Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Doom, with the data clearly showing that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. The measured frames per second (FPS) drop significantly from 1080p to 4K, with the gap between settings widening dramatically, indicating that this combination is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming rather than 4K. The RX 5700 XT, while a capable card in its own right, struggles to maintain high frame rates at the highest resolutions and settings, while the i5-14600KF’s strong multi-core performance ensures that CPU bottlenecks are minimal across all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 188 FPS, but this drops to 121 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 66 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 65% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is a substantial hit that points directly at the graphics card’s rendering limits. The trend continues at Ultra settings, where the average FPS falls from 113 at 1080p to 73 at 1440p, and then to just 40 at 4K—a 65% decline as well, showing that the scaling penalty is consistent regardless of visual fidelity.

This consistent drop across all settings is a strong indicator that the RX 5700 XT’s processing power, rather than memory bandwidth or CPU capabilities, is the bottleneck. The GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the demand on the rendering pipeline increases exponentially, causing the frame rate to plummet. The i5-14600KF, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU’s output at lower resolutions, but as the resolution climbs, the GPU’s fill rate and shading units become the deciding factor.

The data shows that the most significant single-step drop occurs between 1440p and 4K. For example, at Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 106 at 2560x1440 to 57 at 3840x2160, a 46% reduction. This suggests that 4K is simply too demanding for this GPU in Doom, and users should expect to compromise heavily on settings or resolution to achieve smooth gameplay. At 1080p, however, the system is clearly GPU-limited in a favorable way, with even Ultra settings producing 113 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is the dominant component in determining this system’s gaming performance, and its specifications explain why. With a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1905 MHz, the card is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture using a 7 nm process, which was competitive at its release but is now showing its age against newer GPUs. The card has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, which together produce a pixel rate of 121.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 304.8 GTexel/s. These figures are respectable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but they are insufficient for 4K at high settings.

The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical factor in Doom’s performance. At 1080p, this bandwidth is sufficient, as evidenced by the high frame rates, but at 4K, the memory subsystem may become strained, contributing to the lower FPS. The card’s FP32 performance of 9.754 TFLOPS is a useful indicator of its raw compute capability, which aligns with its mid-range positioning. In the benchmark database, the RX 5700 XT sits at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16361, placing it just slightly above the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351) and below the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16408).

The measured results in Doom align with these synthetic benchmarks. The GPU’s performance in the game is strong at 1080p, where it can push past 180 FPS on Low settings, but it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K on High settings, averaging just 48 FPS. The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is not exceeded at the settings tested, but the sheer computational load of 4K rendering overwhelms the card’s shading units and ROPs. The clock speeds, while decent, do not compensate for the architectural limitations at higher resolutions, confirming that this GPU is best paired with a 1080p or 1440p monitor for Doom.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution, as even Ultra settings produce an average of 113 FPS, while 2560x1440 is also viable with High settings at 89 FPS. 3840x2160 is not recommended for smooth gameplay, as the highest average FPS at that resolution is just 66 on Low settings.

Q: How does the i5-14600KF compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196). It is 0.8% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995) but 0.8% slower than the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 (49796).

Q: Is the RX 5700 XT a bottleneck for the i5-14600KF in Doom?

A: Yes, the data indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, especially at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the FPS is very high, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 75 FPS (188 vs 113), which shows the GPU’s rendering limits. At 4K, the GPU is severely stressed, with FPS dropping below 50 on High settings.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this system in Doom?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded in the measured data is 49 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The highest minimum FPS is 139 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, showing that 1080p provides a much more consistent experience.

Q: How does the RX 5700 XT’s performance compare to its nearest rival GPUs?

A: The RX 5700 XT has an average benchmark score of 16361, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351) and 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (16408). It is 0.3% faster than the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (16415) but 0.9% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 (16504).

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K in Doom?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 66 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 57 FPS, which is below 60, and at High settings it falls to 48 FPS. Therefore, 4K 60 FPS is only possible with significant graphical compromises.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear trade-off between visual quality and frame rate, and the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 138 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and only 50 FPS less than Low settings. The Ultra preset at 1080p still provides 113 FPS, making it a viable option for users who prioritize visual fidelity over maximum frame rates, but the jump from High to Ultra only adds a marginal improvement in visuals for a 25 FPS cost. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 164 FPS, which is a good middle ground for competitive play, but High provides a better balance for most users.

At 2560x1440, the situation changes. High settings yield 89 FPS, which is still playable and provides a good experience, while Medium drops to 106 FPS, offering a slight performance boost. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 121 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced action, but the visual downgrade may be noticeable. The Ultra preset at 1440p is not recommended, as it drops to 73 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS threshold and may cause noticeable stuttering in intense scenes. For 4K, the data strongly suggests avoiding Ultra settings, which average just 40 FPS, and even High settings at 48 FPS are borderline unplayable. The only 4K option that exceeds 60 FPS is Low settings at 66 FPS, making it the only viable choice for 4K gaming, albeit with significant visual compromises.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for Doom with the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is as follows. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 188 FPS on Low settings, 164 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 139 and maximum of 188), 138 FPS on High, and 113 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that 1080p is well within the GPU’s comfort zone, with even the most demanding preset producing triple-digit frame rates. The spread between Low and Ultra is 75 FPS, which is significant but does not impact playability at any setting.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 121 on Low, 106 on Medium (with a minimum of 90 and maximum of 122), 89 on High, and 73 on Ultra. This resolution still provides a good experience, with all presets except Ultra staying above 85 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 48 FPS, indicating that the GPU is starting to feel the pressure but is still capable of delivering smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, the performance drops considerably: the average FPS is 66 on Low, 57 on Medium (with a minimum of 49 and maximum of 66), 48 on High, and 40 on Ultra. This resolution is clearly too demanding for the RX 5700 XT, and only the Low preset manages to stay above 60 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls to a nearly unplayable 40 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a high-performance processor that plays a supporting role in this system’s Doom performance. With 14 cores, 20 threads, and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, the CPU provides ample processing power to feed the GPU at all resolutions. The processor’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and single-core score of 4594 indicate strong performance in both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads, which is typical for modern games like Doom that benefit from high single-thread performance. The CPU’s Geekbench multi-core score of 17085 and single-core score of 2445 further confirm its capability.

In the context of Doom, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls, while the GPU handles rendering. The data shows that the i5-14600KF is not a bottleneck, as the FPS scaling is consistent with GPU limitations. For example, at 1080p Low, the system hits 188 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s frame rate ceiling for this game, but at higher resolutions, the FPS drops are entirely attributable to the GPU. The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 provide sufficient bandwidth for the GPU to operate without stalling.

The i5-14600KF ranks in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49394, placing it just 0.3% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.8% above the Intel Core Ultra 5 245. This indicates that the CPU is more than adequate for the RX 5700 XT, and users would not see significant FPS improvements from a faster processor in this game. The CPU’s 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it a flexible choice for overclocking, but the stock performance is already sufficient to ensure that the GPU remains the limiting factor.