Doom

The Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers a top-tier experience in Doom, ranking 15th out of 2,930 tested combos. This places the combination in the top 1% of all systems measured, a position that reflects the enormous headroom both components bring to this 2016 title. With frame rates that exceed 100 FPS at 4K Ultra and climb past 460 FPS at 1080p Low, this is a system built to crush the game’s demands, though the data reveals where the GPU becomes the limiting factor and where the CPU’s 20 cores and high boost clock take over.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 15 out of 2,930 tested combinations places this system in an elite tier. Only 14 other CPU-GPU pairings in the database manage higher average frame rates in Doom, which reflects the raw power on hand. The RTX 5090 D sits at the 92nd percentile among all GPUs tested, while the Core i7-14700K holds the 94th percentile among all CPUs. Together, they form a pairing that leaves almost all other hardware behind. The nearest rivals to the CPU alone—such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which scores 69,515 on average benchmark versus the i7-14700K’s 69,355—show a delta of just -0.2%, meaning the Intel chip is essentially level with AMD’s flagship. The GPU’s closest competitors, including the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at -1.6% and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at -2.1%, are not in the same league for gaming, as the RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth dwarf those parts.

What this rank means in practice is that for Doom, an older game with a Vulkan-based engine that scales well with both CPU and GPU resources, this combo never leaves the user wanting. The 15th position out of nearly three thousand combos indicates that there is a tiny handful of systems—likely those with even newer or more specialized hardware—that can outperform it, but for the vast majority of gamers, this is overkill in the best sense. The benchmark data shows consistent frame rates across all settings, with no single resolution or preset dropping below 100 FPS. That consistency is the hallmark of a balanced, high-end pairing. The CPU’s multithreaded score of 18,544 in Cinebench R20 and the GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 14,326 both point to components that are not bottlenecking each other in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant force in this pairing for Doom. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than enough for Doom’s textures and geometry at any resolution. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2017 MHz and boosts to 2407 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). These clocks translate directly into the measured frame rates: at 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo averages 125 FPS, and even at Ultra, it holds 102 FPS. The GPU’s 21,760 shading units and 176 ROPs handle the game’s pixel work efficiently, as shown by the pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s.

The role of the GPU becomes clearer when comparing settings at the same resolution. At 4K, dropping from Ultra to Low raises the average FPS from 102 to 170, a 68 FPS jump that shows the GPU is the primary driver of performance at this resolution. The GPU’s FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS ensures that even the most demanding scenes in Doom, such as the hellish arenas with multiple demons and particle effects, are rendered without stutter. The GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 77,712 are supported by the measured data: the 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 14,326 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,915 both indicate a card that is far beyond the needs of a 2016 FPS. In terms of rivals, the RTX 5090 D’s nearest competitor in the database, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, is 1.6% behind on average score, but in real gaming workloads, the 32 GB VRAM and 512-bit bus give the 5090 D a decisive advantage in memory-heavy scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this combo for a high refresh rate monitor?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo averages 231 FPS, and at Low settings it reaches 314 FPS. For a 144 Hz monitor, 1440p High is ideal, but for a 240 Hz or higher display, 1080p High at 357 FPS or 1440p Low at 314 FPS are better fits.

Q: Can this system handle Doom at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 102. This is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and is suitable for most 4K displays, though it will not take advantage of a 120 Hz 4K panel at maximum settings.

Q: How much faster is this combo at 1080p compared to 4K?

A: At Low settings, 1920x1080 averages 467 FPS while 3840x2160 averages 170 FPS, making 1080p roughly 2.7 times faster. At Ultra settings, 1080p averages 292 FPS versus 102 FPS at 4K, a difference of 190 FPS.

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

A: Based on the data, the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. For example, at 4K, going from Low to Ultra drops FPS from 170 to 102, a 40% reduction. At 1080p, the drop is from 467 to 292, which is less severe but still indicates GPU scaling. The CPU’s high single-core score of 2,160 in Cinebench R23 ensures it keeps up at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The measured data includes minimum FPS only for Medium settings. At 3840x2160 Medium, the min FPS is 126, at 2560x1440 Medium it is 232, and at 1920x1080 Medium it is 359. No minimum FPS was recorded for other presets, but averages suggest no drops below 100 FPS.

Q: Is this combo overkill for Doom, given the game’s age?

A: In terms of raw performance, yes. The game was released in 2016, and this hardware is from 2023 and 2025. However, the data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains 102 FPS, which is useful for high-refresh 4K monitors. For competitive play at high refresh rates, the 1080p Low setting at 467 FPS provides a significant advantage.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of which settings offer the best experience. For players with a 4K display, the High preset at 3840x2160 averaging 125 FPS is the sweet spot. It delivers a 23 FPS improvement over Ultra (102 FPS) while maintaining visual fidelity that is nearly identical for most scenes. The Medium preset at 4K averages 148 FPS with a minimum of 126 FPS, making it the best choice for those who prioritize frame rate over minor visual details. Ultra at 4K should only be used if visual quality is paramount and the display is limited to 60 Hz, as the 102 FPS average still exceeds that threshold comfortably.

