Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a robust 1080p gaming experience in Doom, with performance scaling predictably as resolution increases. The data indicates that this combination is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p play, while 4K requires a slight reduction in settings to maintain smooth frame rates. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance metrics to provide a clear picture of what this hardware can achieve in this classic FPS title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution climbs from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 178 FPS at 1080p to 115 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 63 FPS. Moving to 4K, the average falls further to 62 FPS, representing a significant 116 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling behavior indicates that while the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, the CPU has sufficient headroom to keep feeding the graphics card at lower resolutions.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 241 at 1080p to 156 at 1440p, then to 85 at 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 210 FPS at 1080p, 136 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, being the most demanding, sees the steepest absolute drops: from 145 FPS at 1080p to 94 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 51 FPS at 4K.

The percentage decline from 1080p to 4K is noteworthy. At High settings, the 4K average is roughly 65% lower than the 1080p average. This substantial drop suggests that the Radeon RX 7700's rendering capabilities are being heavily taxed at 4K, with the pixel count quadrupling from 1080p. The fact that the 4K Low setting (85 FPS) still exceeds the 4K High setting (62 FPS) by 23 FPS highlights how much of the performance cost at 4K is tied to the graphical workload rather than resolution alone.

The data implies that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU's strong single-threaded performance is unlikely to be the constraint at these frame rates. At 1080p, the combination achieves frame rates well above 144 Hz on the Medium and High presets, indicating that the CPU can keep pace with the GPU's output. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less severe (a 63 FPS drop at High), which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where the increase in pixel count is only 1.78x. The transition to 4K, however, represents a 4x pixel increase, which explains the disproportionate drop in average FPS.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the workhorse in this pairing for Doom, and its specifications align with the measured results. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. This ample VRAM capacity ensures that texture-heavy scenes at 4K Ultra settings do not run into memory capacity limits, as the 51 FPS average at that preset is more likely a compute and fill-rate limitation than a VRAM constraint.

The GPU's clock speeds are also relevant to the observed performance. The base clock is 1900 MHz, with a boost clock of 2459 MHz and a game clock of 2041 MHz. The boost clock is what allows the card to reach its maximum performance in lighter scenes, while the sustained game clock represents the typical frequency during sustained gaming loads. The difference between the game clock and boost clock is 418 MHz, which is a relatively narrow margin, suggesting that the card can maintain near-boost frequencies in most scenarios.

In the context of Doom, which is an older title from 2016, the GPU's raw compute capabilities are more than sufficient. The 25.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 96 ROPs provide ample pixel throughput for the game's graphics engine. The measured results show that the GPU can push 241 FPS at 1080p Low settings, which aligns with its positioning in the benchmark database's percentile ranking. The RX 7700 sits at the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852 across various tests. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 370X, scores 15862, a delta of -0.1%, indicating that the RX 7700 is essentially on par with that older card in synthetic benchmarks, though the architecture improvements make it more efficient in modern titles.

The GPU's memory subsystem is a key strength. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is generous for a card in this performance class, and the 624.1 GB/s bandwidth ensures that data can be fed to the compute units without stalling. This is particularly important at 4K resolution, where the larger frame buffer demands higher memory throughput. The data shows that the 4K Medium preset (74 FPS) is significantly more playable than 4K Ultra (51 FPS), suggesting that the GPU's compute units, rather than memory bandwidth, are the limiting factor at the highest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Doom, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 holds a combo rank of 1314 out of 2930 tested combos. This places it in the 45th percentile of all tested systems, meaning that roughly 55% of tested hardware combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this game. While this might sound like a mid-pack result, it is important to contextualize this rank against the broader spectrum of hardware that includes top-tier flagship CPUs and GPUs.

The combo rank of 1314 suggests that while this system is not at the top of the performance hierarchy for Doom, it is far from being a low-end contender. The 2930 tested combos include a wide range of hardware from entry-level to enthusiast-class components, so a mid-pack ranking indicates that this combination offers solid, mainstream performance. The ranking is likely influenced by the GPU's 58th percentile standing among all GPUs, while the CPU's 90th percentile rank among all CPUs suggests that the processor is not the limiting factor in this pairing.

When compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RX 7700's performance is closely matched with the AMD Radeon R9 370X (delta -0.1%) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (delta 1.1%). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, which is 1.7% higher than the RX 7700's average benchmark score. These small deltas indicate that the RX 7700 is positioned in a competitive segment where a few percentage points separate the contenders. In Doom specifically, this translates to the measured frame rates, where the card delivers playable performance across all resolutions and settings.

