Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT delivers a performance profile in Doom that is dominated by the graphics card, though the processor’s strong single-threaded capabilities ensure it never becomes a bottleneck. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four settings presets provide a clear picture of where this combo excels and where its limits lie.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, with the CPU’s influence diminishing as pixel count increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 284 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops that to 184 FPS, a reduction of 100 FPS, or approximately 35%. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average falls further to 99 FPS, which is roughly half of the 1440p figure and about 65% below the 1080p result.

This steep decline is a textbook indicator that the Radeon RX 7800 XT is the limiting component at 4K. The GPU’s rendering workload scales directly with pixel count, and the data shows the frame rate dropping from 99 FPS at 4K Low to 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. In contrast, the CPU’s workload remains relatively constant across resolutions, so the fact that performance degrades so sharply with resolution points squarely at the graphics card’s fill rate and shader throughput.

At 1080p, the situation changes subtly. The gap between Low (284 FPS) and Ultra (171 FPS) is 113 FPS, showing that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still doing substantial work. However, the absolute numbers are high enough that the CPU’s 14 cores and 20 threads are likely not fully saturated. The 1080p Medium result of 247 FPS with a minimum of 210 FPS suggests some frame time variance, but the overall trend indicates the RX 7800 XT is still the primary driver of performance even at this resolution.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings tells a similar story: 209 FPS at 1080p, 135 FPS at 1440p, and 73 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 62 FPS, or about 46%, which is slightly less than the Low settings drop of 46% (from 184 to 99 FPS). This consistency across presets reinforces that resolution, not settings complexity, is the dominant factor in performance degradation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core processor with 20 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz provide substantial single-threaded headroom, which is relevant for Doom’s engine that relies heavily on a few primary threads for game logic and draw call submission.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 4594 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 32544 in multi-core. The single-core score is particularly telling: it places the chip in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, indicating that its per-thread performance is well above average. For a game like Doom, which was released in 2016 and does not scale perfectly across many cores, this single-thread strength is more valuable than raw multi-core throughput.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (0.3% higher average score), the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (0.4% higher), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (0.8% higher). These deltas are tiny, meaning the i5-14600KF is effectively on par with those processors in general compute tasks. For gaming specifically, the high boost clock of 5.30 GHz should allow it to maintain high frame rates without holding back the GPU.

The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 284 FPS, which is far above what most displays can show. Even at 4K Ultra, the 60 FPS average is a smooth experience, and the fact that the frame rate scales consistently with resolution and settings suggests the CPU is delivering frames fast enough to keep the GPU fed. The CPU’s L3 cache of 24 MB shared and 2 MB per-core L2 also help with game data locality, though these are not directly measurable in the FPS results.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3712 tested CPU and GPU combinations in the database, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 1238th specifically for Doom. This places it in the upper third of all tested combos, which is a solid result given that the GPU’s percentile ranking is only 51st against all GPUs.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 11627, with a percentile of 51. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (0.5% higher score), the AMD Radeon Pro 5500M (0.9% lower), and the NVIDIA Tesla K20c (1.3% lower). This is a wide range of performance levels — from a budget gaming card to a professional workstation GPU — yet the RX 7800 XT sits squarely in the middle of this group in terms of raw compute benchmarks.

The CPU’s percentile of 90 is much higher than the GPU’s 51, which means the processor is relatively stronger in the broader benchmark landscape. However, for Doom specifically, the combo’s rank of 1238 out of 3712 suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in this pairing. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the rank would likely be higher (closer to 1), as the processor would have more headroom to push frames.

