Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for this Intel Core i7-14700KF + AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT combination in Doom show a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, which points directly to the GPU as the primary limiting component. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 136.4 FPS on average; moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 92.5 FPS, a reduction of roughly 32%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields only 50.6 FPS, which is about 63% below the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a system where the graphics card's rendering throughput, rather than the CPU's frame generation capability, sets the ceiling.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions, reinforcing the GPU-bound diagnosis. At 1080p, the spread from Low (188.8 FPS) to Ultra (112.6 FPS) is 76.2 FPS. At 1440p, the same settings span from 122.6 FPS down to 71.5 FPS, a 51.1 FPS difference. At 4K, the range compresses to just 28.1 FPS (67.0 FPS Low versus 38.9 FPS Ultra). This compression at 4K indicates that even the lowest settings cannot escape the GPU's raw pixel-pushing limits, while at 1080p the CPU has enough headroom to let the GPU fully stretch its legs at lower presets.

Notably, the delta between Medium and High is smaller than the delta between High and Ultra at every resolution. At 1080p, Medium runs at 167.3 FPS versus High's 136.4 FPS, a 30.9 FPS gap; Ultra falls to 112.6 FPS, another 23.8 FPS below High. The same pattern holds at 1440p (106.7 Medium, 92.5 High, 71.5 Ultra) and 4K (56.1 Medium, 50.6 High, 38.9 Ultra). This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces disproportionately expensive effects that hammer the RDNA 1.0 architecture harder than the step from Medium to High.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database's aggregated ranking for Doom, this specific CPU-GPU pairing sits at rank 1280 out of 1681 tested combinations. That places it in the lower third of all combos, which is consistent with the GPU's age and tier. The Radeon RX 5700 XT holds a 68th percentile position among all GPUs in the database's broader benchmark suite, with an average score of 24731. Its nearest rivals in that general pool include the NVIDIA RTX A5000 Mobile (deltaPct -0.1), the Intel Arc A350M (deltaPct 0.3), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (deltaPct 0.6). The differences are razor-thin, all within a single percentage point, meaning the 5700 XT sits in a dense cluster of mid-range performers.

The CPU, by contrast, is a high-end part. The Intel Core i7-14700KF ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-14700K (deltaPct 0), the AMD EPYC 9115 (deltaPct 0.3), the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (deltaPct -0.4), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (deltaPct -1.3). This means the processor is effectively peerless at its level, yet the combo's in-game rank is dragged down entirely by the graphics card. The data shows a severe imbalance: a top-4% CPU paired with a mid-pack GPU produces a result that is merely adequate for this title.

The implication is that the measured FPS numbers reflect the GPU's ceiling, not the CPU's capability. If the database had tested this processor with a stronger graphics card, the combo rank would rise substantially. Conversely, swapping in a weaker CPU would likely not change the Doom results at all, given the massive headroom the 14700KF provides.

Settings Recommendations

Based strictly on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target refresh rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset delivers 136.4 FPS, which comfortably exceeds 120 Hz panels. Medium runs at 167.3 FPS, suitable for 144 Hz displays, while Low reaches 188.8 FPS, enough for 165 Hz or even 180 Hz monitors. Ultra at 112.6 FPS is playable on 60 Hz screens but falls short of 120 Hz, so it is only recommended if visual fidelity takes absolute priority over smoothness.

At 1440p, the situation tightens. High produces 92.5 FPS, which is solid for 60 Hz but misses 100 FPS targets. Medium yields 106.7 FPS, crossing the 100 FPS threshold and making it the best balance for high-refresh 1440p panels. Low at 122.6 FPS is the only preset that clears 120 Hz at this resolution, while Ultra at 71.5 FPS is strictly a 60 Hz option. For 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS; the closest is Low at 67.0 FPS, which barely exceeds 60, while Medium (56.1 FPS), High (50.6 FPS), and Ultra (38.9 FPS) all fall below the standard 60 FPS target. Users with 4K displays should accept either Low settings or a lower frame rate cap.