At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 231 FPS, which is ideal for 144 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 273 FPS (min 232) offers even more headroom for 240 Hz displays, though the visual difference between Medium and High is noticeable in Doom’s lighting effects. Low at 1440p reaches 314 FPS, which is best for competitive play where frame rate trumps everything. Ultra at 1440p averages 189 FPS, still sufficient for high refresh rates but leaving performance on the table compared to High. For 1080p, the High preset at 357 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it balances quality and speed. Medium at 422 FPS (min 359) is ideal for 360 Hz monitors, while Low at 467 FPS is the maximum frame rate achievable, suitable for the fastest displays. Ultra at 1080p averages 292 FPS, which is excellent but not the best use of the hardware’s capabilities.

The data suggests that the High preset offers the best overall experience across resolutions, as it provides a substantial frame rate boost over Ultra while retaining most of the visual polish. For esports-focused players, Low at any resolution is the pick, as the frame rate gains are significant—170 to 467 FPS at 4K and 1080p respectively—without the need for high-end visuals.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance. At 3840x2160, the combo averages 125 FPS on High, 170 FPS on Low, 148 FPS on Medium, and 102 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum FPS of 126 and a maximum of 170, indicating that frame times are stable, with the minimum still above 120 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 68 FPS, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed by higher settings.

At 2560x1440, performance scales up markedly. High averages 231 FPS, Low hits 314 FPS, Medium averages 273 FPS with a minimum of 232 and maximum of 314, and Ultra averages 189 FPS. The 1440p Medium minimum of 232 FPS is particularly notable, as it means even the slowest frames are far above the refresh rate of most monitors. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 125 FPS, nearly double the 4K gap, which indicates that the CPU begins to play a larger role at lower resolutions but is still not a bottleneck.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates become extreme. High averages 357 FPS, Low averages 467 FPS, Medium averages 422 FPS with a minimum of 359 and a maximum of 486, and Ultra averages 292 FPS. The 1080p Medium minimum of 359 FPS is higher than the 4K Ultra average, illustrating the massive resolution scaling. The maximum FPS of 486 at 1080p Medium is the highest recorded across all measurements. The progression from 4K to 1080p at each setting is consistent: Low goes from 170 to 467 FPS, High from 125 to 357 FPS, Medium from 148 to 422 FPS, and Ultra from 102 to 292 FPS. This shows that the combo scales almost linearly with resolution, a sign of no significant bottlenecks.

Across all measurements, the average FPS never drops below 100, and the only settings that dip below 150 FPS are 4K Ultra (102) and 4K High (125). For 1440p and 1080p, every setting exceeds 189 FPS, making this combo suitable for the highest refresh rate monitors available. The minimum FPS data, though only available for Medium, shows that even the lowest recorded frames are well above playable thresholds: 126 FPS at 4K, 232 FPS at 1440p, and 359 FPS at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K provides the computational backbone for this combo, and in Doom, its role is to feed the GPU with enough data to sustain the high frame rates measured. The CPU has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for a game like Doom, which relies heavily on single-threaded performance for game logic and physics. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,160 and Geekbench single-core score of 2,569 demonstrate its strength in this area. The multi-core scores are equally impressive—Cinebench R23 multicore of 33,440.5 and Geekbench multicore of 20,767—but Doom’s engine does not fully utilize all 20 cores, so the single-core performance is more relevant.

The CPU’s 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for the game’s streaming assets. The memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, with dual-channel architecture, ensures that the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s 1.79 TB/s bandwidth demand. In the benchmark data, the i7-14700K’s average benchmark score of 69,355 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69,515) trailing by just 0.2% and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69,875) ahead by 0.7%. This tight grouping means that the CPU is not the differentiating factor in this combo’s rank; the GPU is.

Evidence of the CPU’s sufficiency lies in the frame rate scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 467 FPS, which is a workload where CPU limitations typically surface first. The fact that the average FPS more than doubles from 4K Ultra (102) to 1080p Low (467) indicates that the CPU can push frames as fast as the GPU can render them at lower resolutions. The CPU’s TDP of 125 W and support for PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes (CPU only) ensure it does not starve the RTX 5090 D of data. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is present but irrelevant for gaming, as the discrete GPU handles all rendering.

In terms of production status, the CPU is active, and its launch MSRP was $409. The CPU’s architecture is Raptor Lake-R on a 10 nm process from Intel, with a die size of 257 mm². The 125 W TDP is modest for a 20-core part, and the fact that it sustains high frame rates across all measured settings confirms that it is not a bottleneck. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,472 and multithread score of 52,392 further reinforce that this CPU is among the best for gaming, even years after its release. For Doom specifically, the CPU’s role is to maintain minimum frame rates and ensure that the GPU is never waiting on game logic. The measured minimum FPS at Medium settings—126 at 4K, 232 at 1440p, and 359 at 1080p—shows that the CPU handles the game’s most demanding moments without dropping below smooth thresholds.