 4K is a strong indicator that the RTX 2060 is at its absolute limit at the higher resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the range is from 176.6 FPS on Low to 105.3 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset sits at 150 FPS, and High at 131.4 FPS. All presets at this resolution are well above playable thresholds, making 1080p the sweet spot for this combo.

At 2560x1440, the range narrows. Low averages 113.2 FPS, Medium 97.2 FPS, High 85.5 FPS, and Ultra 68.8 FPS. This resolution offers a good balance, with High providing a strong 85.5 FPS average. The Ultra preset, while playable, drops to 68.8 FPS, which is a 19.5% decrease from High.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low averages 63.3 FPS, Medium 50.9 FPS, High 43.4 FPS, and Ultra 37.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 40.6%, a much larger spread than at lower resolutions. This indicates that the GPU is struggling to maintain high fill rates at 4K. The data shows a consistent pattern: the higher the resolution, the more impactful the settings preset becomes. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 67.6%, while at 4K, it is 68.4%, showing that the relative performance hit from Ultra is similar, but the absolute FPS numbers are much lower at 4K, pushing the Ultra preset below playable standards.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a Raptor Lake part with 10 cores (likely a mix of performance and efficiency cores) and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong for a mid-range chip, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and a single-core score of 3093. It ranks in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, scores 32513, a negligible 0% difference.

In the context of Doom, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that the i5-14400F is more than capable of this task. The FPS scaling across resolutions is purely GPU-bound, meaning the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 176.6 FPS, a frame rate that demands a strong CPU to avoid bottlenecking. The i5-14400F’s 4.70 GHz boost clock and high single-thread performance ensure that it can keep up with the RTX 2060 even at these high frame rates. The CPU’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with game logic. The data suggests that this CPU has significant headroom, and it would not be a bottleneck even with a more powerful GPU. However, in this specific combo, the GPU is the clear performance limiter, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops at higher resolutions.