Doom

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 produces a performance profile that is almost entirely dictated by the graphics card. The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, frame rates fall steeply, revealing the GTX 1650 as the limiting component. At 1080p, the combo delivers playable, sometimes smooth, results, but at 4K it drops below acceptable thresholds. This is a pairing where a high-end CPU is held back by an entry-level GPU, making the measured FPS the primary story.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 92 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 59 FPS, a significant 36% reduction. Pushing further to 3840x2160 Low yields only 32 FPS, which is a 65% drop from the 1080p result. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario; the CPU is not the limiting factor, as its performance headroom is far beyond what the GTX 1650 can utilize.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. For High settings, the drop is from 68 FPS at 1080p to 44 FPS at 1440p (a 35% decrease), and then to 24 FPS at 4K (a 65% decrease from 1080p). This consistent proportional loss across settings confirms that the GPU's raw pixel-pushing capability, not the CPU or memory subsystem, is the sole determinant of performance in this configuration. The i7-14700KF's substantial compute resources are effectively idle, waiting on the GPU to render frames.

At 4K, the GTX 1650 is overwhelmed. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is just 32, which is barely playable for a fast-paced FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 19 FPS, which is a slideshow. The data suggests that this resolution is not viable for this combo in Doom, regardless of settings. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K shows only a 13 FPS difference (32 to 19), indicating that the GPU is so saturated that reducing graphical load has diminishing returns. The pixel count is the primary obstacle.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark data places this specific configuration in a very low position in the overall ranking. The comboRankInGame is 3585 out of 3712 tested combinations. This means that it outperforms only about 3.4% of all tested combos for Doom, placing it in the bottom percentile. This ranking reflects the GPU's lowly position in the performance hierarchy, as the CPU is a top-tier part.

The CPU's individual benchmark scores are elite, ranking in the 94th percentile against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 70163, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, which scores 69996 (a 0.2% difference). However, the GPU's percentile is much lower, sitting at the 40th percentile against all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 7472 is comparable to the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (7447, 0.3% faster) and the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7441, 0.4% faster). This massive disparity between the CPU's and GPU's standings is the core reason for the combo's poor overall rank.

The data indicates that this combination is severely unbalanced. While the i7-14700KF is a top-6% performer, the GTX 1650 is a decidedly average or below-average part, landing in the 40th percentile. The combination's rank of 3585 out of 3712 is a direct consequence of this pairing, showing that the overall system performance is dragged down to the level of its weakest component. In Doom, this means the experience is defined by the GTX 1650's limitations, not the CPU's capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is the definitive performance ceiling in this system. Its specifications reveal why it struggles at higher resolutions. It features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a modest amount of memory and bandwidth for a modern game, and it directly impacts texture loading and frame buffering at higher resolutions. The GPU's 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs are also limited, capping its fill rate and compute throughput.

The clock speeds are 1485 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost, which are relatively low for a dedicated GPU. The pixel rate is 53.28 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 93.24 GTexel/s. These figures, along with the FP32 performance of 2.984 TFLOPS, are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 1440p or 4K in Doom. The GPU's performance scores in synthetic benchmarks reflect this, such as a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305 and a Passmark G3D score of 7880.

The GPU's VRAM capacity is a major concern. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Medium settings, the average is 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS. The scaling suggests that the 4 GB frame buffer is sufficient for 1080p, but at 1440p and 4K, it may become a limiting factor, causing stutters and frame drops. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck in all scenarios, as reducing resolution and settings yields significant FPS gains, which would not happen if the CPU were the limiting factor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at this combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the GPU can deliver playable frame rates. The Low preset achieves an average of 92 FPS, which is smooth. The Medium preset averages 80 FPS, with a minimum of 68 FPS, ensuring a mostly fluid experience. The High preset averages 68 FPS, which is still acceptable for a single-player title. The Ultra preset, however, drops to 55 FPS, which is a noticeable reduction but still playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance degrades significantly. The Low preset averages 59 FPS, which is borderline for a fast-paced FPS. The Medium preset averages 52 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS, indicating potential stutters in intense scenes. The High preset drops to 44 FPS, which is below the smooth threshold. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 36 FPS, which is a poor experience.

At 3840x2160, the GTX 1650 is not capable of providing a playable experience. The Low preset averages 32 FPS, which is choppy. The Medium preset averages 28 FPS, with a minimum of 24 FPS, making it unplayable. The High preset averages 24 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 19 FPS. All 4K results are below the minimum playable threshold for a game like Doom, and the data suggests that 4K should be avoided entirely with this GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset. This setting provides an average of 80 FPS and a minimum of 68 FPS, ensuring a smooth and responsive experience without the frame rate drops seen at High or Ultra. While the Low preset averages 92 FPS, the Medium preset offers a better balance between visual fidelity and performance, as the FPS penalty is acceptable.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only viable option for a decent experience, averaging 59 FPS. However, this is still below the 60 FPS target that many players prefer. The Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum FPS of 44, which is too low for consistent smoothness. The data suggests that users should stick to 1080p for the best experience, as the gains in resolution do not justify the significant drop in frame rate.

For players who prefer higher visual quality, the High preset at 1080p is the best compromise, with an average of 68 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p is not recommended, as the 55 FPS average is noticeably less smooth than the High preset. The 4K resolution is not recommended at any setting, as even the Low preset fails to maintain a playable frame rate. The data clearly indicates that the GTX 1650 is best utilized at 1080p, where it can provide a playable, if not high-refresh-rate, experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Doom with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution that provides consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 55 (Ultra) to 92 (Low), while at 1440p it drops to a range of 36 (Ultra) to 59 (Low), and at 4K it falls below 32 FPS on all presets.

Q: How much better is the Low preset compared to the Ultra preset at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 92 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 55 FPS. This represents a 67% performance increase for the Low preset, but the Medium and High presets offer a better balance, with averages of 80 and 68 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is in the 94th percentile of all processors, while the GPU is in the 40th percentile. The steep FPS drops when increasing resolution from 1080p to 4K are characteristic of a GPU bottleneck, not a CPU one.

Q: What is the combo's rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: The combo is ranked 3585 out of 3712 tested combinations in Doom. This places it in the bottom 3.4% of all tested systems, which is a direct result of the GTX 1650's low performance relative to the high-end CPU.

Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K resolution?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 32 with the Low preset, and the lowest is 19 with the Ultra preset. These frame rates are far too low for a playable experience in a fast-paced FPS.

Q: How does the GTX 1650's benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472. This is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon HD 8850M, which scores 7447 (0.3% slower), and the Intel UHD Graphics 750, which scores 7441 (0.4% slower). It is slightly slower than the Intel Arc A310, which scores 7550.