Doom

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9060 delivers a highly capable 1080p and 1440p experience in Doom, with the data indicating that the graphics card becomes the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. The measured frame rates show a clear and predictable scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions, with the gap between settings widening significantly at lower resolutions where the CPU has more headroom to push frames. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 211 FPS on Low settings, which drops to 155 FPS on High and 127 FPS on Ultra, demonstrating that the GPU is still the bottleneck even at the lowest settings. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages fall to 137 FPS on Low, 101 FPS on High, and 82 FPS on Ultra, representing a 35% reduction from 1080p at the Low preset. At 3840x2160, the performance curve steepens dramatically, with the Low preset averaging 74 FPS and the Ultra preset dropping to just 45 FPS, a 39% decline from the 1440p Ultra result. This scaling behavior suggests that the RX 9060’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are sufficient for the lower resolutions but begin to strain at 4K, where the game’s texture and shading demands outpace the card’s throughput.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario, with the frame rate deltas between 1080p and 4K growing more pronounced as settings increase. At the Low preset, the transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 results in a 65% performance drop, from 211 FPS to 74 FPS, which is a substantial reduction but still leaves the game playable at 4K. The High preset shows a similar relative decline, with the 155 FPS at 1080p falling to 54 FPS at 4K, a 65% decrease that pushes the experience below the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset exhibits the steepest falloff, dropping from 127 FPS at 1080p to 45 FPS at 4K, a 65% reduction that makes 4K Ultra impractical for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset, which has min/max data available, shows the scaling most clearly: it averages 184 FPS at 1080p, 119 FPS at 1440p, and 65 FPS at 4K, with the min FPS at each resolution (156, 101, and 55 respectively) indicating that frame pacing remains consistent even as the average drops. This pattern strongly suggests that the RX 9060’s compute resources—1792 shading units and 64 ROPs—are the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the i5-14600KF’s 14 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom to feed the GPU at 1080p. The fact that the Low preset at 4K (74 FPS) outperforms the Ultra preset at 1440p (82 FPS) by a narrow margin underscores that settings adjustments can offset resolution penalties, but the card’s 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is a hard ceiling for 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, averaging 184 FPS with a minimum of 156 FPS, which comfortably exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates and provides smooth gameplay even during intense combat sequences. The High preset at 1080p, averaging 155 FPS, is also viable for high-refresh monitors, but the Medium preset’s 29 FPS advantage over High makes it the more sensible choice for competitive play. For 2560x1440, the High preset emerges as the recommended option, averaging 101 FPS with no min FPS reported, which is sufficient for 100 Hz displays and maintains visual fidelity without the 19 FPS penalty seen when moving to Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p, averaging 119 FPS, is the better choice for players prioritizing frame rate over graphical detail, as it delivers a 18 FPS boost over High while still looking presentable. At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option for consistent 60+ FPS gameplay, averaging 74 FPS, whereas the Medium preset drops to 65 FPS and High falls to 54 FPS, making both less suitable for smooth 4K play. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution above 1080p, as it averages 82 FPS at 1440p and 45 FPS at 4K, both of which introduce noticeable stutter and input lag in a fast-paced FPS title. The data indicates that the Medium preset at 1080p or High at 1440p provides the best overall experience, balancing the RX 9060’s capabilities with the game’s demands.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 plays the dominant role in determining Doom’s performance across the measured configurations, with its 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width proving adequate for 1080p and 1440p but limiting at 4K. The card’s boost clock of 2990 MHz and game clock of 2400 MHz give it a significant compute advantage over its predecessor, allowing it to maintain high frame rates even at the Medium preset where the min FPS at 1080p is 156 FPS. The GPU’s 21.43 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 334.9 GTexel/s texture rate are well-matched to the game’s engine, which was designed for efficient multi-threaded rendering and does not heavily tax the CPU. However, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is a potential concern at 4K Ultra, where the game’s high-resolution textures and post-processing effects can consume more than 8 GB, potentially causing the card to spill into system memory and degrade performance. The measured data supports this hypothesis: the 4K Ultra average of 45 FPS is disproportionately low compared to the 4K High result of 54 FPS, suggesting that memory bandwidth or capacity constraints are exacerbating the performance drop. The GPU’s 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is