Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT delivers a solidly playable Doom experience, but the data reveals a clear pattern: this is a GPU-bound configuration at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strength becomes evident only at 1080p. The combination ranks 1268th out of 1681 tested combos, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database, yet the measured frame rates show it can still push well past 100 FPS at 1440p with the right settings. The key takeaway is that the RX 5700 XT, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and RDNA 1.0 architecture, becomes the limiting factor as resolution climbs, capping performance at 4K and forcing a choice between visual fidelity and smoothness.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and telling. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 139 FPS at 1920x1080 to 92.4 FPS at 2560x1440, a 33.5% reduction, and then plummets to 50.7 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 45.1% drop. This scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing capacity; the RX 5700 XT's 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are simply overwhelmed by the 8.3 million pixels of 4K.

The pattern holds across all settings. At Low, the transition from 1080p (187.4 FPS) to 1440p (125.1 FPS) loses 33.3% performance, and the jump to 4K (67.1 FPS) costs another 46.4%. The fact that even Low settings at 4K cannot maintain 70 FPS strongly indicates that the GPU, not the CPU, is the bottleneck at that resolution. The i5-14600K, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is more than capable of feeding frames; the data shows the CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and single-core score of 4642 are far beyond what Doom's engine requires at these frame rates.

At 1080p, the scaling between settings is more moderate, suggesting the CPU begins to assert some influence. The gap between Low (187.4 FPS) and Ultra (114.7 FPS) at 1080p is 63.3%, but even at Ultra, the frame rate remains high. At 4K, the same Low-to-Ultra gap shrinks to 43.8% (67.1 vs 37.7 FPS), because the GPU is saturated and cannot translate setting changes into proportional frame rate gains. The conclusion is unambiguous: for this combo, resolution is the primary lever on performance, and 4K is only viable at Low settings for a 60 FPS target.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to Medium as the optimal balance for this hardware. At 1080p, Medium delivers 166.2 FPS, which is 19.5% faster than High (139 FPS) and only 11.3% slower than Low (187.4 FPS). At 1440p, Medium produces 105.8 FPS, comfortably above the 90 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while High drops to 92.4 FPS and Ultra falls to 74.1 FPS. The visual quality gain from Medium to High is not worth the 12.7% frame rate penalty at 1440p.

For 4K, the recommendation is more constrained. Ultra is effectively unplayable at 37.7 FPS, and High (50.7 FPS) is borderline for a 60 Hz display. Medium at 4K yields 55.3 FPS, which is still short of a locked 60. Low at 4K achieves 67.1 FPS, making it the only setting that clears the 60 FPS bar. If a 4K display is the target, the data shows that Low is the only viable preset; otherwise, dropping to 1440p at Medium or High provides a far superior experience. At 1080p, Ultra (114.7 FPS) is perfectly playable and offers the best visual fidelity, so there is no compromise needed at that resolution.

GPU Role

The RX 5700 XT's specifications are central to understanding the measured results. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card has a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but becomes strained at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 1905 MHz and game clock of 1755 MHz are relatively modest by current standards, and the 7 nm Navi 10 chip, with 10,300 million transistors, delivers a PassMark G3D score of 16277 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2134.

In the database's ranking, this GPU sits at the 68th percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 24731 places it within 0.9% of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 (24519) and 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (24592). This positioning explains why the combo cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K: the GPU is fundamentally a mid-range part from 2019, and Doom's demanding Ultra preset at 4K requires more shading units (2560) and texture mapping units (160) to work harder than this card can manage. The FP32 throughput of 9.754 TFLOPS is the ceiling; the data shows the card hits it at 4K Ultra with 37.7 FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K 60 FPS?

A: No, not at any setting above Low. The measured data shows Low at 4K achieves 67.1 FPS, while Medium drops to 55.3 FPS and High falls to 50.7 FPS. Ultra is the worst at 37.7 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this setup?

A: 2560x1440 provides the best balance. At Medium settings, it delivers 105.8 FPS, and even High achieves 92.4 FPS, both well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play.

Q: How does the RX 5700 XT compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 24731 is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (24763) and 0.3% higher than the Intel Arc A350M (24647). It is 0.9% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 5000 (24519).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the GPU is still the primary limiter, but the CPU becomes more relevant. The i5-14600K's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 is far above what Doom needs, so the GPU's 139 FPS at High is the ceiling.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average is 114.7 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This is lower than Medium (166.2 FPS) but still highly playable for competitive or fast-paced gameplay.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: It ranks 1268th out of 1681 total combos in the database for Doom, placing it in the 75th percentile of performance, meaning roughly a quarter of tested systems are slower.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a formidable processor that is not the limiting factor in this configuration. Its 14 cores (6 performance and 8 efficiency) and 20 threads, combined with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, provide ample headroom for Doom's engine. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 38682 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 place it at the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 49166 is within 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49367) and 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49062).

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 187.4 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU can feed the GPU quickly. However, the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p (187.4 vs 114.7 FPS) is 38.8%, suggesting that the GPU's rendering load dominates. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes further; the difference between Low (67.1 FPS) and Ultra (37.7 FPS) is driven almost entirely by GPU workload. The L3 cache of 24 MB shared and dual-channel memory support for DDR4/DDR5 ensure the CPU does not starve the GPU of data, and the 20 threads handle any background tasks without impacting frame pacing. In short, the i5-14600K is a high-end partner that leaves performance on the table only because the RX 5700 XT cannot keep up at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured data set is as follows:

• 1920x1080: Low averages 187.4 FPS, Medium averages 166.2 FPS, High averages 139 FPS, Ultra averages 114.7 FPS.
• 2560x1440: Low averages 125.1 FPS, Medium averages 105.8 FPS, High averages 92.4 FPS, Ultra averages 74.1 FPS.
• 3840x2160: Low averages 67.1 FPS, Medium averages 55.3 FPS, High averages 50.7 FPS, Ultra averages 37.7 FPS.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent pattern: at 1080p, the drop is 38.8%; at 1440p, it is 40.8%; at 4K, it is 43.8%. This increasing sensitivity to settings at higher resolutions confirms the GPU bottleneck. The most usable figures are 1080p Ultra (114.7 FPS) and 1440p High (92.4 FPS), both of which clear the 90 FPS mark for high-refresh displays. The only sub-60 FPS results are at 4K Ultra (37.7 FPS) and 4K High (50.7 FPS), which are not recommended for this combination.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Doom, this setup ranks 1268th out of 1681, placing it in the lower half of the sample. The rank reflects the GPU's age and mid-range positioning; the CPU is a top-tier part, but the overall score is dragged down by the RX 5700 XT's relative weakness at 4K. The combination outperforms approximately 24.5% of all tested combos, which is a modest result for a system built around a 14-core processor.

The ranking is consistent with the GPU's 68th percentile standing and the CPU's 93rd percentile. The delta between these two percentiles explains the performance profile: the CPU is not holding back the system, but the GPU limits the combo to mid-table results. For reference, the GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile, has an average score within 0.1%, so swapping the GPU for a slightly faster part would not materially change the ranking. The conclusion is that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it ranks much higher in effective usability than the raw 1268th position suggests. At 4K, it falls behind many lower-ranked combos with newer GPUs, making it a clear case of CPU overkill for the GPU's capabilities.