Doom

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 is a study in extremes. You have a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake Refresh processor that sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, a chip clearly built for heavy multi-threaded workloads. Its benchmark scores are enormous—a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 44534 points and a Geekbench multi-core of 18896—placing it in the top tier of processors. The RX 570, by contrast, is a 2017-era Polaris 20 part with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory. This is a pairing where the CPU has far more raw capability than the GPU can ever hope to use in a game like Doom. The data reflects this imbalance: the CPU is effectively idle in this workload, waiting on the GPU to render frames.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The i7-14700K brings 20 cores and 28 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This is a monster of a processor for productivity, but Doom is an FPS from 2016 that does not need 28 threads. The game's engine is well-optimized but scales primarily with single-core performance and, to a lesser extent, a handful of cores. The i7’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287 is excellent, and in a CPU-bound scenario, this would be a major asset. However, the benchmark results show that the limiting factor here is not the CPU. Look at the frame rates: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 90.6 FPS. That is a high frame rate, but it is not the 200+ FPS that this CPU could push with a more modern GPU. The CPU is capable of far more; the data shows it is being held back.

The i7-14700K’s 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help with game logic and asset streaming, but even these large caches cannot compensate for the GPU’s limited fill rate. The processor’s average benchmark score of 70074 places it within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X and essentially equal to the i7-14700KF, according to the nearestRivals data. This tells us the CPU is not the bottleneck. In Doom, the CPU is doing its job—feeding the GPU with draw calls and physics data—but the GPU is returning the completed frames at a pace that leaves the CPU with plenty of headroom. The takeaway is that this combo’s performance is dictated almost entirely by the graphics card.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the clear bottleneck. It has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs, running at a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These are decidedly mid-range 2017 specifications. In Doom, which is a fast-paced shooter with large, detailed environments, the GPU’s 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at higher settings.

The data shows a clear pattern: frame rates drop as settings increase, regardless of resolution. At 1080p, the average FPS goes from 90.6 on Low to 83.4 on Medium, 67.6 on High, and 55.3 on Ultra. The GPU is the component that is struggling. The 4 GB VRAM buffer is also a concern, especially at higher resolutions and settings where textures demand more memory. While the RX 570’s benchmark percentiles and nearestRivals data (it is within 0.8% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile in average score) suggest it is a decent performer relative to other GPUs in its class, it is not in the same league as the CPU it is paired with. The GPU’s Geekbench Vulkan score of 42752 and OpenCL score of 32084 show it has some compute power, but it is not enough to keep Doom running smoothly at high settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling is the most telling data in this pack. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops from 67.6 to 47.1 on High settings—a 30% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160), the frame rate drops from 47.1 to 25.6 on High settings—another 45% reduction. This is a classic GPU-bound signature. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across resolutions, because the CPU work stays roughly the same regardless of pixel count. Instead, the frame rates plummet as the resolution increases, which means the GPU is working harder and harder to fill those pixels.

At 4K Ultra, the combo manages a paltry 18.1 FPS. This is unplayable. Even at 4K Low, the average FPS is only 32.7, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The RX 570’s 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is simply not enough to feed the ROPs at 4K, and the 4 GB frame buffer is likely being exceeded by the texture data. The CPU is not the problem here; the i7-14700K is not going to get slower at 4K. The data shows that this is a GPU that was designed for 1080p gaming, and even then, it struggles with the highest settings. The scaling pattern is a textbook case of a GPU bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo rank in this game is 1616 out of 1681 tested combinations. That places it in the bottom 4% of all tested combos. This is a surprisingly poor ranking for a combo that includes a top-tier CPU. The reason is clear: the GPU is so weak relative to the CPU that the entire system is dragged down. The data shows that the i7-14700K is capable of great performance, but it is wasted here. The rank reflects the actual gameplay experience: a system that is severely GPU-limited, and thus performs like a much older, lower-end machine. The nearestRivals data for the GPU shows it is within a fraction of a percent of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT in average benchmark score, but that does not translate to good performance in Doom at high settings. The CPU’s high percentile ranking (96th) and its average score of 70074 are irrelevant when the GPU is the one delivering the frames. This ranking is a clear warning: do not pair a high-end CPU with a low-end GPU if you want to play modern games at high settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Given the measured data, the only sensible recommendation for a smooth experience is to use the Low preset at 1920x1080, which yields an average of 90.6 FPS. This is a solid, playable frame rate for an FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is also playable at 83.4 FPS, but the jump to High drops the frame rate to 67.6 FPS, which is still playable but noticeably less smooth. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 55.3 FPS, which is on the edge of acceptability for a fast-paced shooter. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset is viable at 57.8 FPS; Medium, High, and Ultra all fall below 50 FPS, with Ultra at 36.8 FPS. At 4K, no preset is playable, as even Low only averages 32.7 FPS. The best experience, based on the data, is to play at 1080p with Low or Medium settings. If you prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, you could try High at 1080p, but be prepared for a less consistent experience. The data clearly shows that the RX 570 is a 1080p card, and even then, it prefers lower settings.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo good for playing Doom at 4K?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves an average of 32.7 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to a paltry 18.1 FPS. This is not a playable experience at 4K.

Q: What is the highest resolution I can play at with a smooth frame rate?

A: Based on the data, 1920x1080 with the Medium preset (83.4 FPS) or Low preset (90.6 FPS) provides the best balance of smoothness. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (57.8 FPS) is near playable.

Q: Why is the combo rank so low (1616 out of 1681) if the CPU is in the 96th percentile?

A: The rank reflects the actual gameplay performance of the entire system. The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the limiting component, and its performance drags the whole combo down. The CPU’s power is not being utilized because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough.

Q: How large is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K on High settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 67.6 at 1920x1080 to 25.6 at 3840x2160 on High settings. This represents a drop of 42 frames per second, or a 62% reduction, which indicates the GPU is the bottleneck.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system for Doom?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The evidence is in the resolution scaling: as the resolution increases, the frame rate drops dramatically, which is a classic sign of a GPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would be similar across resolutions.

Q: What is the best setting preset to use for this game?

A: For the best experience, use the Low preset at 1920x1080, which averages 90.6 FPS. If you have a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is the only viable option at 57.8 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it drops to 55.3 FPS at 1080p and 18.1 FPS at 4K.