Doom

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Doom with the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT reveals a clear pattern: this combination scales predictably with resolution, but the drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, indicating a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 201.2 FPS, which falls to 128 FPS at 1440p (−36%) and then to 69.8 FPS at 4K (−65% from 1080p). This steep decline is the signature of a graphics card that is the limiting factor once pixel count rises.

The scaling behavior becomes more telling when examining the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 121 FPS, but 1440p Ultra drops to 80.7 FPS (−33%), and 4K Ultra collapses to 42.8 FPS (−65% from 1080p). The consistency of this percentage drop across settings — roughly two-thirds reduction from 1080p to 4K — confirms that the RX 6650 XT's rendering throughput, not the CPU, is the primary constraint at 4K. The i9-14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads are more than adequate to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but at 4K the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width become the bottleneck.

Notably, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (201.2 FPS) and Ultra (121 FPS) is 80.2 FPS. At 4K, that gap shrinks to 27 FPS (69.8 vs 42.8). This compression indicates that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even reducing settings from Ultra to Low only recovers 27 FPS, whereas at 1080p the same setting change yields over 80 FPS. The data suggests that players targeting 4K on this combo will face a hard ceiling around 70 FPS even at Low settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. In Doom, a game released in 2016, the CPU's role is largely secondary to the GPU, but the benchmark results still reflect its capability. The processor's single-core performance — evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 3064 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7040 — ensures that frame pacing at high refresh rates is not CPU-limited.

Looking at the 1080p Low result of 201.2 FPS, this figure approaches the practical ceiling for many displays and demonstrates that the i9-14900K can drive the RX 6650 XT to its limits at lower resolutions. The CPU's 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain consistent frame delivery, particularly in Doom's fast-paced combat scenarios where draw calls and physics updates can spike. However, the fact that 1080p Ultra (121 FPS) is 40% lower than 1080p Low (201.2 FPS) shows that even with a top-tier CPU, the GPU's shading workload dominates performance at higher settings.

The i9-14900K ranks in the 97th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,824. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7413, scores 80,041 (a mere 0.3% difference), while the Intel Core i9-14900KF trails by 0.7%. This CPU is clearly not the bottleneck in any of the measured scenarios — the data shows that resolution and settings changes produce FPS variations that align with GPU-bound behavior. For Doom specifically, the CPU's role is to ensure that the 6650 XT never waits for data, and the 1080p results confirm this is achieved.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 1048 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 62nd percentile of all combinations. This ranking reflects a pairing where a high-end CPU is matched with a mid-range GPU, resulting in performance that is respectable but not top-tier. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's position — the RX 6650 XT sits in the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 29,024.

The GPU's nearest rivals provide context for its standing. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M scores 29,011 (0% difference), the AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 28,996 (0.1% ahead), the Intel Arc A370M scores 29,175 (0.5% behind), and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH scores 29,197 (0.6% behind). These near-identical scores suggest that the RX 6650 XT is positioned in a tight cluster of GPUs with similar rasterization performance, despite architectural differences. The combo's rank of 1048 out of 1681 means that roughly 37% of tested combinations outperform it, likely those pairing this GPU with lower-end CPUs (which make little difference in Doom) or pairing better GPUs with any CPU.

Given that Doom is a 2016 title with a well-optimized engine, the combo's rank reflects the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity and 280.3 GB/s memory bandwidth. The 128-bit memory bus is a limiting factor at 4K, where the data shows FPS dropping below 50 on Ultra settings. The rank of 1048 suggests that while this combo handles 1080p and 1440p admirably, it falls behind combos with higher-bandwidth GPUs when resolution scales up.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a complete picture of performance. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 201.2 FPS, Medium 173.9 FPS, High 149.9 FPS, and Ultra 121 FPS. These figures show a steady decline as settings increase, with the gap between consecutive presets ranging from 24 to 28.9 FPS. The 1080p Low result of 201.2 FPS is the highest score recorded for this combo, indicating that the system can comfortably exceed 200 FPS in less demanding scenarios.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are consistent: Low 128 FPS, Medium 115.5 FPS, High 98 FPS, and Ultra 80.7 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 36% for Low, 34% for Medium, 35% for High, and 33% for Ultra. This uniformity suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput scales predictably with resolution, with no unexpected bottlenecks. The 1440p Ultra result of 80.7 FPS remains playable for most gamers, though it is 33% below the 1080p Ultra figure.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 69.8 FPS, Medium 62.9 FPS, High 51.5 FPS, and Ultra 42.8 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 42.8 FPS is the lowest measured value, and even 4K Low (69.8 FPS) falls short of 60 FPS on the High preset (51.5 FPS). The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 45% drop for Low (128 to 69.8), 46% for Medium (115.5 to 62.9), 47% for High (98 to 51.5), and 47% for Ultra (80.7 to 42.8). This consistent 45-47% reduction indicates that the GPU is fully saturated at 4K, with no headroom for higher settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest FPS this combo can achieve in Doom?

