Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for this Doom configuration reveal a stark scaling pattern that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 69 FPS, which drops to 45.4 FPS at 2560x1440, and further plummets to 25.1 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 64% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings. The scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

The pattern persists across all settings presets. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 92.3 FPS at 1080p to 56.6 FPS at 1440p and 32.5 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows 77.5 FPS at 1080p, 52.1 FPS at 1440p, and 30.2 FPS at 4K. Even at Ultra, where the absolute numbers are lowest, the relative drop remains consistent: 54.3 FPS at 1080p, 34.3 FPS at 1440p, and 16.6 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that this system cannot maintain playable frame rates at 4K under any setting. The best 4K result is 32.5 FPS on Low, which still falls short of smooth gameplay. At 1440p, the results are mixed: Low and Medium presets stay above 50 FPS, while High and Ultra dip to 45.4 and 34.3 FPS respectively. The 1080p results are the only ones where all presets stay above 54 FPS, with Low reaching 92.3 FPS.

What this scaling tells us is that the limiting component is unambiguously the graphics card. The frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in rendered pixels, with no evidence of CPU saturation at any resolution. The Intel Core i7-14700K is clearly capable of feeding the GPU at all tested settings, as the bottleneck moves entirely to the graphics pipeline as resolution climbs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the decisive factor in this configuration's performance. With 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus delivering 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth, the card operates at a 1485 MHz base clock and 1665 MHz boost clock. These specifications place it in the 43rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 8713. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 A Mobile (deltaPct -0.4), AMD Radeon 550X (deltaPct -0.4), and NVIDIA Quadro P2200 (deltaPct 0.5), indicating that this card sits in a tightly contested performance band.

In Doom specifically, the GPU's limitations become apparent at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 16.6 FPS is particularly telling — this is a scenario where the GPU's 896 shading units and 32 ROPs are simply overwhelmed. The GTX 1650's 2.984 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient for 4K Ultra in this title. Even at 1440p Ultra, the 34.3 FPS result shows the card struggling to maintain fluid motion.

The VRAM capacity of 4 GB also plays a role in the higher-resolution results. At 4K, textures and geometry demands exceed what this memory configuration can comfortably handle, contributing to the severe frame rate collapse. The card's DirectX 12 support (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility mean it can technically run modern rendering paths, but the hardware resources are not there to exploit them at high resolutions.

The GTX 1650's end-of-life production status and its 75 W TDP indicate a design focused on efficiency rather than raw performance. This is a card that was never intended for 4K gaming, and the measured data confirms that expectation. At 1080p, however, the card demonstrates reasonable capability, with all settings staying above 54 FPS and Low hitting 92.3 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is vastly overqualified for this GPU pairing. With 20 cores and 28 threads running at a 3.40 GHz base clock and 5.60 GHz boost clock, this processor sits in the 96th percentile among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 70074 places it nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-14700KF (deltaPct 0) and slightly ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115 (deltaPct 0.3), while the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X is marginally faster (deltaPct -0.5).

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks demonstrate enormous headroom. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 and single-core score of 6287 indicate processing power that far exceeds what Doom requires at any of the tested resolutions. The PassMark multi-thread score of 52392 and single-thread score of 4472 further confirm that the processor is not the constraint in this system.

In the measured FPS data, there is no scenario where the CPU appears to limit performance. The frame rates scale consistently with GPU load across resolutions, which would not happen if the CPU were a bottleneck. The 14th Gen architecture with Raptor Lake-R codename, built on Intel's 10 nm process, provides more than enough computational throughput for this game's engine.

The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data locality for game workloads. Its support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, along with a dual-channel memory bus, ensures that memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor. The CPU's 125 W TDP and PCIe Gen 5 interface are far beyond what this GPU can utilize, making the pairing heavily unbalanced in favor of the processor.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 1640 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the bottom 2.5% of all configurations tested, which is a remarkably poor showing given the CPU's elite status. The ranking reflects that the GPU is the overwhelmingly dominant factor in determining game performance, and the GTX 1650's mediocre standing drags the entire combo down.

The deltaPct data from the GPU's nearest rivals shows how narrow the performance band is around this card. The RTX 3050 A Mobile, Radeon 550X, and Radeon Pro WX 5100 are all within 0.5% of the GTX 1650's average score, while the Quadro P2200 is 0.5% faster. This clustering means that any of these GPUs paired with the same CPU would produce nearly identical results in Doom.

The CPU's own ranking paints a contrasting picture. Being in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, the i7-14700K is among the top processors available. Its nearest rivals show performance differences of less than 1.5% across the board, with the Xeon Platinum 8270 being the fastest at deltaPct -1.4. This CPU is capable of supporting far more powerful GPUs, and the current pairing leaves massive performance potential untapped.

The combination's rank of 1640 out of 1681 is a clear verdict: this is a poorly balanced system for Doom. The data shows that the CPU contributes almost nothing to the gaming experience in this title, while the GPU's limitations are fully exposed. Any upgrade path that improves the GPU would yield substantial gains, while upgrading the CPU would provide no measurable benefit.

FAQ

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo achieves in Doom?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 92.3 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The best High settings result is 69 FPS at 1080p.

Q: Can this system play Doom at 4K?

A: No. The best 4K result is 32.5 FPS at Low settings, which is below smooth gameplay thresholds. Ultra settings at 4K produce only 16.6 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. Frame rates scale proportionally with resolution, and the CPU's benchmark performance (96th percentile) vastly exceeds what the GPU (43rd percentile) can utilize.

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

A: It ranks 1640 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the bottom 2.5% of all configurations.

Q: What resolution provides the best playable experience?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings stay above 54 FPS. Medium at 1080p delivers 77.5 FPS as a balanced choice.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The GTX 1650's average score of 8713 places it within 0.5% of the RTX 3050 A Mobile, Radeon 550X, Quadro P2200, and Radeon Pro WX 5100.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to 1920x1080 as the only resolution where this combo delivers consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, even Ultra settings achieve 54.3 FPS, which is acceptable for a fast-paced FPS. For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1080p is the optimal choice: it delivers 77.5 FPS, which is 12% faster than High and 43% faster than Ultra, while providing significantly better visuals than Low.

At 2560x1440, the options are more constrained. Low settings at 56.6 FPS and Medium at 52.1 FPS are the only presets that stay above 50 FPS. High drops to 45.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 34.3 FPS, both of which may be too choppy for competitive play. If 1440p is required, Low settings are recommended for the highest frame rate.

The 3840x2160 results are uniformly below playable thresholds. The best option, Low at 32.5 FPS, is still insufficient for smooth gameplay. Users should avoid 4K entirely with this configuration unless they are willing to accept significant visual compromises and frame rate instability.

The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best overall experience. It provides a 77.5 FPS average, which gives sufficient headroom above 60 FPS for dips, while maintaining a reasonable level of graphical fidelity. For users prioritizing maximum smoothness, Low at 1080p offers 92.3 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 92.3 FPS average
• Medium: 77.5 FPS average
• High: 69 FPS average
• Ultra: 54.3 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 56.6 FPS average
• Medium: 52.1 FPS average
• High: 45.4 FPS average
• Ultra: 34.3 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 32.5 FPS average
• Medium: 30.2 FPS average
• High: 25.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 16.6 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern across all settings: each resolution step down from 1080p roughly halves the frame rate when comparing equivalent settings. The Low preset at 1080p (92.3 FPS) versus Low at 4K (32.5 FPS) represents a 65% reduction, while High at 1080p (69 FPS) versus High at 4K (25.1 FPS) is a 64% reduction. This uniformity confirms that the GPU's rendering capacity, not any other system component, determines the performance envelope.