The data suggests that Medium is the "sweet spot" for this combo at 1080p and 1440p, as it offers a substantial FPS boost over High (30.9 and 14.2 FPS respectively) while retaining most visual quality. Ultra should be avoided unless the user prioritizes image quality over frame rate, as the cost is 24.8 FPS at 1080p and 21.0 FPS at 1440p compared to High.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings sweep shows: Low averages 188.8 FPS, Medium 167.3 FPS, High 136.4 FPS, and Ultra 112.6 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 21.5 FPS, from Medium to High costs 30.9 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 23.8 FPS. All four presets exceed 100 FPS, indicating that 1080p is well within the GPU's comfort zone.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 122.6 FPS, Medium 106.7 FPS, High 92.5 FPS, Ultra 71.5 FPS. The Low-to-Medium drop is 15.9 FPS, Medium-to-High is 14.2 FPS, and High-to-Ultra is 21.0 FPS. Only Low and Medium break triple-digit frame rates, while High and Ultra fall into the 60-100 FPS range.

At 3840x2160, the numbers are: Low 67.0 FPS, Medium 56.1 FPS, High 50.6 FPS, Ultra 38.9 FPS. The Low-to-Medium gap is 10.9 FPS, Medium-to-High is 5.5 FPS, and High-to-Ultra is 11.7 FPS. The 4K results show diminishing returns from settings changes, as the GPU is saturated regardless of preset.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low is always the fastest, Ultra is always the slowest, and the relative ordering never changes. The absolute FPS values, however, reveal that 1080p Low (188.8 FPS) is nearly five times faster than 4K Ultra (38.9 FPS), a 149.9 FPS swing that underscores the GPU's resolution sensitivity.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Doom at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 67.0 FPS. Medium drops to 56.1 FPS, High to 50.6 FPS, and Ultra to 38.9 FPS, all below the standard 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the fastest preset at 1440p?

A: Low settings produce 122.6 FPS, which is the only preset at 1440p that exceeds 120 FPS. Medium (106.7 FPS) is the fastest preset that stays above 100 FPS.

Q: How much faster is 1080p compared to 4K at the same settings?

A: At High settings, 1080p runs at 136.4 FPS versus 4K's 50.6 FPS, a 85.8 FPS difference. At Low, the gap is 121.8 FPS (188.8 vs 67.0). The 1080p results are roughly 2.7x to 2.8x higher depending on preset.

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 96th percentile among all processors, while the GPU sits in the 68th percentile. The combo ranks 1280 out of 1681 in Doom, indicating the graphics card drags down the overall result.

Q: Which settings preset offers the largest FPS jump?

A: Moving from High to Medium yields the biggest absolute gain at 1080p (30.9 FPS) and 1440p (14.2 FPS). At 4K, the Low-to-Medium step is the largest at 10.9 FPS, but the High-to-Ultra step is nearly identical at 11.7 FPS.

Q: What is the ceiling for 120 Hz gaming with this combo?

A: At 1080p, Low (188.8 FPS), Medium (167.3 FPS), and High (136.4 FPS) all clear 120 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (122.6 FPS) exceeds the 120 FPS threshold. At 4K, no preset reaches 120 FPS, and only Low (67.0 FPS) reaches 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF brings 20 cores and 28 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This Raptor Lake-R part, built on Intel's 10 nm process, has a 33 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 per core. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 44557 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6290 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 19287 and single-core of 2972. These numbers place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70104.

For Doom, the CPU's role is largely to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic without becoming a bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 188.8 FPS, which is a high enough frame rate that a weaker CPU might start to limit performance. However, the 14700KF's single-core strength, evidenced by its 6290 Cinebench R23 single-core score and 4480 Passmark single-thread score, ensures that even at these elevated frame rates, the processor is not the constraint. The boost clock of 5.60 GHz provides the high-frequency responsiveness that FPS titles require.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are overkill for this game, but they do not hurt. With 28 threads, the processor can handle background tasks and streaming without impacting frame times. The 33 MB L3 cache helps with data locality, and the 125 W TDP (with a 257 mm² die size) indicates a power-hungry but capable chip. In the context of this combo, the CPU's 96th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 68th percentile means the processor is waiting on the graphics card at every resolution and setting. The data confirms that upgrading the GPU would yield far larger FPS gains in Doom than any CPU change, as the current processor has ample headroom even at the highest measured frame rates.