Doom

The Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B570 pairing in Doom presents a study in contrast: a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU. The measured data across three resolutions and four quality presets reveals a system that is clearly GPU-limited at higher settings, while also showing the processor’s ability to push very high frame rates when the graphical load is light. This analysis breaks down the performance characteristics of this specific combination using the provided benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly indicates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces 121 FPS. Dropping the resolution to 1440p High reduces the average to 78 FPS, a significant 35.5% decrease. Moving to 4K High further drops performance to 42 FPS, which is another 46.2% reduction from 1440p. This steep, consistent decline with each resolution increase is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The Intel Arc B570 is the limiting factor here; the CPU has ample headroom, but the GPU’s rendering throughput cannot keep pace with the increasing pixel count.

The scaling pattern holds across other presets. With Medium settings, the average frame rate falls from 143 FPS at 1080p to 92 FPS at 1440p and then to 50 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 35.7% and 45.7% respectively, showing a nearly identical rate of decline as seen on High. Even on Low settings, where the GPU workload is minimized, the trend continues: 164 FPS at 1080p drops to 106 FPS at 1440p (a 35.4% decrease) and finally to 57 FPS at 4K (a 46.2% decrease from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across all presets is a strong indicator that resolution scaling is purely a function of the GPU’s capabilities in this configuration.

The data suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo if aiming for high refresh rates. All presets at 1080p exceed 99 FPS, with Low and Medium reaching 164 and 143 FPS respectively. At 1440p, the system remains playable, but the Ultra preset drops to 64 FPS. 4K is the most demanding scenario, where even the Low preset only achieves 57 FPS, and Ultra falls to 35 FPS. The limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU’s performance is not the variable changing with resolution. This combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for less demanding titles or significant settings reductions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptionally high, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5 and a single-core score of 2262.5. It sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is among the most powerful processors available. In this game, its role is to feed frames to the GPU as fast as possible, and the data shows it does so without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 164 FPS. This high frame rate is a direct result of the CPU’s strong single-thread performance, which is critical for game logic and draw call submission. The processor’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache and high boost clock help ensure that the GPU is never starved of data. The fact that the frame rate at 1080p Low is nearly three times higher than at 4K High (164 FPS vs. 42 FPS) shows that the CPU is capable of far more than the GPU can deliver at higher resolutions.

However, the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor, as the CPU can prepare frames faster than the Arc B570 can render them. The CPU’s performance is more than adequate for this title, and it is not the source of any performance constraints observed in the measured data. The i9-14900K’s rank relative to its nearest rivals—being 0.3% slower than the Core i9-14900KF and 1.7% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 in average benchmark score—confirms it is a top-tier part that will not hold back most GPUs in Doom.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested CPU and GPU combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2332 out of 2930 combos for Doom. This places it in the bottom 20.4% of all tested systems. This low ranking is not a reflection of the CPU, but rather a consequence of pairing a high-end processor with a mid-range GPU. The ranking indicates that most other tested combinations, many of which likely feature more balanced GPU pairings, achieve higher average frame rates in this title.

The combo’s rank is heavily influenced by the GPU’s performance. The Arc B570 has a 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its average benchmark score is within 0.1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and Intel Arc A750. This places the GPU in the mid-range tier. When paired with a CPU that is in the 95th percentile, the overall combo rank is dragged down by the GPU’s relative performance level. The result is a system that is powerful for productivity and CPU-bound tasks, but in Doom, its frame rates are capped by the graphics card.

This rank should be interpreted as a measure of overall gaming performance in this specific title. It does not imply the system is inadequate; it simply means that many other combinations can achieve higher frame rates. For a user with a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor, this combo will perform well, but it will not be competitive with systems using higher-tier GPUs. The data indicates that the i9-14900K has significant untapped potential in this pairing, as its performance headroom is not fully utilized by the Arc B570 at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Doom?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the best resolution. It is the only resolution where all presets achieve an average of 99 FPS or higher, with Low and Medium reaching 164 and 143 FPS respectively. 1440p is also viable, but 4K performance is too low for a smooth experience on most presets.

Q: How much faster is this combo at 1080p compared to 4K on High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the average frame rate is 121 FPS. At 4K High, the average frame rate drops to 42 FPS. This represents a 65.3% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K or the Intel Arc B570 the bottleneck in this system?

A: The data indicates that the Intel Arc B570 is the bottleneck at resolutions of 1440p and above. The frame rate drops consistently with resolution increases, which is a characteristic of GPU limitation. At 1080p, the CPU is capable of pushing frame rates higher than the GPU can render, so the GPU remains the limiting factor.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset averages 106 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 64 FPS. This is a 39.6% decrease in performance when moving from Low to Ultra settings.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, has a score of 20534, which is 0.1% lower. The Intel Arc A750 has a score of 20582, which is 0.1% higher than the B570.

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming?

A: This combo is decidedly better suited for 1080p gaming. At 1080p, it can achieve an average of 164 FPS on Low settings, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 4K, even the Low preset only manages 57 FPS, which is not ideal for smooth gameplay.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz. It has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation units. These specifications position it as a mid-range graphics card, which is confirmed by its 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to its closest rivals, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster) and the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% slower).

In Doom, the GPU’s role is to handle the rendering workload, and its performance dictates the frame rates at higher resolutions. The 10 GB VRAM buffer is sufficient for the game’s textures at 1080p and 1440p, but the card’s raw compute power is what limits performance. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS is a measure of its shader throughput, and the data shows that it is not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are also factors, but the overall trend in the measured FPS is that the card is maxed out at 1440p and above.

The GPU’s performance scaling across presets is consistent. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 65 FPS (164 to 99), showing that the card can handle the increased shader and texture work at that resolution. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is only 22 FPS (57 to 35), indicating that the card is severely overloaded and the settings changes have a smaller absolute impact. The Arc B570 is the definitive performance ceiling for this combo in Doom, and its mid-range status is the primary reason for the system’s overall rank.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of how each preset impacts performance. For a 60 FPS target, the highest settings that can achieve this at each resolution are as follows. At 1080p, all presets exceed 99 FPS, so the Ultra preset is the best choice for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. At 1440p, the High preset averages 78 FPS and the Medium preset averages 92 FPS, both of which are above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 64 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium offers a better balance with a 28 FPS improvement over Ultra. For 4K, the Low preset is the only one that achieves an average above 50 FPS, hitting 57 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 50 FPS, which is borderline for smooth play.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot. At 1080p, it averages 143 FPS, which is close to the Low preset’s 164 FPS but with better visual fidelity. At 1440p, Medium provides 92 FPS, which is a substantial improvement over High’s 78 FPS and Ultra’s 64 FPS. The data also shows that Medium has minimum FPS figures of 121 at 1080p and 79 at 1440p, indicating good frame pacing. While High and Ultra offer more visual features, the performance cost is significant, especially at higher resolutions.

If a user prioritizes high refresh rates, then Low settings are recommended. The Low preset at 1080p yields 164 FPS, which is ideal for a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor. At 1440p, Low achieves 106 FPS, which is also suitable for high-refresh displays. For users with a 4K monitor, the Low preset is the only viable option for achieving frame rates above 55 FPS. Ultimately, the choice depends on the user’s display and performance priorities, but the data suggests that Medium provides the best compromise between visual quality and frame rate for most scenarios.