Doom

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 lands at rank 1594 out of 1681 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the bottom 5% of all configurations. This is a stark illustration of how a powerful modern CPU can be completely held back by an entry-level GPU from a previous generation. The data shows a combo that is heavily bottlenecked, where the processor's potential is largely untapped.

When examining the individual components, the contrast is stark. The i5-14600KF sits in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49367. It is virtually tied with its nearest rivals, sitting just 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X. This places it firmly in high-end desktop territory. Conversely, the GTX 1650 finds itself in just the 43rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8713. It trades blows with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (0.4% behind) and the AMD Radeon 550X (0.4% behind), clearly establishing it as a low-tier performer. The combination of a top-7% CPU with a bottom-half GPU creates a system that is fundamentally unbalanced for a title like Doom, which is known for its scalability but still demands a competent graphics card for higher settings.

Settings Recommendations

For this specific pairing, the benchmark results point to a clear strategy: prioritize resolution and frame rate over visual fidelity. At 1080p, the "Low" preset delivers an average of 91.6 FPS, which is the only measured configuration that approaches the high-refresh-rate territory. This is the only setting that allows the GTX 1650 to stretch its legs and produce a smooth, responsive experience. The jump to "Medium" at 1080p drops the average to 82.6 FPS, which is still very playable, but the performance cost of moving to "High" (70.4 FPS) and "Ultra" (56.2 FPS) becomes increasingly significant.

The data suggests that the "High" preset at 1080p is the sweet spot for visual quality if the user can tolerate a frame rate in the 70s. However, for a game like Doom, where fast-paced action is paramount, the "Low" preset's headroom is more valuable. At 1440p, even the "Low" preset (59.2 FPS) drops below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this resolution is only viable on the absolute lowest settings. Pushing to "Ultra" at any resolution is ill-advised, as the GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates, particularly at 4K where it averages a dismal 18.4 FPS. The best experience, based on the measured rows, is unequivocally the "Low" preset at 1920x1080.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a GPU that is completely overwhelmed by pixel count. Moving from 1080p "Low" (91.6 FPS) to 1440p "Low" (59.2 FPS) results in a 35% drop in performance. The jump from 1440p "Low" to 4K "Low" (30.4 FPS) is another 49% reduction. Across all settings, the pattern is consistent: the GTX 1650's 4 GB of VRAM and 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth are simply insufficient for the demands of higher resolutions.

This scaling behavior is a classic symptom of a GPU-bound scenario. The i5-14600KF, with its 14 cores and 5.30 GHz boost clock, is not the limiting factor here. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see less dramatic FPS drops as resolution increases, because the CPU workload would remain relatively constant. Instead, the data shows a linear and severe degradation in performance, which indicates that the GTX 1650's rendering pipeline is saturated. The game is asking the GPU to process more pixels, and the GPU is unable to keep up, regardless of the CPU's ample processing power. The data implies that this combo is only viable for 1080p gaming, and even then, only at lower settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's capabilities across a grid of resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the full range of performance is on display. The "Low" preset achieves an average of 91.6 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this system. "Medium" follows at 82.6 FPS, "High" at 70.4 FPS, and "Ultra" drops to 56.2 FPS. This demonstrates a 35.4 FPS spread between the lowest and highest settings, highlighting the significant cost of visual features on the GTX 1650.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope shrinks considerably. The "Low" preset averages 59.2 FPS, barely crossing the 60 FPS mark. "Medium" drops to 52.5 FPS, "High" to 45.4 FPS, and "Ultra" falls to 37.7 FPS. None of these settings provide a consistently smooth experience, and the gap between "Low" and "Ultra" narrows to 21.5 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is running out of headroom regardless of the settings. At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable. "Low" averages 30.4 FPS, "Medium" 28.5 FPS, "High" 26.3 FPS, and "Ultra" a mere 18.4 FPS. The performance difference between all settings at 4K is minimal, confirming that the GPU is the absolute bottleneck and is struggling to render even the most basic scenes at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for this system?

A: The data shows the best experience is at 1920x1080 with the "Low" preset, which yields an average of 91.6 FPS. This is the only measured configuration that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming?

A: It can, but only at the "Low" preset, which averages 59.2 FPS. Any higher settings at 1440p will result in sub-60 FPS performance, with "Ultra" dropping to 37.7 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600KF the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No. The CPU is in the 93rd percentile of all processors with an average score of 49367. The data suggests the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, which is in the 43rd percentile, is the primary limiting component.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i5-14600KF is effectively tied with its nearest competitors. It is 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i5-14600K, 0.6% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, and 1.4% faster than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H.

Q: What is the performance difference between "Low" and "Ultra" settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is 35.4 FPS. "Low" averages 91.6 FPS, while "Ultra" averages 56.2 FPS, representing a significant 38.6% reduction in frame rate for higher visual fidelity.

Q: Is the GTX 1650's performance close to any other GPUs?

A: Yes, its average benchmark score of 8713 is very close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (8746), the AMD Radeon 550X (8749), and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100 (8761), with deltas of less than 1%.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, which are substantial figures for a desktop chip. Its benchmark results are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32889 and a single-core score of 4643. The Geekbench multicore score of 15636 and single-core score of 2778 further reinforce its position as a top-tier CPU.

In the context of Doom, however, this processing power is largely irrelevant. The game's performance, as shown by the measured FPS, is dictated by the GPU. While the CPU's high clocks and core count ensure that it will never be the source of a frame rate dip, the data shows that it is also not contributing to higher frame rates once the GPU is saturated. The system is a clear example of a CPU that has far more capability than the paired GPU can utilize. The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are features that would benefit more demanding titles or productivity workloads, but for this game, its role is to remain idle, waiting for the GPU to catch up.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture GPU with 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. It has a base clock of 1485 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. Its most significant limitation is its memory subsystem: 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 128-bit bus, providing 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a critical constraint for a modern game like Doom at higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores are modest, with a Passmark G3D score of 7880 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305. Its FP32 performance is 2.984 TFLOPS. The data indicates that this GPU is the sole bottleneck in the system. The severe FPS drops from 1080p to 4K, and the minimal performance difference between "Low" and "Ultra" settings at 4K, are direct consequences of the GPU's limited pixel fill rate (53.28 GPixel/s) and texture rate (93.24 GTexel/s). The 4 GB VRAM is likely insufficient for high-resolution textures, forcing the system to use slower memory paging. The GTX 1650's launch MSRP was 149 USD, and its end-of-life status in the product line is consistent with its performance tier. In this pairing, the GPU's role is to be the limiting factor, and the benchmark data shows it fulfills that role completely, preventing the i5-14600KF from ever being challenged.