Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600K pairs with the AMD Radeon RX 570 to produce a combination that is heavily skewed toward CPU capability, a dynamic clearly reflected in the Doom frame rate data. The CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, represent a modern high-end desktop processor. In contrast, the GPU, built on the older GCN 4.0 architecture with a 14 nm process node, is the limiting factor in almost every scenario. This is not a balanced pairing; it is a situation where a very fast processor is held back by a graphics card from a previous generation.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce its strength. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and single-core score of 2064 place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 48618 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, delta -0.2%) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287, delta 0.7%). This puts it in the top tier of processors for gaming, where single-core performance often dictates frame pacing. However, in this specific game, the CPU’s power is largely untapped. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate is 92 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this combo. This suggests that even when the GPU is least stressed, the CPU is not the primary bottleneck, as the frame rate is still limited by the graphics card’s output capacity in a demanding FPS title.

The core configuration matters for background tasks and modern game engines that use multiple threads, but Doom’s performance here is not scaling with the CPU’s capabilities. The fact that the processor can push a Passmark multi-thread score of 38682 and a single-thread score of 4270 indicates it can handle any game logic or draw call submission easily. The bottleneck is unequivocally the GPU. The 4 GB of VRAM and the Polaris 20 chip with 2048 shading units are the constraints. The CPU is effectively waiting for the GPU to render each frame, which is why we see a relatively small spread between the lowest and highest settings at 1080p (92 FPS Low vs 56 FPS Ultra), a spread that is almost entirely due to GPU workload. The CPU role is therefore to provide a stable, high-frequency platform that never introduces stutter, which it does, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's raw pixel-pushing limitations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo handles Doom’s settings presets. The best experience, balancing visual quality with playable frame rates, is achieved at Medium settings, but only at 1080p. At this resolution, the Medium preset yields an average of 80 FPS, which is a significant jump from the High preset’s 68 FPS and much closer to the Low preset’s 92 FPS. The data for Medium at 1080p also includes a min FPS of 68 and a max FPS of 93, showing a playable range with some variance. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 56 FPS average, which is a more substantial hit to smoothness.

At 1440p, the situation changes. The Low preset achieves exactly 60 FPS average, which is the minimum for a smooth experience on many displays, but the Medium preset falls to 52 FPS. For a fast-paced FPS like Doom, 52 FPS is borderline, and the High preset at 44 FPS is not ideal. The data suggests that 1440p is the effective ceiling for this GPU, and even then, only the Low preset provides a comfortable frame rate. The 4K resolution is not viable for this pairing. The best average at 4K is 32 FPS on Low settings, which is below the threshold for enjoyable gameplay in a genre that demands quick reactions. The Ultra preset at 4K produces a 19 FPS average, which is essentially a slideshow.

The analysis points to a simple recommendation: for a playable experience, use Medium settings at 1080p. This preset offers a 12 FPS improvement over High and a 24 FPS improvement over Ultra, while only sacrificing 12 FPS compared to Low. The visual uplift from Low to Medium is typically more noticeable than the performance cost. If a player prioritizes frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1080p provides the highest average of 92 FPS. However, the data indicates that the Medium preset at 1080p is the sweet spot for this combination, delivering a frame rate that is both high and stable enough for the game’s action. For 1440p, only Low is recommended, and 4K should be avoided entirely.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about which component is the limiting factor. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo averages 80 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 52 FPS, a reduction of 28 FPS or 35%. Moving to 4K at Medium settings, the average plummets to 28 FPS. This is a 65% reduction from the 1080p score and a 46% reduction from the 1440p score. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering resolution directly scales with the pixel count, and the GPU’s fill rate and bandwidth are saturated.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the progression is 92 FPS (1080p), 60 FPS (1440p), and 32 FPS (4K). At Ultra, it is 56 FPS (1080p), 36 FPS (1440p), and 19 FPS (4K). The consistent percentage drops indicate that the GPU is the sole bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively flat when increasing resolution, as the CPU workload would not change significantly. Here, the workload on the GPU increases linearly with the number of pixels, and the frame rate responds accordingly. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s and its 4 GB of VRAM are insufficient for higher resolutions, leading to significant performance degradation.

This data confirms that the AMD Radeon RX 570 is the performance ceiling for this system. The Intel Core i5-14600K is not being stressed by this game. The frame rate differences between settings at the same resolution are also telling. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 36 FPS (92 vs 56), which is a 39% drop. This is a direct result of the GPU’s inability to handle the increased shading and texture work at Ultra. The resolution scaling analysis shows that this combo is only suitable for 1080p gaming, with 1440p being a stretch at the lowest settings, and 4K being entirely out of reach for a playable experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution that provides consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset averages 56 FPS, while at 1440p, the High preset drops to 44 FPS and at 4K, the Low preset only reaches 32 FPS.

