Doom

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 delivers a highly playable Doom experience across most resolutions and settings, with the data showing a clear performance ceiling imposed by the GPU at higher resolutions while the CPU provides ample headroom. This combination ranks 2883 out of 3712 tested combos, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database, yet the measured frame rates indicate that this pairing is well-suited for the game’s fast-paced action, particularly at 1080p and 1440p. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, scaling behavior, and settings recommendations based solely on the provided facts.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 106. This is the lowest average among the four settings at this resolution, while Low settings reach 176 FPS, Medium hits 153 FPS, and High achieves 129 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested combinations in Doom?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination ranks 2883 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the lower 22% of all pairings. This rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range position, as the CPU is a top-tier performer.

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

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 129 at 1920x1080 to 84 at 2560x1440, and further to 45 at 3840x2160. This represents a 65% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Which resolution provides the highest average FPS for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 176 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the same resolution, Medium settings yield 153 FPS, High yields 129 FPS, and Ultra yields 106 FPS.

Q: Does the AMD Radeon RX 6600 have enough VRAM for Doom at 4K?

A: The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 128-bit bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The data shows that at 3840x2160, average FPS ranges from 37 (Ultra) to 62 (Low), suggesting that while VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game, the GPU’s compute power limits 4K performance.

Q: What is the min FPS recorded for this combo at any resolution?

A: The only min FPS values provided are for Medium settings: 46 at 3840x2160, 84 at 2560x1440, and 130 at 1920x1080. The lowest min FPS is 46 at 4K Medium.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip, featuring 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. Its base clock is 1626 MHz, with a boost clock of 2491 MHz and a game clock of 2044 MHz. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications position the GPU as a mid-range part, which is reflected in its percentile rank of 63 among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of 19036.

In Doom, the GPU’s role is dominant across all measured settings. The data shows that at 1920x1080, even the most demanding Ultra preset achieves 106 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p reduces average FPS from 176 to 106, a 40% drop, indicating that the GPU’s shading and memory bandwidth are heavily taxed by higher quality settings. At 2560x1440, the same settings drop from 114 to 68 FPS, a 40% decline, showing consistent scaling. At 3840x2160, the drop is steeper: from 62 FPS on Low to 37 FPS on Ultra, a 40% reduction, but the absolute numbers fall below 60 FPS for all settings except Low.

The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is not a bottleneck in Doom, as the game’s textures and geometry are manageable within this capacity. The 128-bit memory bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, however, limit fill-rate and texture throughput at higher resolutions. With a pixel rate of 159.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 279.0 GTexel/s, the RX 6600 can handle 1080p and 1440p efficiently, but 4K demands exceed its capabilities, as seen in the sub-60 FPS results. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is not the limiting factor in any measured scenario, as even at 1080p Low, the GPU is pushing 176 FPS without CPU-related drops.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080, the average FPS across settings is as follows: Low 176, Medium 153, High 129, Ultra 106. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to Low 114, Medium 99, High 84, Ultra 68. Finally, at 3840x2160, the averages are Low 62, Medium 54, High 45, Ultra 37.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction of roughly 35% across all settings. For example, High drops from 129 to 84 FPS, a 35% decline, and Ultra drops from 106 to 68, a 36% decline. This consistent percentage suggests that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the primary constraint, as the number of pixels increases by 78% from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, yet FPS drops by a smaller proportion due to the GPU’s architecture.

From 1440p to 4K, the scaling becomes more severe. High settings fall from 84 to 45 FPS, a 46% drop, and Ultra falls from 68 to 37, a 46% drop. The pixel count increases by 125% from 1440p to 4K, and the FPS reduction is proportionally larger, indicating that the RX 6600’s memory bandwidth (224.0 GB/s) and shading units (1792) are saturated. The data suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the sole limiting component, as the CPU’s performance is far above what is needed for this game.

