Doom

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

The measured frame rates show a steep and consistent erosion as resolution climbs, which points squarely at the GPU as the dominant constraint in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 148.8 FPS; stepping up to 1440p Low drops that to 94.5 FPS, a 36.5% reduction. Pushing to 4K Low yields just 50.8 FPS — a 65.9% plunge from the 1080p figure. This pattern is not subtle: the scaling penalty grows with each resolution tier, and the gap between 1440p and 4K is far larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p.

The data suggests the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is being saturated long before the Intel Core i5-14600K shows any strain. Consider Ultra settings: 1080p Ultra manages 91.3 FPS, 1440p Ultra falls to 55.4 FPS, and 4K Ultra bottoms out at 28.4 FPS. That 4K result is barely playable, and the trend indicates that pixel throughput, not CPU logic, is the limiting factor. The CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads are more than adequate for Doom’s demands at any of these resolutions; the GPU’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus simply cannot feed the framebuffer fast enough at higher pixel counts.

Another telling sign: the delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution shrinks as resolution rises. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 57.5 FPS (148.8 vs. 91.3). At 1440p, that spread narrows to 39.1 FPS (94.5 vs. 55.4). At 4K, it collapses to 22.4 FPS (50.8 vs. 28.4). This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so overwhelmed that even reducing settings yields diminishing returns — the bottleneck has shifted from shading work to raw fill rate and memory bandwidth.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor with a 3.50 GHz base clock and 5.30 GHz boost clock. Its Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process, delivers strong single-thread performance that matters for Doom’s engine. Benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4642 and a multi-core score of 32881, placing the chip in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. The nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, scores 49062 on average benchmark — just 0.2% ahead — while the Intel Core i5-14600KF is 0.4% behind at 49367.

In Doom, the CPU’s role is largely background work: feeding draw calls, handling physics, and managing game logic. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least work, the combo hits 148.8 FPS — a figure that suggests the CPU is not holding things back. If the i5-14600K were the constraint, we would expect to see similar FPS across resolutions at the same settings, since resolution primarily affects GPU load. Instead, FPS falls dramatically with each resolution step, confirming the CPU has headroom to spare.

The CPU’s L3 cache is 24 MB shared, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, giving it flexibility. Its Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 13810 and Geekbench multi-core score of 15846 reinforce that this is a high-end desktop part. For a 2016 title like Doom, which was designed for far weaker hardware, the i5-14600K is effectively overkill. The data does not show any scenario where CPU performance caps the frame rate; the GPU is the binding constraint in every measured row.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the clear limiting component in this combo. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, and the GPU boost clock runs at 1785 MHz. The Turing architecture chip, TU116, is built on a 12 nm process with 6,600 million transistors. In benchmark terms, the GPU sits at the 55th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14286. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, scores 14314 — just 0.2% ahead — while the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics is 0.2% behind at 14315.

The measured FPS data tells a consistent story: the GTX 1660 SUPER is stretched at 1440p and overwhelmed at 4K. At 1080p, the GPU manages respectable numbers — 106.6 FPS on High, 129 FPS on Medium, and 148.8 FPS on Low. But the moment resolution climbs to 1440p, High settings drop to 68.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 55.4 FPS. At 4K, even Low settings only muster 50.8 FPS, and Ultra collapses to 28.4 FPS. These figures align with the GPU’s modest 5.027 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 157.1 GTexel/s texture rate — enough for 1080p gaming, but insufficient for 4K at high quality.

The 6 GB VRAM is also a concern at 4K Ultra, where textures and framebuffer demands can exceed that capacity, causing the 28.4 FPS result. The GPU’s pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s is simply too low to drive 8.3 million pixels at 4K with heavy shading. The data indicates that this GPU was designed for 1080p performance, and the 4K results confirm it is out of its depth.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its best results. Low settings produce 148.8 FPS, Medium 129 FPS, High 106.6 FPS, and Ultra 91.3 FPS. All four settings clear the 60 FPS threshold, and even Ultra is well above the playable line. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 57.5 FPS drop, which is significant but leaves the user with a wide range of playable options.

