Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT delivers a robust 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, with the data indicating that the graphics card becomes the primary limiting factor only at higher resolutions and settings. The measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy of performance across the four available presets, making the optimal choice dependent on the user's display and performance targets.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data shows that the Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing the lowest average frame rates at every resolution. At 1920x1080, Ultra still achieves a playable 121.6 FPS, but this drops to 79.4 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 45.1 FPS at 3840x2160. For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity on a 1440p display, Ultra remains viable, as 79.4 FPS is generally above the threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced FPS.

The High preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, it delivers 147.5 FPS, which is a significant 25.9 FPS improvement over Ultra. At 2560x1440, High produces 94.6 FPS, comfortably above 60 FPS and only 15.2 FPS below the performance of the Medium preset at the same resolution. The gap between High and Medium at 1440p is relatively small, suggesting that the visual upgrade from Medium to High is efficient.

The Medium preset is a strong contender for 4K gaming. It achieves 60.7 FPS at 3840x2160, crossing the 60 FPS threshold that High cannot reach at that resolution (50.1 FPS). At 1080p and 1440p, Medium provides very high frame rates of 174.5 FPS and 115.6 FPS respectively, but the visual downgrade from High is likely more noticeable than the performance gain for most users on those displays.

The Low preset is the highest performing option, yielding 198.2 FPS at 1080p and 126.8 FPS at 1440p. However, the performance gain over Medium is relatively modest compared to the significant visual compromises typically associated with the Low preset. The data suggests that for the best overall experience, High is the recommended preset for 1080p and 1440p displays, while Medium is the recommended preset for 4K displays to maintain a playable frame rate.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the dominant component in this pairing for Doom, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling with resolution. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The memory clock is listed at 2250 MHz, with an effective data rate of 18 Gbps. These specifications are relevant because Doom's texture-heavy environments and fast-paced action can be sensitive to memory bandwidth and capacity.

The GPU's boost clock of 2755 MHz and game clock of 2470 MHz contribute to its compute capabilities, which include 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs. The FP32 performance is rated at 22.57 TFLOPS. These specifications align with the observed performance: the GPU is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p but begins to show its limits at 4K, particularly with the Ultra preset.

The 16 GB VRAM allocation is generous for a card in this performance class, and in Doom, it ensures that the game's assets are unlikely to be VRAM-limited, even at 4K with High settings. The data supports this, as the frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with a GPU that is compute-bound rather than memory-bound. The GPU's performance percentile of 63 places it in the mid-range, and its average benchmark score of 20146 is within 1.9% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, indicating comparable raw performance in synthetic tests.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates demonstrate a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo produces 147.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 94.6 FPS, a reduction of 52.9 FPS or approximately 35.9%. Moving further to 4K High, the frame rate falls to 50.1 FPS, a reduction of 44.5 FPS from the 1440p result, and a total reduction of 97.4 FPS from 1080p.

This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates at 1080p and 1440p would be closer, as the CPU workload does not scale as dramatically with resolution. The fact that performance drops significantly with each resolution increase suggests that the RX 7600 XT is being pushed to its limits in terms of pixel throughput and shading.

The scaling is consistent across all presets. For example, at Low settings, the frame rate drops from 198.2 FPS at 1080p to 126.8 FPS at 1440p (a 36.0% reduction) and then to 70.3 FPS at 4K (a 44.6% reduction from 1440p). This consistent percentage drop indicates that the GPU's workload is scaling linearly with the number of pixels, which is a typical characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance. The Ultra preset achieves 121.6 FPS, which is a solid baseline for high refresh rate monitors. High settings improve this to 147.5 FPS, a gain of 25.9 FPS. Medium settings push further to 174.5 FPS, and Low settings top out at 198.2 FPS. The differences between presets are substantial, with Low being 76.6 FPS faster than Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU's strain. Ultra settings produce 79.4 FPS, which is still playable. High settings deliver 94.6 FPS, providing a 15.2 FPS improvement over Ultra. Medium settings reach 115.6 FPS, and Low settings achieve 126.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 47.4 FPS, showing that the preset choice has a significant impact on 1440p performance.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops below the 60 FPS threshold for the higher presets. Ultra settings produce 45.1 FPS, which may feel choppy in a fast-paced FPS. High settings improve this to 50.1 FPS, still below 60. Medium settings are the first to cross the 60 FPS mark, achieving 60.7 FPS. Low settings provide a more comfortable buffer at 70.3 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is only viable with Medium or Low settings on this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT combination ranks 1070 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the lower half of the distribution, specifically in the 36th percentile of all combos tested. This ranking is primarily driven by the GPU's mid-range performance, as the CPU is a high-end part with a percentile of 93 among all CPUs.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 49166 is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, with a deltaPct of only 0.2%. This indicates that the i5-14600K provides ample processing power for this game. The GPU's average benchmark score of 20146 is 1.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, its closest rival in the data. However, the GPU's overall percentile of 63 shows that it is not a top-tier part.

The combo's rank of 1070 out of 1681 suggests that while this pairing is competent, there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in Doom. The ranking is likely held back by the GPU, as the CPU is in the top 7% of all processors. For users with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, this ranking translates to a very playable experience, but for 4K or high refresh rate 1440p monitors, other GPU options would rank higher.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Doom?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 198.2 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this combo play Doom at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, but not at a high frame rate. The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 produces an average of 45.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold often preferred for FPS games.

Q: Which settings preset is recommended for 1440p gaming?

A: The High preset is recommended for 2560x1440, delivering 94.6 FPS. It provides a substantial improvement over Ultra's 79.4 FPS while remaining well above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT has an average benchmark score of 20146, which is 1.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, its closest rival in the data.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this pairing?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. Frame rates scale significantly with resolution, which is a sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile, suggesting it is not a bottleneck.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings achieve 198.2 FPS, while Ultra settings achieve 121.6 FPS. This represents a difference of 76.6 FPS, favoring the Low preset.