Doom

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti delivers a performance profile in Doom that is heavily dictated by the graphics card, though the CPU’s substantial headroom ensures it never becomes the bottleneck. The 14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake Refresh part with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for Doom, a fast-paced FPS where frame times are often tied to single-thread performance. The CPU’s 33 MB of shared L3 cache also helps feed the game engine quickly. However, in this specific combination, the CPU’s theoretical capacity far exceeds what the GPU can utilize. The benchmark data shows that the 14700K sits in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70074, indicating it is a top-tier processor. Yet, when paired with the RTX 3060 Ti, the system’s output is capped by the graphics card’s limits. The CPU is ready to push hundreds of frames, but the GPU must render them. The data reveals a clear division of labor: the 14700K provides the headroom to ensure consistent frame pacing, while the RTX 3060 Ti determines the actual level of performance. The CPU’s multi-core strength, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534, is not the primary driver here; instead, the single-core speed and cache are what prevent the CPU from becoming a limiting factor in Doom.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Doom, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1227 out of 1681 combos. This rank places it in the lower-middle portion of all tested systems, which is a direct consequence of the GPU’s mid-range standing. The CPU is a top performer, but the ranking is a measure of the entire system's output. The RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 69th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25120. This is a significant gap compared to the CPU’s 96th percentile standing. The combo’s rank is therefore a reflection of the GPU’s limitations. The data shows that the RTX 3060 Ti is closely matched with rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, which has an average score of 25180 and a deltaPct of -0.2, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600, with a score of 25235 and a deltaPct of -0.5. This means the GPU is performing right in line with its expected tier. The overall combo rank of 1227 suggests that while this system is capable of running Doom, it is not a top-tier configuration for this title. The CPU’s power is largely untapped in this pairing, as the GPU cannot translate that processing power into higher frame rates. The system’s performance is effectively bottlenecked by the GPU, making the CPU’s high rank irrelevant to the combined result.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 190.1 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded, indicating that the system has enough CPU power to push the GPU to its absolute limits. Moving to 1440p with Low settings, the average FPS drops to 127.2, a substantial decrease that points to the GPU working harder to fill more pixels. At 4K with Low settings, the average FPS falls further to 66.1. This scaling from 190.1 to 66.1 FPS between 1080p and 4K is a clear indicator that the RTX 3060 Ti is the limiting component; the CPU is not the constraint at any resolution. The pattern is consistent across all settings. With High settings, the average FPS goes from 142.5 at 1080p, to 92.1 at 1440p, and down to 48.2 at 4K. The most demanding setting, Ultra, shows the same trend: 116 FPS at 1080p, 73.5 FPS at 1440p, and 41.4 FPS at 4K. The frame rate drops are not linear, but they consistently show a significant hit when moving from 1440p to 4K. For example, at Medium settings, the drop from 1080p (165.5 FPS) to 4K (59.9 FPS) is a reduction of over 100 FPS. This behavior is typical of a system where the GPU is being saturated. The CPU’s role is to ensure that it can feed the GPU with enough data; the data shows it does so effectively, as the FPS is solely determined by the resolution and settings, not by any CPU limitation.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Doom?*

A: The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system averages 190.1 FPS. For a smoother visual experience, 1440p with High settings yields 92.1 FPS, which is a balanced trade-off. At 4K, the system is only able to manage 48.2 FPS on High settings, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti the bottleneck in this system?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the bottleneck. At 4K with Ultra settings, the FPS drops to 41.4, while the CPU is ranked in the 96th percentile. The CPU’s performance headroom is not being utilized, as the GPU’s rendering capability limits the frame rate.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its closest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 25120. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, has a score of 25180, which is a deltaPct of -0.2. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 scores 25235, a deltaPct of -0.5, showing they are all within a very narrow performance band.

*Q: Does the CPU’s high boost clock of 5.60 GHz provide any benefit in Doom?*

A: Yes, the high boost clock is beneficial. Doom is an FPS that relies on fast single-thread performance. The 5.60 GHz boost clock ensures that the CPU can process game logic and physics quickly enough to avoid becoming a bottleneck, even at high frame rates.

*Q: What is the system’s overall rank among tested combos in Doom?*

A: This specific CPU and GPU combination ranks 1227 out of 1681 tested combos. This rank is a result of the GPU’s mid-range performance level, despite the CPU being a high-end component.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p and 4K on High settings?

A: At 1080p with High settings, the average FPS is 142.5. At 4K with High settings, the average FPS drops to 48.2. This represents a significant 94.3 FPS decrease, highlighting the GPU’s struggle at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the defining component in this system’s Doom performance. Based on the Ampere architecture with an 8 nm process, this GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for Doom at 1080p and 1440p, but the data indicates it is strained at 4K. The GPU’s boost clock is 1665 MHz, and it has 4864 shading units. The benchmark results show that the GPU is the primary factor in the system’s frame rates. Its average benchmark score of 25120 places it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, and its performance is closely matched with rivals like the AMD Radeon RX 6700M and the AMD Radeon RX 6600. The GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM is not a limiting factor at lower resolutions, but the performance drop at 4K suggests that the GPU’s compute power, not just its memory capacity, is the constraint. For instance, at 4K with Ultra settings, the system only achieves 41.4 FPS. This is likely due to the GPU’s fill rate and shader performance being overwhelmed. The RTX 3060 Ti’s 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with maximum settings. The GPU’s role is clear: it delivers excellent performance at 1080p, good performance at 1440p, but it is not suited for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming in Doom. The data shows a direct correlation between the GPU’s workload and the resulting FPS, confirming that this component is the system’s performance ceiling.