Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a combination that lands in the 2617th position out of 3712 tested combos for Doom, placing it just above the 30th percentile of all systems. This is a mid-pack result that reflects a pairing of a very strong modern CPU with an older, end-of-life GPU that was already a step below the flagship tier when it launched. The data shows a system that can handle the game comfortably at most settings, but the GPU’s age becomes apparent at the highest presets and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2617 out of 3712 tested combinations places it in the lower-middle portion of the database for Doom. This ranking is heavily influenced by the RTX 2060 SUPER, which sits at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs in the database. The CPU, by contrast, is a much stronger component, holding the 90th percentile among all CPUs. The disparity between these two components explains the overall ranking: the GPU is the bottleneck in this pairing, and the data suggests that the CPU has significant headroom left on the table in this title.

When looking at the GPU’s direct rivals, the RTX 2060 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 18093 is within a very tight margin of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18159, -0.4%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189, -0.5%), the AMD Radeon RX 460 (18373, -1.5%), and the Intel Arc A770M (18383, -1.6%). The delta percentages show that these cards are effectively in the same performance class, despite their different architectures and target markets. This means that in Doom, the 2060 SUPER is performing exactly where its raw compute metrics suggest it should, and the ranking of the whole combo is unlikely to improve without a GPU upgrade.

The CPU side of the equation is a different story. The Core i5-14600K’s average benchmark score of 48618 places it in a virtual tie with the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, -0.2%), the AMD EPYC 4345P (48470, 0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287, 0.7%), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995, -0.8%). These are all high-end workstation or desktop chips, and the fact that the 14600K is trading blows with them in synthetic benchmarks confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game. In Doom, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU can push far beyond what the GPU can render, especially at lower resolutions and settings.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Doom at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured FPS at 3840x2160 ranges from 40 FPS on Ultra to 67 FPS on Low. The Medium preset produces an average of 59 FPS, which is playable, but High and Ultra will both drop below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for a smooth experience.

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this hardware?

A: The 1440p resolution offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 2560x1440, the combo achieves 91 FPS on High and 108 FPS on Medium, both of which are well above 60 FPS. The 1080p resolution delivers higher frame rates, but the jump to 1440p provides a significantly sharper image without a dramatic performance penalty.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 18093 is nearly identical to the scores of the RTX 3060 Mobile (18159), Radeon Pro 5700 (18189), Radeon RX 460 (18373), and Arc A770M (18383). The performance differences range from -0.4% to -1.6%, meaning that in practical gaming terms, these cards are interchangeable in performance.

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

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Core i5-14600K has a PassMark multithread score of 38682 and a single-thread score of 4270, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. The RTX 2060 SUPER, in contrast, is in the 62nd percentile. The FPS scaling across resolutions confirms this, as frame rates drop consistently with increased resolution, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation.

Q: What is the maximum FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average FPS in the data is 192, which occurs at 1920x1080 on Low settings. The maximum FPS observed at this setting is also 192. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 167, and on High it is 141.

Q: Does this system support modern graphics APIs?

A: Yes. The RTX 2060 SUPER supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GPU also includes 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, making it capable of hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DLSS features, although these are not explicitly tested in the Doom data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 141 FPS on High settings. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rate drops to 91 FPS, a reduction of 50 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average falls to 50 FPS, which is a further drop of 41 FPS. This linear decline with resolution is a textbook indicator that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary limiting component.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced when looking at the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 115 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 75 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 40 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is particularly telling, as it represents a 65% reduction from the 1080p Ultra score. This steep drop-off suggests that the GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth are being saturated at higher resolutions, and the 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maxed-out settings.

Conversely, the CPU’s performance headroom is evident at 1080p Low, where the system achieves 192 FPS. This is far beyond what most displays can show, and it indicates that the 14600K is capable of feeding the GPU with frames much faster than the GPU can render them. The fact that frame rates do not plateau at lower resolutions confirms that the CPU is not a bottleneck in Doom, even at the highest settings. The CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads, with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, provide ample processing power for this game’s engine.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS values provides a detailed picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 3840x2160, the results are as follows: Low averages 67 FPS, Medium averages 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 67, High averages 50 FPS, and Ultra averages 40 FPS. These numbers show that 4K gaming is only viable on the Low preset, and even then, the frame rate is only slightly above 60 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 50 FPS indicates that there can be noticeable stutters in demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the performance is much more respectable. The Low preset yields an average of 124 FPS, Medium produces 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 and a maximum of 125, High achieves 91 FPS, and Ultra settles at 75 FPS. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combo, as even the Ultra preset maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS. The 92 FPS minimum on Medium suggests that the system can hold a stable frame rate in most gameplay scenarios, with only minor dips during intense moments.

At 1920x1080, the system is clearly CPU-limited at the lower settings. Low produces an average of 192 FPS, which is also the maximum recorded. Medium averages 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 and a maximum of 192, High averages 141 FPS, and Ultra averages 115 FPS. The fact that Low and Medium reach the same maximum of 192 FPS suggests that this is an artificial cap or the point at which the CPU can no longer feed the GPU any faster. Even at Ultra, the 115 FPS average is excellent for competitive play, and the system never drops below 60 FPS at 1080p.

Settings Recommendations

For players using a 1080p display, the Ultra preset at 115 FPS is the best choice. The game is a fast-paced FPS, and the high frame rate combined with maxed-out visual quality provides the most immersive experience. The 141 FPS on High is also a strong option for those who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, but the jump from High to Ultra only costs 26 FPS, making Ultra the better value for the visual improvements.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 108 FPS is the recommended starting point. It offers a solid frame rate with a minimum of 92 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. The High preset at 91 FPS is also viable, and the difference between Medium and High is only 17 FPS. For players who want the best visuals without sacrificing playability, High is the better choice. The Ultra preset at 75 FPS is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes, and the 40 FPS at 4K Ultra is not recommended for any serious gameplay.

For 4K displays, the Low preset at 67 FPS is the only option that maintains acceptable performance. The Medium preset at 59 FPS is borderline, and the minimum of 50 FPS could lead to noticeable stuttering. The High and Ultra presets at 50 FPS and 40 FPS, respectively, are not suitable for this game. Players with a 4K monitor should either lower the resolution to 1440p or accept reduced visual quality to maintain a playable frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It has 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In the context of Doom, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the data suggests that it performs this task with ease.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are exceptional. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 24491 and single-core score of 2064 are in the top tier for desktop processors. The PassMark single-thread score of 4270 is particularly relevant for gaming, as many games, including Doom, rely heavily on single-thread performance. The 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that the 14600K is a high-end part that will not be a bottleneck in most scenarios.

The measured FPS data supports this analysis. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 192 FPS, which is likely near the engine’s maximum frame rate or the point where the CPU becomes the limiting factor. However, this is an extreme scenario, and at more realistic settings like 1080p Ultra (115 FPS) or 1440p High (91 FPS), the GPU is clearly the constraint. The 14600K’s 5.30 GHz boost clock and 24 MB of L3 cache provide ample performance for this game, and the CPU’s capabilities are not fully utilized until the GPU is upgraded to a more powerful model.

The CPU’s support for PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes ensures that it can handle future GPU upgrades without a platform change. Its integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but not relevant for gaming with a discrete GPU. The 125W TDP is moderate for a 14-core chip, and the unlocked multiplier allows for overclocking, though the stock performance is already sufficient for Doom. In summary, the i5-14600K is an excellent match for this game, and its performance is far ahead of what the RTX 2060 SUPER can utilize.