Doom

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a performance profile in Doom that scales predictably with resolution, but the magnitude of the frame rate drop between 1080p and 4K reveals where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination produces 300.6 FPS, which is an extraordinarily high figure that suggests the CPU is doing heavy lifting to feed the GPU. Moving to 1440p Low drops the average to 193.7 FPS, a reduction of 106.9 FPS, while 4K Low yields 104.9 FPS — a further decline of 88.8 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p represents a 35.6% reduction in frame rate, and from 1440p to 4K the reduction is 45.8%, showing that the GPU becomes progressively more dominant as pixel count rises. The pattern is consistent across all settings: at High, 1080p yields 220.1 FPS, 1440p yields 144.9 FPS, and 4K yields 78.6 FPS. The 4K High figure is less than half of the 1080p High number, which underscores that the RTX 3080’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at the highest resolution. The data indicates that at 1080p, the i7-14700K with its 20 cores and 28 threads is capable of pushing frame rates well beyond what the GPU can realistically display on standard monitors, making the CPU the limiting component. At 4K, however, the GPU’s compute throughput — 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 — becomes the primary constraint, as evidenced by the 61.4 FPS average at Ultra settings, which is the lowest measured result in the entire dataset.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling curve for this hardware combination in Doom is steep and consistent, with the RTX 3080 showing clear signs of saturation as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the 300.6 FPS average is so high that it likely exceeds the refresh rate of most gaming displays, making the CPU’s single-thread performance — a Geekbench single-core score of 2932 — the primary driver of the result. The transition to 1440p Low drops the average to 193.7 FPS, a 106.9 FPS gap that indicates the GPU is still capable of handling moderate pixel counts without breaking a sweat. The real inflection point occurs at 4K, where Low settings produce 104.9 FPS, which is 45.8% lower than the 1440p result. This percentage drop is larger than the 35.6% reduction seen between 1080p and 1440p, suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s and its 320-bit bus width are being pushed toward their limits. At Ultra settings, the scaling becomes even more pronounced: 1080p delivers 180.9 FPS, 1440p delivers 119.4 FPS, and 4K delivers 61.4 FPS. The 4K Ultra figure is 66.1% lower than the 1080p Ultra figure, which is a massive gap that highlights how demanding the highest preset is at 4K. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 3080, which sits at the 80th percentile among all GPUs, is well-suited for 1440p gaming but begins to struggle at 4K with higher presets. The average frame rate drop from 1440p High (144.9 FPS) to 4K High (78.6 FPS) is 66.3 FPS, a 45.8% reduction that mirrors the Low-setting pattern. For users targeting 4K, the data suggests that Medium settings (91.6 FPS) provide a playable experience, but High and Ultra require compromises. The i7-14700K’s role in this scaling is minimal at 4K, as the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, but at 1080p the CPU’s high boost clock of 5.60 GHz and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44534 ensure that frame rates remain extremely high even at lower presets.

Settings Recommendations

The measured frame rates across the four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — at each resolution provide a clear picture of which settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, all presets are playable, with Low yielding 300.6 FPS, Medium yielding 260.9 FPS, High yielding 220.1 FPS, and Ultra yielding 180.9 FPS. The data shows that moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p costs 119.7 FPS, which is a 39.8% reduction, but even the lowest Ultra result of 180.9 FPS is far above typical monitor refresh rates. For 1440p, the differences become more meaningful: Low produces 193.7 FPS, Medium 167.6 FPS, High 144.9 FPS, and Ultra 119.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 74.3 FPS, a 38.4% reduction, and the Ultra result of 119.4 FPS is still smooth for most displays. At 4K, the choices are more constrained: Low averages 104.9 FPS, Medium 91.6 FPS, High 78.6 FPS, and Ultra 61.4 FPS. The High preset at 4K offers a 78.6 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for playability, but the Ultra preset drops to 61.4 FPS, which is marginal. The data suggests that for 4K gaming, Medium is the sweet spot, delivering 91.6 FPS, which is 30.2 FPS higher than Ultra and only 13.3 FPS lower than Low. The High preset at 4K provides a 78.6 FPS average, which is 17.2 FPS lower than Medium but still acceptable. The benchmark results indicate that the optimal preset depends heavily on resolution: at 1080p and 1440p, High or Ultra are recommended for the visual improvements they bring, as the frame rates remain high enough to avoid any perceptible stutter. At 4K, Medium is the recommended preset because it offers a 91.6 FPS average, which is 13.3 FPS below Low but provides better visual fidelity, while Ultra at 61.4 FPS is too close to the edge of playability for most users.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, built on the Ampere architecture with an 8 nm process node, plays a central role in determining Doom’s performance at higher resolutions and presets. The GPU’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory with a 320-bit bus width and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth is a key asset, as the data shows that 4K Ultra settings produce a 61.4 FPS average, which is the lowest measured result in the dataset. The GPU’s boost clock of 1710 MHz and base clock of 1440 MHz, combined with 8704 shading units and 272 texture mapping units, drive the 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 throughput that handles the game’s rendering load. The memory clock of 1188 MHz, which translates to 19 Gbps effective, is insufficient to fully saturate the GPU’s compute capabilities at 4K Ultra, as evidenced by the 17.2 FPS drop from High (78.6 FPS) to Ultra (61.4 FPS). The RTX 3080’s 68 ray tracing cores and 272 tensor cores are present, but Doom’s benchmarks show that the GPU’s rasterization performance is the primary factor. The GPU’s Passmark G3D score of 25086 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4407 place it at the 80th percentile among all GPUs, which is respectable but not elite. The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro Duo, has an average score of 35860, which is 0.2% higher than the RTX 3080’s average benchmark score of 35787, while the AMD Radeon 880M trails by 0.4%. The data indicates that the RTX 3080 is well-matched to Doom’s engine, as it achieves over 100 FPS at 4K Low (104.9 FPS) and over 60 FPS at 4K Ultra (61.4 FPS), but the GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth become limiting factors at the highest preset. The 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for Doom’s textures, but the 320-bit bus width and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are the bottlenecks at 4K, as the frame rate drops by 43.5 FPS when moving from Low to Ultra at that resolution.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combination in Doom?*

