Doom

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

The Intel Core i7-14700K brings a 20-core, 28-thread configuration to this Doom test run, built on the Raptor Lake-R architecture with a 3.40 GHz base clock and a 5.60 GHz boost clock. For a 2016 FPS title like Doom, the sheer thread count matters less than the high boost ceiling, which directly influences how quickly the game's render threads can be serviced. The data shows the CPU sits in the 94th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 69355, indicating this is a high-end part that should rarely be the bottleneck in a GPU-bound scenario.

The L3 cache is 33 MB shared, with 2 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core. This cache hierarchy is relevant for Doom's id Tech engine, which streams geometry and texture data in a way that benefits from large, fast caches. The 5.60 GHz boost clock is the more important figure here, as the game's frame pacing at high FPS levels often depends on single-thread responsiveness. In synthetic workloads, the CPU scores 33440.5 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2160 in single-core, while Geekbench shows 20767 multi-core and 2569 single-core — these figures place it comfortably ahead of the pack for gaming workloads.

When examining the nearest rivals, the data reveals a tight cluster at the top. The EPYC 9115 scores 69288 (0.1% delta), the Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515 (-0.2%), and the Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69875 (-0.7%). The i7-14700K's 69355 average sits within 1% of these alternatives, meaning the CPU's performance headroom is essentially identical to the best available options. For Doom specifically, this means the processor is not the limiting factor — the measured FPS deltas across resolutions will be governed almost entirely by GPU throughput.

The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, with ECC capability enabled. The 125W TDP reflects a conventional desktop design rather than a mobile or efficiency-focused part. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but irrelevant for this discrete GPU configuration. The PCIe Gen 5 interface with 16 lanes from the CPU provides ample bandwidth for the RX 6750 XT, which uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The launch MSRP for this CPU is $409, and it was released on 2023-10-16, making it a current-generation part when paired with this GPU.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Doom?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 242, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the absolute ceiling for this CPU-GPU pairing in the tested configurations.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K + AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT combination ranks 1696 out of 3712 combos tested. This places it in the upper half of all pairings, though not near the top — the GPU's 71st percentile ranking among all GPUs is likely the constraining factor.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 156 FPS average, while Ultra produces 94 FPS average. That is a 62 FPS drop (about 40%) when moving from the lowest to the highest preset, indicating the GPU is heavily taxed by Ultra settings.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU become the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 51. Given that the CPU's performance is in the 94th percentile while the GPU is in the 71st percentile, the data indicates the GPU is the limiting component at this resolution and setting. The CPU has ample headroom that is not being utilized.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The only min FPS values provided are for Medium settings: 179 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K. The 63 FPS minimum at 4K Medium suggests the combo can hold near-60 FPS even during demanding scenes, though Ultra settings would likely dip lower given the 51 FPS average.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RX 6750 XT scores 26011 on average. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon R9 M395X, scores 25891 (0.5% delta), the FirePro W7100 scores 25856 (0.6%), and the FirePro D700 scores 25842 (0.7%). The difference is negligible — less than 1.1% separates the top four contenders.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo ranks 1696 out of 3712 tested combinations, placing it in the 54th percentile of all pairings. This is a middle-of-the-pack result, which makes sense given the hardware mix: the CPU is top-tier (94th percentile) while the GPU is solidly mid-range (71st percentile). The rank suggests that in Doom, the GPU governs the outcome more than the CPU, as the 14700K's massive headroom is underutilized.

Looking at the specific FPS data, this combo delivers playable performance at every tested resolution and setting. At 1080p, even Ultra settings hit 145 FPS average, which far exceeds the 60 FPS threshold most players would consider necessary. The ranking position becomes clearer when considering that higher-ranked combos likely pair this CPU with faster GPUs, or pair faster CPUs with equivalent GPUs. The 3712 total combos tested means there are 2016 worse-performing combinations and 1695 better ones.

