Doom

The Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers a playable but not exceptional experience in Doom, ranking in the 21st percentile of tested configurations. The pairing is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while the CPU's substantial core count ensures high frame rates at 1080p. The data shows this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it consistently exceeds 60 FPS, but it struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 2934 out of 3712 tested combos for Doom, placing it in the bottom 21% of all pairings. That rank reflects the significant bottleneck created by the RTX 2060, which sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, while the i7-14700F is at the 91st percentile among all CPUs. The disparity between the two components is stark: the CPU is a top-tier performer, while the GPU is decidedly mid-range.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce this position. With an average benchmark score of 15290, the RTX 2060 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (15283, deltaPct 0), the AMD Radeon 680M (15270, deltaPct 0.1), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (15199, deltaPct 0.6). The AMD Radeon RX 7600 sits marginally behind at 15171 (deltaPct 0.8). These rivals are all within a 1% performance band, meaning the RTX 2060 provides virtually identical raw compute performance to these alternatives.

In contrast, the CPU's benchmark results are far more impressive. The i7-14700F's average benchmark score of 53620 places it just behind the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701, deltaPct -0.2) and ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469, deltaPct 0.3), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53288, deltaPct 0.6), and the AMD EPYC 7313P (53206, deltaPct 0.8). This places the CPU in elite company, with all rivals within a 1% spread.

The rank of 2934 out of 3712 suggests that most other tested combos either pair the RTX 2060 with a weaker CPU (which doesn't hurt in this GPU-bound scenario) or pair a stronger GPU with a mid-range CPU (which helps significantly). The data indicates that the i7-14700F's power is largely wasted in this configuration, as the RTX 2060 becomes the limiting factor at every resolution above 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F brings substantial processing power to this pairing, with 20 cores and 28 threads running on a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This Raptor Lake architecture chip, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a large cache hierarchy: 80 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark performance is exceptional, scoring 35122 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4958 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 19620.

However, these CPU capabilities are largely underutilized in Doom. The game's measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the combo achieves 175 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 105 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, the range goes from 113 FPS (Low) down to 68 FPS (Ultra). At 4K, the numbers fall further: 61 FPS on Low, dropping to 37 FPS on Ultra. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior.

The CPU's 91st percentile ranking and its PassMark multi-thread score of 41317 suggest it could handle far more demanding game logic and physics than Doom throws at it. The PassMark physics score of 2455 and data compression score of 505885 indicate strong computational throughput. Yet the RTX 2060's modest specs — 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, and a 192-bit memory bus with 6 GB of GDDR6 — create a hard ceiling.

At 1080p, the CPU provides enough headroom to push frame rates to 175 FPS on Low settings, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. The data suggests that at lower resolutions, the i7-14700F can feed the RTX 2060 fast enough to avoid CPU-induced stutters. But at 4K, the GPU's raw throughput — 6.451 TFLOPS FP32 and 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth — becomes the absolute constraint, with frame rates dropping to 45 FPS on High and 37 FPS on Ultra.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, at 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p, all settings deliver above 105 FPS, with Low hitting 175 FPS. At 1440p, Low gives 113 FPS, Medium 99 FPS, and High 83 FPS, but Ultra drops to 68 FPS. At 4K, only Low settings (61 FPS) break the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 15290 is nearly identical to the GTX 580 (15283), Radeon 680M (15270), RTX 3050 OEM (15199), and RX 7600 (15171). All five GPUs are within a 0.8% deltaPct of each other, suggesting similar real-world performance in GPU-bound scenarios.

Q: Does the i7-14700F bottleneck the RTX 2060 at any resolution?

A: The data does not indicate CPU bottlenecking at any tested resolution. Frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes, and the CPU's 91st percentile ranking versus the GPU's 58th percentile suggests the GPU is always the limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, the 37 FPS result is clearly GPU-bound.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 4K gaming?

A: Low settings at 61 FPS is the only 4K preset that achieves 60 FPS. Medium drops to 53 FPS, High to 45 FPS, and Ultra to 37 FPS. For smooth 4K play, Low is the only viable option, though Medium (53 FPS) offers a playable experience with better visuals.