The frame time consistency, where available, shows that at Medium settings, the min FPS scales from 130 at 1080p to 84 at 1440p and 46 at 4K. The gap between min and max FPS at Medium is 46 FPS at 1080p (130-176), 30 FPS at 1440p (84-114), and 16 FPS at 4K (46-62). This narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is working at its limit, reducing the variability but also capping performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination holds a combo rank of 2883 out of 3712 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the bottom 22% of all pairings, which is expected given that the GPU’s percentile rank is 63 while the CPU’s percentile rank is 95. The CPU is a top-tier processor, with an average benchmark score of 79097, but the GPU’s average benchmark score of 19036 pulls the combination down in the rankings.

Relative to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i9-14900K performs nearly identically to the i9-14900KF, which has an average score of 79371 and a delta of -0.3%. It is also close to the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus (79574, -0.6%) and AMD EPYC 7413 (80041, -1.2%), while being slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (77740, 1.7%). These differences are negligible, meaning the CPU choice is not a differentiator in Doom.

For the GPU, the RX 6600’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030, 0% delta), GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, -0.1%), Tesla K20m (19089, -0.3%), and RTX 2000 Ada Generation (18954, 0.4%). The RX 6600’s average score of 19036 is within 0.5% of all these cards, indicating that any of them would produce similar frame rates in Doom. The combo rank of 2883 thus reflects the GPU’s mid-range position, not the CPU’s capability.

In practical terms, this rank means that there are 829 tested combos that perform worse, but the vast majority of combinations with higher-end GPUs will achieve higher frame rates. The data shows that the i9-14900K cannot compensate for the RX 6600’s limitations at 4K, but at 1080p and 1440p, the pairing is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 176 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 153 FPS, with a min FPS of 130 and a max of 176. High settings yield 129 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 106 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at the highest quality preset, the game runs well above 100 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 114 FPS. Medium settings produce 99 FPS (min 84, max 114), High settings achieve 84 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 68 FPS. The 1440p results show that the RX 6600 can maintain playable frame rates at all settings, though Ultra dips below the 72 FPS threshold that some players consider optimal for competitive shooters.

At 3840x2160, the performance becomes marginal. Low settings average 62 FPS, which is just above 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 54 FPS (min 46, max 62), High settings average 45 FPS, and Ultra settings average 37 FPS. None of the 4K presets except Low maintain a consistent 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset is below 40 FPS, indicating that this resolution is not suitable for the RX 6600 in Doom.

The Medium settings row is the only one with complete min/max data. At 1080p, the min is 130 and max is 176, giving a 46 FPS range. At 1440p, the min is 84 and max is 114, a 30 FPS range. At 4K, the min is 46 and max is 62, a 16 FPS range. This narrowing range suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing frame time spikes but also lowering the ceiling.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all settings provide playable performance, but the Ultra preset at 106 FPS is the best choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. If the user prioritizes maximum frame rates for competitive play, the Low preset at 176 FPS offers the highest headroom, though the High preset at 129 FPS balances quality and speed.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 84 FPS is the recommended choice, as it delivers good visual quality while staying above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 99 FPS is also viable, especially for users who prefer smoother motion over minor graphical details. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is playable but may feel less responsive in fast-paced scenes, so it is not recommended for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that only the Low preset (62 FPS) maintains an average above 60 FPS. The Medium preset (54 FPS) is borderline, with a min FPS of 46 that could cause noticeable stutters. The High (45 FPS) and Ultra (37 FPS) presets are not recommended for 4K, as they fall well below the 60 FPS target. For 4K users, the Low preset is the only viable option, and even then, the min FPS is not provided, so consistency is uncertain.

Overall, the best experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, providing 106 FPS with the highest visual quality. At 1440p, High settings at 84 FPS offer the best balance. At 4K, the GPU is overmatched, and users should either drop to Low settings or consider a more powerful GPU. The CPU’s performance is never a bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p, making this pairing suitable for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but not for 4K beyond the lowest preset.