also a limiting factor at 4K, as the higher pixel count requires more data to be transferred per frame, and the 128-bit bus width restricts the card’s ability to keep up with the demand. At 1080p, the GPU’s 64 ROPs and 1792 shading units are more than sufficient, as evidenced by the 211 FPS Low preset result, which indicates that the card is not fully utilized at lower resolutions. The GPU’s benchmark scores, including a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3322 and a Passmark G3D score of 17631, place it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti by 0.7% in average score, which aligns with the measured FPS results showing competitive performance at 1080p and 1440p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across all resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 211 FPS, followed by Medium at 184 FPS (with a min of 156 and max of 212), High at 155 FPS, and Ultra at 127 FPS. The 84 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p highlights the GPU’s headroom at this resolution, where even the most demanding preset stays well above 120 FPS. The Medium preset’s max FPS of 212 FPS is nearly identical to the Low preset’s average, indicating that the game engine is capable of pushing high frame rates when the GPU is not bottlenecked by memory or shading constraints. At 2560x1440, the averages are 137 FPS for Low, 119 FPS for Medium (min 101, max 137), 101 FPS for High, and 82 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 101 FPS is notable, as it ensures that even the most demanding scenes remain playable on 100 Hz monitors. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, with Low decreasing by 35%, Medium by 35%, High by 35%, and Ultra by 35%, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor and that resolution scaling is uniform. At 3840x2160, the averages are 74 FPS for Low, 65 FPS for Medium (min 55, max 74), 54 FPS for High, and 45 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 55 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, while the High and Ultra presets fall below 60 FPS, making them unsuitable for competitive play. The 4K results show a 35% reduction from 1440p for Low and Medium, but the High preset drops by 47% and Ultra by 45%, indicating that the GPU’s memory subsystem struggles more with higher settings at 4K. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy, with 1080p Medium offering the best combination of high FPS and visual quality, while 4K Low is the only viable option for 4K displays.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination ranks 1686 out of 2930 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 57th percentile of all systems tested. This mid-tier ranking reflects the GPU’s position as a mainstream card rather than a high-end flagship, as the RX 9060’s average benchmark score of 16014 places it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (0.7% higher score), AMD Radeon R9 370X (1% lower), AMD Radeon RX 7700 (1% lower), and AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (2.1% lower). The CPU, on the other hand, is a top-tier performer, with the i5-14600KF ranking in the 90th percentile of all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 49394, which puts it 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, while trailing the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 by 0.8%. This combination of a high-end CPU and mid-range GPU results in a system that is balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls short at 4K, which is reflected in the combo’s rank. The rank of 1686 out of 2930 suggests that while the system is not among the top performers, it outperforms a significant portion of tested configurations, particularly those with weaker GPUs. The data indicates that the combo’s ranking is primarily driven by the GPU’s performance, as the CPU’s strong benchmark scores do not translate into proportionally higher FPS in Doom, which is a GPU-bound title at higher resolutions. The combo’s position in the rankings is consistent with its measured FPS results, which show competitive performance at 1080p and 1440p but a noticeable drop at 4K, aligning with the GPU’s mid-range positioning.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS on High settings?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 101 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS, while at 3840x2160, the High preset averages only 54 FPS, making 1440p the highest resolution where High settings are viable.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 211 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 127 FPS, representing a 66% performance advantage for Low over Ultra.

Q: Does the combo maintain smooth frame pacing at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 65 with a minimum of 55 FPS, indicating that the frame rate stays above 55 FPS but can drop close to the 60 FPS threshold during demanding scenes.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in average benchmark scores?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, which is 0.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti’s score of 16129, making the two cards nearly identical in overall performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 101, ensuring that the frame rate never drops below 100 FPS during the benchmark.

Q: Is the i5-14600KF or the RX 9060 the limiting factor at 4K Ultra?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 45, and given that the CPU ranks in the 90th percentile while the GPU ranks in the 59th percentile, the RX 9060 is clearly the limiting component at 4K Ultra.