The data implies that this combo is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where it achieves 94-156 FPS depending on settings. At 4K, the combo drops to 51-85 FPS, which still remains playable but shows the GPU's limitations. The rank of 1696 suggests that for competitive play at high refresh rates, the 1080p results (145-242 FPS) would be the sweet spot, while for visual fidelity, 1440p High at 115 FPS offers the best compromise between quality and speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its strongest results. Low settings deliver 242 FPS average, Medium delivers 210 FPS (with min 179 and max 242), High delivers 178 FPS, and Ultra delivers 145 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 97 FPS, showing a 40% performance penalty for maximum quality. This resolution fully saturates the GPU's capabilities, as the CPU can easily push frames beyond 200 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers scale downward as expected. Low settings hit 156 FPS, Medium hits 136 FPS (min 116, max 157), High hits 115 FPS, and Ultra drops to 94 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 62 FPS, a 40% reduction identical to the 1080p scaling. This consistency suggests the GPU's fill rate and shading power degrade proportionally with resolution, not that a new bottleneck emerges.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings produce 85 FPS, Medium produces 74 FPS (min 63, max 85), High produces 62 FPS, and Ultra drops to 51 FPS. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (63) is telling — it shows the combo can just barely hold 60 FPS at medium quality, but anything higher will cause drops below that threshold. The 4K results indicate the RX 6750 XT's 12 GB VRAM and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate but not generous for this resolution.

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

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the drop from 242 FPS at 1080p to 85 FPS at 4K represents a 65% reduction. At Medium, the drop is from 210 to 74 FPS, a 65% reduction. At High, from 178 to 62 FPS, a 65% reduction. At Ultra, from 145 to 51 FPS, a 65% reduction. This consistent 65% performance penalty across all settings is a textbook sign of GPU-limited scaling.

If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS gap between 1080p and 1440p to be smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K, because the CPU's work per frame stays constant while GPU work increases. Instead, the data shows near-linear scaling: 1080p to 1440p drops 36% (242 to 156 at Low), while 1440p to 4K drops 46% (156 to 85). The slight acceleration at higher resolutions confirms the GPU is the limiting factor.

The 14700K's 94th percentile CPU ranking, combined with its 5.60 GHz boost clock, means it can feed frames far faster than this GPU can render them. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the combo only reaches 242 FPS — a number that would be higher with a more powerful GPU. The data implies that upgrading the GPU would yield proportional FPS gains at every resolution, while upgrading the CPU would yield almost nothing for this game.

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

For 1080p, the High preset at 178 FPS average offers the best balance. It provides 74% of the maximum FPS (242 at Low) while delivering substantially better visual quality than Low. The Medium preset at 210 FPS is also viable for competitive play, but the 32 FPS gain over High may not justify the visual downgrade. Ultra at 145 FPS is perfectly playable and is the choice for those prioritizing image quality over frame rate.

At 1440p, the High preset at 115 FPS is the recommended choice. It delivers smooth gameplay above 100 FPS while maintaining good visual fidelity. Medium at 136 FPS offers a 21 FPS improvement, which could be beneficial for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the quality loss is noticeable. Ultra at 94 FPS is borderline for 144Hz displays but acceptable for 60Hz panels. Low at 156 FPS is overkill for most scenarios and sacrifices too much visual quality.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 74 FPS is the only reasonable option for a consistent experience. The minimum FPS of 63 at Medium means it rarely drops below 60 FPS, whereas High at 62 FPS average will frequently dip below that threshold. Low at 85 FPS looks poor but is technically smooth, and Ultra at 51 FPS is not recommended for anyone sensitive to frame pacing. The data suggests that 4K Medium is the ceiling for this combo.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. For Doom, a 2016 title, this is more than sufficient capacity — the game's texture sets are modest by modern standards. The GPU's 71st percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26011, places it as a mid-range performer. Its nearest rivals are within 1.1% of its score, indicating tight competition at this tier.

The GPU clock speeds are 2150 MHz base, 2495 MHz game clock, and 2600 MHz boost. The 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs provide a raw compute throughput of 13.31 TFLOPS FP32. The 40 ray accelerators are irrelevant for Doom, which does not use ray tracing. The 7 nm process node from TSMC with 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die gives a transistor density of 51.3M per mm².

The measured FPS data shows the GPU's limitations clearly. At 4K Ultra, the 51 FPS average suggests the GPU is running near its maximum capability, as the pixel rate of 166.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 416.0 GTexel/s are being fully utilized. The 12 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in Doom, but the 432.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes increasingly strained at higher resolutions, contributing to the 65% FPS drop from 1080p to 4K. The GPU's 250W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a power-hungry part that requires a 600W power supply, and its end-of-life production status suggests this is a mature product with well-established drivers.

The benchmark data shows the GPU scores 20700 in Passmark G3D and 2548 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, with a DirectX 12 score of 80 in Passmark's specific test. The Vulkan score of 98089 in Geekbench is particularly relevant for Doom, as the game supports Vulkan API. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 compliance ensure full compatibility with the game's rendering paths. The 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a outputs provide adequate connectivity for multi-monitor setups, though the 4K performance ceiling of 85 FPS at Low settings means high-refresh 4K displays are not fully utilized.