A: The highest measured FPS is 201.2 at 1080p with Low settings. At 1080p Ultra, the combo still delivers 121 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Doom?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 69.8, while 4K Ultra drops to 42.8 FPS. The 4K High preset yields 51.5 FPS, which is below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance in Doom?

A: The i9-14900K's 24 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for Doom. The data shows GPU-bound behavior at all resolutions, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops when increasing resolution or settings.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the High preset delivers 98 FPS, while Ultra yields 80.7 FPS. The Medium preset offers 115.5 FPS, making it a strong choice for higher refresh rates.

Q: How does the RX 6650 XT compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 29,024. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M scores 29,011 (0% difference), while the Intel Arc A370M is 0.5% behind and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GH is 0.6% behind.

Q: Is the combo CPU-limited or GPU-limited at 1080p?

A: The data indicates GPU limitation even at 1080p. The 1080p Low result of 201.2 FPS versus 1080p Ultra at 121 FPS shows a 40% drop, which is attributable to the GPU's shading workload rather than the CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the Ultra preset at 121 FPS provides the best visual fidelity while maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS. If a player has a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor, dropping to High (149.9 FPS) or Medium (173.9 FPS) yields higher refresh rates with modest visual compromises. The 1080p Low preset at 201.2 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is prioritized over image quality.

At 1440p, the High preset at 98 FPS offers the best balance for most gamers, as it stays above 90 FPS while providing solid visual detail. The Ultra preset at 80.7 FPS is acceptable for 60Hz displays but may feel less smooth on higher refresh panels. For those seeking maximum frame rates at 1440p, the Low preset at 128 FPS is viable, though the Medium preset at 115.5 FPS is a better compromise between speed and quality.

At 4K, the data shows that only the Low preset (69.8 FPS) and Medium preset (62.9 FPS) maintain playable frame rates above 60 FPS. The High preset at 51.5 FPS and Ultra at 42.8 FPS will exhibit noticeable stutter and are not recommended for smooth gameplay. For 4K, the Low preset is the only option that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, and even then, frame times may vary in intense combat scenes. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 280.3 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for high-quality 4K rendering in Doom, as evidenced by the steep drop from 1440p to 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation pipelines, with a boost clock of 2635 MHz and a game clock of 2410 MHz. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 17.5 Gbps effective across a 128-bit bus, yielding 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications position the card as a solid 1080p performer, which is consistent with the measured results.

In Doom, the GPU's role is dominant at all resolutions. The 1080p results show that the card can exceed 200 FPS at Low settings, but the Ultra preset at 121 FPS reveals the limits of its 10.79 TFLOPS FP32 performance. At 4K, the 42.8 FPS Ultra result indicates that the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel count, with the 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB VRAM proving insufficient for high-quality 4K textures. The GPU's 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s, but this is not enough to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra.

The RX 6650 XT's nearest rivals show how close the performance cluster is: the RX 6800M has a 0% difference in average score, while the RX 470 is 0.1% ahead and the Arc A370M is 0.5% behind. This tight grouping suggests that the 6650 XT's real-world gaming performance in Doom is representative of a broad mid-range segment. The GPU's 32 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are present in the hardware, but Doom's classic rendering pipeline does not leverage these features, further emphasizing that raw rasterization throughput and memory bandwidth determine the measured FPS. The card's 176 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface are adequate for this workload, though the x8 link could theoretically limit performance in other scenarios — the data here does not indicate such a bottleneck.