Doom

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on the Raptor Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, which is the highest boost figure listed in the fact pack for this chip. The processor includes an 80 KB L1 cache per core, a 2 MB L2 cache per core, and a shared 36 MB L3 cache, with support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel interface. The CPU also carries an integrated UHD Graphics 770 unit, though the discrete GPU handles rendering in this test scenario.

In synthetic benchmarks, this processor demonstrates substantial headroom. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and single-core score of 7040 place it in the 97th percentile among all CPUs tracked in the database. The Geekbench multi-core score of 20370 and single-core score of 3064 reinforce that capability. For Doom, which is a game from 2016, the title's engine does not typically stress modern CPUs to their limits, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The fact that the i9-14900K delivers a PassMark multi-thread score of 58674 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4697 suggests that even at 1080p with Low settings, the processor is unlikely to be the constraining factor — the measured 261.2 FPS average at that configuration is far below the CPU's theoretical ceiling.

The nearest rivals in the database — the AMD EPYC 7413, Intel Core i9-14900KF, Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF, and Intel Core Ultra 7 265K — all post average benchmark scores within a narrow band. The EPYC 7413 averages 80041 (a delta of -0.3% versus the i9-14900K's average of 79824), while the i9-14900KF scores 79245 (0.7% higher). This clustering indicates that the i9-14900K sits at the top tier of desktop performance, though the differences among these chips are negligible for gaming workloads like Doom. The CPU's 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow for overclocking, but the measured FPS data suggests that in this game, the processor's role is to feed frames quickly enough that the GPU never idles — a task it handles comfortably across all tested settings.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It packs 28,100 million transistors on a 346 mm² die, with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 192-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 1435 MHz, with a game clock of 2171 MHz and a boost clock of 2544 MHz. Its 3456 shading units, 216 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output pipelines give it a pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 549.5 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 35.17 TFLOPS.

The GPU's 12 GB VRAM is ample for Doom, a title that predates the RX 7000 series by several years. The fact that the game runs at 65.5 FPS average at 4K with High settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at that resolution — the CPU is far too fast to bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the RX 7700 XT reaches 261.2 FPS average, which is nearly four times the 4K Ultra figure of 55.6 FPS. The GPU's percentile rank of 73 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30097, places it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (score 30109, delta 0.0%) and the AMD Radeon RX 570 (score 30158, delta -0.2%). These rivals are effectively tied in synthetic performance, but the RX 7700 XT's advantage in Doom comes from its high memory bandwidth and RDNA 3.0 efficiency, which allow it to push high frame rates even at demanding settings.

The GPU's 245 W TDP and dual-slot design with 2x 8-pin power connectors indicate a mid-range power envelope, though the fact pack does not list specific wattage figures for this game. The 18 Gbps effective memory speed and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are particularly relevant for Doom's texture-heavy environments, as the game's id Tech 6 engine streams assets efficiently. At 1440p, the GPU maintains 125.5 FPS on High settings and 100.5 FPS on Ultra, which suggests that the RX 7700 XT is well-matched to high-refresh-rate 1440p displays for this title.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks 762nd out of 1681 tested combos in Doom, placing it in the 54.7th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking is notable because both components individually sit in high percentiles — the CPU at 97th and the GPU at 73rd. The disparity between the CPU's elite standing and the combo's middle ranking indicates that the GPU is the performance limiter for this pairing in Doom, which is consistent with the game's engine favoring graphics throughput over CPU compute.

Among the 1681 combos, this rank of 762 means that roughly 919 other configurations deliver higher average FPS in Doom. The fact that the GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 5060 and RX 570 — both with nearly identical synthetic scores — suggests that the RX 7700 XT's real-world gaming performance is competitive with those cards, but the combo rank reflects the reality that many other GPU pairings with faster graphics cards will outpace this setup at higher resolutions. The data shows that the i9-14900K contributes little to the combo's rank in this specific game, as even a significantly weaker CPU paired with the same GPU would likely produce similar Doom frame rates due to the GPU-bound nature of the workload at most settings.

