Doom

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a remarkably smooth experience in Doom, but the data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the system is pushing frame rates that approach the practical limits of high-refresh displays, while at 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes the hardware against its nearest rivals, and provides actionable settings guidance based strictly on the observed frame rates.

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

The measured FPS data shows a dramatic and consistent scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 295 FPS at 1920x1080 to 191 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 104 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 35% decrease when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K is a substantial 65% reduction in average FPS.

This scaling curve is telling. The fact that frame rates remain exceptionally high at 1080p—above 388 FPS at Low settings—indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is capable of feeding the RTX 4080 enough data to saturate even the most demanding refresh rates. The RTX 4080's raw compute power, evidenced by its 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 9728 shading units, is being fully utilized at 1080p, but the sheer volume of pixels at 4K begins to overwhelm even this high-end GPU.

The scaling pattern suggests a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The RTX 4080's 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth and 16 GB of GDDR6X VRAM are substantial, yet the transition from 1440p to 4K still results in a 45% performance hit at High settings. This is a larger relative drop than the 35% seen from 1080p to 1440p, indicating that the pixel throughput requirements of 4K are disproportionately taxing the GPU's shading and rasterization capabilities. The data implies that the RTX 4080 is the primary bottleneck at 4K, while at 1080p, the combination is well-balanced, with both components operating near their peak potential.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The benchmark database places this specific configuration at rank 254 out of 3712 combos tested in Doom. This puts the combination in the top 6.8% of all tested systems, which is an exceptional result for a game released in 2016. The ranking reflects the synergistic pairing of a high-core-count CPU with a top-tier GPU, both of which are well-suited to the game's engine.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the overall benchmark database provide context for its contribution to this rank. The i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its closest competitors are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32233, 0.1% slower), the Intel Core i9-11900 (32226, 0.2% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS (32354, 0.2% faster). This clustering within a 0.5% delta indicates that the i5-14400F's processing power is on par with several established high-end mobile and desktop parts, contributing to its ability to maintain high frame rates without creating a bottleneck.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080's average benchmark score is 54247, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209, 0.1% slower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698, 2.6% faster). These tight margins suggest that the RTX 4080 is performing at the expected level for its class, and its 86th percentile ranking confirms it is a high-end part. The combination of an 83rd percentile CPU and an 86th percentile GPU explains the strong overall rank in Doom, where neither component is dragging the system down.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the clear workhorse in this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the measured frame rates. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2205 MHz and boosts to 2505 MHz, with memory running at 1400 MHz (yielding 22.4 Gbps effective). This high clock speed, combined with 9728 shading units and 304 TMUs, allows the GPU to process the game's geometry and textures efficiently.

The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. In Doom, a fast-paced FPS with detailed environments, this bandwidth is crucial for streaming textures at high resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra settings, the system still manages 85 FPS, which suggests that the VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's demands. If VRAM were insufficient, we would expect to see a more pronounced drop at 4K, possibly with stuttering or texture pop-in, but the measured average FPS remains high.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its capability. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 6567, and its Passmark G3D score is 34457. These scores, combined with the 86th percentile ranking, indicate that the RTX 4080 is performing at the top of its class. The power consumption of 320 W is a consideration for system builders, but it is a trade-off for the performance observed in the measured FPS data. The GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the key driver behind the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU is not a limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. Low settings yield 388 FPS, Medium 350 FPS, High 295 FPS, and Ultra 241 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 297 FPS and a maximum of 402 FPS, indicating a tight frame time distribution. The spread from Low to Ultra is 38%, which is significant, but even the lowest Ultra figure of 241 FPS is more than sufficient for any high-refresh monitor.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance remains impressive. Low settings produce 260 FPS, Medium 226 FPS, High 191 FPS, and Ultra 156 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum and maximum are 192 FPS and 260 FPS, respectively. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, averaging around 35%. This is a typical penalty for a 78% increase in pixel count, and the system handles it gracefully.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to feel the strain, but the results are still playable. Low settings average 141 FPS, Medium 123 FPS, High 104 FPS, and Ultra 85 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 104 FPS and a maximum of 141 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced, averaging around 45%, which is expected given the 2.25x pixel increase. Notably, the difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 40% (from 141 FPS to 85 FPS), highlighting the impact of the game's visual settings on GPU load.

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

The Intel Core i5-14400F plays a supporting role in this configuration, but its specifications are critical to ensuring the GPU is not starved for data. The CPU features 10 cores and 16 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This configuration provides ample single-thread performance for game logic and physics, while the multi-threading capability handles background tasks and streaming.

The CPU's benchmark scores show a strong balance. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 21645, and its single-core score is 3055. The Geekbench scores are 11268 (multi-core) and 2058 (single-core). These figures, combined with the 83rd percentile ranking, indicate that the i5-14400F is a capable performer. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial in a fast-paced game like Doom.

Critically, the CPU's performance is not a bottleneck in the measured data. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that even a slight CPU limitation would be masked by the GPU's raw speed. However, the fact that the system can maintain 388 FPS at Low settings suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at that rate. The 65 W TDP is modest, and the CPU's Gen 5 PCIe support with 16 lanes ensures high bandwidth to the GPU. The nearest rival data—showing the i5-14400F within 0.5% of the Ryzen 7 6800HS—confirms that this CPU is well-matched to the RTX 4080's performance level.

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

The measured FPS data allows for clear settings recommendations based on target frame rates and resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it delivers 241 FPS, which is still far above the refresh rate of even the fastest gaming monitors. The gap between Ultra and High is 18% (241 vs 295 FPS), but the visual fidelity gain from Ultra is worth the slight performance trade-off, given the headroom.

At 2560x1440, the High preset offers an optimal balance. It delivers 191 FPS, which is sufficient for high-refresh 1440p displays (typically 165 Hz or 240 Hz). The Ultra preset produces 156 FPS, which is still playable, but the 18% drop from High to Ultra may not be justified by the visual improvements, especially for competitive play where frame rate is paramount.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It provides 123 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS standard for 4K displays and offers a smooth experience. The High preset at 104 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset's 18% advantage over High (from 104 to 123 FPS) provides more headroom for demanding scenes. The Low preset at 141 FPS is an option for players who prioritize frame rate above all else, but the visual quality drop is significant. The Ultra preset at 85 FPS is playable but dips close to the threshold where motion smoothness might be less consistent on a 120 Hz display.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination in Doom?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 388 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209, making the RTX 4080 0.1% faster in this metric.

Q: At 4K resolution, what is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 141 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 85 FPS, a difference of 56 FPS (approximately 40% lower performance on Ultra).

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all tested CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F is in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating it outperforms the majority of tested processors.

Q: Which resolution shows the largest relative performance drop from the previous resolution?

A: The largest relative drop is from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 191 to 104, a 45% decrease, compared to a 35% decrease from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440.

Q: Does the RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM appear sufficient for 4K gameplay in Doom?

A: Yes, the data suggests it is sufficient. At 4K Ultra settings, the system still achieves 85 FPS, and the smooth scaling from Medium to High to Ultra (from 123 to 104 to 85 FPS) indicates that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth, not a VRAM capacity limit, are the primary constraints.