Q: How does the combo's performance scale from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 105 FPS at 1080p to 68 FPS at 1440p, then to 37 FPS at 4K. That's a 64.8% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the drop is from 175 FPS to 113 FPS to 61 FPS, a 65.1% reduction.

Q: Is the CPU's high core count beneficial for Doom?

A: The data suggests minimal benefit. The game's FPS results are consistently GPU-limited, and the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads provide far more parallelism than Doom's engine appears to utilize. The 4958 single-core Cinebench R23 score is more relevant than the 35122 multi-core score for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

1920x1080:

• Low: 175 FPS average
• Medium: 152 FPS average, 130 FPS minimum, 175 FPS maximum
• High: 129 FPS average
• Ultra: 105 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 113 FPS average
• Medium: 99 FPS average, 84 FPS minimum, 113 FPS maximum
• High: 83 FPS average
• Ultra: 68 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 61 FPS average
• Medium: 53 FPS average, 45 FPS minimum, 61 FPS maximum
• High: 45 FPS average
• Ultra: 37 FPS average

The pattern is consistent: each settings tier costs roughly 15-20% performance, and each resolution jump costs roughly 35-40% performance. The minimum FPS values recorded for Medium settings (at all resolutions) are close to the averages, indicating relatively stable frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the 130 FPS minimum versus 152 FPS average shows a 14.5% variance. At 1440p Medium, the 84 FPS minimum versus 99 FPS average is a 15.2% variance. At 4K Medium, the 45 FPS minimum versus 53 FPS average is a 15.1% variance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals clear GPU-bound behavior. At Ultra settings, the progression is 105 FPS (1080p) → 68 FPS (1440p) → 37 FPS (4K). This represents a 35.2% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45.6% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 64.8%.

At Low settings, the scaling is 175 FPS (1080p) → 113 FPS (1440p) → 61 FPS (4K), with reductions of 35.4% and 46.0% respectively. The consistency of these percentages across settings presets — roughly 35% per resolution step — is a strong indicator that resolution, not settings, is the primary driver of performance change.

This scaling pattern points squarely at the RTX 2060 as the limiting component. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s and 192-bit bus width are modest by modern standards, and the 6 GB VRAM capacity may also factor into 4K performance. The i7-14700F's capabilities — with a PassMark multi-thread score of 41317 — would not show this kind of linear scaling with resolution if it were the bottleneck.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (175 FPS) and Ultra (105 FPS) is 40%. At 4K, the difference between Low (61 FPS) and Ultra (37 FPS) is 39.3%. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even lowering settings cannot fully compensate for the pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience per the measured rows, the recommended presets depend heavily on target resolution and refresh rate.

At 1920x1080: Ultra settings at 105 FPS is the clear choice. This delivers the best visual quality while maintaining triple-digit frame rates. Even the minimum frame rate on Medium (130 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS by a wide margin, so there is no need to compromise. For competitive play, Low at 175 FPS offers the highest refresh rate potential, but the visual trade-off is unnecessary for most users.

At 2560x1440: High settings at 83 FPS provides the best balance. Medium at 99 FPS is also excellent, but High's visual improvements come at only a 16.2% performance cost. Ultra at 68 FPS is playable but sits close to the 60 FPS threshold, and the 15.2% variance seen on Medium suggests occasional dips could push it below 60 FPS. High is the sweet spot for smooth, good-looking gameplay.

At 3840x2160: The choice is between Low at 61 FPS and Medium at 53 FPS. Low is the only preset that reliably exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for smooth play. Medium's 53 FPS average with a 45 FPS minimum falls short of the 60 FPS target, and the visual gains from Low to Medium are unlikely to justify the 13.1% performance hit. High (45 FPS) and Ultra (37 FPS) are not recommended for 4K gaming with this combo.

Overall, the data shows that 1080p and 1440p are the resolutions where this combo shines, with 1440p High offering the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 4K, users must accept significant compromises, sticking to Low settings for playable frame rates. The i7-14700F's power is best utilized at lower resolutions where the RTX 2060 can keep up with its feeding rate.