The gap between the CPU’s high percentile and the combo’s mid-tier rank indicates that other pairings with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs likely outperform this combination in Doom. Conversely, the 1238th rank still means this combo beats roughly two-thirds of all tested configurations, which is respectable for a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average is 284 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 247 FPS, with a minimum of 210 FPS and a maximum of 284 FPS. High settings produce 209 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 171 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 113 FPS, showing that settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the numbers scale down proportionally. Low settings yield 184 FPS. Medium settings give 160 FPS average, with a minimum of 136 FPS and a maximum of 184 FPS. High settings result in 135 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 110 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 74 FPS, which is a smaller absolute gap than at 1080p but still substantial.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are noticeably lower. Low settings produce 99 FPS average. Medium settings deliver 87 FPS, with a minimum of 74 FPS and a maximum of 100 FPS. High settings reduce this to 73 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 60 FPS. The range from Low to Ultra is 39 FPS, indicating that at 4K, the GPU is struggling to maintain high frame rates even at the lowest settings.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones that include minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 210 FPS and the maximum is 284 FPS, giving a range of 74 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 136 FPS and the maximum is 184 FPS, a range of 48 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 74 FPS and the maximum is 100 FPS, a range of 26 FPS. This narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that frame time consistency improves as the GPU becomes more uniformly loaded.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Doom?

A: The highest measured average is 284 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the measured average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is exactly 60 FPS, which meets the minimum standard for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 209 at 1920x1080 to 135 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 74 FPS or approximately 35%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile overall, while the GPU ranks in the 51st percentile, and frame rates scale heavily with resolution, which is a GPU-bound characteristic.

Q: What is the largest frame rate range recorded for any single setting?

A: The 1080p Medium setting shows the widest range, with a minimum of 210 FPS and a maximum of 284 FPS, a span of 74 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combinations in Doom?

A: It ranks 1238th out of 3712 total tested combos, placing it in the upper third of all configurations.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest possible frame rates, Low settings at 1080p provide the best experience with 284 FPS average. This is ideal for competitive play where response time matters more than visual fidelity. The 1080p Medium setting offers a 247 FPS average with a minimum of 210 FPS, which still exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors and provides a better visual balance.

At 1440p, High settings yield 135 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. Medium settings at 1440p produce 160 FPS average with a minimum of 136 FPS, making it a strong choice for those who want a buffer above 144 Hz. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 110 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 4K, the choice is more constrained. Medium settings provide 87 FPS average with a minimum of 74 FPS, which is the best balance of quality and performance for 4K displays. High settings at 4K deliver 73 FPS, which is acceptable, but the 60 FPS Ultra setting is the minimum viable option for those who prioritize visual quality over frame rate. The Low setting at 4K (99 FPS) is not recommended because it sacrifices too much visual detail for only a modest FPS gain over Medium.

The overall recommendation depends on the display’s refresh rate. For 1080p and 1440p panels, Medium or High settings provide the best experience, as the frame rates are high enough to avoid stutter while maintaining decent visuals. For 4K panels, Medium settings are the sweet spot, offering 87 FPS with a minimum above 60 FPS, which ensures consistent smoothness.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. The GPU’s boost clock is 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz and a base clock of 1295 MHz. Its memory subsystem consists of 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU’s pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s are directly relevant to Doom’s rendering workload. The game’s heavy use of texture sampling and pixel shading means these rates are likely the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The FP32 performance of 37.32 TFLOPS provides substantial compute headroom for the game’s lighting and particle effects.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7800 XT scores 24176 in Passmark G3D and 54228 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its Passmark DirectX 12 score is 93, which is lower than its DirectX 11 score of 249, suggesting that the Vulkan API used by Doom may be a better fit for this architecture. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 11627, with a percentile of 51, meaning it is roughly average compared to all other GPUs in the database.

The memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s becomes more critical at 4K, where the GPU must stream larger textures and geometry. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for Doom, which was released in 2016 and does not require high memory capacities. The GPU’s TDP of 263 W and dual-slot design indicate it is a power-hungry card, but the measured FPS data shows it delivers consistent performance across the tested configurations.

The RX 7800 XT’s performance in Doom is best understood through its resolution scaling. At 1080p, it easily exceeds 200 FPS at most settings, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to exactly 60 FPS. This suggests the GPU is well-matched to 1440p gaming, where it provides 110-184 FPS depending on settings, and can handle 4K at Medium settings with 87 FPS. The GPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the GTX 1660 and Radeon Pro 5500M, but in Doom, the RX 7800 XT’s combination of high texture rate and memory bandwidth gives it an edge in this specific title.