A: The data shows that 1440p High provides a 144.9 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers a good balance of visual quality and performance. At 4K, the frame rates drop significantly, with Ultra producing only 61.4 FPS, making 1440p the recommended resolution for this setup.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 220.1 FPS at 1080p to 78.6 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 141.5 FPS. At Low settings, the drop is from 300.6 FPS to 104.9 FPS, a reduction of 195.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K.

*Q: Is the RTX 3080 capable of 4K gaming in Doom?*

A: Yes, but with caveats. The benchmark results show that 4K Medium produces a 91.6 FPS average, which is playable, while 4K High produces 78.6 FPS and 4K Ultra produces 61.4 FPS. The GPU can handle 4K, but users should expect to use Medium or High settings for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the i7-14700K compare to its closest rivals in terms of overall benchmark score?

A: The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 70074, which is virtually identical to the Intel Core i7-14700KF at 70104 (0% difference). The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69887, which is 0.3% lower, while the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420, which is 0.5% higher.

Q: What is the impact of Ultra settings on frame rate compared to Low settings?

A: At 1080p, Ultra settings produce 180.9 FPS versus 300.6 FPS on Low, a 119.7 FPS reduction. At 1440p, the difference is 74.3 FPS (119.4 FPS vs 193.7 FPS), and at 4K, the difference is 43.5 FPS (61.4 FPS vs 104.9 FPS), showing that the absolute impact of Ultra settings shrinks as resolution increases.

*Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance in Doom?*

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the frame rates exceed 300 FPS on Low and the i7-14700K’s high clock speeds are essential. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as the frame rate drops to 61.4 FPS on Ultra, and the CPU’s influence diminishes significantly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, plays a crucial role in Doom’s performance, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully saturated. The CPU’s base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz, combined with a 33 MB shared L3 cache, provide the single-thread performance necessary for high frame rates in a fast-paced FPS. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the combination achieves 300.6 FPS, which is likely limited by the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls and process game logic rather than the GPU’s rendering capabilities. The i7-14700K’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6287 and multi-core score of 44534 indicate strong performance across both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads, which is reflected in the game’s frame rates. The CPU’s Passmark single-thread score of 4472 and Geekbench single-core score of 2932 are among the highest in the dataset, supporting the high frame rates seen at 1080p. At 1440p, the CPU’s role diminishes somewhat, as the GPU begins to handle more of the rendering load, but the 193.7 FPS average on Low settings still requires a capable processor. The i7-14700K’s 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70074, places it slightly below the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70104, 0% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420, -0.5% difference). The CPU’s 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory, with a dual-channel memory bus, provide the bandwidth needed to feed the GPU at high frame rates. The data suggests that the i7-14700K is not the bottleneck at 4K, where the GPU’s limitations are more apparent, but at 1080p, the CPU’s high boost clock and large cache are essential for achieving frame rates above 200 FPS. The benchmark results indicate that this CPU and GPU combination is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where the CPU provides enough headroom to keep the GPU fed, but at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the RTX 3080’s capabilities are not fully utilized.