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

A: The measured data shows that the Low preset averages 92 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 56 FPS. This is a difference of 36 FPS, or a 39% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest settings at 1080p.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Doom?

A: No. The highest average frame rate recorded at 3840x2160 is 32 FPS on the Low preset. The Medium preset averages 28 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 19 FPS. All of these are below the threshold for a smooth experience in a fast-paced FPS.

Q: Why is the frame rate so much lower at 1440p compared to 1080p?

A: The frame rate drop is due to the GPU being the primary bottleneck. The AMD Radeon RX 570 has 4 GB of VRAM and a memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. Increasing the resolution from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 increases the pixel count by 78%, which directly increases the load on the GPU, leading to the measured 35% drop in average FPS at Medium settings.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600K the reason for the low frame rates?

A: No. The CPU’s benchmark scores are very high, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. The data shows that frame rates scale heavily with resolution and settings, which is a clear indicator of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is not the limiting component in this game.

Q: What is the most balanced settings preset for this combo at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset provides the best balance. It averages 80 FPS, which is 12 FPS higher than High and 24 FPS higher than Ultra, while only being 12 FPS lower than the Low preset. This offers a significant visual improvement over Low with a relatively small performance cost.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the definitive performance limiter in this configuration. Its specifications, while respectable for its launch generation, are far outclassed by the CPU. The GPU is built on the Polaris 20 chip with a GCN 4.0 architecture and a 14 nm process node. It features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operation pipelines. The core clocks are set at 1168 MHz base and 1244 MHz boost. The memory subsystem consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. These specs place it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28766.

The GPU’s benchmark scores are modest. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 880, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 42752. Its nearest rivals in benchmark performance include the AMD Radeon RX 470 (avg score 28996, delta -0.8%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (avg score 28874, delta -0.4%). This puts the RX 570 in the same performance class as its predecessor and a laptop part, indicating its age and limited capabilities. In Doom, this translates directly to the FPS numbers. The GPU’s lack of VRAM is a critical issue; 4 GB is insufficient for High and Ultra textures at 1440p and above, leading to the observed frame rate drops.

The GPU’s role in the game is to handle the rendering pipeline, and it is saturated at all tested settings. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, the combo only achieves 92 FPS, which is not exceptionally high for a game from 2016 with a modern CPU. The GPU’s pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s are the physical limits that prevent higher performance. The FP32 performance of 5.095 TFLOPS is also a limiting factor for the game’s shader complexity. The conclusion is that the RX 570 is the bottleneck, and its capabilities dictate the maximum frame rates across all resolutions and settings. The CPU is waiting for the GPU to finish its work, and the GPU is working at its maximum capacity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 92 FPS. The Medium preset follows with 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. The High preset averages 68 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 56 FPS. This shows a clear performance hierarchy, with a 36 FPS spread between the lowest and highest settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset is the only one to reach 60 FPS average. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. The High preset averages 44 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 36 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 24 FPS. The 1440p data suggests that the GPU is struggling to maintain high frame rates, as even the Low preset is at the edge of playability.

At 3840x2160, the combo is not capable of delivering a playable experience. The Low preset averages 32 FPS. The Medium preset averages 28 FPS, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 32 FPS. The High preset averages 24 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 19 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern: the GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rate scales almost linearly with the pixel count, and the GPU’s resources are exhausted at 4K. The minimum FPS values recorded for Medium at 1080p (68 FPS) and Medium at 1440p (44 FPS) indicate that there is some frame time variance, but the average scores are representative of the overall experience. The lack of min/max data for other presets prevents a full analysis of frame pacing, but the available numbers suggest a generally stable, if low, performance level.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 3547 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the bottom 5% of all tested configurations, which is a very poor result. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU’s age and performance level. While the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU is a mid-range part from a previous generation, and this pairing results in a severe bottleneck.

The rank of 3547 confirms how much the GPU holds back the system. The CPU’s high percentile ranking (90th) does not help in this game because the GPU cannot keep up. The data shows that the combo is only suitable for 1080p gaming at medium settings, which is a far cry from what a modern CPU could achieve with a more capable graphics card. The ranking reflects the overall system performance, and the GPU drags the entire combo down. The fact that this is a measured result, not an estimate, confirms that the pairing is inefficient. The high-ranking combos in this game would feature a more balanced GPU, as the CPU is clearly not the limiting factor. For this specific game, the combo's rank indicates that it is a legacy configuration, capable of playing the game at lower settings and resolutions, but not competitive with modern hardware pairings.