At 2560x1440, the picture changes. Low delivers 94.5 FPS, Medium 85.6 FPS, High 68.2 FPS, and Ultra 55.4 FPS. The first three settings remain playable, but Ultra dips below 60 FPS, suggesting that high-refresh 1440p monitors would require Medium or Low to sustain smooth frame rates. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is steepest at Low (148.8 to 94.5, a 36.5% loss) and smallest at Ultra (91.3 to 55.4, a 39.3% loss), indicating the GPU is hitting its memory bandwidth ceiling.

At 3840x2160, the results are marginal. Low hits 50.8 FPS, Medium 46.3 FPS, High 40.8 FPS, and Ultra 28.4 FPS. None of these reach 60 FPS, and even Low is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, regardless of settings. The 4K Low result is the best case, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS target most players expect.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 1494th out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. That places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations tested for this game. The ranking reflects the GPU’s age and performance tier: while the CPU is a top-tier part (93rd percentile), the GPU sits in the 55th percentile, dragging the overall combo down. The data shows that Doom is heavily GPU-bound for this pairing, so the high-end CPU does little to improve the rank.

Compared to other combos, this configuration is unlikely to compete with modern GPU pairings. The rank of 1494 out of 1681 indicates that most tested systems deliver better frame rates, likely due to more powerful graphics cards. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s nearest rivals — the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 — are similarly positioned, suggesting this GPU tier is common in lower-ranked combos. The CPU’s performance headroom is wasted in this context, as the GPU cannot translate the i5-14600K’s capabilities into higher FPS.

The ranking also underscores that resolution matters: at 1080p, this combo is serviceable, but the rank reflects all tested resolutions and settings. The 4K results, which are all below 60 FPS, drag the average down. For a game as well-optimized as Doom, the combo’s low rank is a direct consequence of the GPU’s limitations, not the CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Doom?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra hitting 91.3 FPS and Low reaching 148.8 FPS.

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

A: No. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only produce 50.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 28.4 FPS, all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this setup?

A: The GPU is the limiting component. FPS drops significantly with each resolution increase, indicating the GTX 1660 SUPER is saturated, while the i5-14600K has ample headroom.

Q: What settings should I use at 1440p for the best experience?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings deliver 85.6 FPS and High delivers 68.2 FPS, both playable. Ultra drops to 55.4 FPS, which may be too low for fast-paced action.

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

A: It ranks 1494th out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the bottom 11% of configurations.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB VRAM sufficient for Doom?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, yes, as the measured FPS shows. At 4K Ultra, the 6 GB capacity may be exceeded, contributing to the 28.4 FPS result.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo, the measured data points to 1080p as the sweet spot. At that resolution, all settings are playable, with Low at 148.8 FPS, Medium at 129 FPS, High at 106.6 FPS, and Ultra at 91.3 FPS. The best experience balances visual quality with frame rate: High settings at 1080p offer 106.6 FPS, which is smooth on most displays and retains substantial graphical fidelity over Low. Ultra at 1080p is also viable at 91.3 FPS, but the 15.3 FPS gain from dropping to High may not justify the visual reduction.

At 1440p, the recommendation shifts. Medium settings deliver 85.6 FPS, which is the best balance of quality and speed. High runs at 68.2 FPS, still above 60 FPS, but Medium provides a 17.4 FPS improvement with minimal visual loss. Ultra should be avoided at 1440p, as 55.4 FPS is below the smooth-play threshold. Low settings at 1440p (94.5 FPS) are viable for competitive play, but Medium is the recommended default.

At 4K, the data shows no good options. Low settings produce 50.8 FPS, which is the best result but still below 60 FPS. Medium (46.3 FPS) and High (40.8 FPS) are progressively worse, and Ultra (28.4 FPS) is unplayable. For users with 4K displays, the recommendation is to drop to 1440p or lower, as the GPU cannot sustain acceptable frame rates at this resolution. The measured rows indicate that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p Medium as a secondary option for those willing to compromise on settings.