The CPU's nearest rivals show a similarly tight grouping. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H has an average score of 48698, which is 0.2% lower than the i5-14600K's 48618 average. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, a 0.3% delta, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, a 0.7% delta. These marginal differences suggest that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-14600K is on par with its direct competitors, and the measured Doom results confirm that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. At 1080p, all settings presets deliver playable frame rates, but the Medium preset stands out as the sweet spot. The Medium preset averages 210 FPS with a minimum of 179 FPS and a maximum of 242 FPS. This provides a consistently smooth experience on a 144 Hz or 240 Hz monitor, while still offering improved visual quality over the Low preset. The High preset at 178 FPS is also excellent, but the 32 FPS difference between High and Medium may not justify the visual upgrade for competitive play.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers an average of 115 FPS, which is well-suited for a 120 Hz display. The Medium preset averages 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS, making it the best choice for maintaining high refresh rates without sacrificing too much visual quality. The Ultra preset at 94 FPS is still playable, but the 21 FPS drop from High to Ultra may be noticeable in fast-paced scenes. For users prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 156 FPS is an option, but the visual downgrade is significant.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation. The Medium preset averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS, which is comfortably playable on a 60 Hz or 75 Hz monitor. The High preset at 62 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 51 FPS may feel sluggish in combat. The Low preset at 85 FPS offers the smoothest experience but at a substantial visual cost. For a balanced 4K experience, Medium provides the best compromise between visual fidelity and performance, ensuring that the frame rate stays above 60 FPS in most scenes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 241 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 210 FPS with a minimum of 179 FPS and a maximum of 242 FPS. The High preset averages 178 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 145 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 96 FPS, indicating that the graphics settings have a significant impact on performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 156 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS. The High preset averages 115 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 94 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 62 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor as resolution increases. The Medium preset's minimum of 116 FPS ensures that the frame rate does not dip below the 100 FPS threshold, making it a solid choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 85 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. The High preset averages 62 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 51 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 34 FPS, which is the narrowest of the three resolutions. This tight grouping indicates that the GPU is heavily loaded at 4K, and even reducing settings from Ultra to Low only yields a 34 FPS improvement. The Medium preset's minimum of 63 FPS is the only setting that maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS, reinforcing its status as the recommended preset for 4K.

The data also reveals the relationship between settings and performance. At all resolutions, the jump from Low to Medium costs roughly 30-35% of the frame rate, while the jump from Medium to High costs another 20-25%. The jump from High to Ultra is the most expensive, costing approximately 25-30% of the frame rate. This non-linear scaling suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are disproportionately expensive relative to their visual impact.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K plays a supporting role in this Doom configuration, and the data indicates that it is more than capable of keeping the GPU fed. The CPU features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is particularly beneficial for gaming, as Doom's engine relies heavily on single-threaded performance. The CPU's single-core benchmarks are strong, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2491 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064.

In multi-threaded workloads, the i5-14600K also performs admirably, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 16673. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core provide ample fast memory for game data, reducing the likelihood of cache misses that could cause frame hitches. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48618, places it in the upper echelon of processors for gaming workloads.

The measured FPS data confirms that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 241 FPS, which is likely near the GPU's maximum output for that setting. Even at 4K Ultra, the 51 FPS average is clearly GPU-limited, as the CPU's single-threaded performance is more than sufficient to handle the game's logic at that frame rate. The fact that the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings suggests that the CPU is delivering frames to the GPU faster than the GPU can render them.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, with a dual-channel memory bus, ensures that the system can take advantage of high-bandwidth memory to further reduce any potential CPU-side bottlenecks. The 10 nm process node and Raptor Lake architecture provide efficient performance, and the 125 W TDP is reasonable for a desktop processor of this capability. In the context of Doom, the i5-14600K provides a solid foundation that allows the RX 7700 to perform to its full potential.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 241 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 averages 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS, ensuring the frame rate stays above 60 FPS. The High preset averages 62 FPS, which is also above 60 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 51 FPS falls short of this threshold.

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

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, which is 0.1% lower than the AMD Radeon R9 370X's score of 15862 and 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500's score of 15679.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48618.

Q: What is the recommended settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 averages 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS, making it the recommended choice for maintaining high frame rates while preserving visual quality.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems in Doom?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1314 out of 2930 tested combos, placing it in the mid-range of the performance spectrum.