Doom

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti delivers a playable, though not maxed-out, experience in Doom. The data shows a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck, with the CPU's high core count providing ample headroom. This combination ranks in the lower tier of tested configurations, yet it maintains solid frame rates at mainstream resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K clearly indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the limiting component in this pairing. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces an average of 107.6 FPS, which falls to 73.4 FPS at 1440p, and further to 40.2 FPS at 4K. This represents a 63% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K, a steep curve that is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The Intel Core i7-14700F, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is not the constraint here.

The scaling pattern becomes more revealing when examining the Low settings preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 152.9 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 96.2 FPS, and 4K Low produces 53.2 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 4K at Low settings is 65%, nearly identical to the High preset. This consistency suggests that even when graphical load is minimized, the GPU’s raw throughput limits the frame rate. The GTX 1660 Ti’s 5.437 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply insufficient to feed the CPU’s capabilities at higher resolutions.

At Ultra settings, the bottleneck is even more pronounced. The 4K Ultra average of 32 FPS is a 65% drop from the 1080p Ultra result of 91.3 FPS. This indicates that the 1660 Ti is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and maximum detail settings. The data points to a clear conclusion: the i7-14700F is waiting on the GPU at every resolution tested, and the frame rate ceiling is dictated entirely by the graphics card.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is a Turing-architecture card with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock of 1500 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz are modest by modern standards. In Doom, these specifications translate to a performance profile that is adequate for 1080p gaming but struggles at higher resolutions.

The 6 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor. At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 32, suggesting the card is not only compute-limited but also potentially memory-constrained. The texture and geometry demands of Doom at Ultra detail likely exceed what 6 GB can efficiently handle at 3840x2160, causing additional performance degradation beyond raw shader throughput.

The card’s 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs are modest figures. The pixel rate of 84.96 GPixel/s and texture rate of 169.9 GTexel/s are the hardware limits that govern fill-rate-bound scenarios. In Doom, which relies heavily on fast-paced rendering, these figures cap the achievable frame rates. The benchmark results confirm this: the gap between 1080p Medium (131.7 FPS) and 1440p Medium (87.2 FPS) is a 34% drop, while the gap between 1440p Medium and 4K Medium (48.9 FPS) is a 44% drop. This accelerating decline is the hallmark of a GPU that is running out of resources as pixel count increases.

The GTX 1660 Ti’s DirectX 12 score of 51 in Passmark is notably low, but in Doom’s Vulkan-based engine, the card performs better than that synthetic benchmark suggests. The 1.4 Vulkan API support is fully utilized, allowing the hardware to operate efficiently within its architectural limits.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific configuration ranks 1432 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the bottom 15% of all tested systems. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GTX 1660 Ti’s performance ceiling, despite the i7-14700F being a high-end processor.

The i7-14700F itself sits in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54097. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (scoring 54450, a 0.6% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (scoring 54681, a 1.1% difference). This indicates the CPU is performing at the top tier of processors. However, when paired with a GPU that scores in the 55th percentile among all GPUs, the combined system is dragged down significantly.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 13925 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 570X (scoring 13871, a 0.4% difference) and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (scoring 13821, a 0.8% difference). This is a mid-range graphics card being paired with a top-tier CPU, creating a substantial imbalance. The combination rank of 1432 reflects this mismatch, as the system’s in-game performance is constrained by the weaker component.

Benchmark results indicate that if the goal is maximizing Doom’s frame rates, the CPU is not the limiting factor. The i7-14700F’s 35443 Cinebench R23 multi-core score and 5003 single-core score provide more than enough processing power for this title. The rank is a direct result of the GPU’s inability to keep pace.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. Low settings yield 152.9 FPS, Medium settings produce 131.7 FPS, High settings achieve 107.6 FPS, and Ultra settings manage 91.3 FPS. All of these are well above the 60 FPS threshold, making 1080p the sweet spot for this combo. The 1660 Ti can handle Doom at this resolution with headroom to spare.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops become more apparent. Low settings still deliver a smooth 96.2 FPS, and Medium settings provide 87.2 FPS. High settings drop to 73.4 FPS, which remains playable, but Ultra settings fall to 57.3 FPS, dipping below the 60 FPS mark. This indicates that 1440p Ultra is the limit for this GPU in Doom, requiring settings reductions for a consistently smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. Low settings produce 53.2 FPS, Medium settings yield 48.9 FPS, High settings drop to 40.2 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 32 FPS. None of these results are ideal for a fast-paced FPS, as they all fall below 60 FPS. The 4K resolution is clearly beyond the GTX 1660 Ti’s intended performance envelope in this title.

The spread between settings at each resolution is also informative. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 61.6 FPS, showing significant scaling with detail levels. At 1440p, this gap narrows to 38.9 FPS, and at 4K, it narrows further to 21.2 FPS. This diminishing scaling indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so saturated that reducing settings has less impact on performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, with all settings presets producing averages above 90 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra settings drop to 57.3 FPS, so lower presets are recommended. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 53.2 FPS, making 4K impractical 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 107.6 at 1080p to 73.4 at 1440p. This represents a 31.8% performance reduction when increasing resolution by 78% in pixel count.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700F bottlenecking the GTX 1660 Ti in Doom?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 94th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 55th percentile. The frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU, as evidenced by the steep performance drops at higher resolutions regardless of CPU headroom.

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

A: This configuration ranks 1432 out of 1681 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 15% of all systems. This low ranking is due to the GTX 1660 Ti’s mid-range performance, not the CPU’s capabilities.

Q: What are the differences between Low and Ultra settings at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings produce an average of 53.2 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 32 FPS. The 21.2 FPS difference between these presets is smaller than at lower resolutions, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor regardless of settings.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 1440p with any settings preset?

A: Yes. Low settings achieve 96.2 FPS, Medium settings achieve 87.2 FPS, and High settings achieve 73.4 FPS. Only Ultra settings fall short, producing 57.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.