Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a top-tier experience in Doom, placing 7th out of 1681 tested combos. This combination is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s strong single-core performance ensures it never becomes a bottleneck, even at extreme framerates.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a classic resolution scaling curve, with performance dropping as pixel count increases. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings reduces the average frame rate from 340.6 FPS to 221.3 FPS, a 35% decrease. The jump to 3840x2160 at High settings further reduces performance to 116.3 FPS, which is 66% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 5090’s rendering workload scales heavily with resolution, and the system is firmly GPU-limited at 4K.

At 1080p, the average frame rates range from 277.3 FPS at Ultra to 445.9 FPS at Low. These figures are so high that they suggest the CPU is nearing its limit, though the 14-core i5-14600K with a 5.30 GHz boost clock appears sufficient to keep feeding the GPU. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 168.6 FPS, whereas at 4K the same gap is only 66.6 FPS. This compression of the settings delta at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor as resolution increases.

The most telling comparison is the scaling efficiency. At 1440p, the High preset achieves 221.3 FPS, which is 65% of the 1080p High result. At 4K, the High preset achieves 116.3 FPS, which is only 34% of the 1080p result. This logarithmic drop-off is characteristic of a GPU that is being saturated, as the pixel throughput requirements quadruple from 1080p to 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing maximum smoothness, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers the highest measured average of 445.9 FPS. However, this comes at the cost of visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a more balanced experience at 402.3 FPS, which is still 18% faster than the High preset’s 340.6 FPS. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for competitive play at 1080p, providing a significant frame rate advantage without the full visual downgrade of Low.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves 261.2 FPS, which remains above the 240Hz refresh rate threshold common on high-end monitors. Pushing to High at this resolution yields 221.3 FPS, still highly playable but representing a 15% performance hit for marginal visual gains. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 182.1 FPS, which may be preferable for those who prioritize image quality over raw speed.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes drastically. The High preset produces 116.3 FPS, while Medium produces 142.6 FPS. For a smooth 4K experience, Medium is the recommended choice, as it stays above 120 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 97.6 FPS, which is still playable but dips below the 100 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for fast-paced FPS games. The Low preset at 4K offers 164.2 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial for a game that can look this good.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core processor with 20 threads, base clock of 3.50 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its architecture is Raptor Lake-R, built on a 10 nm process. In Doom, the CPU’s role is primarily to maintain high minimum frame rates and feed the GPU with draw calls. The benchmark results show that this CPU is more than capable, as the system achieves 445.9 FPS at 1080p Low, which is an extremely demanding scenario for CPU-bound gameplay.

The CPU’s single-core performance is critical for Doom, a game that relies heavily on a primary game thread. The i5-14600K scores 4642 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 2803 in Geekbench single-core. These scores place it in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs, indicating top-tier single-threaded capability. The processor’s average benchmark score of 49166 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which scores 49062 (a 0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i5-14600KF, which scores 49367 (a -0.4% delta).

The multi-core performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32881 and a Passmark multithread score of 38682. However, Doom does not scale perfectly across all 20 threads. The data indicates that the CPU is rarely the bottleneck, as the frame rates scale almost linearly with GPU resolution changes. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 168.6 FPS, which is a CPU-driven scaling that shows the processor can handle the game engine’s demands even at maximum settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 445.9 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming at high refresh rates?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with High settings, the system averages 116.3 FPS. For higher refresh rates, dropping to Medium settings yields 142.6 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The i5-14600K’s average benchmark score of 49166 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X’s 49062 and 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-14600KF’s 49367.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 299 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 182.1 FPS, a difference of 116.9 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 bottleneck the CPU at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the system is well-balanced, as the CPU drives 445.9 FPS at 1080p Low. The GPU’s 32 GB of VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are sufficient for even the most demanding textures.

Q: What is the combo’s ranking among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combination ranks 7th out of 1681 tested combos in Doom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the primary driver of performance in this combination. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock is 2407 MHz, and it has 21760 shading units. Its Passmark G3D score is 39650, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rival is the RTX 5090 D with a score of 84241 (a 0.1% delta), while the RTX 5050 Mobile scores 84171 (a 0.2% delta).

The GPU’s sheer throughput is evident in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14411 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 379571. In Doom, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 66.6 FPS, whereas at 1080p, the difference is 168.6 FPS. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU can still influence the outcome, but at 4K, the GPU is entirely responsible for the frame rate.

The RTX 5090’s 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than sufficient for Doom’s engine. The game is not particularly demanding on VRAM, so the 32 GB capacity is rarely a limiting factor. The 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution assets are handled without stutter. The GPU’s 176 ROPs and 680 TMUs provide a solid foundation for the pixel and texture fill rates, which are critical for maintaining high frame rates at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are: Low 445.9 FPS, Medium 402.3 FPS, High 340.6 FPS, and Ultra 277.3 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 37.8% reduction, showing that the CPU can handle the increased draw calls at lower resolutions.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are: Low 299 FPS, Medium 261.2 FPS, High 221.3 FPS, and Ultra 182.1 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra is 39.1%, which is a slightly larger drop than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is starting to become more involved.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are: Low 164.2 FPS, Medium 142.6 FPS, High 116.3 FPS, and Ultra 97.6 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra is 40.6%, which is the largest percentage drop across all resolutions. This confirms that at 4K, the GPU is the absolute bottleneck, and the CPU is no longer a contributing factor to the frame rate variance.

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the absolute frame rates drop, but the relative difference between settings remains stable. The High preset at 4K (116.3 FPS) is roughly comparable to the Ultra preset at 1440p (182.1 FPS) in terms of visual quality, but the frame rate is 36% lower.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 7th out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the top 0.4% of all configurations tested, indicating that it is one of the most powerful systems available for this game. The rank reflects the synergy between the high single-core performance of the CPU and the massive throughput of the GPU.

The CPU’s 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU’s 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs both contribute to this exceptional combo rank. The system’s performance is not limited by a weak link; both components are near the top of their respective charts. The combination’s ranking suggests that it outperforms the vast majority of other pairings, including those with more expensive CPUs that may not have the same single-core boost clock of 5.30 GHz.

The data shows that this combo is particularly well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p, where it achieves over 220 FPS on High settings. At 4K, it still delivers a playable experience above 116 FPS on High settings. The 7th place ranking confirms the balanced nature of this pairing, as it demonstrates that the 14-core CPU does not hold back the flagship GPU in any measurable way.