Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a high-end combination that utterly dominates Doom, a 2016 FPS title. The benchmark data shows this system is not merely playable but operates at frame rates that far exceed the refresh rates of most gaming monitors. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, explaining what the numbers mean for a builder considering this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 400.1 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the average falls to 260.3 FPS, a 35% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average is 137.5 FPS, which is a 66% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that at lower resolutions, the GPU is the limiting factor; the CPU is capable of feeding it frames far faster than it can render them.

The scaling pattern shifts when you look at the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 240.2 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 152.6 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the average is 83.9 FPS, a 65% drop from 1080p. The consistency of the percentage drops between Low and Ultra presets suggests that while the GPU is always the primary bottleneck, the CPU overhead is minimal even at high frame rates. The data indicates that this combo is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at all tested resolutions, with the CPU's headroom only becoming apparent at the very high frame rates seen at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. In Doom, this hardware is more than sufficient. The benchmark results show that even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU's job is most demanding, the system still produces an average of 400.1 FPS. This indicates the processor is not a bottleneck in this title, even at frame rates that are typically the domain of esports-level performance.

The CPU's benchmark scores further contextualize its capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and single-core score of 4642 place it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs. It sits within 1% of rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and the Intel Core i5-14600KF, showing it has ample computational headroom for any game, including one as old as Doom. The data shows that the CPU's role in this pairing is to provide a stable, high-frequency platform that never constrains the GPU, allowing the RTX 4080 SUPER to operate at its full potential.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows offer clear guidance on the best settings for different display capabilities. For a 4K 120Hz display, the High preset at 3840x2160 delivers an average of 103.1 FPS, which is ideal. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 83.9 FPS, which is still smooth but may not fully saturate a 120Hz panel. The Medium preset at 4K provides 124.5 FPS, a solid middle ground that sits above the High preset's frame rate.

For 1440p users with high refresh rate monitors, the data suggests that Ultra is the target. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset yields 152.6 FPS, which is excellent for a 144Hz or 165Hz display. The High preset at 190.2 FPS is also viable, but the visual upgrade to Ultra is likely worth the 37 FPS loss for most users. At 1080p, the system is so powerful that even the Ultra preset's 240.2 FPS average will exceed nearly all monitors, so choosing between presets is purely a matter of visual preference rather than performance necessity. The Low preset's 400.1 FPS is only relevant for competitive play on a 360Hz or higher panel.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this CPU-GPU pairing ranks 103rd out of 1681 combos for Doom. This places it in the top 6.1% of all tested systems, which is a strong result but not a top-tier one, given the age of the game and the high-end components involved. The rank reflects that while the system is exceptionally fast, there are other combinations that achieve even higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful CPUs or GPUs that can push the engine's limits even further.

The rank is a global measure, but the measured FPS data provides a more granular view. The fact that this combo is in the 103rd position out of 1681 suggests that it is a high-performing but not ultra-rare setup. It outperforms the vast majority of systems, but enthusiasts with top-of-the-line hardware will still beat it. This is a practical, high-end pairing that delivers exceptional results without being the absolute fastest possible configuration.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus and a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s, it has more than enough memory throughput for Doom. Its boost clock of 2550 MHz and 10240 shading units provide immense raw compute power. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 34245 and its 88th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirm its high-end status.

The GPU's role is clear in the scaling data. The frame rate differences between presets at the same resolution are substantial, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. For instance, at 4K, the Low preset averages 137.5 FPS, while Ultra averages 83.9 FPS, a 39% performance gap. This indicates that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting, and its performance scales predictably with workload. The GPU's nearest rivals, like the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT with a 0.2% delta, show that it is competitively positioned, but its raw power is what drives the high frame rates seen in the 1440p and 4K benchmarks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete data set shows a consistent pattern of performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers:

• Low: 400.1 FPS average
• Medium: 346 FPS average
• High: 291.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 240.2 FPS average

The 1080p numbers are exceptionally high, with even the most demanding preset staying above 240 FPS. The 160 FPS difference between Low and Ultra demonstrates the GPU's headroom at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 260.3 FPS average
• Medium: 224.9 FPS average
• High: 190.2 FPS average
• Ultra: 152.6 FPS average

The 1440p results show a similar spacing between presets, with a 107.7 FPS gap between Low and Ultra. This resolution is the sweet spot for this combo, as it offers high frame rates across all settings while still pushing the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the performance is:

• Low: 137.5 FPS average
• Medium: 124.5 FPS average
• High: 103.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 83.9 FPS average

The 4K results show the GPU is working hardest, with the Ultra preset dropping below 90 FPS. However, even the most demanding setting remains playable, and the High preset's 103.1 FPS is ideal for 4K 120Hz displays. The data confirms that this is a versatile combo that can handle 4K gaming with adjusted settings, while being overpowered for 1080p and 1440p.