The rank of 762 out of 1681 is not a judgment on the components' quality — it is a measure of how this specific pairing performs in Doom relative to all other tested combinations. For a game with this age and optimization level, the combo's placement suggests that users seeking higher rankings would benefit more from a faster GPU than a faster CPU. The CPU's 97th percentile standing indicates it could support a much more powerful graphics card without becoming a bottleneck, but with the RX 7700 XT, the system delivers solid but not top-tier Doom performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 261.2. Moving to Medium settings drops the average to 227.4 FPS, while High settings yield 193.5 FPS. Ultra settings produce 156.6 FPS average. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p represents a 40.1% reduction in frame rate, from 261.2 to 156.6 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues but with lower absolute numbers. Low settings average 169.4 FPS, Medium settings average 147.2 FPS, High settings average 125.5 FPS, and Ultra settings average 100.5 FPS. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 91.8 FPS (from 261.2 to 169.4), which is a 35.1% decrease. At Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 56.1 FPS (from 156.6 to 100.5), a 35.8% decrease.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates fall further. Low settings average 92.6 FPS, Medium settings average 77.5 FPS, High settings average 65.5 FPS, and Ultra settings average 55.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 37.0 FPS, from 92.6 to 55.6, which is a 40.0% reduction — nearly identical to the percentage drop seen at 1080p. This consistency suggests that the GPU's performance scales predictably with settings across resolutions.

The full range of measured data shows that the combo never drops below 55.6 FPS average, even at the most demanding configuration of 4K Ultra. At 1080p, the minimum average across all settings is 156.6 FPS, indicating that this pairing is more than capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p. At 1440p, the minimum average is 100.5 FPS, which still supports smooth gameplay on 100 Hz displays. At 4K, the minimum average of 55.6 FPS is playable but not ideal for competitive play.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that identifies the GPU as the limiting component. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all four settings drops by approximately 35% — for example, at High settings, the drop is from 193.5 to 125.5 FPS, a 35.1% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more pronounced: at High settings, the decrease is from 125.5 to 65.5 FPS, a 47.8% reduction. This accelerating decline with increasing resolution is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the number of pixels rendered doubles with each step up in resolution.

The fact that the i9-14900K is far more powerful than needed for Doom is evident from the scaling behavior. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the CPU would cap the frame rate regardless of pixel count. Instead, the measured data shows that FPS drops by roughly half from 1080p High to 4K High, which aligns with the GPU having to render four times as many pixels at 4K versus 1080p. The GPU's 12 GB VRAM and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to prevent memory-related stutters, but the raw compute throughput of 35.17 TFLOPS is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is remarkably consistent across settings. At Low settings, the drop is from 261.2 to 92.6 FPS, a 64.5% decrease. At Medium settings, the drop is from 227.4 to 77.5 FPS, a 65.9% decrease. At High settings, the drop is from 193.5 to 65.5 FPS, a 66.1% decrease. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 156.6 to 55.6 FPS, a 64.5% decrease. This uniformity — hovering around 65% — confirms that the GPU is consistently the constraining factor, and the CPU's contribution to frame rate does not change meaningfully with resolution. The data indicates that users who prioritize high frame rates should target 1080p or 1440p, while 4K gaming will require lowering settings to maintain playable performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Doom?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 261.2 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest recorded average is 55.6 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the i9-14900K compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79824, which is 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i9-14900KF (score 79245) and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (score 79102). It trails the AMD EPYC 7413 by 0.3% (score 80041).

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this combo for Doom?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. Evidence comes from the consistent ~65% FPS drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings, which indicates the frame rate scales with pixel count rather than CPU capability. The CPU's 97th percentile rank versus the GPU's 73rd percentile rank further supports this conclusion.

Q: What FPS can this combo achieve at 1440p with Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the combo delivers an average of 100.5 FPS. This is the lowest 1440p result, while High settings yield 125.5 FPS, Medium 147.2 FPS, and Low 169.4 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT rank against its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 7700 XT has an average benchmark score of 30097, placing it in the 73rd percentile. It is statistically tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (score 30109, delta 0.0%) and the AMD Radeon RX 570 (score 30158, delta -0.2%), while slightly ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (score 29969, delta 0.4%).

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in Doom among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 762nd out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the lower half of the database, despite the CPU being in the 97th percentile, because the GPU's mid-range performance holds back the overall result.